People
Intelligence agency employee arrested for trying to share classified info with foreign government
Nathan Vilas Laatsch was allegedly disgruntled by the Trump administration and willing to share sensitive data with the foreign country. The FBI set up a dead drop operation to intercept the classified materials.
People
Kirsten Davies tapped to be DOD CIO
Davies has a largely private sector background and would be expected to take the place of Katie Arrington, who is currently acting DOD CIO.
Acquisition
Pentagon seeks input on plan to streamline software authorizations
A new request for information follows a promise made by Katie Arrington to overhaul how the Defense Department runs its authority-to-operate process.
People
Air Force’s acting CTO officially assumes permanent position
Scott Heitmann has been serving in the acting role since former Air Force CTO Jay Bondi departed the military branch in October.
Acquisition
Microsoft’s Azure OpenAI authorized for IL6 Defense operations
Microsoft’s artificial intelligence offerings are now available at the highest impact level classification for the Department of Defense.
Artificial Intelligence
US needs to fast-track AI to counter China, DOD’s former AI lead says
When it comes to continued U.S. leadership in the AI space, former Pentagon chief digital and artificial intelligence officer Radha Plumb said “I worry sometimes that it’s passing us by.”
Cybersecurity
Contractors could hack back against adversaries, top cyber Democrat says
Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., said the federal government can’t protect everyone and the concept of asking private sector security companies to conduct offensive cyber operations is worth exploring.
Defense
Intelligence officials remain defensive on Signal debate
House testimony followed release of full group-chat transcript — including attack times and weapons.
Cybersecurity
Phishing campaign seeks to siphon Ukraine war intelligence from defense contractors
Nearly 880 spoofed domains of worldwide IT, defense and aerospace firms were identified between December and March, DomainTools Investigations says.
Defense
DOD cuts $580M in programs, contracts and grants
The latest round of Pentagon spending cuts — which include a delayed HR software program — brings the department’s running total of eliminated programs to $800 million since the start of the Trump administration.
People
Air Force CIO announces retirement
Venice Goodwine is stepping down after more than 30 years of federal service.
Ideas
Agentic AI adoption is a top priority for defense and intelligence leaders. Here’s why
The integration of AI agents will become increasingly critical across the national security space.
Defense
Weeks after CISO announcement, Katie Arrington moves into DOD CIO role
A defense official said that Arrington, who was previously accused of disclosing classified data, does not concurrently have the role of DOD CISO.
Cybersecurity
Hegseth orders suspension of cyber, information operations planning against Russia
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Sunday that new U.S. foreign policy configurations “largely coincides with our vision.”
Defense
Katie Arrington announces she is DOD’s new CISO
Arrington, who was once accused of disclosing classified data, was a major proponent of the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program used for DOD contractors.
People
‘I know what I don’t know,’ SecDef pick says at confirmation hearing
Hegseth faced questions about his inexperience and fitness as a leader.
Ideas
High-quality government software starts with efficacy, not efficiency
How will the government deliver high-quality, secure software that creates measurable outcomes? Not simply through efficiency.
Artificial Intelligence
DOD announces completion of pilot to identify medical AI vulnerabilities
The Pentagon’s red teaming effort identified more than 800 “potential vulnerabilities and biases” in the use of large language models for clinical note summarization and for a medical advisory chatbot.
Cybersecurity
Congress approves 2025 NDAA with important cyber provisions
Left out was language that would have helped clarify the scope and reach of a controversial surveillance power that was renewed in April.
Defense