/
Senators Propose Bipartisan Bill Banning Hiring Freezes, Mass Layoffs at Navy’s Public Shipyards
Published on
Shipyard. A proposed bill could ban mass layoffs and hiring freezes at public shipyards

Sens. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H.; Maggie Hassan, D-N.H.; Susan Collins, R-Maine; and Angus King, I-Maine have proposed legislation that would spare the Navy’s four public shipyards from workforce reductions. Called the Protecting Public Naval Shipyards Act, the bipartisan bill tells the Department of Defense to exempt certain positions at public shipyards from hiring freezes and layoffs to ensure that nuclear-powered submarine maintenance and overhaul are uninterrupted.

“This bipartisan bill will ensure that important naval operations continue without disruption by exempting public shipyard employees from the chaotic mass firings, workforce reductions, and hiring freezes directed by the Trump Administration,” said Hassan.

Senators Propose Bipartisan Bill Banning Hiring Freezes, Mass Layoffs at Navy's Public Shipyards

Top Navy leaders and experts will discuss the future of naval operations at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 Navy Summit on Aug. 26. Register for the in-person event here.

Protecting Public Shipyard Workers

The bill specifically names welders; pipefitters; shipfitters; radiological technicians and engineers; apprentices; mechanics; painters and blasters; and personnel supporting nuclear maintenance and refueling, maintenance and operations of infrastructure, the workforce development pipeline and the Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program as needing protection from hiring freezes and layoffs.

Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Maine, one of the Navy’s public shipyards, needs to recruit 550 personnel annually to better meet demand for submarine maintenance and overhaul. Under President Trump, the Navy intends to hire 1,500 external personnel across all naval institutions per month, which Hassan’s office said is not enough.

Shaheen, who sits as a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and co-chair of the Senate Navy Caucus, previously called on the DOD to exempt the Portsmouth shipyard from hiring freezes, but challenges remain. In a letter to the Office of Personnel Management, Shaheen urged the agency to process civilian personnel who have been hired at the Portsmouth shipyard but are still awaiting onboarding.

The Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Virginia, the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility in Washington, and the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility in Hawaii are the three other Navy public shipyards.

///
Grand Forks Secures $103M WHS Contract Modification for UAS Operations Support
Published on
Washington Headquarters Services logo. The WHS awarded Grand Forks with a modification to support UAS operations.

Grand Forks County, North Dakota, has landed a modification worth up to $102.8 million to a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to support the military’s unmanned aerial systems. The DOD said Thursday that the contracting activity is the Washington Headquarters Services in Arlington, Virginia.

UAS Contract Details

According to the terms of the contract, Grand Forks County will support the development of airspace operations technology and concepts for UAS under the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment. The county will aid in integrating the UAS into routine DOD operations by conducting simulated and live exercises. The contract’s cumulative value is $121.9 million and no funds have been obligated yet. The work is set to be completed by May 19, 2029, and will occur in Grand Forks County, North Dakota.

FAA Approves Airbus Aerial Operations in North Dakota

In 2019, the Federal Aviation Administration authorized Airbus Aerial to operate UAS in the county as part of a public-private program to integrate it into public airspace. The company will use a SenseFly eBee drone to inspect Xcel Energy’s power lines, including beyond-visual-line-of-sight, or BVLOS.

North Dakota is one of 10 communities selected for the UAS Integration Pilot Program, focusing on BVLOS, night operations and flights over people.

/
NASA Awards 6 Companies to Conduct Orbital Transfer Vehicle Studies
Published on
Quantum's Ranger spacecraft. NASA selected six companies to conduct studies on orbital transfer vehicles.

NASA has awarded contracts with a total value of $1.4 million to six companies to conduct studies on cost-effective approaches to launching and deploying spacecraft to challenging orbits.

