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Hegseth Announces Nominations of Daryl Caudle, Michael Donnelly to Key Navy Positions
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Adm. Daryl Caudle and Rear Adm. Michael have been nominated to key positions at the U.S. Navy.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has announced the nominations of Adm. Daryl Caudle and Rear Adm. Michael Donnelly as the next chief of naval operations and commander of the Seventh Fleet, respectively.

The Department of Defense said Wednesday Caudle was also reappointed to the grade of admiral while Donnelly was appointed vice admiral.

Hegseth Announces Nominations of Daryl Caudle, Michael Donnelly to Key Navy Positions

Join us on August 26 at the 2025 Navy Summit to explore the U.S. Navy’s latest appointments, strategic initiatives, and technological advancements.

Who Is Daryl Caudle?

Caudle is the current commander of the U.S. Fleet Forces Command, a role he has held since December 2021. Before this, he served as commander of the Submarine Forces, where he was the undersea domain lead. He was also commander of the Submarine Force Atlantic and the Allied Submarine Command, where he was the principal undersea warfare adviser to all strategic commanders of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Caudle briefly served as vice director for strategy, plans and policy on the Joint Staff, or J-5. Before that, he was commander of the Pacific Fleet, deputy commander of the 6th Fleet, director of operations U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa and commander of Submarine Group Eight. He was also deputy commander of Joint Functional Component Command-Global Strike and deputy chief for security cooperation. Caudle was assigned to various leadership roles for multiple submarines, including commanding officer of USS Jefferson City.

Who Is Michael Donnelly?

Donnelly, who will be assigned in Yokosuka, Japan if confirmed, currently serves as the director of the Air Warfare Division. His extensive career includes commanding the Strike Fighter Squadron 154 (VFA-154), USS Denver (LPD 9), USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) and the Task Force 70 or Carrier Strike Group 5. The naval flight officer also piloted F-14A/B/D Tomcat and F/A-18F Super Hornet in various deployments.

The seasoned officer additionally served on NATO’s International Military Staff and had two tours with the OPNAV Staff’s Air Warfare Directorate. Donnelly was also the commander of Naval Forces Korea.

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DARPA Launches Capstone Program to Boost Software Security
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DARPA's Resilient Software Systems Capstone program is meant to address software vulnerabilities due to aging IT.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, in collaboration with all service branches of the Department of Defense, has launched the Resilient Software Systems Capstone program to address software vulnerabilities due to aging IT infrastructure and outdated security policies.

DARPA said Tuesday the Capstone program aims to develop resilient software to eliminate the vulnerabilities of legacy architectures and advanced weapon systems and safeguard critical infrastructure, military code and sensitive systems.

Enhancing Weapon and Support Systems

The agency will work with the military branches to develop advanced software to reinforce the DOD’s systems against threats. It currently utilizes formal methods, or mathematically rigorous software development methods, to create tools. This approach tests the software for vulnerabilities before deployment, rather than the current testing method after it is built. This way, issues could be resolved early, so the software will perform as intended once deployed.

Air Force Leveraging Formal Methods

As part of the Capstone program, the U.S. Air Force will utilize formal methods in its MQ-9 Reaper program. The approach works to reduce the time needed to test and evaluate the software. Original equipment manufacturers and program offices typically use static code analysis tools to detect software stability issues and cyber vulnerabilities, which takes 12 to 18 months. To address this, the OEMS and program offices will now utilize software acceleration tools on existing code.

The other military branches will partner with DARPA on various projects intended to evaluate formal methods’ resilience, efficacy, cost, time and expertise on operational platforms. Each joint initiative, which will run for two years, aims to develop more secure software, fast-track the Authority to Operate process, optimize software developmental testing and establish a guide for broad adoption.

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Energy Department Accelerates Authorization for New Nuclear Reactor Tests
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DOE released a request for applications from organizations that could build and run nuclear reactors outside of national labs

The Department of Energy has introduced a new pathway to expedite testing of advanced nuclear reactor designs.

