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Air Force, DIU Launch Finance First Program to Accelerate Energy Resilience Projects
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Defense Innovation Unit logo. DIU announces launch of Finance First program for energy resilience projects.

The Department of the Air Force, in partnership with the Defense Innovation Unit, has unveiled Finance First, an initiative designed to accelerate development, deployment and financing of secure, resilient and reliable energy solutions at U.S. military installations.

Finance First Builds on Private Sector Practices

According to DIU, the program aims to improve energy resiliency and maintain uninterrupted mission operations by applying agile private sector practices to the design, financing and deployment of energy systems that can withstand grid instability, cyberattacks and other disruptions, while ensuring on-base power redundancy through an ‘all of the above’ approach to fuel sources and energy generation technologies.

Finance First will partner with private industry to create scalable, repeatable business processes that deliver proven technologies without requiring large upfront Department of Defense capital outlays. Program objectives include identifying installation energy gaps; developing comprehensive technology solutions that best address identified gaps; and creating turnkey energy mission assurance, where private industry designs, builds, finances, operates and maintains developed solutions.

ECC Energy Solutions, FESCO Energy and Ionic Blue Management were selected in April to develop prototype business processes, which will be tested at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. The processes could be adopted government-wide.

Nancy Balkus, deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force for infrastructure, energy, and environment, said the program will leverage proven commercial business practices to keep installations mission-ready. “Our ability to deter adversaries depends on secure, resilient, reliable, and efficient energy on our installations,” she explained.

Kirk Phillips, director of the Air Force Office of Energy Assurance, added that Finance First brings financing discussions earlier into project planning to identify the right resilience measures.

The initiative supports recently issued executive orders related to defense acquisitions and American energy.

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Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla Steps Down as CENTCOM Commander
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Gen. Michael Kurilla. Kurilla has stepped down as the commander of CENTCOM.

Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla has stepped down as the commander of the U.S. Central Command, concluding a three-year tenure in the role. He handed over the command to Adm. Brad Cooper in a ceremony, CENTCOM said Friday.

Commenting on his departure, Kurilla said, “It has been the honor of my life to have been their commander.”

He welcomed the appointment of Cooper, saying that under his leadership, the “front lines of freedom will always succeed.”

Who Is Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla?

Kurilla has been CENTCOM’s commander since April 2022. Over the years, he headed the Airborne, Mechanized, Stryker, Ranger and Special Operations units on missions and combat deployments in locations including Panama, Iraq, Afghanistan, Haiti, Kosovo, Bosnia and more, according to his Department of Defense profile. From 2004 to 2014, he led troops in the Middle East for CENTCOM. He commanded the 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry (Stryker), 2nd Ranger Battalion, the 75th Ranger Regiment, the 82nd Airborne Division and the XVIII Airborne Corps.  Before that, he held key leadership roles in special operations, counter-terrorism and served as CENTCOM’s chief of staff. He joined the Infantry in 1988 after graduating from the United States Military Academy.

Who Is Brad Cooper?

Before his appointment, Cooper served as the deputy commander of CENTCOM. He was also the commander of the U.S. Naval Forces Central Command,  commander of the Naval Surface Force Atlantic, the U.S. Navy’s chief of legislative affairs, led the Expeditionary Strike Group in Japan and commanded the U.S. Naval Forces Korea. Cooper also served as the director of the Surface Career Management division under the Navy Personnel Command. He began his career as the commander of the USS Gettysburg.

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Special Forces to Field WARP Health Monitoring Device by Year’s End
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Soldiers on the battlefield. The U.S. military will field a new health monitoring wearable device for warfighters

Special operations forces, or SOF, will test the Wearable All-hazard Remote-monitoring Program, shortened to WARP, a device that can monitor vitals and warn command posts when an operator is exposed to dangerous chemicals and gases, by the end of 2025.

In an interview, Steve Carrig, product lead for strategic acquisitions at the Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense, or JPEO-CBRND, said WARP integrates “sensors that warfighters are able to carry around and do that chemical sensing.”