NASA Exploring New Launch & Delivery Approaches

The firm-fixed-price contracts will include nine studies tackling the potential of using orbital transfer vehicles for NASA missions. The selected companies and their studies are:

  • Arrow Science and Technology will leverage Quantum Space’s multi-mission Ranger spacecraft, which has rapid maneuverability and adaptability features, to deliver payloads to various destinations.
  • Blue Origin will conduct two studies on a new Glenn upper stage and Blue Ring, a mobile space platform with hybrid solar-electric and chemical propulsion capability for payload delivery, onboard computing and mission operations.
  • Firefly Aerospace will utilize its Elytra orbital vehicles, including Elytra Dark, for payload delivery, imaging, communications and cislunar space domain awareness.
  • Impulse Space will also conduct two studies involving its Mira and Helios space vehicles.
  • Rocket Lab will also provide two studies on its Neutron rocket and an orbital transfer vehicle based on the Explorer spacecraft. 
  • United Launch Services will evaluate how an extended-duration Centaur V upper stage, designed to transport multiple rideshare payloads to different locations, can support cislunar missions.

Once the studies are completed by mid-September, NASA will leverage the results to guide mission design, planning and procurement strategies for risk-tolerant payloads.

//
GSA Adds Three AI Products to Multiple Award Schedule
Published on
General Services Administration logo. GSA announced the addition of three AI products to its Multiple Award Schedule.

The General Services Administration has added three artificial intelligence products to its Multiple Award Schedule in line with the Trump administration’s commitment to advancing the U.S. global leadership in AI.

The products made available to federal, state and local government buyers through MAS, which offers volume discount pricing, are Anthropic’s Claude, Google’s Gemini and OpenAI’s ChatGPT, GSA said Tuesday.

According to GSA Acting Administrator Michael Rigas, providing federal agencies with easy access to cutting-edge AI solutions from the private sector will help transform government operations, including back-office processes and the delivery of mission-critical services, while enhancing employee and citizen experiences.

Responsible AI Adoption

The action, which aligns with America’s AI Action Plan and the administration’s priority to accelerate the availability of AI tools across government, is expected to boost the federal government’s effort to responsibly adopt and scale transformative AI technologies to improve daily workflows and processes.

“GSA is proud to leverage our procurement expertise to advance the President’s AI Action Plan. Through GSA’s marketplace, agencies will be able to explore a wide range of AI solutions, from simple research assistants powered by large language models to highly tailored, mission-specific applications,” said Federal Acquisition Service Commissioner Josh Gruenbaum, a 2025 Wash100 Award recipient.

“As we procure these products, we’re focused on models that prioritize truthfulness, accuracy, transparency, and freedom from ideological bias, aligning with the Trump Administration’s policy that federally procured AI systems must prioritize truth and accuracy over ideological agendas,” he continued.

The agency is inviting all approved AI providers committed to responsible use and compliance with federal standards to join the GSA Schedule.

//
DOD Seeks Proposals for Advanced Joint Sustainment Decision Tool
Published on
Department of Defense seal. The DOD is seeking proposals for an advanced logistics support tool.

The Department of Defense has started seeking proposals for a logistics support platform to replace existing systems and address the challenges of modern warfare.

Utilizing Advanced Tech to Boost Military Logistics

The Defense Innovation Unit said the joint sustainment decision tool will leverage advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning to enhance logistics planning and implementation. It is expected to provide realistic courses of action options and identify potential risks, enabling commanders to make faster and more informed decisions in contested environments.

The tool must employ agentic workflows capable of reasoning and real-time data adaptation, ensuring AI-generated outputs align with the decision-maker’s objectives. It requires an intuitive interface and must be powered by mathematically and academically verifiable algorithms.

The DOD will prioritize AI-driven platforms capable of storing, tracking and distributing mission-critical resources such as munitions, bulk fuel, and fueling enablers like air tankers and trucks. These platforms must also support the evacuation of casualties and patients, chain-of-custody visibility, staging for medical materiel, and sourcing of critical spare parts.

The new platform will replace Joint Logistics Enterprise, or JLEnt, the current global logistics network used by the DOD to sustain global forces, which is not equipped to meet changes in strategic competition and large-scale combat operations.

Interested vendors can submit their responses until Aug. 14.

///
Shawn Bratton Confirmed as Vice Chief of Space Operations
Published on
Lt. Gen. Shawn Bratton received Senate confirmation for the vice chief of space operations role.

The Senate on Thursday confirmed by voice vote Lt. Gen. Shawn Bratton as the U.S. Space Force’s vice chief of space operations.

According to a congressional notice, Bratton, who was nominated to the role in mid-July, will also be promoted to the rank of general.