In a request for applications, DOE said it is seeking companies that can construct and operate test reactors outside of the national laboratories. Submissions are due on July 21.

DOE Announces Accelerated Authorization Process for Nuclear Reactors

According to the agency, the nuclear reactors will not provide commercial power or services but will serve as research, development and demonstration of the technology.

DOE will select at least three proposals for approval to ensure that criticality can be achieved in each of the nuclear reactors by July 2026.

Interested parties may participate in an upcoming industry day to be held at the offices of the Nuclear Energy Institute in Washington, D.C., and online on Zoom. Registration for the event is open until Friday, June 20.

Establishing the US as a Global Nuclear Energy Leader

The program is in line with President Donald Trump’s Executive Order, Reforming Nuclear Reactor Testing at the Department of Energy, which was signed in May to drive innovation and accelerate the domestic production of advanced nuclear technologies.

“For too long, the federal government has stymied the development and deployment of advanced civil nuclear reactors in the United States,” Energy Secretary Chris Wright commented. “Thanks to President Trump’s leadership, we are expediting the development of next-generation nuclear technologies and giving American innovators a new path forward to advance their designs, propelling our economic prosperity and bolstering our national security.”

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NASA to Test FOSS Sensor System Performance During Hypersonic Flight
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NASA is set to test its Fiber Optic Sensing System

NASA is preparing to demonstrate its Fiber Optic Sensing System, or FOSS, and evaluate its performance at hypersonic speeds.

The agency said Wednesday the FOSS will be installed onto two research rockets, reaching a speed greater than Mach 5. The system’s first flights, to be conducted in summer 2025 in collaboration with the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School in Edwards, California and the 586th Flight Test Squadron, will be used to assess its capability to measure strain and temperature on high-speed vehicles.

What Is Fiber Optic Sensing System?

FOSS is a system that utilizes a hair-thin fiber to gather strain and temperature data along its length. This advanced fiber significantly reduces the weight and space that came with other wire harnesses and sensors.

Testing NASA’s FOSS

Aside from the planned test flights, the new NASA system underwent rigorous testing in its early stages. On March 26, FOSS was subjected to vibration tests at the Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, which verified its ability to operate during a rocket launch.

Advancing Hypersonic Technology

Under the Advanced Air Vehicles Program, NASA focuses on advancing hypersonics and intends to leverage FOSS to gather crucial data on vehicle strain and temperature during flight. This will give engineers critical information on the rocket or aircraft’s condition.

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Army Selects Brandon Pugh as Principal Cyber Adviser
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Brandon Pugh is the Army's new principal cyber adviser.

The U.S. Army has appointed Brandon Pugh as principal cyber adviser. Pugh confirmed his new role in a LinkedIn post Monday. 

“I am honored and excited to start as the Principal Cyber Advisor for the Department of the Army,” he wrote. “would like to thank both President Trump and Secretary Driscoll for giving me the opportunity to serve our great country, especially in an area that I am passionate about and there is much to do!”

He succeeds Michael Sulmeyer, who stepped down from the role in 2024 to become the first cyber policy chief at the Department of Defense. 

Who Is Brandon Pugh?

Pugh serves as a national security law professor at the Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center & School and a non-resident fellow at the Army Cyber Institute.

He also led the development of public policy strategy for cybersecurity and emerging threats teams at R Street Institute, a Washington-based think tank. 

His career includes positions at American Consulting and Training, Journal of Law & Cyber Warfare, New Jersey School Boards Association and the FBI.

Army Principal Cyber Adviser Responsibilities

In his new role, the cyber and national security expert will work closely with the secretary of the Army and the Army chief of staff on matters related to the cyber domain. He will also be in charge of reviewing the service’s cyber budget, acquiring cyber tools and capabilities, improving the culture of cyber warfighting, and implementing the Department of Defense Cyber Strategy.

