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SWFT Industry Feedback Highlight Challenges, Opportunities in Pentagon’s Software Security Initiative
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Katie Arrington, acting CIO of DOW. Arrington published a new document on the DOW's SWFT initiative

Katie Arrington, who is performing the duties of chief information officer for the Department of War and is a Wash100 Award recipient, has published a document summarizing responses to three previously issued requests for information on advancing software security as part of the Pentagon’s Software Fast Track, or SWFT, initiative.

Arrington said in the document’s foreword that industry submitted over 400 responses to the RFIs. She added that insights from collected from the effort will inform how the department can transform software security and ensure that the U.S. can maintain battlefield superiority well into the future.

SWFT Industry Feedback Highlight Challenges, Opportunities in Pentagon's Software Security Initiative

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What Did DOW Find Through the SWFT RFIs?

Responses to the first RFI, which focused on SWFT tools, revealed concerns over inconsistent attestation requirements. According to the summary, while organizations reported alignment with established security frameworks, many complained that the lack of universally accepted guidelines for documentation for compliance, which create additional challenges in integrating security standards into regular workflows.

For the RFI on SWFT external assessment methodologies, respondents said they rely on internal and external audits to evaluate software security. Companies called for clear guardrails for external assessment functions.

Industry sees potential to enhance the efficiency of risk assessment and address novel challenges based on responses to the third RFI, which centered on automation and artificial intelligence in SWFT. Responses to the RFI highlighted the capability of automation and AI to reduce manual and repetitive tasks, including data analysis and impact assessment. Respondents also raised challenges related to AI, such as explainability and reliability, data security, and model performance.

What Is the SWFT Initiative?

The Pentagon launched the SWFT initiative in May to transform the way it acquires, tests, authorizes and fields software.

Under SWFT, the DOW intends to provide clear specific cybersecurity and supply chain risk management requirements, software security verification processes, information-sharing mechanisms, and government-led risk determinations.

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NASA, Partners Test Commercial Satellite Relay Services for Near-Earth Missions
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Satellite communications. NASA and its partners have demonstrated commercial satellite relay services.

NASA and its commercial partners are conducting demonstrations of advanced satellite relay capabilities supporting near-Earth science missions as part of the Communications Services Project.

What Is NASA’s Communications Services Project?

The project, managed by NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation Program, aims to modernize its communications, including how the agency tracks, commands and receives data from science missions in near-Earth orbit, the agency said Wednesday. The demonstrations mark progress toward retiring the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite system and adopting commercial services under the project.

Which Companies Are Working With NASA on the Project?

Amazon and SpaceX are both working to advance optical communications. Amazon’s Leo for Government program is preparing high‑rate optical data exchange tests across its low-Earth orbit satellites, while SpaceX has already showcased similar capabilities through Starlink during the Polaris Dawn and Fram2 missions.

SES Space & Defense and Telesat are driving multi‑orbit relay innovations. SES evaluated real‑time data relay capabilities across LEO, medium Earth orbit and geosynchronous orbit with Planet Labs, while Telesat is testing its Lightspeed network with optical inter‑satellite links to build a global mesh by 2027.

Viasat is demonstrating launch telemetry, spacecraft command and Ka‑band data relay through its geostationary orbit networks, including tracking Blue Origin’s New Glenn launch, with more tests planned for 2026.

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Gen. John Lamontagne Nominated as Air Force Vice Chief of Staff
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Gen. John Lamontagne. The head of Air Mobility Command has been nominated to serve as the next Air Force vice chief of staff.

President Donald Trump has nominated Gen. John Lamontagne, commander of Air Mobility Command, to serve as the next vice chief of staff of the U.S. Air Force.

According to a congressional notice, the Senate received Lamontagne’s nomination from the president on Monday.

Breaking Defense reported that if confirmed, Lamontagne would fill the post previously held by Gen. James Slife, who was relieved in February amid a purge of senior military officers.

Lamontagne’s nomination came nearly two months after the Senate confirmed Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach as the 24th chief of staff of the Air Force.

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Who Is Gen. John Lamontagne?

Lamontagne has been serving as head of Air Mobility Command since September 2024. In this capacity, he leads over 40,000 active-duty personnel, nearly 8,000 civilians and 551 aircraft, executing air mobility missions in support of the joint force, allies and partners.

Before assuming the AMC commander role, he served as deputy commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa.

The general previously served as chief of staff of U.S. European Command; deputy director, J-5, Joint Staff; and commander of the 618th Air Operations Center at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois.

