Science & Tech
DOGE was government contracting's biggest story of 2025 — and it's not close
Contract cancellations, exaggerated savings claims and consulting contract reviews dominated our most-read stories of the year.
Array Labs collects $20M to ramp up imagery satellite production
The seven-year-old company leans on manufacturing techniques more often seen in consumer electronics and telecommunications.
The hardest part of FAR reform is culture, not the rules
Kevin Rhodes, head of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy, wants the federal acquisition workforce to take risks and engage more openly with industry.
NASA and Microsoft finalize tool to track Earth’s water changes
The space agency will host the Microsoft and OpenAI-powered Earth Copilot to make analyzing hydraulic data easier.
Pentagon will cough up summaries of three years of safety investigations, per NDAA
Sen. Warren pushed for the disclosure amid rise in military aviation mishaps.
Space Force Special Operations Command? Congress has questions, too
The service defended its need for a SOCOM component. Defense experts said it’s redundant.
Leidos wins $455M Air Force cloud architecture job
This piece of the service branch's Cloud One Next initiative concentrates on access to cloud computing services via automated, on-demand and self-service means.
KBR wins $350M USGS satellite support recompete
The U.S. Geological Survey uses this contract to acquire resources for its centralized imagery sharing hub.
Congress supports bare minimum on Navy’s F/A-XX, while fully backing Air Force’s F-47
Appropriators and other lawmakers have pushed for the Navy’s next-gen fighter, but the latest NDAA offers only enough to keep the nascent program warm.
DOD’s move to ‘wartime footing’ demands new contracting models
The Pentagon's leader for industrial policy says the acquisition regulation overhaul will create openings for artificial intelligence-enabled service models and drive a move away from traditional contracts.
The awful arithmetic of our wars
If we don't figure out a way to fight far more cheaply, we won’t be able to afford to win a single battle.
Counter-drone warfare at scale? Army demo shows it’s getting closer
In just a few days, Project Flytrap stood up a defensive network in northern Germany.
The military's acquisition reform push means 85% ready is good enough to start
Speaking Tuesday at an event hosted by our Defense One colleagues, a panel of industry executives highlight tradeoffs the Pentagon and companies have to think through under that new construct.
Voyager acquires rocket motor, energetics supplier
Estes Energetics is the U.S.’ only producer of military-grade black powder, a key ingredient for the onshore integration and assembly of defense systems that the Pentagon wants more of.
Army scraps PEOs in bid to streamline procurement, requirements processes
Big defense contractors have “conned” services into believing they need bespoke systems, the Army secretary said.
York Space Systems files for public offering
Founded in 2012 by CEO Dirk Wallinger, this small satellite maker is looking to capture a similar type of investor interest that Firefly Aerospace and Voyager Technologies received in their IPOs.
Shutdown’s end just the beginning as contractors face months-long recovery
The Professional Services Council estimates full recovery will not arrive until mid-March as agencies grapple with invoice backlogs, stalled payments and restarting contracts.
MetTel modernizes GSA networks under $230M EIS order
Work included zero-trust architecture to improve security and low-earth orbit satellites to increase connectivity in and from remote locations.
Intuitive Machines looks beyond the Moon with $800M acquisition
Intuitive Machines is buying Lanteris Space Systems, the former Maxar Space Systems, to bring in more satellite manufacturing heft that can complement the data and services offerings.
Anduril's drone wingman makes first flight, following software delays
The neoprime contractor lagged behind General Atomics for the inaugural CCA flight test.