“So you’re not only using the the physiological market signs that you’re detecting, you know, heat, stress, fatigue, etc, but then you’re combining it with that environmental monitor as a separate data stream to really inform the subject matter experts that are there in a tactical environment to say, ‘I’ve got this sensor over here going off with this individual and their heart rates spiked,” he told Breaking Defense.

Army’s WARP Wearable Device

WARP is being developed by LifeLens Technologies, a Warminster, Pennsylvania-headquartered company that specializes in health monitoring equipment.

In January 2024, Carrig’s team began exploring wearable devices under a rapid acquisition effort. The team eventually selected LifeLens’ product offering for its comfort and convenience.

“You may have the most amount of information you could ever possibly have on a wearable, but if an individual is not going to wear it for comfort reasons, then you’re kind of at a loss,” the official explained.

WARP is equipped with 25 tiny monitors and a fob-sized gateway that enables distributed sensor fusion. It can be attached anywhere on the body, but it is usually worn on the chest, according to Carrig.

The wearable sends information to MRI Global’s data visualization tools, which combine data from various sources into a tactical awareness kit that would enable end users and subject matter experts to see a wholistic view of a warfighter’s condition.

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SMDC Opens Digital Simulation & Analysis Center
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SMDC ribbon-cutting ceremony. The US Army SMDC inaugurated the Digital Simulation and Analysis Center.

The U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command inaugurated the Digital Simulation and Analysis Center on Aug. 7.

New Digital Simulation and Analysis Center

The Army said Friday the 8,000-square-foot research, development and analysis facility on Redstone Arsenal will serve as a central hub for computational and analytical capabilities for USASMDC Technical Center’s laboratories. The DSAC will help in advancing modeling and simulation, analysis, and integration efforts and facilitate partnerships focused on technological development. It will be utilized for R&D and engineering advancement for the Army’s modernization efforts, including the development of directed energy strategic weapons technologies.

SMDC Commanding General Sean Gainey on the DSAC

“DSAC gives us and our partners the space and tools to stay at the front of technology change and keep winning for the Army,” said Lt. Gen. Sean Gainey, SMDC commanding general.

“SMDC is the Army’s space and missile defense warfighting headquarters and part of what we do is take science and technology outputs and weave them into the fabric of Army units, creating formation-based transformation that comes with some teeth, improving lethality,” Gainey continued. 

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NASA Leads Studies for Swift Observatory Orbit Boost to Extend Mission
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Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory rendering. NASA initiated a new effort for a potential Swift mission orbit boost.

NASA has initiated a new effort to potentially raise the orbit of the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory spacecraft to a higher altitude and extend its mission.

Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory Orbit Boost Design Studies

The agency said Monday Cambrian Works and Katalyst Space Technologies were awarded $150,000 each to develop concept design studies to determine if an orbit boost is plausible. The studies, funded through NASA’s Small Business Innovation Research program, will help the agency decide whether to extend the mission or replace Swift’s capabilities with a new satellite.

In addition, Starfish Space will study the feasibility of leveraging its Small Spacecraft Propulsion and Inspection Capability, a technology currently in development under a Phase III SBIR award, to perform the Swift orbit boost.

NASA Swift Mission

The NASA Swift mission, launched in 2004, has been instrumental in monitoring changes in the universe. Its primary function is to investigate gamma-ray bursts and send data to other NASA and partner telescopes to observe these events further.

With the satellite’s low Earth orbit gradually decaying and recent solar activity accelerating its decline, the agency is exploring the possibility of developing advanced capabilities that could extend the mission and boost space innovation.

Coast Guard Commissions First Polar Icebreaker in 25 Years to Increase America’s Presence in the Arctic
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Troy Edgar, DHS deputy secretary. Edgar speaks about USCGC Storis

The U.S. Coast Guard has commissioned the medium polar icebreaker USCGC Storis to increase the nation’s presence in the Arctic.