The U.S. Air Force Academy astronautical engineering graduate has logged more than 4,000 flight hours as a command pilot of C-12, KC-135R and C-17A aircraft.

Gen. John Lamontagne Nominated as Air Force Vice Chief of Staff
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Marines Complete Training, Live-Fire Exercise on MADIS Air Defense System
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U.S. Marine Corps logo. USMC completed New Equipment Training and live-fire exercise for MADIS.

The U.S. Marine Corps completed new equipment training, or NET, and live-fire exercise for the Marine Air Defense Integrated System, or MADIS, marking a significant step in operational readiness for expeditionary air defense, DVIDS reported Monday.

Marines Complete Training, Live-Fire Exercise on MADIS Air Defense System

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According to the report, USMC launched the first full-rate production version of MADIS in September.

During the NET, Marines participated in classroom instruction and hands-on exercises covering the system’s architecture, sensors, radar, weapons platforms and tactical employment at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center. The training concluded with a live-fire event, allowing Marines to perform simulated engagements against aerial targets.

“I would tell other Marines training on this system to be open and be creative,” said 1st Lt. Michael Rushane. “This is the future of the Marine Corps and the future of GBAD as a whole. The ideas you come up with for how to employ this system, whether you’re a PFC or a General, will pay dividends in the success of this system moving forward.”

What Is USMC MADIS?

MADIS is a mobile, short-range air defense system mounted on a pair of joint light tactical vehicles that form a ground-based air defense weapon system. It is designed to counter and defeat manned and unmanned aerial systems and low-altitude air attacks.

The system features advanced sensors, mobility capabilities, targeting algorithms and a modular design that allows for future upgrades.

Earlier in the development process, the USMC Program Executive Officer Land Systems tested a low-rate initial production model of MADIS during a live-fire exercise in December 2023 at the Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona. That test demonstrated the system’s capability against unmanned aerial threats.

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NIST Releases Draft AI Cybersecurity Framework for Public Comment
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The National Institute of Standards and Technology's logo. NIST issued draft guidance for AI-related cybersecurity

The National Institute of Standards and Technology has published a preliminary draft of its Cybersecurity Framework Profile for Artificial Intelligence, which provides guidance on the secure adoption of AI.

The draft will be open for review and comments until Jan. 30, the agency said Tuesday.

NIST Releases Draft AI Cybersecurity Framework for Public Comment

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What Is in NIST’s Cybersecurity Framework Profile for Artificial Intelligence?

The Cybersecurity Framework Profile for Artificial Intelligence is intended to address the cybersecurity risks associated with the rapid advancement of AI.

The document centers on three focus areas that every organization will have to address, according to Barbara Cuthill, deputy program manager for the agency’s cybersecurity for Internet of Things program and one of the authors of the framework.

The focus areas are:

  • AI security
  • AI-enabled cyber defense
  • Countering AI-enabled cyberattacks

NIST developed the preliminary draft through feedback from the initial concept paper the agency published in February, a workshop it hosted in April and a series of community of interest meetings held through mid-2025.

The agency plans to publish the framework’s initial public draft in 2026.

“The Cyber AI Profile is all about enabling organizations to gain confidence on their AI journey,” Cuthill stated. “We hope it will help them feel equipped to have conversations about how their cybersecurity environment will change with AI and to augment what they are already doing with their cybersecurity programs.”

What Is Cybersecurity Framework 2.0?

The Cybersecurity Framework Profile for Artificial Intelligence supports the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, or CSF, 2.0, which provides resources on how to manage cybersecurity risks.

NIST also recently published its second public draft of the CSF 2.0 Quick-Start Guide on planning workforce actions based on real risk conditions. Comments on the draft are due on Jan. 7.

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Atlantic Council Forms Task Force to Revitalize US Shipbuilding Capacity
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Shipbuilding. The Atlantic Council formed the Revitalizing US Shipbuilding Task Force

The Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security and the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory have launched the Revitalizing US Shipbuilding Task Force to provide recommendations on modernizing and addressing the gaps in the nation’s maritime industrial base.

Wash100 winners Christine Fox, former acting deputy secretary of defense, and Mark Esper, former secretary of defense, will serve as co-chairs of the task force together with Kenneth Braithwaite, 77th secretary of the Navy, the Atlantic Council said Tuesday.

