DefenseScoop

The DefenseScoop editorial team is closely following developments of the new administration at the Department of Defense. If you're interested in speaking to a reporter about what's going on across the DOD, particularly regarding technology, we have several reporters actively covering this space. Feel free to email the entire team at hello@defensescoop.com. Or, if you'd like to contact team members directly, you can reach out on Signal, an encrypted messaging app: • Brandi Vincent: brandi.88 • Mikayla Easley: mick.538 • Mark Pomerleau: mark_pomerleau.24

More than 5,000 military personnel from roughly 35 nations and international groups are embarking on a 12-day, U.S.-led maritime security exercise, marking the largest multinational training event in the Middle East region to date, according to officials involved. This year, that engagement — U.S. Naval Forces Central Command’s International Maritime Exercise 25 — is supplying new pathways for theater-to-theater interoperability and technology-enabled cooperation in conjunction with U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa’s Cutlass Express exercise. https://lnkd.in/ewrBsbGf

The next stage of the Army’s experimental effort to inform how it procures equipment and organizes formations will focus more on robotics and autonomy. Transforming-in-contact, as the initiative is known, is a top priority for Army and Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George that aims to change the way the service buys, trains and employs technology, focusing on commercial-off-the-shelf gear. https://lnkd.in/ecrv8BJx

Katie Arrington has been named the deputy chief information officer for cybersecurity and chief information security officer at the Department of Defense, a department spokesperson confirmed. She assumed the role effective Feb. 18. A familiar face, Arrington comes back to the Pentagon where she was the chief information security officer for the department’s acquisition and sustainment organization during the first Trump administration. https://lnkd.in/exKDHdJk

Generative AI technologies have become ubiquitous in our daily lives since OpenAI released ChatGPT two years ago, which now records a staggering 300 million weekly users — roughly equivalent to the population of the U.S. As our world becomes increasingly powered by generative AI, the most sought-after resource is no longer oil or gold — it’s data. Staying ahead in the AI race requires constant troves of new data to create better generative AI models. https://lnkd.in/einH_A_c

As the Defense Department continues implementing zero-trust cybersecurity practices across its networks, some of the military services have begun parsing out how to use the same framework to protect their operational technology from cyber threats. Since the Pentagon released its zero trust strategy in 2022, organizations across the DOD have worked to upgrade their IT infrastructure so that it operates under zero trust — a cybersecurity concept that assumes networks are already compromised by adversaries and requires continuous monitoring and authentication of users and devices. The department’s goal is for all components to achieve “target levels” of zero trust by the end of fiscal 2027. https://lnkd.in/er3wBmRJ

The head of U.S. Cyber Command wants to see a more consistent approach to readiness across the military. As currently architected, each military service provides a set number of forces to Cybercom to employ in operations. However, the different branches, to a large extent, still retain their own policies and regulations when it comes to figuring out how to staff those forces to Cybercom. This has led to inconsistencies within the cyber mission force — which was designed to be joint and trained to the same standards — with different promotion structures, pay and assignments for the same work roles across each branch. https://lnkd.in/eVa_QhYz

President Donald Trump has removed Gen. Charles “CQ” Brown from his post as chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff and will nominate former Air Force Lt. Gen. Dan Caine to replace him. Trump announced the moves in a post on Truth Social Friday night. https://lnkd.in/e3Z97QTt

U.S. Special Operations Command wants to arm lightweight drones with new glide bombs, and it’s gearing up to evaluate vendors’ solutions. A technology assessment event hosted by the SOFWERX innovation hub, in partnership with Army Special Operations Command and Army Space and Missile Defense Command, is slated for April. The aim is to “advance efforts in developing and producing an advanced light-weight precision glide munition,” according to a special notice. https://lnkd.in/e3PiUYnj

President Donald Trump is looking for a nominee to replace Adm. Lisa Franchetti as the Navy’s top officer, the Pentagon announced Friday night. A defense official confirmed that Franchetti has been relieved of her duties. Franchetti became chief of naval operations and the first female member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in November 2023 after she was nominated for the job by President Joe Biden and confirmed by the Senate. Franchetti’s firing was not totally unexpected. Her name was reportedly on a circulated list of officers that the Trump administration was considering sacking for being associated with diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives or for other reasons. https://lnkd.in/ezxeWTJa