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House Bill to Address AI Security Vulnerabilities to Safeguard American Innovation
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The bipartisan Advanced AI Security Readiness Act would direct National Security Agency to develop an AI Security Playbook

A House bill is seeking to develop a security framework to protect American artificial intelligence systems from foreign threats, including espionage and cyberattacks, particularly those coming from China.

AI Security Playbook

The Advanced AI Security Readiness Act, introduced by a bipartisan group from the House Select Committee on China, including Chairman John Moolenaar, R-Mich.; Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill.; and Rep.Darin LaHood, R-Ill., would direct the National Security Agency’s AI Security Center to create an “AI Security Playbook” that provides national security agencies with information about potential vulnerabilities in advanced AI data centers and among AI developers; identify AI models, training method and algorithms that adversaries could exploit; and outline cybersecurity strategies to detect and counter threats.

The playbook would also identify the levels of security that would require the government to be involved in the development or oversight of highly advanced AI systems and include detailed methodologies and intelligence assessments, which may be contained in a classified annex, and an unclassified portion with general guidelines and best practices suitable for dissemination to relevant individuals, including in the private sector.

According to LaHood, Congress should ensure the United States strengthens its technology defenses, noting how China targets advanced American AI technology to undermine national security.

“This bipartisan legislation will empower the NSA to map those vulnerabilities and chart a path forward to protect our most sensitive AI capabilities,” he added.

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3 Key US Army Contract Opportunities
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Learn how the Trump Administration is emphasizing commercial solutions at the Potomac Officers Club's 2025 Army Summit.

The Department of Defense in President Trump’s second term is revamping how it procures weapon systems and services, with more emphasis on non-traditional contracting methods such as other transaction authorities and procuring commercial products and services whenever possible. This approach has the objective of helping DOD better acquire the cutting-edge technologies and systems it needs to win wars in this era of near-peer competition.

Below are three important Army competitions that demonstrate DOD’s emphasis on acquiring commercial systems and using innovative contracting vehicles. Get an exclusive look at additional business opportunities like these at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 Army Summit on June 18. Leaders from across the public and private sectors, such as U.S. Army Deputy Chief of Staff, DCS, G-6, Lt. Gen. Jeth Ray, will come together at this premier GovCon conference to discuss the Army’s procurement priorities and requirements. Secure your spot at the 2025 Army Summit to connect with these thought leaders and gain a competitive edge.

Flight School Next

The U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence, or AVCOE, seeks bids for initial entry rotary-wing flight training, also known as Flight School Next, located at Fort Novosel, Alabama. AVCOE will pursue a contractor-owned, contractor-operated, or COCO, commercial, turnkey solution to replace the current initial entry rotary wing Common Core flight training for the Army. The service currently uses the Airbus UH-72A Lakota for initial flight training.

The Army expects to utilize a commercial services opening for Flight School Next to reduce the time and complexity of a federal acquisition regulation, or FAR, -based procurement, allowing for faster selection and deployment of needed technologies. It also wants to better utilize innovative commercial solutions that could not be readily available through traditional FAR-based contracting strategies.

Lastly, the Army targets streamlining the acquisition process by eliminating typically burdensome FAR requirements. The service seeks technologies and methodologies to cover the following areas of rotorcraft flight training:

  • Academic and flight instruction
  • Training aids and devices
  • Simulation (if required)
  • Aircraft
  • Aircraft parts
  • Aircraft maintenance
     

Bids are due October 31.

3 Key US Army Contract Opportunities
The Army wants to procure commercial, turnkey solutions for initial flight training that could replace the Airbus UH-72A Lakota. Image: U.S. Army National Guard

DeCA Retail Grocer Transformation for Enterprise Business System 2.0

The Army seeks innovative pitches from industry to modernize the Defense Commissary Agency’s, or DeCA’s, Enterprise Business Systems, as well as address future DeCA modernization needs. DeCA is seeking a software services provider and an integrator to provide solutions with innovative methods for achieving the task of running a demanding retail grocery ecosystem. 

DeCA operates a worldwide system of 235 commissaries in 45 states, 13 countries and two U.S. territories, supporting roughly 3,000 checkout lanes, including self-service checkouts.. DeCA operates globally, with annual sales exceeding $4.6 billion and employing more than 14,000 people. DeCA currently relies on a combination of various retail information systems that are designed to interdependently manage DeCA’s overall retail, logistics and financial data environment.

The Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 Army Summit, on June 18, is almost here! Don’t miss this great opportunity to strike up partnerships with leading GovCon companies such as LMI, SAIC, Cubic, Ultra I&C, Seekr, Carahsoft, Exiger and Appian. Learn how to best tailor your future offerings from fascinating panels on hybrid cloud at the tactical edge, transforming supply chains via an agentic AI workforce and operationalizing modular open systems approaches, or MOSA, with digital engineering. A limited number of tickets remain, register now for this top GovCon event for Army partners.

DeCA’s current hardware suite consists of NCR Government Systems, LLC brand name hardware, software and third-party applications. DeCA envisions a future where the agency has “near” real-time access to accurate, relevant, reliable and actionable data to enable data-driven and timely decisions.

DeCA’s desired outcome from this procurement is:

  • Enhanced financial visibility and reporting
  • Streamlined financial processes
  • Improved budgeting and forecasting
  • Data-driven cost analysis and management
  • Enhanced transaction security and fraud prevention, among others

This commercial solutions opening, or CSO, may result in the award of various types of contracts. The Army intends to award FAR-based contracts under Part 12 Commercial Item Procedures, but could award different types of contracts depending on the specific area of interest.

Proposals are due August 12.

Guam Joint Integrated Battle Manager Prototype Development

The U.S. Army Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office is requesting white papers with the intent of awarding one or more other transaction agreements for prototype in support of the Guam Defense System Joint Integrated Battle Manager, or JIBM. The JIBM is an important part of the Guam Defense System, serving as a joint command and control layer that integrates data from existing DOD C2 systems.

The C2 data integration provides a comprehensive and unified capability to defend against both ballistic and non-ballistic threats. The JIBM prototype effort will design, develop, integrate and test a secure, scalable and flexible prototype JIBM for a capability exercise in third quarter FY 2026. Final prototype delivery is slated for fourth quarter FY 2026.

DOD expects the award to be an other transaction agreement for prototype, or pOTA, under a firm-fixed-price arrangement. This would allow for fixed payable milestones. The period of performance of the anticipated pOTA is up to 12 months after contract award.

White papers are due July 2.

3 Key US Army Contract Opportunities
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Billy Long Confirmed as IRS Commissioner
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Former Missouri congressman Billy Long has been appointed to lead the Internal Revenue Service and confirmed by the Senate.

The Senate on Thursday voted 53-44 to confirm Billy Long, former congressman from Missouri, as head of the Internal Revenue Service.

Politico reported that Long’s confirmation comes amid massive layoffs at the IRS and the Department of the Treasury’s push to enhance IRS technology and leverage artificial intelligence to improve tax compliance.

Melanie Krause was named acting IRS commissioner and deputy commissioner in February. She previously served as the agency’s chief operating officer.

Billy Long’s Career Background

Long served in the House of Representatives from 2011 to 2023.

He was a radio talk show host on the KWTO station and worked as a part-time realtor.

The former auctioneer graduated from the Missouri Auction School and the Certified Auctioneers Institute at Indiana University, Bloomington.

He is a member of several associations, including the National Association of Realtors, the National Auctioneers Association and the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce. He is also the former president of the Missouri Auctioneers’ Association.

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Executive Director Bridget Bean Departs CISA
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Amid drastic changes at CISA, Bridget Bean has stepped down as the agency's executive director.

Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Executive Director Bridget Bean has announced her retirement, ending her nearly four-year service. 

Her role was responsible for the internal operationalization of the agency’s priorities and resources to meet mission requirements. In a LinkedIn post on Wednesday, Bean confirmed her departure, noting that her time at CISA “has been truly remarkable.” 

Bridget Bean’s Career Highlights

In the last five months, she also served as acting director of the cyber agency, during which she defended CISA’s budget and workforce cuts at a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing.

Before she was named executive director and acting head of the agency, Bean was CISA’s chief integration officer, who led the integration of the agency’s operations and ensured its regional staff supported U.S. critical infrastructure.

Her public sector career also included time spent as acting deputy administrator for resilience at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, where she led a team of 1,600 employees and directed an annual budget of $600 million, and as deputy chief operating officer and chief human capital officer at the Small Business Administration.

Prior to joining CISA in 2021, Bean briefly served as president of Via Stella.

Series of Top-Level Turnovers at CISA

Bean’s retirement is the latest in a string of departures of top officials from the agency. In May, Matt Hartman stepped down from his role as the deputy executive assistant director for cybersecurity.