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USPTO Advances Generative AI Adoption
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The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is advancing the use of generative AI technologies

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is advancing the use of generative artificial intelligence tools to streamline business operations and enable employees to focus more on high-impact work, Nextgov/FCW reported Tuesday.

“The biggest lesson we learned [when introducing AI] was that all AI requires knowing your data, knowing data structure, data elements, data flow and, most importantly, data security,” Jamie Holcombe, chief information officer at USPTO, said Tuesday at an agency-hosted discussion.

“We realize that we are now in an era of intelligent computing where we succeed only by combining data, AI and infrastructure security for results and measurable outcomes,” Holcombe added.

Scout Chatbot Assistant

Some of the AI tools that USPTO uses are the Patents End-to-End search tool and Scout.

Scout is short for searching, consolidating, outlining and understanding. It is a chatbot assistant built from a large language model designed to help detect improper filings, support code development and advance cybersecurity threat detection efforts.

Debbie Stephens, deputy CIO at USPT, said the Scout platform supports over 200 users as of June.

“We believe our homegrown GenAI web application, Scout, has already proven its capabilities and look forward to a beta version in late summer,” Stephens noted.

RFI on AI Capabilities

In early June, USPTO started soliciting industry information on AI capabilities to enhance the patent and trademark examination processes.

According to the RFI, the agency is seeking contractors with new AI tools or IT capabilities that could improve its efficiency in granting patents, registering trademarks and advancing intellectual property policies.

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Col. Nathan Stuckey Appointed Director of AFWERX
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AFWERX has named a new director: Col. Nathan Stuckey.

Col. Nathan Stuckey was officially appointed director of AFWERX during a change of leadership ceremony held on June 17 at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio.

The Air Force Research Laboratory said Tuesday that Stuckey will also serve as the chief commercialization officer for the Department of the Air Force. In his new role, Stuckey will spearhead AFWERX’s initiatives to drive rapid development and meet critical national defense needs. He succeeds Col. Elliott Leigh, who has held the dual role since December 2022.

Col. Stuckey’s Career Highlights

Prior to his appointment, Stuckey served as the military deputy director for the Rapid Sustainment Office, where he oversaw the rapid fielding of sustainment capabilities by utilizing advanced technologies to enhance mission readiness and minimize lifecycle costs.

Stuckey was also the deputy chief of the C-5M Super Galaxy Division, materiel leader of the B-1 Systems Engineering Branch and project manager of both the Protected Tactical Enterprise Service and Future Systems of the White House Communications Agency. The new director also held leadership roles with the 46th Test Squadron and the Directed Energy Directorate.

AFRL commander Brig. Gen. Jason Bartolomei presided over the event and said, “We’re already in a serious science and technology competition with some pretty competitive people on the world market. Our job is to win that fight — and we can’t do it without working together with the innovation ecosystem and without AFWERX doing what it does best.”

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GSA Seeks Industry Input on OASIS+ Phase II Domains
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GSA is soliciting industry input to help inform the development of domain offerings under the OASIS+ contract's Phase II

The General Services Administration has issued a request for information on industry capabilities that could meet the requirements of the second phase of the One Acquisition Solution for Integrated Services Plus, or OASIS+, contract program.

According to a notice published Tuesday, responses to the RFI through the Qualtrics survey platform are due July 8.

GSA said it will use the RFI survey responses to inform the development of new domain offerings for the contract program’s expanded scope.

5 New Domains in OASIS+ Phase II

GSA is soliciting feedback from industry service providers to help develop evaluation criteria and refine technical capabilities for five new domains in the OASIS+ contract vehicle’s Phase II.

The five domains are financial services; human capital; social services; marketing and public relations; and business administration.

The financial services functional area, for instance, includes requirements designed to support financial objectives, such as accounting, financial advising, budgeting, loan servicing, asset management support and complementary financial services. Sub-areas include audit services, cost estimating and analysis, financial data analytics and reporting, grant management, and credit and debt management services.

