All articles tagged with #dod
The editor-in-chief of Stars and Stripes, Erik Slavin, along with a reporter and the paper’s publisher, was fired by the DoD for insubordination after an interview suggesting censorship could be a red line. Slavin warns of a chilling climate with less on-the-record Pentagon commentary, while the DoD declined to comment and the paper’s independence remains under scrutiny.
The DoD's inconsistent and unclear process for marking controlled unclassified information (CUI) keeps driving higher costs and confusion in the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) program, with industry groups warning overmarking, blanket flow-downs to subcontractors, and unclear CUI scope. They urge clearer, standardized CUI definitions, better guidance and training, and more selective CMMC application—especially for small businesses—alongside reforms to consolidate CUI categories and clarify contract-level expectations.
The Defense Department is launching the Ground-Based Affordable Mass (GBAM) program to field ground-launched, autonomous long-range weapons that cost under $250,000 per unit (with cost-per-effect under $500,000) and be demonstrable within 60–90 days, then scaled to production in 12–18 months. The Defense Innovation Unit’s GBAM Challenge offers up to $250,000 in prizes and potential Phase II funding (up to $5 million) for winning teams, with a target range of at least 600 nautical miles, a 35–100 pound payload, autonomous target recognition, GPS-denied capability, no proprietary launch gear, and the capacity to produce 100+ units monthly. This effort complements other affordable-missile programs like FAMM-BAR and Low-Cost Containerized Missiles, aimed at supplementing costly missiles (e.g., Tomahawk) and sustaining tempo in conflict.
The DoD is reviewing the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) program and has suspended third-party assessments to reduce burdens on small defense contractors. It will hold nationwide listening sessions, gather 60 days of feedback, and issue a final report with recommendations by late September; the review could overhaul or tweak CMMC 2.0, possibly via interim rules. The department cites cost and assessor capacity as barriers; self-assessments remain allowed, while DIBCAC/NSA/DC3 services cover only part of the required NIST controls, and there are about 1,000 certified assessors versus a projected 2,000–3,000 needed.
The Department of Defense announced a program to screen service members aged 30 and older for testosterone deficiency during annual health assessments, with under-30 soldiers able to opt in; treatment, including testosterone replacement therapy, is voluntary and aimed at maintaining peak physical and mental readiness and long-term health.
The Pentagon has frozen the planned Phase 2 rollout of the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC), forming a cross‑department Reform Task Force and issuing an RFI to gather feedback as it reviews the program. The halt aims to prevent driving many small and mid‑sized defense vendors out of the defense industrial base, citing costs (SBA data suggesting potential multi‑billion‑dollar annual expenses) and a shortage of assessors (roughly 100 for more than 100,000 DIB companies). Until the review concludes (within about 60 days), enforcement will rely on self‑assessments under NIST 800‑171, with the possibility of further changes, including potential cancellation of CMMC after the pause.
The Pentagon is suspending phase two of the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) plan and maintaining phase one self-assessments as it launches a 60-day reform review to rebalance the program toward faster capability delivery and lower barriers for small and non-traditional contractors; milestones are paused, with an emphasis on tangible cyber hygiene over costly third-party certifications, a shift supported by the SBA and potentially affecting up to 80,000 defense contractors.
The DoD is pausing Phase II CMMC requirements, including third-party assessments, to reduce burdens on small and nontraditional defense firms while preserving baseline cybersecurity under NIST SP 800-171 Rev 2 via self-assessments. A 60-day task force will review CMMC and propose practical reforms to speed capability delivery and lower entry barriers; contractors must still protect federal data and current solicitations will be amended accordingly.
Alibaba has sued the U.S. Department of Defense in a California federal court seeking removal from the Pentagon’s list of Chinese military companies. It argues the June 8 designation is baseless and was not reached through fair process, insisting it is independently governed with no military ties. The DoD maintains Alibaba is indirectly affiliated with China’s state assets regulator and defense entities. The case adds to a broader pattern of challenges against the labeling by other firms, including DJI and WuXi AppTec, as U.S.-China tensions rise.
René Mayrhofer, a Google director overseeing Android platform security, has resigned after Google signed a deal to provide its AI models to the Pentagon for classified work, a move he says conflicts with his ethical beliefs and raises concerns about mass surveillance and the military use of AI; Google says the deal supports national security with responsible AI, while some staff voiced dissent.
The Department of Defense designated Cirrus Design Corporation as a Chinese Military Company in a list of 188 firms, setting the stage for NDAA-based procurement bans: direct contracts barred from June 30, 2026 and indirect procurement prohibited by June 30, 2027. Cirrus has been owned by AVIC subsidiary China Aviation Industry General Aircraft since 2011, and it’s unclear whether the USAF Academy’s use of Cirrus SR-20 trainers will continue after the ban.
The Department of Defense shortened its officially recognized religions list for military chaplains and removed the 'Christian' descriptor from Mormonism after backlash from Utah lawmakers and Evangelical critics, highlighting tensions over Mormon inclusion and broader shifts in religious-political alignments.
Dell Federal Systems won a five-year, roughly $9.7 billion Department of Defense contract to supply Microsoft 365, cloud services and on-premises licensing under a second-generation enterprise software agreement, with expected annual savings of about $422 million through consolidated licensing; the award followed a competitive process and comes amid public ties between Dell founder Michael Dell and Donald Trump, including a pledge to fund 'Trump accounts' for children.
The Department of Defense has kicked off a public release of Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) files, fulfilling a pledge tied to President Trump. The initial tranche from the DoD, State Department, NASA, and FBI includes eyewitness accounts of dusk-time orbs and other anomalies, plus images from Apollo missions. No definitive evidence of extraterrestrials is presented, and many materials remain classified or unanalyzed; more disclosures are expected.
The Verge reports, citing The Information, that Google has signed a classified agreement allowing the U.S. Department of Defense to use its AI models for any lawful government purpose. Reported constraints include not using Google for domestic mass surveillance or autonomous weapons without human oversight, but the contract allegedly gives Google no veto over government operational decisions. If confirmed, it would place Google alongside OpenAI and xAI in classified government AI deals; Anthropic was previously involved but was blacklisted. Google says the deal is an amendment to an existing government agreement, while employees have pressed Sundar Pichai to block Pentagon use.