“It is vital that the United States regains its ability to rapidly repair and produce ships today, while simultaneously preparing to take advantage of modern technology,” Fox stated. “Only with the adoption of new technology and processes will it be able to produce new, more capable ships, rapidly and affordably.”

Who Are the Members of the Task Force?

The task force brings together defense industry experts, including former military and Pentagon leaders.

Wash100 awardees Nickolas Guertin, former assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development, and acquisition; Ellen Lord, former under secretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment; and retired Navy Adm. John Richardson, former chief of naval operations, are some of the task force members from government.

Officials from Hanwha Defense USA, C3 AI, PTC, General Dynamics, Colonna’s Shipyard and other companies represent industry in the task force.

What Are the First Activities of the Revitalizing US Shipbuilding Task Force?

Over the next 12 months, the group will convene to explore various topics related to shipbuilding, such as introducing advanced manufacturing capabilities, creating workforce incentives and assessing if ally-headquartered firms can increase U.S. shipbuilding capacity.

The Atlantic Council provides a forum for global leaders to discuss and navigate economic and political changes. The organization publishes papers to help shape public policies and strategies.

In October, the Hypersonic Capabilities Task Force published a report warning about China’s and Russia’s efforts to build hundreds of hypersonic weapons. The task force, led by Ryan McCarthy, former Army secretary and a Wash100 Award recipient, and former Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James, provided 10 recommendations for Congress and the Department of War to rapidly develop and field U.S. hypersonic capabilities. 

Atlantic Council also recently launched the ReForge Commission for nationwide defense industrial mobilization and revitalization of the U.S. defense industrial base.

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ACC-RSA Issues Notice for JHU APL ASSESSS Contract
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ACC seal. ACC-RSA has issued a notice for JHU APL ASSESSS contract.

The Army Contracting Command–Redstone, Space, Missile Defense and Special Programs Directorate has issued a combined sources-sought and intent-to-sole-source notice on behalf of the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command to conduct market research for advanced technology testing and research and development capabilities to support the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory Applied Science, Systems Engineering and Space Science Support, or ASSESSS.

ACC-RSA Issues Notice for JHU APL ASSESSS Contract

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What Are the Details of the Planned ASSESSS Contract?

According to the notice published Monday on SAM.gov, the ACC-RSA plans to issue a five-year effort as a sole-source single-award indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract with cost-plus-fixed-fee and cost-reimbursable task orders for an estimated contract value of $91 million to Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. The work focuses on advanced research, systems engineering, prototyping, testing and analysis across space, missile defense and combat systems.

The contract will support fundamental technology research, technology insertion, risk mitigation in defense systems and the design and testing of hardware and software. Contractor activities will include research, prototyping, testing, data analysis, and program management, including cost, schedule, and performance oversight.

What Are Johns Hopkins’ Core Competencies?

ACC-RSA SMD/SP plans to award this sole-source contract to JHU APL under University Affiliated Research Center authority. Responding contractors must demonstrate capabilities aligned with JHU APL’s eight core competencies, including strategic systems test and evaluation, submarine security, space science and engineering, combat systems and guided missiles, air defense, IT, modeling and simulations, and mission-related research.

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NNSA Completes Last W88 Alt 370 Warhead Production Unit for Sea-Based Deterrent
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NNSA logo. The National Nuclear Security Administration has completed the last production unit of the W88 Alt 370 program.

The Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration has announced the completion of the last production unit of the W88 Alteration 370 program, marking the conclusion of a multi-year modernization effort for the W88 nuclear warhead on Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines. 

The completion represents the final phase of one of seven active warhead modernization initiatives, NNSA said Tuesday.

What Is the W88 Alteration Program?

The program addressed aging concerns of the W88 nuclear arsenal discovered during routine inspections. It is intended to sustain the reliability of the sea-based leg of the strategic deterrent.

The effort involved replacing the warhead’s arming, fuzing and firing assembly, installing a lightning arrestor connector, refurbishing the conventional high explosives and replacing limited-life components at the same time.

NNSA completed delivery of the final W88 Alt 370 warhead four years after the first production unit was achieved in July 2021. The program involved Los Alamos and Sandia National Laboratories, the Pantex Plant, Y‑12 National Security Complex and the Kansas City National Security Campus for design, development, testing and component production.

“Completing the W88 Alt 370 is the latest instance of NNSA delivering modernized nuclear weapons to the Department of War at the pace and scale needed to fulfill our deterrence requirements. Achieving two LPUs for the B61-12 and W88 and the FPU for the B61-13 all within a single year demonstrates our ability to execute NNSA’s fundamental production mission,” said NNSA Administrator Brandon Williams.

