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White House Issues AI Action Plan
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A workspace featuring computer screens with artificial intelligence elements. The White House released its AI Action Plan.

The White House has unveiled an action plan to help the U.S. achieve global dominance in artificial intelligence.

The White House said Wednesday the AI Action Plan outlines over 90 federal policy actions across three pillars: accelerating AI innovation; building American AI infrastructure; and leading in international AI diplomacy and security.

“This plan galvanizes Federal efforts to turbocharge our innovation capacity, build cutting-edge infrastructure, and lead globally, ensuring that American workers and families thrive in the AI era. We are moving with urgency to make this vision a reality,” said Michael Kratsios, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and a two-time Wash100 awardee.

David Sacks, the White House’s AI and crypto czar and a 2025 Wash100 Award recipient, said the AI Action Plan provides a roadmap for the U.S. to lead in innovation, global partnerships and infrastructure to win the AI race.

Accelerate AI Innovation

Key policies to advance AI innovation include removing red tape and onerous regulation; ensuring that frontier AI protects free speech and American values; and encouraging open-source and open-weight AI.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order to ensure that AI models that the federal government acquires prioritize truthfulness and ideological neutrality.

“These clear-cut policy goals set expectations for the Federal Government to ensure America sets the technological gold standard worldwide, and that the world continues to run on American technology,” said Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a 2025 Wash100 awardee.

Build American AI Infrastructure

Under this second pillar, key policies include creating streamlined permitting for data centers, semiconductor manufacturing facilities and energy infrastructure while guaranteeing security; restoring American semiconductor manufacturing; developing a grid to match the pace of AI innovation; and bolstering critical infrastructure cybersecurity.

Under an EO signed Wednesday, agencies are being directed 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.

Lead in International AI Diplomacy & Security

The third pillar’s policy actions include exporting American AI tools to allies and partners; countering Chinese influence in international governance bodies; strengthening AI compute export control enforcement; and investing in biosecurity.

The president on Wednesday signed another executive order directing the secretary of Commerce to establish and implement the American AI Exports Program to drive the development and deployment of full-stack AI export packages.

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Jud Virden Named Laboratory Director for NREL, President of Alliance for Sustainable Energy
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Jud Virden. Virden has been appointed as Alliance president and NREL director.

The Alliance for Sustainable Energy has appointed Jud Virden as its president and the new director of the Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory, or NREL. Virden will replace Martin Keller and officially assume the role of the laboratory director on October 1, NREL said in a press release. NREL is the main national laboratory in the U.S. for research and development in clean energy, which is managed by MRIGlobal and Batelle.

Commenting on his appointment, Virden said he considered it a privilege to take on the role.

“I am eager to build on NREL’s reputation for scientific excellence and drive meaningful, lasting transformation. I look forward to growing collaborations within DOE, industry, academia, and the national labs—working together to accelerate energy innovation and impact,” he said.

Keller, who has been NREL’s director since 2015, will remain in the lab as a strategic advisor until early November before transitioning as president of the Helmholtz Association in Berlin, Germany.

Who Is Jud Virden?

Virden is the associate laboratory director for the Energy and Environment Directorate at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, or PNNL, where he has worked for three decades. He also assumed several executive roles within the company. Under the Energy and Environment Directorate, he became the acting associate director and director of the energy market sector. He was also the deputy associate of the Energy Science and Technology Directorate, the director of transportation programs, technical group leader of the colloids and materials design group and industrial fellow at PNNL.

He began his career as an advanced chemical engineer at 3M. 

Remarks by MRIGlobal’s Ian Colrain, Batelle’s Juan Alvarez

MRI Global CEO and President Ian Colrain and Battelle Executive Vice President of Laboratory Operations Juan Alvarez, co-chairs of the board at the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, welcomed Virden’s appointment.

“Jud’s leadership in driving transformative energy solutions makes him an outstanding fit for NREL,” the co-chairs said.

“He brings a rare combination of scientific rigor, strategic vision, and a collaborative spirit—paired with a deep understanding of DOE priorities and the national lab system. His ability to translate innovation into impact makes him ideally suited to lead NREL into its next chapter,” they added.

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Senate Confirms Trump Nominee Arielle Roth to Lead NTIA
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Headshot of Arielle Roth. Roth will oversee the $42.5 billion BEAD program

The Senate has confirmed President Donald Trump’s nominee Arielle Roth to lead the National Telecommunications and Information Administration as assistant secretary of communications and information. On Wednesday, legislators voted 52-41 in favor of Roth’s appointment. 

Who Is Arielle Roth?

