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Senate Confirms Bryan Bedford as FAA Head
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The Senate confirms Bryan Bedford as FAA administrator.

The Senate voted 59-43 to confirm Bryan Bedford, the current CEO of Republic Airways, as the next Federal Aviation Administration head. The vote occurred on Wednesday, with Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., as the only Democrat who voted in favor of Bedford despite objections from her colleagues about his past positions on pilot training hours.

According to a report from Politico, Democrats expressed concerns about Bedford’s previous attempts to secure an exception to the FAA’s rule requiring pilots to have 1,500 hours of training before they can operate commercial jets.

Who Is Bryan Bedford?

Bedford brings decades of experience as an airline executive, including in some of the largest regional airlines in North America. He has led Republic Airways since 1999, during which he played a key role in helping the carrier grow from $85 million in revenue to more than $1.3 billion, Fox Business reported. Before joining Republic Airways, Bedford was the chief executive of Mesaba Airlines and Business Express Airlines.

In 1997 and 2004, he was named Airline Executive of the Year by Regional Airline World.

Bedford, who holds multi-engine and instrument pilot ratings, earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance from Florida State University.

Following his confirmation as FAA head, he will replace Chris Rocheleau, who has been serving as the agency chief in an acting capacity since Jan. 29, when a U.S. Army helicopter and an American Airlines regional jet collided, resulting in the death of 67 individuals.

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Nand Mulchandani Steps Down as CIA’s First-Ever CTO
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Nand Mulchandani has stepped down as CIA's first chief technology officer

Nand Mulchandani has announced on LinkedIn Wednesday that he has stepped down as chief technology officer of the CIA.

Mulchandani officially departed the agency on June 21, exactly three years after assuming the role in 2022. He also revealed that he is returning to the private sector after spending the last six years in public service.

Who Is Nand Mulchandani?

The outgoing CIA CTO is a one-time Wash100 Award winner who served as CTO and acting director of the Department of Defense’s Joint Artificial Intelligence Center. Before joining the public sector, he served as vice president of strategy and market development at Citrix, where he developed strategies and expanded businesses for the company’s networking business unit.

The self-described “serial entrepreneur” co-founded and served as CEO of ScaleXtreme, a company that specializes in cloud-based systems management and automation, and OpenDNS, which offered recursive DNS infrastructure services. Mulchandani also worked at VMware as part of the security product management and marketing team.

Before that, the seasoned executive co-founded Determina, where he held various leadership roles including CEO and VP of marketing and business development. He co-founded and served as CTO and VP of product management at Oblix. Mulchandani started his private career in 1991 as a compiler architect at Sun Microsystems.

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Air Force, Space Force Request $16B in FY26 Funding Through Unfunded Priorities Lists
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The Air Force and Space Force submitted to Congress their unfunded priorities lists, seeking $16 billion in extra funding

Breaking Defense reported Tuesday that the U.S. Air Force’s Unfunded Priorities List, or UPL, is seeking $10 billion in additional fiscal year 2026 funding, while the U.S. Space Force is requesting $6 billion in funding through its UPL.

Air Force, Space Force Request $16B in FY26 Funding Through Unfunded Priorities Lists

Get the latest information on service branches’ defense priorities, tech advancements and more at the 2025 Air and Space Summit on July 31. Book your seats now!

Air Force’s UPL Includes Funding Requests for Munitions Production, Fleet Readiness Efforts

The Air Force’s UPL includes about $4.15 billion to boost the production of munitions, including advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles; a joint advanced tactical missile; a hypersonic missile called AARW; and the APKWS II, a laser-guided rocket interceptor.

The service branch is also requesting $1.98 billion to improve aircraft readiness; $1.73 billion to fund military construction work; and $1.42 billion for facility sustainment efforts.

Space Force’s UPL Seeks Funding for MILNET Satellite Constellation 

The Space Force seeks $5.95 billion in FY 2026 funding through its UPL. Of the nearly $6 billion request, the service would allocate approximately $3.53 billion for the MILNET satellite constellation project’s “Block II” work and $686.8 million for Block II satellite launches.

In addition to the MILNET project, the service would set aside about $1.61 billion for three classified programs. The Space Force UPL also includes funding for ground station modernization, facility sustainment and efforts to address obsolescence issues with GPS ground antennas.

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Battelle Gifts $3.25M to Columbia Basin College to Build Community STEM Learning Center
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In a statement, Lou Von Thaer, president and CEO of Battelle, discussed his company's latest donation

Lou Von Thaer, president and CEO of Battelle and a 10-time Wash100 Award winner, announced a $3.25 million funding for the establishment of a science, technology, engineering and mathematics, better known as STEM, learning center within the Columbia Basin College, or CBC, campus.

The philanthropic gift is the largest donation Battelle has made in the Tri-Cities area throughout its 60-year history of managing the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, the company said Wednesday. 

“This gift aligns closely with Battelle’s mission to leverage science and technology for the betterment of society,” commented Von Thaer. “The partnerships established through this Community STEM Learning Center will build on CBC’s whole-family engagement model to meet the community’s needs and encourage students to pursue the essential STEM careers of tomorrow.”