With his confirmation, Bratton replaces Gen. Michael Guetlein, who was named program manager for the Trump administration’s Golden Dome missile defense shield initiative.

The GovCon Golden Dome conversation will be in full force at the 2025 Navy Summit in the lunch panel: “Supporting the Shield: Navy’s Role in the Golden Dome Architecture.” This industry-focused panel will bring enlightening insights about how Navy can support the multi-billion-dollar Golden Dome effort. Register for the action-packed GovCon conference now!

Who Is Lt. Gen. Shawn Bratton?

Since July 2023, Bratton has been serving as deputy chief of space operations, strategy, plans, programs and requirements in the Space Force.

In this position, he serves as the Space Force’s chief strategy and resourcing officer responsible for the service branch’s strategies, requirements and budget.

Prior to this role, he was head of Space Training and Readiness Command within the Space Force.

Bratton’s previous positions include deputy director of operations within U.S. Space Command; deputy director of operations, plans and training for Joint Force Space Component Command; and commander of the 175th Cyberspace Operations Group.

The U.S. Air Force Weapons School graduate served as an enlisted member of the 107th Air Control Squadron, Arizona Air National Guard, prior to his commissioning.

Shawn Bratton Confirmed as Vice Chief of Space Operations
//
Katie Arrington Issues Memo on DOD ICT Supply Chain Risk Management
Published on
DOD Acting CIO Katie Arrington. Arrington released a memo on the Pentagon’s ICT supply chain risk management.

Katie Arrington, a previous Wash100 awardee who currently performs the duties of the Department of Defense’s chief information officer, has released a memorandum to help DOD better manage risks facing its information and communications technology supply chain.

In the June 5 memo, Arrington said she called for an update of the Requirements for the Acquisition of Digital Capabilities Guidebook concurrent with the Software Fast-Track, or SWFT, initiative development timeline.

DOD Software Fast-Track Initiative

In April, the acting CIO directed the establishment of the SWFT initiative to advance DOD’s adoption of best practices to transform the way it acquires, tests, authorizes and deploys secure software.

The 90-day SWFT initiative sought to define clear, specific cybersecurity and supply chain risk management requirements; secure information sharing mechanisms; rigorous software security verification processes; and federal government-led risk determinations to accelerate cybersecurity authorizations for secure, rapid software adoption.

According to Arrington, the update will build on 12 risk categories to facilitate the development of a comprehensive framework for managing ICT supply chain risks. The Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Sustainment developed the risk categories.

The risk categories are regulatory and compliance; manufacturing and supply; foreign ownership, control, or influence; political; technology and cybersecurity; financial; economic; product quality and design; human capital; environmental; transportation and distribution; and infrastructure.

Key ICT Supply Chain Risk Management Requirements for DOD Components

The memo outlines key ICT supply chain risk management requirements for DOD components deploying commercial off-the-shelf products.

These include prioritizing software integrity in accordance with OMB Memorandum 22-18; ensuring that vendors adhere to a section of the fiscal year 2019 National Defense Authorization Act concerning a prohibition on certain telecommunications and video surveillance equipment from Huawei, ZTE and Hytera, among others; and ensuring that suppliers adhere to the DOD issued Security Requirements Guides and any accompanying Security Technical Implementation Guides.

DOD components should also obtain artifacts as part of the security authorization process, including hardware and software inventory list; incident response plan; software certification test results; and supply chain risk management policy.

/
Paige Hallen Hanson Confirmed as Environmental Protection Agency Chief Financial Officer
Published on
Paige Hallen Hanson. The Senate confirmed Paige Hallen Hanson as the EPA's next CFO.

The Senate voted on Saturday 50-45 to confirm Paige Hallen Hanson as the next U.S. Environmental Protection Agency new chief financial officer. In her role, Hanson will manage EPA’s almost $100 billion allocation and its financial and resource management systems, the agency said in a Monday press release.

Commenting on her appointment, Hanson said she was grateful to lead the EPA’s financial operations.

“From budgeting to payments, performance measures to financial technology, the work of this talented team enables the critical mission EPA plays in protecting human health and the environment,” she remarked. 

Who Is Paige Hallen Hanson?