Roth has extensive experience and deep expertise in telecommunications. She currently serves as telecom policy director for Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas. She also held multiple roles at the Federal Communications Commission, including as a wireline adviser for former commissioner Michael O’Rielly. 

In a statement, FCC Chair Brendan Carr congratulated Roth and said the new assistant secretary will play an important role in positioning the United States as a leader in wireless communications. 

“After Congress passed President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill, which restored the FCC’s spectrum auction authority, it has become even more important to have terrific leaders like Arielle at NTIA to help unlock more spectrum for consumer use,” Carr commented. “Arielle and her team will be critical in the work to restore U.S. leadership in wireless, which promotes our economic and national security.”

She holds bachelor’s degrees from the University of Toronto and McGill University.

Arielle Roth’s Criticism of BEAD

Roth will now lead the Broadband, Equity, Access and Deployment, or BEAD, program, a $42.5 billion initiative to expand high-speed internet access across the country. 

In a previous event, she said the program has “all kinds of legal requirements” and deters participation, driving up costs. She pointed out that BEAD has a strong preference for fiber, which goes against the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 provision on tech neutrality. 

In June, the NTIA issued revised BEAD program rules to remove preference for end-to-end fiber and, instead, call for broadband services that can deliver speeds of no less than 100/20 Mbps.

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DOD Seeks Commercial Tech to Enhance Maritime Awareness
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Department of Defense seal. The DOD is seeking commercially available technology for advanced ocean monitoring.

The Department of Defense has started soliciting information on potential vendors capable of addressing knowledge gaps on various illicit maritime activities.

Enhancing Maritime Awareness & Security

According to the notice issued on the Defense Innovation Unit, the DOD aims to enhance awareness of marine-based activities, including illegal maritime activities, such as drug trafficking, piracy, human trafficking, transport of counterfeit contraband goods, and illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. The department also intends to understand how to safeguard critical and supporting infrastructure in the maritime domain, while assessing implications for force protection.

Four Phases of Development

To realize this objective, the DOD seeks vendors to develop a secure sensing, data-driven commercial edge network architecture. The program includes four development phases.

For the first phase, the potential contractor will leverage existing commercial infrastructure, including fiber optics, pipelines and undersea cables, to detect objects and activity in the ocean and the seafloor and provide the DOD with real-time data. The proposed system will have electro-optical, infrared, electromagnetic, still imagery, full-motion video and geolocation features.

Phase two will cover areas without existing infrastructure by utilizing a commercially available low-profile system to monitor maritime domains and infrastructure for three months or more. This is meant to close surveillance gaps across strategic ocean areas and infrastructure where illegal activities usually occur.

For phase three, remaining coverage gaps will be addressed by validating sensor data transmission pathways, automating data analysis and enabling intuitive data search and visualization.

The final phase will involve advanced commercially available approaches for countering and misleading technologies developed in the earlier stages.

Interested parties can submit their responses until Aug. 3.

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Idaho National Lab, AWS Team Up to Develop AI for Nuclear Energy Ops
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Logos of INL and AWS. INL will access AWS technologies to support the development of AI for nuclear energy applications

Idaho National Laboratory will use Amazon Web Services’ artificial intelligence tools and advanced cloud infrastructure to develop AI for nuclear energy projects.

INL Director John Wagner said Wednesday that the partnership marks a step toward integrating AI into nuclear energy research and development.

“This collaboration underscores the critical role of linking the nation’s nuclear energy laboratory with AWS,” he explained. “By leveraging AWS’s cutting-edge cloud computing and AI solutions, we can accelerate nuclear energy deployment for America.”

AWS Services Available to INL

The INL will tap into Amazon Bedrock, which offers secure and flexible tools for developing generative AI applications and agents

According to Chris Ritter, division director of Scientific Computing and AI at INL, Bedrock will enable government researchers to build AI-powered nuclear energy applications using leading foundation models.

Ritter shared that the national laboratory will also use specialized tools such as Amazon SageMaker and customized chips like Inferentia and Trainium to support mission requirements.

Amazon SageMaker is a fully managed service that aids data scientists and engineers to build, customize and deploy foundational models for various use cases.

INL will also use AWS Compute and AI tools to create a digital twin of small modular nuclear reactors. Scientists could integrate near real-time data from the physical reactors to digital twin, which could pave the way for autonomous nuclear operations.

“AWS’s powerful AI and computing technology will support Idaho National Laboratory’s development of autonomous nuclear reactors to pioneer a future where civilian nuclear operations are safer, smarter and more responsive,” commented David Appel, vice president of U.S. federal and global national security and defense for AWS. “We’re proud to collaborate with the Department of Energy and Idaho National Laboratory to accelerate safe advanced nuclear energy that will strengthen America’s energy leadership and our technological edge.”