CBC’s Upcoming Learning Center

The facility, which will be named the Community STEM Learning Center, will be housed at CBC’s campus in Pasco, Washington. It will focus on providing students, educators, families and the broader community with hands-on learning experiences across all fields of STEM. 

CBC will refurbish an existing building for the center, which will offer immersive learning opportunities and programs. 

“At CBC, we believe in educational access to everyone,” stated CBC President Rebekah Woods. “We know that hands-on STEM experiences are vital to students, our community and educators to build the skills and experiences to prepare them to take on future scientific challenges.”

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DOD Seeks Proposals for Kinetic & Submarine-Launched Unmanned Underwater Vehicles
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The DOD seeks proposals for unmanned underwater vehicles, including kinetic and submarine-launched variants.

The Department of Defense has started soliciting proposals for low-cost small and medium unmanned underwater vehicles.

The Defense Innovation Unit said the UUVs are intended to enhance operational capabilities in subsea and seabed warfare, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, and expeditionary warfare domains.

Kinetic Unmanned Underwater Vehicles

The DOD aims to develop a kinetic UUV by integrating existing government payloads with industry-provided platforms to achieve the required kinetic effects. The proposed one-way attack UUV will utilize surface or housed subsurface host vehicles with dimensions compatible with current deployment packages, handling, storage and transportation elements. In addition, the likely uncrewed vessel should be capable of deploying from a government-provided platform or pier and delivering a payload with speed and endurance.

Submarine-Launched UUVs

The DOD also intends to develop UUVs that can be launched from submarine torpedo tubes and recovered without divers. These uncrewed vehicles will be designed to operate for at least two days or 120 nautical miles with a payload. The UUV should support various communication pathways and long-range navigation, while compliance with unmanned maritime autonomy architecture is also expected.

Interested contractors have until July 24 to submit their responses.

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NSCW PCD Holds Ground-breaking Ceremony for Facility for Unmanned Autonomous Systems
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The NSWC PCD marked the start of building an autonomous unmanned systems facility.

The Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division, or NSWC PCD, has held a ground-breaking ceremony for its new 25,000-square-foot facility focused on autonomous unmanned systems. 

NSCW PCD Holds Ground-breaking Ceremony for Facility for Unmanned Autonomous Systems

 Join the Potomac Officers Club 2025 Navy Summit on August 26 for more insights about the service branch’s challenges and opportunities and updates on its  advancements in technology, policy and strategy.

What Is the Subsea and Seabed Warfare Facility?

The Subsea and Seabed Warfare, or SSW, facility will be a center for developing, testing and evaluating autonomous systems, NSCW PCD said Wednesday. The building will be located near the Gulf of America, which allows the Navy to directly test and launch the unmanned underwater systems. 

The SSW facility will bring together NSCW PCD’s experts, tools and technology to help develop more advanced unmanned autonomous systems to support the Navy during littoral and coastal missions. 

NSCW PCD’s Peter Adair Shares Thoughts

According to NSCW PCD Technical Director Peter Adair, the facility is a “game-changer”.

“It’s more than just bricks and mortar; it’s a catalyst that will bring together the brightest minds in our organization and our partners across the acquisition community,” Adair said.

“Here, we’ll tackle the most pressing challenges facing our Navy, developing adaptive sensors, advanced unmanned systems, and secure communication networks using machine learning and artificial intelligence,” he added. 

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SDA Appoints GP Sandhoo as Deputy Director
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SDA tapped former IARPA executive GP Sandhoo as deputy director

The Space Development Agency has appointed Gurpartap “GP” Sandhoo, a U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps veteran, as deputy director.

SDA said Tuesday Sandhoo succeeds Ryan Frigm, who helped establish SDA as an independent agency within the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering in 2019.

In this capacity, Sandhoo will help the SDA director manage the agency and execute the development, deployment and operation of the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture, or PWSA.

“We are pleased to have GP seamlessly move into the deputy director position where he will leverage his impeccable space acquisition credentials and experience during this crucial period as we prepare to launch the PWSA’s Tranche 1, the initial operational capability, later this summer,” said Derek Tournear, director of SDA and a Wash100 awardee.

Who Is GP Sandhoo?

Sandhoo previously served as vice president and chief architect at Quantum Space and as director for emerging technologies at Northrop Grumman.

His government career included time as deputy director at the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Agency; head of the Spacecraft Engineering Division at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory; acting director of the Naval Center of Space Technology; National Reconnaissance Office liaison to the Security Assistance Group-Ukraine; and a senior scientist at the Defense Innovation Unit.

He previously served as a flight controller at NASA’s Johnson Space Center and a research and development engineer at Johns Hopkins University’s Applied Physics Laboratory.

The University of Maryland mechanical engineering graduate holds a doctorate in aeronautics, astronautics and propulsion from George Washington University.

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Navy’s Unfunded Priorities List Seeks $1.4B for Next-Gen Fighter Aircraft
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The Navy is requesting funding for the F/A-XX fighter jet program through the Unfunded Priorities List

Breaking Defense reported Tuesday that the U.S. Navy’s fiscal year 2026 Unfunded Priorities List, or UPL, includes a $1.4 billion funding request for a sixth-generation fighter aircraft program called F/A-XX.