Bridget Bean was a keynote speaker at two Potomac Officers Club events in the last year: its November-hosted 2024 Homeland Security Summit and its 2025 Cyber Summit, held on May 15.

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House Appropriations Panel OKs $831.5B FY26 Defense Spending Bill
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Aerial shot of the Pentagon building

The House Appropriations Committee on Thursday passed a bill that would appropriate $831.5 billion in defense funding for fiscal year 2026.

Defense Procurement 

The FY 2026 defense appropriations bill, which was introduced Monday, would allocate $174 billion for the Department of Defense’s procurement initiatives.

The measure includes $8.5 billion for 69 F-35 fighter jets; $1.2 billion for four E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft; $2.02 billion for 19 CH-53K heavy transport helicopters; $3.8 billion for B-21 procurement; and $2.7 billion for 15 KC-46s. 

The proposed legislation would spend $36.9 billion for 28 ships, including one Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine, two Virginia-class fast attack submarines and two DDG-51 guided missile destroyers; $1.5 billion for the Maritime Industrial Base to invest in supplier capability and capacity; and $1.6 billion for productivity enhancements to improve shipbuilder capability.

R&D, Test and Evaluation

DOD and military services would receive $148 billion in research, development, test and evaluation funds under the bill.

The measure proposes $4.2 billion for 6th-generation aircraft, $2.1 billion for the continued development of the B-21 bomber and $1.8 billion for the Air Force’s Survivable Airborne Operations Center.

DOD Operations & Maintenance

The appropriations bill would provide $283 billion for DOD’s operations and maintenance support.

The legislation includes $9.6 billion for U.S. Special Operations Command’s operation and maintenance requirements; $55 million for U-2 programmed depot maintenance; and $70 million for Apex Accelerators.

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GAO Issues Report on CISA’s Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation Program
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GAO has published a report on DHS and CISA's Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program with a few warnings.

The Government Accountability Office has called on the Department of Homeland Security to craft network security and data protection guidance for its Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation, or CDM, program. 

In a new report, the congressional watchdog warned that the lack of guidance has negative impacts on data protection and quality across several agencies. 

Launched in 2012, CDM aims to strengthen government cybersecurity by providing tools and integration services to federal agencies. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency oversees the program. 

CDM Progress and Persistent Challenges

GAO pointed out that CDM has already met two goals: to minimize exposure to insecure configurations and known vulnerabilities at 22 out of 23 agencies and implement incident response capability. 

However, officials from 21 of 23 agencies admitted that they have yet to fully implement network security and data protection capabilities. 

CDM has automated Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002, or FISMA, reporting, but seven agencies also reported that data quality issues are preventing them from streamlining the process, forcing personnel to conduct manual updates and correct errors. 

CISA also has not met the Office of Management and Budget’s expectations on endpoint detection and response and cloud asset management. GAO said implementing an endpoint solution and updated guidance on cloud asset management for all agencies would improve their cybersecurity posture. 

DHS and CISA concurred with all of GAO’s recommendations.

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Sandia Labs Joins National Effort to Boost Semiconductor Production
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Aiming to centralize chip production in US, Sandia National Labs has partnered with the National Semiconductor Tech Center.

Sandia National Laboratories has joined the National Semiconductor Technology Center as part of efforts to re-establish the U.S. as a leader in semiconductor production.

The Albuquerque, New Mexico-based national laboratory said Thursday the partnership aims to bolster U.S. semiconductor manufacturing, enhance research and development, and strengthen national security production. Sandia Labs also intends to develop novel technologies through its collaboration with NSTC, a consortium established under the CHIPS and Science Act to fast-track the development and deployment of cutting-edge technologies.

Sandia’s Role in the Future of Chip Production

Around $3 billion of the $12 billion in funds invested in R&D under the CHIPS program will be used to develop an advanced platform for packaging chiplets. These chiplets mirror the performance of large chips and are utilized by modern commercial AI processors. Sandia intends to lead efforts to extend its availability to small businesses and national security uses.

The national laboratory also has the potential to contribute to developing the future STEM workforce. With the government investing billions of dollars in building new semiconductor facilities, expanding the STEM workforce is critical.

According to Rick McCormick, Sandia’s senior scientist for semiconductor technology strategy, the Semiconductor Industry Association estimates that 60,000 to 70,000 additional personnel will be needed in the future.