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Pentagon Eyes Industry Collaboration to Accelerate Golden Dome’s Space-Based Interceptor Development
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Satellite constellation. The DOD is in talks with various companies about potential involvement in Golden Dome.

The Department of Defense is accelerating its efforts to develop space-based interceptors as part of the Golden Dome initiative, Breaking Defense reported, noting that the Pentagon is seeking to engage the private sector in creating the $175 billion missile defense shield.Pentagon Eyes Industry Collaboration to Accelerate Golden Dome's Space-Based Interceptor Development

Air and space defense is a critical component of national security. With the increasing sophistication of threats, the need for advanced defense capabilities in the air and space domains has never been more urgent. The Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 Air and Space Defense Summit will provide invaluable insights into the challenges and opportunities facing the industry, including an all-industry panel about Golden Dome. Register here for the exciting GovCon conference!

SBIs are seen as a critical Golden Dome capability capable of neutralizing missiles during their boost phase. Maj. Gen. Stephen Purdy, acting head of space acquisition for the Department of the Air Force, revealed that the Pentagon is looking at innovative acquisition methods, including the use of non-traditional contracting vehicles and launching prize contests to take advantage of commercial technologies to speed up development.

Cooperating With Industry to Build Golden Dome

Amazon’s Project Kuiper has already been engaged for potential involvement in the defense shield’s data relay services as the DOD explores options to move away from SpaceX due to the ongoing tensions between President Donald Trump and the company’s founder Elon Musk. Other private companies, including Stoke Space and Rocket Lab, have been approached to contribute their expertise to the project, particularly in satellite launch capabilities.

Defense companies, including Northrop Grumman and RTX, have expressed interest in supporting the Golden Dome. Northrop Grumman is already developing space-based interceptors, while RTX, known for its Patriot missile defense systems, anticipates playing a major role in Golden Dome’s architecture.

The Pentagon’s strategy to involve multiple partners aims to reduce reliance on a single contractor.

Gen. Michael Guetlein, the Pentagon’s newly appointed Golden Dome czar, emphasized that the SBI development is one of the challenges the initiative faces. Speaking at a Space Foundation event, he noted that while the technology to intercept missiles from space is proven, the capability to build sufficient satellites at scale and expand the industrial base quickly enough to meet the program’s requirements remains uncertain.

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NASA Deploys TRACERS Mission to Study Earth’s Magnetic Shield
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NASA's TRACERS mission launch. NASA launched the TRACERS mission to study the Earth's magnetic field.

NASA deployed the Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites mission aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

Studying the Magnetic Shield

The agency said Wednesday the primary objective of the TRACERS mission is to investigate the Earth’s magnetic shield and how it protects Earth from space weather. In particular, the mission will study magnetic reconnection — the energy generated from the collision between the sun and Earth’s magnetic fields — and how it influences the impacts of the sun and space weather on Earth.

“The TRACERS satellites will move us forward in decoding space weather and further our understanding of the connection between Earth and the Sun. This mission will yield breakthroughs that will advance our pursuit of the Moon and subsequently, Mars,” said Sean Duffy, acting NASA administrator.”

During the mission, the twin spacecraft will fly just 10 seconds apart over the polar cusp, an open region in Earth’s magnetic field near the North Pole. They will gather 3,000 measurements in one year to create a map of magnetic reconnection’s evolution and behavior.

Communication with the second TRACERS satellite was established three hours after being deployed from Falcon 9. For the next four weeks, mission controllers will check out all instruments and systems while the spacecraft goes through a commissioning phase. After this, the satellites will start a year-long mission to study magnetic reconnection.

Companion Payloads

NASA’s Athena Economical Payload Integration Cost, Polylingual Experimental Terminal and Relativistic Electron Atmospheric Loss missions will accompany the primary mission. These three small satellites will showcase new technologies and collect scientific data.

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Golden Dome: The 5 Hottest Questions GovCons Are Asking
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Image of a SM-3 Block 1B interceptor launching. ExecutiveGov anwers the five hottest questions about Golden Dome.

Golden Dome, President Trump’s proposed homeland missile defense system, is the hottest topic of conversation among GovCons. Contracting professionals are asking how they can best position their companies for contracts from this three-year, $175 billion effort that received a $25 billion downpayment in the president’s reconciliation legislation.

The news is getting even better—DOD is expanding Golden Dome partnership opportunities beyond simply SpaceX, according to Reuters. While SpaceX figures to remain a central contractor in Golden Dome, DOD leadership is open to other companies such as commercial tech firms, research labs and international partners, and not just traditional defense companies.