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Bipartisan Senate Bill Seeks to Create Network of Programmable Cloud Labs
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Capitol building. Two U.S. senators have proposed the bipartisan National Programmable Cloud Laboratories Network Act.

Sens. John Fetterman, D-Pa., and Ted Budd, R-N.C., have introduced a bill to establish a National Science Foundation-led network of six remotely accessible programmable cloud laboratories, or PCLs, for academic research.

The proposed National Programmable Cloud Laboratories Network Act aims to help researchers save time and money by connecting existing lab data processing power and using automation to combine large data sets, Fetterman’s office said Monday.

“We can help cut barriers researchers face and supercharge America’s innovation engine with a national network of PCLs. This has never been built before, and I’m proud to partner with Senator Budd to make this a reality,” Fetterman said.

“Integrating our nation’s world class laboratories will increase the rate of breakthroughs, streamline and better automate the research process, and reduce the barriers and costs that throttle experimentation. North Carolina is at the cutting edge of innovation, and I am glad to work with Senator Fetterman to help our great institutions push the boundaries of discovery even further,” said Budd.

What Are the National Programmable Cloud Laboratories Network Act’s Provisions?

The bipartisan legislation would establish a network of up to six PCL nodes through a competitive process open to private sector, academic, nonprofit research institutions or partnerships. 

Applicants would be assessed on existing lab infrastructure; capacity to support cloud-enabled workflows for multiple users; ability to sustain long-term operations without continuous federal funding; capacity to work wth industry, academic partners and federal research entities; demonstration of user interest and research needs and protocols for cybersecurity, research security and responsible access. 

After designation, NSF, the National Institute of Standards and Technology and selected PCL node participants would develop standards for data sharing, interoperability, cybersecurity and technical requirements. 

Under the measure, Congress would receive reports on non-designated labs to assess capabilities and collaboration opportunities.

How Does the Proposed Senate Bill on PCLs Deliver on the AI Action Plan?

According to the bill’s summary, the proposed legislation supports the AI Action Plan that the White House released in July.

One of the recommended policy actions in the plan calls for federal partners’ investments in automated cloud-enabled labs for engineering, chemistry, materials science, biology and neuroscience, among other scientific fields.

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Navy Discloses V-22 Review Findings, Recommendations
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V-22 Osprey aircraft. NAVAIR released the findings of its V-22 Osprey aircraft comprehensive review.

Naval Air Systems Command has released the findings of a comprehensive review assessing the performance of the V-22 Osprey aircraft across key safety and readiness dimensions.

Navy Discloses V-22 Review Findings, Recommendations

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NAVAIR said Friday the assessment reaffirmed the V-22 platform’s airworthiness under established controls.

“In coordination with V-22 service leaders, NAVAIR has developed action plans to mitigate safety deficiencies,” said Vice Adm. John Dougherty, commander of NAVAIR. “We are continuously evaluating procedural compliance to prevent mishaps as well as strengthening airworthiness controls to establish clear risk thresholds.”

According to the command, the Department of the Navy and services are implementing the review’s 32 recommendations to improve the aircraft’s safety and readiness.

NAVAIR said it is conducting regular progress reviews to boost stakeholder engagement and improve cross-service coordination to advance the implementation of corrective actions.

What Are the Key Findings of the V-22 Comprehensive Review?

The review found the V-22 aircraft has accumulated safety risks due to four primary factors, including noncompliance with established airworthiness and safety of flight procedures and inadequate timeline for the implementation of material and non-material fixes.

NAVAIR noted that the Joint V-22 program has not implemented known aviation maintenance best practices across the services. Additionally, suboptimized supply systems and maintenance programs that do not prioritize cross-service readiness have contributed to missed readiness targets.

What Are the Recommendations Outlined in the V-22 Review?

The review outlines several key recommendations to improve the aircraft’s safety and readiness, including directing all program executive officers to conduct annual reviews of all program risks; defining and implementing a review process for adjudicating and closing out open mishap recommendations; and incorporating a readiness and safety steering board that will report to program service acquisition executives and service vice chiefs on critical safety and readiness issues.

The document also calls for the development and maintenance of regular cross-service availability reviews to align all three services on readiness efforts, establishment of a V-22 midlife upgrade program and reassessment of V-22 squadron maintenance manpower requirements.

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