Troy Edgar, deputy secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, attended the new ship’s commissioning ceremony in Juneau, Alaska.

“The commissioning of Storis marks a new beginning for the U.S. Coast Guard,” Edgar said.

“The new investment will lead to a USCG that is better equipped to protect our national interests, support our maritime communities and stand alongside our allies,” he added.

Coast Guard Commissions First Polar Icebreaker in 25 Years to Increase America's Presence in the Arctic

Experts will discuss emerging threats to the nation and opportunities to support homeland security missions at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 Homeland Security Summit on Nov. 12. Register for the in-person event here.

Coast Guard Adds New Icebreaker to Fleet

Storis, formerly oilfield supply ship Aiviq, was acquired by the Coast Guard in December 2024 and is America’s first icebreaker in 25 years. It is the second vessel in Coast Guard history to be named Storis. The first Storis ship was dubbed the “Galloping Ghost of the Alaskan Coast” and served in the Arctic for 64 years.

The new USCGC Storis measures 360 feet long. It will house a hybrid crew of military and civilian mariners.

Icebreakers are vital to the Coast Guard’s mission in the increasingly contested Arctic region. Adversaries are interested in it because of its potential for trade route traffic, oil and gas, critical minerals, and fishing.

“The commissioning of USCGC Storis immediately strengthens our ability to control, secure, and defend the U.S. border around Alaska and maritime approaches in the Arctic,” stated Adm. Kevin Lunday, acting commandant of the Coast Guard. “Storis is the first step of a historic investment in the Coast Guard to add critical capacity to our polar icebreaker fleet to protect U.S. sovereignty and counter malign influence throughout the Arctic.”

 Storis will be homeported in Seattle, Washington, while upgrades are underway at a proposed pier in Alaska.

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DARPA Announces AI Cyber Challenge Winners
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Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency logo. DARPA unveils AI Cyber Challenge winners.

Team Atlanta has claimed the top spot in the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s AI Cyber Challenge, or AIxCC, securing $4 million in prize money for its artificial intelligence-driven cyber reasoning system.

The team, including experts from Georgia Tech, Samsung Research and the Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology, outperformed six other finalists in the two-year competition aimed at creating AI systems capable of autonomously detecting and patching vulnerabilities of open-source software, particularly those used in critical infrastructure, including financial systems, public utilities and the health care ecosystem, DARPA said. The agency partnered with AI industry leaders Anthropic, Google, Microsoft and OpenAI to provide competitors with technical support and large language model credits.

“Finding vulnerabilities and patching codebases using current methods is slow, expensive, and depends on a limited workforce – especially as adversaries use AI to amplify their exploits,” DARPA Director Stephen Winchell explained. “AIxCC-developed technology will give defenders a much-needed edge in identifying and patching vulnerabilities at speed and scale.”

DARPA Accelerating Adoption of Cyber Reasoning Systems

Second-place winner Trail of Bits, a New York City-based small business, took home $3 million, while third-place winner Theori, comprising AI researchers and security professionals in the United States and South Korea, received $1.5 million. Other finalists are  all_you_need_is_a_fuzzing_brain, Shellphish, 42-beyond-bug and Lacrosse.

The agency will make all seven cyber reasoning systems available as open-source software under a license approved by the Open Source Initiative. On Friday, DARPA released four of the seven AI-powered systems, with the remaining set to be available in the coming weeks.

DARPA and its partner, Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, added $1.4 million in prizes for the competing teams to integrate AIxCC technology into real-world critical infrastructure software and accelerate the adoption of the systems.

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FCC Names Andy Hendrickson as Office of Engineering and Technology Head
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Andy Hendrickson. The official has been appointed chief at the Federal Communications Commission's Office of Engineering Tech

The Federal Communications Commission has appointed Andy Hendrickson as the chief of its Office of Engineering and Technology. Hendrickson is transitioning from his former post of chief technology officer at the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau, the commission said Thursday.

