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Air Force Establishes AF/A6 Cyber & Communications Office
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Department of the Department of the Air Force seal. The DAF established the AF/A6 Deputy Chief of Staff office.

The Department of the Air Force has formed the AF/A6 Deputy Chief of Staff office to oversee warfighter communications and cyber systems.

Air Force Establishes AF/A6 Cyber & Communications Office

Register for the Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 Air and Space Summit on July 31 to learn about the latest air and defense initiatives to bolster national security.

Boosting Communications & Cyber Systems

The Air Force said Thursday the strategic reorganization divides its previous A2/6 framework into two distinct operational areas, separating communications and cyber responsibilities to enable enhanced and more focused management of each area. The move is intended to align resources and risk management with mission requirements to bolster readiness, resilience and operational effectiveness.

The AF/A6 office will collaborate with the department’s chief information officer, principal cyber adviser, major command A6 offices, acquisition program offices and operational and functional communities. The structural modification aligns with the Department of Defense’s initiative to enhance command and control capabilities, including the DAF Battle Network and the Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control.

“We created the A6 to ensure communications and cyber systems are available, secure and aligned with warfighter priorities,” said Gen. David Allvin, chief of staff of the Air Force. “This office will help us focus resources and oversight where it matters most — supporting the mission in contested environments.”

Maj. Gen. Michele Edmondson, who will serve as the deputy chief of staff for AF/A6, said, “Our mission is to ensure warfighters have the reliable, secure communications they need to succeed in a complex and contested environment. We’re building an enterprise that connects people, systems and decisions at the speed required by today’s operational demands.”

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Space Force Budget Skyrockets to $40B While Personnel Are Thinned Out
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Stephen Purdy. The top acquisition official for space at U.S. Air Force is concerned about the recent job cuts at USSF.

The Golden Dome missile defense undertaking is the biggest responsibility the U.S. Space Force has been dealt in its nearly six years of operation. While the expansive project — which some estimate could cost as much as half a trillion dollars — isn’t entirely under the purview of USSF, it is the agency with the most to contribute to this complex network of sensors, ground systems and interception capabilities.

Gen. Michael Guetlein, former vice chief of space operations and a Wash100 Award winner, was plucked from the service to lead Golden Dome and confirmed by Congress for the role last week. And $13.8 billion was allocated to Space Force for Golden Dome purposes in President Trump’s budget reconciliation package, known as the One Big Beautiful Bill, which was signed into law on July 4.

For more in-depth details on how Space Force is divvying up its technology spend, especially in regard to Golden Dome, you should register for Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 Air and Space Summit. This critical GovCon conference is happening this Thursday, July 31, and will feature an all-industry panel discussion on Golden Dome, as well as remarks from Missile Defense Agency Director Lt. Gen. Heath Collins and Space Force’s acquisition chief, Maj. Gen. Stephen Purdy. You don’t want to miss this comprehensive air and space defense conversation!

A Bigger Budget Than Ever for Space Force

Space Force’s baseline budget for fiscal year 2026 was merely $26.4 billion, which was a downturn from recent years. However, combined with the budget reconciliation’s $13.8 billion in additional funds, things are looking much more robust for the space service branch.

Some critics view this as a temporary fix though to a more long-term problem of lacking defense resources.

“I have said for months that reconciliation defense spending does not replace the need for real growth in the military’s base budget,” a Republican senator said, according to Air and Space Forces Magazine.

Space Force’s Reduced Manpower

Still, for a year at least, USSF will seemingly be flushed with the cash it needs to begin making a dent in Golden Dome. Albeit, with a significantly reduced workforce — during 2025, leaders of the service project that the organization has suffered a 14 percent blow to its civilian workforce, Defense News reports. The move comes as the Department of Defense is looking to reduce its civilian payroll by eight percent; the first quarter of the year alone saw the Pentagon usher 21,000 resignations.

“We understand the desire to reduce the civilian workforce. It’s just having a little bit of an outsized impact on the Space Force,” said Chief of Space Operations and Wash100 recipient Gen. Chance Saltzman in May.

The acquisition team at USSF, led by Maj. Gen. Stephen Purdy, is being hit particularly hard by these cuts and they’re raising concern about dwindling expertise in this area.

“There is, I would say, trouble brewing. We’re worried about the numbers,” Purdy told the Senate.