“This additional funding will enable Navy to award the 6th Generation Strike Fighter contract to industry,” the service branch wrote in its letter to lawmakers. “Navy’s 6th Generation Strike Fighter aircraft is a critical component of both the future Carrier Strike Group (CSG)” and the “air wing of the future.”

The F/A-XX program is expected to replace the Navy’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fighter jets.

Navy's Unfunded Priorities List Seeks $1.4B for Next-Gen Fighter Aircraft

Join the Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 Navy Summit on Aug. 26, and listen to experts as they discuss the service’s priorities, tech advancements, latest trends and more. Save your spot now!

Navy Unfunded Priorities List Includes Funding Requests for Munitions Programs

The Navy’s UPL also includes $2.2 billion in funding to strengthen the munitions industrial base and replenish specific weapon inventories that have been expended to support the branch’s Red Sea operations.

According to documents obtained by Breaking Defense, the $1.4 billion funding request would help the Navy address “bottlenecks in lower-tier munitions components … by establishing and qualifying second source vendors and expanding existing suppliers.”

Meanwhile, the targeted $841 million funding request would resupply key weapon stockpiles, including Standard Missile-6, Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles, Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile, Maritime Strike Tomahawk and Long-Range Anti-Ship Missiles.

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Space Force Publishes International Strategy to Strengthen Partnerships, Deter Conflict in Orbit
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Gen. Chance Saltzman discusses Space Force's International Partnership Strategy

The U.S. Space Force has issued an International Partnership Strategy to maintain security and stability and promote sustainability in orbit.

The strategy, published Tuesday, recognizes the importance of international cooperation in the increasingly complex and contested space environment.

Gen. Chance Saltzman, chief of space operations and a three-time Wash100 Award winner, even described space power as “the ultimate team sport.”

“Space is simply too complex, too vast and too risky for any single power to control,” he said. “Therefore, if the service is to achieve its mission to secure our nation’s interests in, from, and to space, then it absolutely must cultivate partnerships with partners upon whom it can depend on to share its pursuit of a stable, secure and sustainable domain.”

Space Force Publishes International Strategy to Strengthen Partnerships, Deter Conflict in Orbit

The role of space in the great power competition is one of the topics that will be addressed at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 Air and Space Summit on July 31. Register for the in-person event here.

Air Marshal Paul Godfrey will lead the strategy’s implementation as assistant chief of space operations for future concepts and partnerships.

In a statement, Godfrey emphasized the importance of international cooperation to deter conflict.

“The risk calculus for our potential adversaries increases when they see allies and partners building and operating integrated space architectures,” he explained.

Details of Space Force’s International Partnership Strategy

The strategy identifies three goals and three lines of effort for the Space Force to deter conflict in the space domain.

The goals are as follows:

  • Empower allies and partners to serve as combat multipliers
  • Enhance communication to ensure data, capability and activity interoperability 
  • Cooperate with partners and allies across the full spectrum of force design, development and employment

The Space Force’s lines of effort are:

  • Include allies and partners in force development activities
  • Create conditions in which allies and partners can be easily integrated into the service’s force design
  • Seamlessly operate as a coalition

The Space Force announced that it is developing an international strategy in December. At the time, Gen. Michael Guetlein, vice chief of space operations and also a Wash100 winner, shared that the goal is to ensure that every system and capability the service designs is interoperable with partner systems. Gen. Guetlein will be a speaker at the 2025 Air and Space Summit—all the more reason to register now!

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Bipartisan Bill Aims to Grant Military Right to Repair Equipment
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Bipartisan Bill Aims to Grant Military Right to Repair Equipment

Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Tim Sheehy, R-Mont., have introduced the Warrior Right to Repair Act of 2025, which would give the military the right to repair its equipment.

Under the proposed legislation, defense contractors will be mandated to give the Department of Defense “fair and reasonable access” to their technical data, software, tools and materials, enabling the military to perform equipment repair and maintenance. The bipartisan bill also aims to extend the U.S. Army’s right to repair policy to all the services.

What Is the Purpose of the Warrior Right to Repair Act?

Traditionally, contractors have included provisions restricting the DOD from conducting repairs by limiting intellectual property and technical data-sharing. These provisions have raised concerns regarding service members’ skills, high sustainment costs, overcharging and overall readiness.

The Warrior Right to Repair Act of 2025 aligns with a recent announcement by Secretary of the Army Daniel Driscoll regarding the Army’s intention to incorporate the right to repair provisions in future Army contracts. Driscoll also stated that contract modifications will be proposed for current deals to remove repair restrictions.

The new bill is endorsed by the Project On Government Oversight, the Aeronautical Repair Station Association, Taxpayers for Common Sense and the Public Interest Research Groups.

“It’s common sense for members of our military to be able to fix their own weapons. Senator Sheehy and I are fighting to improve military readiness and save taxpayers billions,” said Warren. 

“For decades, American service members have been forced to rely on a broken status quo to repair equipment on the battlefield, threatening our readiness and costing taxpayers billions,” added Sheehy.

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