Just like old times.
The administration faces growing resistance from lawmakers over its proposed defense budget, with concerns about oversight, spending priorities and the Pentagon's transparency complicating efforts to secure support ahead of the midterm elections.
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The US military has spent over $47 billion so far to prosecute the war in Iran, more than 25% higher than the Defense Department's estimate in July, according to Pentagon data obtained by Reuters. Also, the Pentagon announced it has spent almost all of the funding from the One Big Beautiful Bill, according to Military.com.
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A Pentagon official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive personnel matters, said Army Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia was accused of misconduct for allegedly leaking classified information related to the Iran war and the Russia-Ukraine war.
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency ordered federal agencies this week to address websites with critical security concerns related to "dormant vulnerabilities" now at risk because of advances in AI models.
This week's Israeli election left no clear leader, with neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nor his main challenger, Gadi Eisenkot, having a clear path to forming a government.
The U.K. set 2030 as the target for defense spending to reach 3% of GDP, while reaffirming it would meet the NATO commitment of 3.5% by 2035.
In September, the FAR Council released a second set of four proposed rules as part of the Federal Acquisition Regulation overhaul. The council accepted public comments on the proposed rules through Oct. 19.
According to an official, the goal is make the bids and decision making process as public as possible to assuage concerns theadministration will favor states because of their politics.
The U.S. Navy dramatically upped its use of pilot tech programs, shuttered old technology systems and moved into the modern tech arena — and it is sharing its lessons learned along the way.
The Pentagon's effort to launch a new combatant command for autonomous warfare depends on an unusual funding bill whose passage is far from assured.
The employee's personal Claude agent ran on a government network for two months before it was identified and the vulnerability could be patched.
The Department has issued a guidance memorandum to implement Executive Order 14319, "Preventing Woke AI in the Federal Government," with template contract language and documentation tools for acquisition personnel to hold artificial intelligence vendors to federal standards for accuracy and political neutrality.
Dig Deeper
The Pentagon is building weapons and projects with artificial intelligence capabilities that officials say don't always closely adhere to the agency's own guidelines for AI, according to a GOA report published in October. Read more from NPR. And a FedScoop commentary argues America needs a national model for using AI to solve big public problems.
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FeatureD Opinions
Former U.S. defense strategist Harlan Ullman and former UK Chief of Defence Lord Richards argue that NATO faces unprecedented dual threats from Russia and internal U.S. political pressure, and that deploying unmanned systems integrated with AI represents the most cost-effective strategy for European defense as Washington pivots toward homeland security and deterring China.
Despite record capital, valuations, and defense budgets, a growing unease pervades the defense technology sector as production contracts remain elusive and startups struggle to survive the valley of death, risking both individual businesses and broader capital flight from defense tech.
The military needs a diverse industrial base, including startups and commercial technology companies that can bring new capabilities to the national security mission. If entering the defense market becomes prohibitive, the government risks shutting out the companies it needs to respond to a rapidly changing threat environment.
In the weeds
A rapid, uncoordinated U.S. military drawdown from Europe could push key NATO allies further away from American weapons over the long term, according to a new RAND study, a shift the authors say would hurt the U.S. defense industrial base.
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"Partnering with commercial industry is a national security imperative for the Army, as the private sector drives rapid innovation in superintelligence, cloud architecture and cyber operations capabilities," Col. David Bergmann said.
The Pentagon has been exploring a new paradigm dubbed Cyber Effects-as-a-Service, aiming to purchase specific outcomes — such as network penetration, disruption, or defense — as opposed to bespoke capabilities.
America's top-ranking military officer spoke on the opening day of the annual Fall Meeting co-hosted by the National Defense Transportation Association and U.S. Transportation Command.
Texas-based defense startup Warhound launched Friday with $200 million in seed funding to develop genetically enhanced dogs for military and law enforcement use.
The Department of Homeland Security shut down its public portal Oct. 30 that gave vendors advance visibility into upcoming procurement opportunities.
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