As OET head, Hendrickson will serve as FCC’s principal technical adviser on spectrum policy, equipment authorization and keeping regulatory standards apace with the rapid changes in the communications sector, FCC noted.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Hendrickson joined the FCC Enforcement Bureau as CTO in October 2024, taking the task of guiding field operations. In his previous role, he also provided the commission’s Office of the Field Director with advice on emerging technologies, enforcement issues, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence.

Hendrickson’s Private Sector Experience

Hendrickson brought to FCC over 20 years’ experience in telecommunications and digital infrastructure networks. Before joining the commission, he had a stint of more than nine years at Verizon, where he served last as senior director of the company’s cloud platform and contributed to the rollout of the Verizon 5G network. He also previously served as a solution architect at Esri for over six years, preceded by more than eight years’ prior work at Verizon Wireless as manager of spatial data analysis and geographic information systems. 

In addition, he was a part-time lecturer on environmental geomatics at Rutgers University, where he obtained dual degrees from its Schools of Environmental and Biological Sciences and Communication and Information.

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr conveyed delight in Hendrickson taking the role as OET chief.

“As the FCC’s Build America Agenda ramps up, our work will benefit greatly from Andy’s understanding of both the technical foundations and real-world impact of our decisions,” Carr said.

He also thanked Ira Keltz, who had served as acting OET chief before Hendrickson’s appointment and will return to his post as the FCC unit’s deputy chief.

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Trump Orders Federal Grantmaking Process Overhaul
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White House logo. Trump ordered the overhaul of the federal grantmaking process.

President Donald Trump has issued an executive order aimed at overhauling the federal government’s grantmaking process.

New EO to Prevent Tax Dollars Wastage

According to the president Thursday, the new EO aims to end “offensive waste of tax dollars” by establishing a new review process to determine whether grants prioritize national interest. Under the presidential directive, each federal agency will have a senior political appointee tasked with evaluating every funding opportunity announcement and grant award to ensure it will benefit Americans and align with agency priorities.

The EO permits the termination of grants that are not consistent with agency priorities, national interests and policy objectives. It is also intended to prevent grant duplication by enhancing interagency coordination.

Furthermore, the new directive is meant to streamline the grantmaking process by requiring agencies to simplify funding opportunity announcements. It also mandates federal agencies to not only prioritize universities and nonprofit organizations, especially those that have repeatedly received awards in the past.

Enforcing Accountability

The new EO also calls for enhanced accountability in the grantmaking process. The appointees and subject matter experts will conduct annual reviews of discretionary awards to assess their progress and ensure they stay aligned with agency priorities.

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DISA Official Offers New Information on JWCC-NEXT
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John Hale, chief of product management and development at DISA. Hale provides new updates on JWCC initiative

The next Joint Warfighting Cloud Computing, or JWCC, contract might be open to more cloud service providers, according to the official overseeing the acquisition effort. In an interview with John Hale, chief of product management and development at the Defense Information Systems Agency, shared that the Department of Defense is integrating learnings from the current JWCC vehicle as it develops its next acquisition strategy.

Update on Next JWCC Contract

Some of the major changes in the upcoming contract, according to Hale, are related to access to third-party vendors included with large hyperscale providers.

“What we have learned as mission partners move to a particular hyperscale provider, they don’t just want that capability provided by that provider, they want all of the ancillary services that are provided as part of that ecosystem,” Hale shared with Federal News Network. “So how do we get to that, and how do we provide that capability to a warfighter, rather than have them to do separate contracts for that kind of stuff? That’s where we’re trying to make the changes to get to that.”

The official also revealed that DISA plans to issue the proposal solicitation for JWCC-Next in the second quarter of fiscal 2026. The agency expects awards to be made in early 2027.

Hale explained that the agency does not want an overlap between the ongoing and upcoming contracts. The current JWCC contract will expire in 2031 if all options are exercised. 

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