Before her confirmation, Hanson was EPA’s senior adviser to the administrator. Under the agency, she also served as the associate CFO for policy for two years and a senior adviser to the administrator for financial management. She was also a senior fellow at the Tax Foundation. Prior to that, she served as a CFO at the Common Sense Society. In 2017, she joined the Social Security Administration. As part of Organization for International Investment, which is now known as the Global Business Alliance, she was the director of government affairs. Hanson additionally served Congress for six years under the joint economic committee and the budget committee, and worked for Senators Dan Coats and Jeff Sessions.

She obtained an undergraduate degree in government and economics from Wofford College and has an MBA from Virginia Tech.

EPA’s Lee Zeldin Shares Thoughts

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin welcomed the appointment of Hanson.

“Paige brings a wealth of expertise in complex budgets and over two decades of government and financial experience to EPA. She understands the importance of stewarding every cent of taxpayer money and is uniquely and highly qualified to serve as EPA’s Chief Financial Officer,” Zeldin said. 

“I look forward to working with Paige in this new role to make EPA more transparent and efficient as we carry out our mission of protecting human health and the environment,” she added.

//
DOD Under Secretary Orders DTIC Force Reduction Under AI-First Digital Transformation Initiative
Published on
Department of Defense logo. The DOD is reorganizing the Defense Technical Information Center.

The Department of Defense is downsizing the Defense Technical Information Center to 40 civilian positions as part of an artificial intelligence-first digital transformation initiative, which is expected to result in annual savings of over $25 million and better capabilities for meeting critical mission needs.

Silvana Rubino-Hallman, announced as acting administrator on July 29, will implement the personnel reduction, conduct core mission review for all contractor personnel augmenting DTIC staff, direct “cognizant contracting officers” to issue any stop-work orders as appropriate and oversee DTIC’s digital transformation, according to a memorandum from Emil Michael, the under secretary of defense for research and engineering.

Reducing Bureaucracy at DTIC

The reduction-in-force aims to refocus DTIC on its core statutory mandate of administering a library of technical information, while improving the user experience and eliminating duplicative functions.

Civilian personnel not selected for retention will receive specific notices of reduction-in-force by Aug. 25 and be placed on administrative leave with full rights. Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell said the decision is part of a broader reform effort to streamline operations and reduce bureaucracy.

DTIC will also be realigned under the assistant secretary of defense for critical technologies as part of its reorganization.

According to the memo, DTIC’s outdated information systems are no longer adequate to support global research and development trends or integrate with data and intelligence platforms. The restructured center is expected to improve knowledge-sharing and better support deterrence-related R&D investments.

/
MITRE Outlines Steps to Enable Rapid Innovation Adoption at DOD
Published on
MITRE logo. MITRE published a new paper on defense acquisitions

MITRE identified challenges preventing the Department of Defense from rapidly adopting commercial innovations and provided recommendations that would accelerate capability delivery to warfighters in a new paper published Monday. Titled Breaking Barriers: Accelerating Innovation Adoption for Defense Priorities, the paper guides the Pentagon to streamline processes and better leverage commercial capabilities to achieve its technology priorities.

What DOD Can Do to Accelerate Innovation Adoption

The paper, published, recommends that the DOD start by identifying specific mission gaps and communicating them with industry. By focusing on mission problem needs rather than requirement statements, the government can empower industry to identify novel and creative solutions that address urgent and complex operational challenges.

MITRE also promotes maturing commercial technologies and exploring dual-use applications. According to the paper, existing industry technologies present an opportunity for the DOD to deliver capabilities at speed and scale. The DOD must facilitate a transparent dialogue between the problem owners and the technology providers and ensure collaboration throughout the development process to validate that a proposed solution remain aligned with mission needs.

MITRE also advised the DOD to reduce barriers to data and facilities that industry can use to innovate. The organization explained that non-traditional industry partners often face limited or no access to classified computing resources classified or mission-relevant data. The DOD can address the issue by implementing best practices, such as applying a modular open systems approach and developing a full system-level digital twin.

Finally, the paper said the DOD must fast-track the procurement process by more widely utilizing flexible and agile acquisition or transition methods, such as other transaction agreements.

1 … 64 65 66 67 68 … 2,656