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DOD Eyes Termination of ‘Non-Essential’ Consulting Contracts
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DOD Eyes Termination of ‘Non-Essential’ Consulting Contracts

The Department of Defense has released a memo directing heads of component agencies to review and validate existing consulting services contracts.

The Feb. 18 memo issued to senior Pentagon leadership, defense agencies and DOD field activities directors calls for the assessment of the “essentiality of contracts … for the purpose of terminating or descoping contracts for activities that are not essential for the Department to fulfill its statutory purposes.”

The move seeks to ensure alignment with President Trump’s America First priorities and the direction of Pete Hegseth, secretary of defense and 2025 Wash100 awardee.

Phased Approach to Contract Review, Validation

DOD will implement a phased approach to assessing and validating the contracts, according to the memo signed by Steven Morani, who currently performs the duties of the under secretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment.

The initial review will be for contracts where a DOD contracting officer has placed an order against a General Services Administration contract vehicle for consulting services.

Under Phase 2, component agencies will evaluate and validate non-GSA contracts for consulting services.

For consultancy contracts determined to be “essential,” components should submit a short justification, including a validation of the requirement by a general officer or a Senior Executive Service member.

Components have until March 19 to submit the results of their review for GSA-related contracts. Submissions for non-GSA contracts are due April 19.

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Integrated Team Construct Seeks to Sharpen AF Battle Network
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Integrated Team Construct Seeks to Sharpen AF Battle Network

The Department of the Air Force has announced that its Program Executive Office for Command, Control, Communications and Battle Management, or C3BM, is adopting an Integrated Product Team construct to run the DAF Battle Network. 

Maj. Gen. Luke Cropsey, PEO head for C3BM and a 2025 Wash100 awardee, said the new team construct addresses the complicated and broad challenges in integrating the network designed to link the service branch’s sensors, effectors and logistics systems for sharper situational awareness and faster operational decision-making. 

Broadened Team Mindset

He described the team’s new approach as a shift “away from a mindset of ‘my program, my system’ and toward a mindset of ‘our system, our mission.’”

Horizontal integration is one of the specific challenges that the IPT construct will address through the creation of a mechanism for a DBN system-of-systems integration. The DAF network integration spans some 50 programs of record kept across the department to help provide decision and information advantage to the Air Force, Space Force and allied forces.

Knowledge-Sharing Across Various Domains

With the new team framework, IPT will also seek to maximize the DAF network potential through consistent venues for sharing knowledge in organization, training and equipment. C3BM showed its capability in this battle network area during the Emerald Flag 24-3 exercise in October wherein DBN tested a new aerial networking system.

The IPT leads under the new construct are expected to be named later this February, with appointees drawn from those already within the C3BM office and other PEOs supporting the DAF Battle Network.

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DIU Partners With AWS, C3 AI, Google to Enhance DOD Logistics
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DIU Partners With AWS, C3 AI, Google to Enhance DOD Logistics

The Defense Innovation Unit has awarded contracts to Amazon Web Services, C3 AI and Google Public Sector to enhance the Department of Defense’s flight scheduling processes. 

DIU said Wednesday, the collaboration aims to develop a prototype for a commercial technology capable of accelerating, optimizing and automating the DOD’s logistical processes, including flight scheduling.

Air Logistics Optimization Program

The Air Logistics Optimization, or ALO, is a program initiated by DIU to address the challenges of manual logistical planning. It is intended to develop a way to optimize the scheduling and allocation of transport flights to reduce fuel consumption and carbon footprint and prevent passenger-less flights.

Aside from DIU, other organizations behind the program are the Air Force’s Operational Energy Office, the Navy’s Air Logistics Office—known as NALO—and the Transportation Command’s Air Mobility Command. The three companies that received contracts are tasked with developing specialized systems for the program members.

C3 AI provided the Air Force Operational Energy with an artificial intelligence-driven dashboard that reduces the time to process data by integrating aircraft sensors with mission data. This development has led to more efficient flight procedures and less fuel consumption while maintaining combat capabilities.

Google Public Sector designed a user-facing application for NALO that automates and optimizes flight scheduling. The system is capable of handling disruptions like weather changes and aircraft maintenance with seamless real-time adjustments. This boosts operational readiness and situational awareness while reducing fuel consumption.

AWS developed an air logistics optimization engine for USTRANSCOM and AMC that utilizes its global delivery capabilities, including long-term routes, flight plan execution and disruption and recovery management.

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NASA Requires Input on Space Weather Observation Satellite
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NASA Requires Input on Space Weather Observation Satellite

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center is requesting sources to provide information on developing a spacecraft for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather GEO, or SW GEO, Series program.