According to the agency, the RFI builds on the award of eight domains under the contract’s initial phase: management and advisory; technical and engineering; intelligence services; logistics; research and development; facilities; environmental; facilities; and enterprise solutions.

What Is the OASIS+ Contract Program?

OASIS+ is a suite of six multiple-award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contracts with a five-year base period and a five-year option term. The program is designed to help federal agencies meet their procurement requirements for services-based solutions.

The program seeks to meet agencies’ non-IT service requirements, promote competition among service contractors and eliminate barriers to entry to maximize small business participation.

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DARPA to Demonstrate UAS VTOL Capabilities Soon
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DARPA's Early VTOL Aircraft Demonstration program aims to propel drone development and deployment to warfighters.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is preparing to demonstrate the vertical takeoff and landing capability of five unmanned aerial systems weighing less than 330 pounds in the coming days.

Known as EVADE — short for Early VTOL Aircraft Demonstration — the program involves five companies, namely AeroVironment, Griffon Aerospace, Karem Aircraft, Method Aeronautics and Sikorsky, to showcase the rapid deployment of advanced UAS capabilities to the warfighter, DARPA said Tuesday.

“With EVADE, our focus is on speed of development, not on first-flight perfection,” explained Phillip Smith, DARPA program manager and U.S. Marine Corps Reserve officer. “The faster we can get these aircraft airborne, the quicker we can identify issues and deliver these technologies to our warfighters.”

EVADE UAS Features

The participating companies will demonstrate that their aircraft can be optimized for different strengths, including VTOL control, airspeed, storage capacity, cruise altitude, time on station, powertrain configurations and control methodologies. While the UAS platforms vary in their capabilities, they are all equipped with Sikorsky’s MATRIX flight autonomy software and are designed to carry a 60-pound payload and maintain an endurance of 12 hours with a range of 100 nautical miles.

UAS Integration Into Military Operations

EVADE, part of the second phase of DARPA’s Advanced Aircraft Infrastructure-Less Launch and Recovery initiative, will also demonstrate the significant role of a 330-pound UAS in military operations.

“This is about democratizing air power,” Smith said. “By equipping smaller units—like Army, Marine Corps, and special operations teams—with these drones, we’re eliminating the need for traditional ground control stations and enabling rapid deployment in even the most austere environments.”

Following successful flight tests, DARPA intends to transition the aircraft to military services by the end of 2025.

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NIST Issues New White Paper on Securing 5G Networks
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The 5G Network Security Design Principles white paper by NIST's cyber center aims to strengthen privacy on 5G networks.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology has published a new white paper on securing 5G networks from cyberthreats. 

Developed by the NIST National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence, or NCCoE, the 5G Network Security Design Principles white paper provides network infrastructure security design principles for commercial and private 5G network operators. 

The 12-page document is part of the Applying 5G Cybersecurity and Privacy Capabilities white paper series, which provides resources for commercial mobile network operators, private 5G network operators and organizations using 5G-enabled technologies.

How to Bolster Cybersecurity & Privacy in a 5G Network

The white paper addresses the challenges that data centers and cloud environments, which typically use the same physical connections and the same network devices to process traffic. According to the document, because there is no way to physically separate 5G traffic from other types of traffic and segregate types of 5G traffic from one another, organizations must apply methods. Doing so could reduce the risk of cyberattacks from spreading across network segments and ease the integration of cybersecurity tools and techniques for each traffic. 

The different types of 5G network traffic are data plane, signaling, and operation and maintenance.

NIST’s secure network design principles guide readers on how to ensure the logical separation of 5G traffic. NCCoE even provides a look into how its underlying network infrastructure works to segregate data plane, signaling and O&M traffic. 

The agency said its principles are tested, but the public are welcome to submit their comment about the white paper until July 17.

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