DOD looks to be embracing regular competition for Golden Dome. This would allow companies who miss out on contracts in earlier competitions to remain in contention as development progresses.

DOD is clamping down on government officials speaking publicly about Golden Dome. This makes the Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 Navy Summit on August 26 the premier GovCon event for contractors looking to find out more about partnership opportunities with this highly-anticipated weapon system! Learn more about the Navy’s role in Golden Dome during our lunchtime industry panel. Discover which technologies the department will first prioritize for competition. Secure your seat today and prepare your GovCon firm for Golden Dome success in FY 2026!

So what are the 5 hottest questions GovCons are asking about Golden Dome? Let’s dig in.

Who Makes Golden Dome?

No one, yet. DOD has yet to issue formal business opportunities for Golden Dome. SpaceX is considered the front runner because of its advanced and cheap launch capabilities, but other launch developers such as Rocket Lab and Stoke Space will be in the running for individual launches as the program matures.

A big hurdle preventing DOD from issuing solicitations for Golden Dome is that it hasn’t developed a program blueprint. The department said on July 22 that it plans to publicize an objective architecture for the system in 60 days.

News is starting to trickle out on which technologies or capabilities companies will offer. Lockheed Martin is interested in offering a space-based interceptor, according to Breaking Defense. The space-based interceptor concept consists of thousands of tiny satellites orbiting earth that are really small rockets about three feet in length.

They would target an enemy’s ballistic missile headed toward the U.S. and would engage it at the edge of space, just above earth’s atmosphere. The space-based interceptor idea was called “Brilliant Pebbles” under former President George H.W. Bush in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Other newer defense firms such as Anduril and Palantir are reportedly in the running for Golden Dome contracts. Traditional defense contractors Raytheon and L3Harris could also benefit, according to Morningstar.

Golden Dome: The 5 Hottest Questions GovCons Are Asking
A Ground-Based Interceptor launches in 2023. This technology could be used
in DOD’s Golden Dome missile defense system. Photo: Missile Defense Agency.

Will Golden Dome Cover California?

Yes. Golden Dome is to provide comprehensive protection to the U.S. homeland, according to the Carnegie Foundation for International Peace think tank. Trump’s executive order issued earlier this year also suggests that Golden Dome could extend to protect forward-deployed troops and U.S. allies in Europe and Asia.

Canada could also be part of Golden Dome, CBC has reported. While it is unclear which technologies Canada would contribute, how much it would pay or its potential responsibilities, the Canadian government has confirmed it is in discussions with the U.S. as part of overarching national security and trade talks between the neighbors.

Can Golden Dome Work?

Experts are more optimistic about Golden Dome’s space-based interceptor technology working better in 2025 than it did when first proposed by former President Ronald Reagan in the 1980s. Missile defense technology has greatly evolved since the ’80s and DOD has a range of air and missile defense systems deployed with many next-generation programs in development, according to the American Enterprise Institute think tank. These are likely to be where the department starts with Golden Dome.

The system’s command and control and sensing technologies will be complex, but realistic, AEI says. Advances in commercial technology have made satellites cheaper, smaller and more capable than ever. The Space Force is also in the early stages of using commercial space technology in its own next-generation satellite constellations.

The most technically challenging portion of Golden Dome—intercepting missiles in flight, or hitting a bullet with a bullet, is more feasible than ever. The Ground-based Midcourse Defense, or GMD, system is now operational with 44 missiles fielded in total between California and Alaska. Other missile defense interceptors, such as Patriot; Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, and Standard Missile-3s may also play a role in Golden Dome.

Space-based interceptor technology is much more mature than it was 40 years ago. The missile homing and tracking capability developed as part of GMD fits well in a space-based interceptor.

How Would Golden Dome Work?

While the details are still being determined, Golden Dome’s overarching strategy is creating a network of satellites that could number in the hundreds to detect, track and possibly intercept incoming missiles. The program is modelled after Israel’s Iron Dome, an all-weather system that deploys guided missiles to intercept rockets and other short-range munitions.

Golden Dome would be much more expansive than Iron Dome and would include an extensive array of surveillance spacecraft and a separate fleet of offensive-postured satellites that would shoot down incoming missiles.

When Will Golden Dome Be Awarded?

It’s unclear when DOD will start awarding Golden Dome contacts, but it’s a safe assumption to expect contract awards to begin sooner, rather than later. The program is arguably President Trump’s top military initiative and $25 billion has already been appropriated for the program.