Purdy will deliver a keynote address at Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 Air and Space Summit on Thursday, where he’ll reveal USSF’s key spending priorities. Don’t miss out, register for the year’s premier air and space GovCon conference today!

Beyond Golden Dome: More Focus Areas for Space Force

Obviously, Space Force’s budget is more than just going toward Golden Dome. A significant part of its reconciliation funds are directed toward “long-range kill chains,” as well as toward missile warning tech (which could also be utilized by Golden Dome), including the Next-Gen Overhead Persistent Infrared program.

What’s Next for Golden Dome?

Gen. Guetlein has been asked by the deputy secretary of defense to deliver an “objective architecture” that clearly lays out the arc and scope of Golden Dome.

“So, in 60 days, I’ll be able to talk in depth about, ‘Hey, this is our vision for what we want to get after for Golden Dome,’” Guetlein said, per MeriTalk.

Guetlein also said the endeavor will be more about integration of existing technologies, and pointing them right at this challenge, than it will be about making new ones wholesale.

“The technology exists today — it just hasn’t been applied to this problem or in this form,” he stated.

Space Force Budget Skyrockets to $40B While Personnel Are Thinned Out
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NASA Conducts Quiet Supersonic Flight Practice Run
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F-15B research aircraft. NASA performed a dry run to prepare for the X-59 flight tests.

NASA performed a full-scale practice run to measure the noise produced by the X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft in preparation for the actual flight tests.

Preparing for Quiet Supersonic Flight

The agency said Friday the dress rehearsal, conducted by Commercial Supersonic Technology project researchers at the Mojave Desert starting on June 3, serves as a preparatory exercise for phase two of its Quesst mission.

During the dry run at NASA Armstrong, an F-15B aircraft, serving as a substitute for the X-59, flew faster than the speed of sound over the desert. A linear array of ground recording systems spanning miles of open desert was utilized to capture acoustic data. Researchers also recorded weather readings and measured the generated shock waves.

Larry Cliatt, sub-project manager for the Quesst acoustic validation phase, said the dress rehearsal allowed them to practice the operation, from flight planning to data collection.

“In between those activities, we practiced aircraft operations, setting up the ground recording systems, meteorological data collecting and refining control room procedures. We were able to fine-tune our timelines, improve communication across teams and ensure that when we perform these tests with the X-59 aircraft, everything will run smoothly,” said Cliatt.

What Is the Quesst Mission?

NASA’s Quest mission aims to address the loud sonic boom and enable quiet supersonic flight. During phase two, the team will capture the sonic thumps generated by the X-59, an aircraft engineered to diffuse these booms and minimize noise. The demonstration’s results will be leveraged to develop design tools and technology that will enable quiet supersonic flight. In addition, the project aims to collect data to determine the community’s response to the sounds produced during flight.

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GAO Tells DOE to Improve Budget Estimates for Division Conducting Contract Incurred Cost Audits
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Government Accountability Office logo. GAO's new report finds shortcomings in DOE's budget estimate for ICAD

The Department of Energy’s Office of Inspector General underestimated the resources needed to audit incurred costs for billion-dollar contracts across the agency, according to a new Government Accountability Office report published Thursday.

Findings From GAO’s Review of ICAD

The congressional watchdog said that when the Energy Department established the Incurred Cost Audits Division, known as ICAD, in 2021, the OIG assumed that it would use agency auditors to audit incurred costs. The OIG also developed a cost estimate for 23 management and operating, or M&O, contracts without taking into account that the volume of such deals would evolve over time.

In 2021, the OIG estimated  $18.7 million per year rough order of magnitude to audit incurred costs. The initial estimate is far lower than the $43.7 million per year the OIG said it would need to conduct incurred cost audits based on DOE’s fiscal year 2025 budget justification.

While a rough order of magnitude estimate can be helpful, GAO warned that it is not precise.

The Energy Department, one of the largest civilian contracting agencies in government, spent about $36.7 billion in M&O contracts in fiscal 2023. M&O contracts, according to GAO, have inherent financial risks because the contractor can withdraw funds without an invoice.

The congressional watchdog urged the DOE’s inspector general to evaluate all relevant alternatives for conducting incurred cost audits. The move would give agency decision-makers a better understanding of long-term program costs.

The Energy Department’s OIG concurred with the recommendation.