GSFC is soliciting input on spacecraft flight hardware design concepts, mission operations services and hosting possibilities for the SW GEO project, which supports NOAA’s mission to reduce the impact of severe space weather events, according to a notice posted Tuesday on SAM.gov.

Soliciting Concept Designs for 2 Satellites

Specifically, the government expects the potential contractor to create spacecraft concept designs, prepare documentation for its upcoming development, provide operational and maintenance support, and identify payload hosting opportunities.

The program aims to operate up to two satellites in the geostationary orbit over the continental U.S. to meet NOAA’s observatory instrument data availability objectives. Each of the spacecraft is anticipated to host eight government-furnished payloads, such as sensors and imaging instruments.

Monitoring Space Weather Events

When it becomes operational, the SW GEO spacecraft will enable NOAA to monitor and warn about space weather events that can potentially disrupt the country’s electrical power grid, communications infrastructure, and navigation and timing systems.

Interested parties are invited to submit their feedback and suggestions no later than March 28.

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Kelly Loeffler Confirmed as SBA Administrator
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Kelly Loeffler Confirmed as SBA Administrator

The Senate on Wednesday voted 52-46 to confirm Kelly Loeffler, a former senator from Georgia, as head of the Small Business Administration.

In this capacity, Loeffler will lead a cabinet-level federal agency that supports small businesses by providing capital, counseling and contracting expertise.

Loeffler’s Career Highlights

The Georgia businesswoman briefly served in the Senate after she was appointed by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp to fill the vacancy created by Sen. Johnny Isakson’s retirement.

Loeffler, who co-chaired President Trump’s second inaugural committee, previously served as senior vice president of investor relations, chief communications officer and chief marketing officer at Intercontinental Exchange, a financial services firm that owns the New York Stock Exchange.

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign graduate launched fintech company Bakkt, where she served as its founding CEO.

She is a former co-owner of the Atlanta Dream team of the Women’s National Basketball Association.

Earlier in her career, Loeffler held positions at several automotive and financial services firms, including Toyota Motor Sales USA, Citigroup and William Blair.

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DOD Seeks to Redirect $50B Toward Trump’s Priorities
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DOD Seeks to Redirect $50B Toward Trump’s Priorities

Secretary of Defense and 2025 Wash100 winner Pete Hegseth has ordered Department of Defense officials to conduct a review and find approximately $50 billion in the Biden administration’s proposed fiscal year 2026 budget that could be shifted toward President Trump’s national defense priorities, including the Iron Dome for America and border security, Breaking Defense reported Wednesday.

“The Department will develop a list of potential offsets that could be used to fund these priorities, as well as to refocus the Department on its core mission of deterring and winning wars. The offsets are targeted at 8% of the Biden Administration’s FY26 budget, totaling around $50 billion, which will then be spent on programs aligned with President Trump’s priorities,” Robert Salesses, who performs the duties of deputy secretary of defense, said in a statement published Wednesday.

Priority Categories That May Be Excluded

Following the release of the DOD official’s statement, Breaking Defense obtained a list of the 17 priority categories or “offsets” that may not be included by military services and component agencies in their 8 percent spending reduction recommendations or should be financially protected in the next fiscal year.

These are:

  • Audit
  • Collaborative combat aircraft
  • Combatant command support agency funding
  • Combating transnational criminal organizations in the Western Hemisphere
  • Core readiness, including full DRT funding
  • Counter-small UAS initiatives
  • Executable surface ships
  • Executable U.S. Indo-Pacific Command MILCON
  • Homeland missile defense
  • Medical private-sector care
  • Munitions
  • Munitions and energetics organic industrial bases
  • Nuclear modernization
  • One-way attack/autonomous systems
  • Priority critical cybersecurity
  • Southwest border activities
  • Virginia-class submarines
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Assoc. Administrator Jim Free Set to Retire After 3 Decades at NASA
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Assoc. Administrator Jim Free Set to Retire After 3 Decades at NASA

Jim Free, associate administrator at NASA, is set to retire on Feb. 22 after three decades of service.

The agency said Wednesday Free will step down as the senior advisor to Janet Petro, NASA’s acting administrator. The veteran executive will also relinquish his other duties including overseeing all 10 center directors and the mission directorate associate administrators at the NASA headquarters in Washington and leading more than 18,000 personnel as chief operating officer.