The program has received support from powerful lawmakers. Sens. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota and Dan Sullivan of Alaska in February introduced a bill called the Golden Dome Act proposing nearly $20 billion for Golden Dome in FY 2026.

Learn more about Golden Dome acquisition strategy and contract award timelines at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 Navy Summit on August 26! Be the first to learn about subcontracting opportunities. Hear more about new Golden Dome requirements involving the Navy during our lunchtime panel. Strike up collaborations with other GovCon titans to reach for that big contract. Register here to land new GovCon business!

Golden Dome: The 5 Hottest Questions GovCons Are Asking

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Bradley Hansell Confirmed as DOD Under Secretary for Intelligence & Security
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Bradley Hansell was confirmed by the Senate for the position of under secretary of defense for intelligence and security.

The Senate on Tuesday voted 61-35 to confirm Bradley Hansell, a national security expert, to be the next under secretary of defense for intelligence and security, or USD I&S.

Hansell replaces Dustin Gard-Weiss, who has been acting under secretary for intelligence and security at the Department of Defense since January.

Improving Irregular Warfare, Offensive Cyber Capabilities

In his opening statement before the Senate Armed Services Committee in April, Hansell highlighted the need for effective management of the defense intelligence and security enterprise. He said the enterprise should have the right technology and organizational structure in place to help personnel boost their impact in today’s operational environment.

“Enhancing our Irregular Warfare capabilities will allow us to provide risk-informed options to better compete short of armed conflict and re-establish deterrence. I believe offensive cyber capabilities and an increased focus on Defense HUMINT are areas for opportunity,” he told the Senate panel.

“Finally, offensive counterintelligence efforts are essential in imposing a cost on our adversaries,” he added.

Who Is Bradley Hansell?

Hansell most recently served as an operating partner at Windage Partners, a private equity firm in the aerospace, defense and government services market.

Before Windage, he was a venture partner at investment firm Outlander VC.

He previously served as an associate director and principal at Boston Consulting Group, where he helped lead the aerospace and defense and public sector practices.

During his time at BCG, Hansell was nominated in 2020 to be deputy under secretary for intelligence and secretary at DOD. He stayed at BCG after the full Senate failed to hold a floor vote on his nomination before the presidential election.

The retired U.S. Army special forces officer was a National Security Council senior director at the White House focused on addressing transnational threats.

He started his career in the U.S. Navy as a warfare surface officer in the Asia-Pacific and Middle East maritime theaters.

The Villanova University graduate earned his MBA degree from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business, where he was a Pat Tillman military scholar.

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GSA’s Josh Gruenbaum: DOGE-Inspired Approach to Government Contracts to Persist
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GSA's Josh Gruenbaum. Gruenbaum has led a months-long review of government contracts with software firms and consultancies.

Josh Gruenbaum, commissioner of the General Services Administration’s Federal Acquisition Service and a 2025 Wash100 awardee, said his team’s Department of Government Efficiency-inspired cost-cutting approach to government contracts with software providers and consulting firms will continue for the duration of the Trump administration, the Financial Times reported Tuesday.

Gruenbaum told FT in an interview on Friday that FAS continues to review multibillion-dollar contracts against cheaper alternatives.

“We have shrewd business folks around us, we do run market comparisons,” the head of FAS said. “We have typically other vendors who are like, ‘we could create proper market tension.'”

GSA’s Josh Gruenbaum: DOGE-Inspired Approach to Government Contracts to Persist

Listen to experts as they discuss contracting opportunities with the Navy, the latest tech advancements and more at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 Navy Summit on Aug. 26. Save your spot now!

GSA Procurement Review

Gruenbaum has been leading a review of multibillion-dollar government contracts with software firms and consultancies for months and has urged such companies to offer the government steep discounts on the services they provide.

According to GSA, the procurement review has led to more than $52 billion in savings, with consulting contracts accounting for about $12 billion of that savings.

The former investment banker defended the approach of FAS.

“We are tough, but fair, and we take our jobs safeguarding American taxpayer money extremely seriously — we make no apologies for that. We stand by our record of success,” Gruenbaum said in a statement on Tuesday.

GSA Asks Consultancies to Explain Contracts in Plain Language

In June, Gruenbaum called on the leaders of McKinsey, BCG and four other consulting firms to justify and explain their federal contracts in plain language and recommend ways to save costs.

“Our objective is to critically evaluate which engagements deliver genuine value,” Gruenbaum wrote in a letter sent to firms in late June. “In keeping with this Administration’s laser focus on fiscal responsibility, our baseline presumption is that most, if not all, of these contracted services are not core to agency missions.”

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