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CISA Senior Adviser, Strategist Allan Friedman to Step Down
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Allan Friedman. Friedman has quit as CISA's senior adviser and strategist.

Allan Friedman has announced on LinkedIn on Friday that he has stepped down as the senior adviser and strategist of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, or CISA. He said he will be departing from the agency on July 31. Friedman said being part of the agency was an “extraordinary chapter” in his life.

“In the meantime, I remain committed to supporting this community and continuing the momentum we’ve built together. I’m excited to share more soon about what’s next, focused on advancing supply chain security through transparency, collaboration, and shared purpose,” he said, commenting on his departure.

Who Is Allan Friedman?

Friedman brings over 20 years of experience in international cybersecurity and technology policy. He currently works part-time as an adjunct professor of informatics at Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering, Indianapolis. He is also the director of Common Ground Track at BSides Las Vegas, which is an information security conference.

From 2015 to 2021, he served as the director of the cybersecurity initiatives at the U.S. Department of Commerce. Friedman was also a research scientist at the George Washington University. He began his career as the research director of the Center for Technology and Innovation at the Brookings Institution. 

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Pentagon to Expand Cloud Competition Under JWCC Next Contract
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Pentagon building. DOD CIO Katie Arrington unveiled plans for the JWCC Next contract.

The Department of Defense is preparing a new iteration of its $9 billion Joint Warfighting Cloud Capability contract to enable competition and a faster acquisition process.

Opening the Door to More Cloud Service Providers

At the recent ATO and Cloud Security Summit, DOD Chief Information Officer Katie Arrington, a Wash100 Award recipient, said the upcoming JWCC Next contract will allow smaller and non-traditional cloud service providers to participate. The move will mark a shift from the first JWCC contract, awarded in 2022 to Amazon Web Services, Google, Microsoft and Oracle.

“We are looking to expand the aperture,” Arrington said. “Competition breeds innovation, competition breeds efficiency.” The CIO emphasized that DOD is seeking companies offering innovative AI tools, satellite capabilities and faster methods for developing weapons systems and business tools.

Streamlining the Acquisition Process

Lt. Gen. Robert Skinner, director of the Defense Information Systems Agency and a three-time Wash100 awardee, previously said DOD aims to streamline the contracting process for JWCC Next. “What it’s going to bring is even faster commercial cloud capability, greater diversity where we can hope that we can have even more cloud service providers and potentially have an option of not having task orders competed,” Skinner said.

Under the current JWCC, DOD has already awarded more than 65 task orders worth over $1 billion. Arrington did not provide a timeline for the release of a draft JWCC Next request for proposals but noted it would be “very, very soon.”

JWCC succeeded the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure contract, which was canceled following years of litigation and controversy.

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Matthew Lohmeier Confirmed as Air Force Under Secretary
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Matthew Lohmeier was confirmed by the Senate to serve as the Air Force's under secretary.

The Senate on Thursday voted 52-46 to confirm Matthew Lohmeier, a former fighter pilot and Space Force guardian, as the 29th under secretary of the Air Force.

The service said Thursday Lohmeier will work with Air Force Secretary Troy Meink to oversee more than $200 billion in assets and help organize, train and equip the U.S. Air Force and Space Force.

https://www.potomacofficersclub.com/register/?event=701PM00000O5BbQYAV&src=MRB&utm_source=site_gcd&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=USAFLohmeier0725

Learn more about the air and space services’ modernization priorities, strategies, policies and more at the 2025 Air and Space Summit on July 31. Book your spot now for this Potomac Officers Club-hosted event!

“I’d like to welcome Matt to the team. His prior service makes him an excellent fit to help us strengthen the readiness and warrior ethos of the Air and Space Forces in order to defend our nation,” Meink said.

“I’m impressed by his dedication and focus on service culture and grateful for his advocacy for Department resources and modernization, and I know he will be a great asset to our Total Force Airmen, Guardians, and military families,” the secretary added.

Lohmeier said he is honored to work alongside Meink in support of airmen and guardians.

“They deserve all of the best tools, training, and support they need to perform their missions in an increasingly complex and quickly evolving threat environment,” he added.

Who Is Matthew Lohmeier?

Lohmeier has nearly two decades of experience in the Department of the Air Force. He served as a commander of a space-based missile warning squadron and logged 1,200 flight hours in the T-38 and F-15C aircraft.