Jim Free’s Legacy

The outgoing executive first joined the agency in 1990 and has held a variety of leadership roles. He was appointed NASA associate administrator in January 2024, succeeding Bob Cabana. Under his leadership, the agency accomplished the first lunar landing through the Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative. NASA also launched the Europa Clipper mission, studied Jupiter’s moon and discovered molecules with the ingredients for life in asteroid Bennu samples.

Free previously served as the associate administrator for the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate, where he spearheaded the development of the Moon to Mars architecture. He was also responsible for the systems development for the Artemis program.

Before his latest stint at NASA, Free worked in the private sector as a self-employed consultant and vice president of the Aerospace Systems Group at Peerless Technologies. Prior to this, Free worked at NASA’s Glenn Research Center for over seven years, most recently as its director. He first joined NASA in 1990 as an engineer.

“A remarkable engineer and a decisive leader, he combines deep technical expertise with an unwavering commitment to this agency’s mission. Jim’s legacy is one of selfless service, steadfast leadership, and a belief in the power of people,” said Petro.

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New Cyber Advisory From CISA & Partners Tackles Ghost Ransomware
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New Cyber Advisory From CISA & Partners Tackles Ghost Ransomware

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the FBI and the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center have released a joint cybersecurity advisory concerning the ransomware known as Ghost.

Ghost Ransomware Activity

According to the advisory, which was issued on Wednesday, malicious actors have been using Ghost since early 2021 to target victims with internet-facing services running on outdated firmware or software. The malicious actors are located in China but their attacks have compromised the systems of organizations found in over 70 countries, including China.

Victims include critical infrastructure organizations, education institutions, manufacturing companies, government organizations and religious institutions. The purpose of the attacks is financial gain.

Contents of the Advisory

The advisory provides indicators of compromise; tactics, techniques and procedures, and detection methods associated with Ghost. The advisory also contains recommended mitigations, which organizations are encouraged to implement.

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SAIC, AWS Secure TraCSS Cloud Services Order From NOAA
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SAIC, AWS Secure TraCSS Cloud Services Order From NOAA

SAIC and Amazon Web Services have secured a $4.8 million cloud services order from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to provide cloud hosting services for the Traffic Coordination System for Space, or TraCSS.

NOAA’s Office of Space Commerce, or OSC, said Wednesday SAIC and AWS will provide TraCSS services from October 2025 to October 2026. The order was made under a blanket purchase agreement and does not impact AWS’s existing cloud services agreement with NOAA, whose performance period will run until October.

In November 2024, the OSC conducted market research for possible sources of cloud infrastructure and provisioning services for TraCSS.

What Is TraCSS?

TraCSS is the civil space situational awareness system developed by OSC to provide civil and private space operators with basic space situational awareness, or SSA, data and services. The system is also designed to support spaceflight safety, space sustainability and international coordination.

TraCSS comprises three components: its data repository TraCSS-OASIS, SSA application services TraCSS-SKYLINE and its modeling, simulation and research environment and development and test environment TraCSS-HORIZON.

NOAA is applying a phased “crawl, walk, run” development approach to its TraCSS implemnentation to enable more commercial SSA data and services integration for each phase and avoid any disruption in providing basic SSA safety services.

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Air Force Checks Minuteman III ICBM Capabilities in New Test
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Air Force Checks Minuteman III ICBM Capabilities in New Test

A new launch test of the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile has been completed for another routine check on the weapon’s capabilities in deterring current security threats, the U.S. Air Force announced Wednesday. The periodic test, also designed to assure allies on U.S. nuclear readiness, is focused on demonstrating Minuteman III’s safety, security and reliability, the service branch added.

The ICBM community using the data gathered from the tests include the Department of Defense, the Department of Energy and U.S. Strategic Command in their continuing force development analyses.

Combined elements of Air Force Global Strike Command Airmen and Vandenberg Space Force Base Guardians performed the recent test at the Vandenberg SFB’s Western Range. The joint team launched an unarmed Minuteman III missile, with the base’s 377th Test and Evaluation Group overseeing the exercise.

Data Inputs for Future ICBM Upgrades

According to Col. Dustin Harmon, commander of the 377th TEG, the key data points that they gathered from the test are useful not only in assessing the current system’s reliability but also in validating planned ICBM force upgrades. “The data we collect and analyze is crucial for maintaining Minuteman III while we pave the way for Sentinel,” he pointed out. 

The Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center is currently working on a program to replace Minuteman III with the LGM-35A Sentinel ICBM, as part of the modernization plan for the land-based component of the U.S. nuclear triad.

Northrop Grumman is one of the companies with a stake in the Sentinel program, with the company already completing in 2024 multiple tests as part of the new ICBM’s engineering, manufacturing and development phase.

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