In the 1990s, the U.S. manufactured over 35 percent of semiconductors in the world. That figure is down to 12 percent today. Furthermore, the nation is not among the top producers of advanced chips essential for smartphones, self-driving cars, quantum computers and artificial intelligence-powered devices.

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DISA’s DOD Cloud Infrastructure as Code Works to Boost Cloud Adoption
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The Defense Information Systems Agency's DOD Cloud Infrastructure as Code tool is trying to transform cloud adoption at DOD.

The Defense Information Systems Agency revealed that it has developed the Department of Defense Cloud Infrastructure as Code, a framework created by its J-9 Hosting and Compute team to fast-track DOD cloud adoption.

Cloud Adoption Acceleration

DISA said Wednesday that 60 customers are currently using the DOD Cloud IaC to streamline their cloud adoption process. The platform expedites infrastructure deployment by reducing the time and effort needed to create a secure infrastructure, enabling teams to deploy cloud capabilities rapidly.

Furthermore, users can leverage the platform’s ready-to-use automation feature to quickly set up DOD-compliant environments that the DISA Risk Management Executive pre-authorizes.

DOD Cloud IaC Impacts So Far

The DOD Cloud IaC has significantly reduced partners’ cloud adoption process by an average of seven months, which translates to 35 years saved since the tool’s release. In addition, around $24 million in total savings have been reported by DOD agencies.

Joint Warfighting Cloud Capability cloud service providers, particularly Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud Platform, Microsoft Azure and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, can access the tool at Impact Levels 4, 5 and 6.

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LLNL, AWS Unveil AI Partnership to Advance National Ignition Facility Operations
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Amazon Web Services logo

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has announced a collaboration with Amazon Web Services to integrate artificial intelligence into the operations of the National Ignition Facility, a center for laser-based fusion research.

The AI integration project aims to solve anomalies in real time to ensure the reliability of mission-critical operations while easing growing operational demands, and enhance efficiency, improve responsiveness and support NIF operations into the 2040s and beyond, LLNL said.

While the laboratory already uses AI for various tasks, the new initiative advances AI adoption further by developing an AI-driven troubleshooting and reliability system.

Semantic Search Capabilities

The project is currently in the first phase, with AWS providing its latest generative AI services, featuring intelligent search, summarized large-language-model response and Retrieval-Augmented Generation chatbot functionality using AmazonSageMaker.

Deploying advanced semantic search capabilities across 22 years of operational history, comprising over 98,000 archived problem logs, helped staff resolve issues rapidly and keep experiments on track, said NIF Operations Manager Bruno Van Wonterghem, noting that the facility has been executing approximately 350 high-energy-density physics experiments annually.

The implementation of AWS’s generative AI capabilities is seen as a model for adopting the technology at other national laboratories.

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DARPA’s Greg Avicola on Autonomous Capabilities for Future Navy
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Headshot of Greg Avicola, program manager at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's Tactical Technology Office

Greg Avicola, a program manager at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s Tactical Technology Office, said he envisions a Navy strike force built of a “heterogeneous” mix of robotic platforms, Defense One reported Wednesday.

“I could imagine the battle group eventually becoming completely autonomous,” Avicola said Tuesday at the AWS Summit in Washington, D.C.

He noted that there could be “a lot of experimentation” in design and operation.

“If I make the vehicle look like this, and I make the ship look like that, how does that pair? And how do I do the logistics? How do I do the refueling? How do I do the assured comms between those platforms?” Avicola stated at the event.

DARPA's Greg Avicola on Autonomous Capabilities for Future Navy

To learn more about the latest tech advancements, policies and trends shaping the future of naval operations, attend the Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 Navy Summit on Aug. 26.

Deploying Robotic Warships

The DARPA official acknowledged that barriers to deploying robotic combat ships are not only bureaucratic but also practical. Autonomous warships, for instance, must be able to return to port in case of a malfunction.

“How do you make sure when it goes to sea, if it starts breaking down, it can still get home on its own so you don’t have to divert assets to tow it back?” Avicola asked. “If you have an autonomous ship and it’s working with the destroyer, and the autonomous ship breaks, and the destroyer has to go off-mission to escort or tow that ship home—guess what? [The Navy] isn’t going to buy any more autonomous ships for decades.”

Fielding robot ships equipped with intelligence and surveillance payloads may be a safer bet for now.

“If somebody boarded the ship and took the payload, you could live with it. If you’re carrying missiles, you may not want—or Congress might not want—that ship to be boarded,” Avicola stated.

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