The Arizona native is a public speaker and author who graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 2006.

He has master’s degrees in military operational art and science and in military strategy from the School of Advanced Air and Space Studies.

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Richard Topping Confirmed as VA Chief Financial Officer
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VA CFO Richard Topping. Richard Topping was confirmed as chief financial officer of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The Senate on Thursday voted 51-47 to confirm Richard Topping as chief financial officer of the Department of Veterans Affairs. He was nominated for the VA post in February.

Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., who spoke on the Senate floor prior to the vote to support Topping’s confirmation, said, “I am grateful to Captain Topping for his willingness to continue serving his fellow veterans in this new capacity. I look forward to working with him to improve the lives of veterans, caregivers, survivors and military families in my home states of Kansas and across the country in the coming years.”

Who Is Richard Topping?

Topping is a seasoned health insurance, legal and finance executive specializing in managed healthcare and government contracting with extensive experience in executive management, strategic planning, corporate governance, profit and loss management, budget management, capital development, operations, team development, and mergers and acquisitions. He is also well-versed on matters regarding Medicaid, Medicare, Marketplace, Tricare and VA Community Care.

The new VA CFO most recently served as chief legal officer and president of CareSource. Before that, he was a special counsel at Mintz and CEO of Cardinal Innovations Healthcare for nine years. He was also a trial attorney for the Department of Health and Human Services and a counsel for the Center for Bioethics at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Topping served as a judge advocate and special assistant U.S. attorney in the U.S. Army.

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DOE Selects 4 Federal Sites for AI Data Center, Energy Infrastructure Projects
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Energy Secretary Chris Wright on leveraging DOE land assets for AI and energy infrastructure deployment

The Department of Energy has selected Idaho National Laboratory, Oak Ridge Reservation, Savannah River Site and Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant as the sites for artificial intelligence data centers and energy generation projects.

“By leveraging DOE land assets for the deployment of AI and energy infrastructure, we are taking a bold step to accelerate the next Manhattan Project—ensuring U.S. AI and energy leadership,” Energy Secretary Chris Wright said in a statement published Thursday.

“These sites are uniquely positioned to host data centers as well as power generation to bolster grid reliability, strengthen our national security, and reduce energy costs,” Wright added.

The department chose the sites by evaluating responses to its request for information in April.

DOE Solicitations for AI Data Center, Energy Generation Projects

DOE expects the solicitations to be released in the coming months, detailing the project scope, submission guidelines and eligibility requirements at each site. Private sector partners could be selected by the end of 2025.

The department said it is assessing additional sites that could release solicitations in the future.

Use of Federal Lands for AI Data Centers

The latest DOE announcement supports the Trump administration’s goals of using federal lands for data center and power generation infrastructure projects.

President Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order directing the departments of the interior, energy and defense to authorize data center construction on appropriate federal lands.

Under the EO, the current administration requires agencies to streamline environmental reviews and the permitting process for data centers by leveraging existing exemptions and developing new ones to speed up the construction of qualifying projects. 

The order also promotes the use of Brownfield and Superfund sites for data center development and includes the launch of an initiative to provide loans, tax incentives, grants and other financial support for qualifying projects.

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NASA Issues RFP for Advanced Moon & Mars Communications
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Earth and Moon. NASA seeks proposals for a next-generation Moon and Mars communications system.

NASA has started soliciting proposals for advanced communications and navigation systems for future Moon and Mars missions.

NASA Issues RFP for Advanced Moon & Mars Communications

Join the Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 Air and Space Summit on July 31 to learn about the latest initiatives aimed at advancing air and space capabilities.

Next-Generation Moon, Mars Communications System

According to the request for proposals issued on July 7, NASA intends to leverage private industry capabilities for critical satellite communications. The agency is particularly seeking concepts for reliable, high-speed communication systems linking Earth-based control centers to the Moon’s surface and establishing a communications relay on Mars that would enable data transfer with Earth.

The potential project aligns with NASA’s initiative to build an interoperable communication and navigation infrastructure in space to boost science, exploration and economic development. 

Interested vendors have until Aug. 13 to submit their responses.

Greg Heckler, deputy program manager for capability development of the space communications and navigation program, said, “These partnerships foster important advancements in communications and navigation. It allows our astronauts, our rovers, our spacecraft – all NASA missions – to expand humanity’s exploration of the Moon, Mars and beyond.”

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