Third round of indirect US-Iran nuclear talks in Geneva ends inconclusively 2/26 after significant progress; technical discussions resume next week in Vienna

USS Gerald R. Ford departs Souda Bay (Crete) 2/26, arrives off Israel as early as Fri; F-35As and F-15Es transit Atlantic for regional deployment

US demands Iran destroy Fordow, Natanz, Isfahan sites, ship all enriched uranium to US, accept zero enrichment and permanent deal with minimal sanctions relief

Iran refuses uranium transfer abroad, insists on peaceful nuclear rights; Trump admin warns of homeland missile threat, prefers Israel strike first for US cover

House Dems plan vote next week on legislation restricting Trump from attacking Iran without Congress approval; US masses two carrier strike groups in Middle East

Pentagon deploys two carrier strike groups to Middle East, including USS Abraham Lincoln (with 3 destroyers, 5700 personnel since late Jan) and USS Gerald R. Ford (with 3 destroyers, 5000+ personnel), boosting USN presence to 16+ ships

Over 100 fighters (F-35s, F-22s, F-15s, F-16s) plus 100+ tankers and 200+ cargo planes arrive; 12 F-22s to base in Israel; 50+ aircraft at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base (Jordan); 6 E-3s to Saudi Arabia

Buildup follows prior F-15E Strike Eagles arrival and mirrors last year's Patriot deployments before Iranian missile attack on Al Udeid Air Base (Qatar)

Trump warns of strikes on Iran air defenses or leadership if nuclear talks fail, largest US Middle East force since 2003 Iraq invasion but lacks major ground troops

Experts warn Iran likely escalates retaliation beyond limited Qatar strike, risking regional war and US casualties to deter future one-off attacks

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei states company 'cannot in good conscience accede' to Pentagon demands to loosen Claude AI safeguards against mass surveillance of Americans and fully autonomous weapons.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell issues Friday 5:01 PM ET deadline, threatening contract termination and supply chain risk designation if Anthropic refuses.

DoD leaders including SecDef Pete Hegseth and Undersec Emil Michael warn of potential Defense Production Act invocation during Tuesday meeting with Amodei.

Anthropic remains last major AI provider (after Google, OpenAI, xAI) without agreement to supply tech for new US military internal network under CDAO contracts up to $200M each.

Public dispute escalates risks to DoD AI access, draws bipartisan Senate criticism from Tillis and Warner urging closed-door resolution and AI governance. [1]

Madhu Gottumukkala departs as acting CISA director 2/26, one day after CyberScoop reports bipartisan criticism of his leadership and agency performance in Trump admin's first year.

Nick Andersen, CISA executive director for cybersecurity, assumes acting director role; held prior IT/cyber roles at USCG, USN, DOE.

Gottumukkala shifts to DHS director of strategic implementation; Sean Plankey's permanent director nomination remains stalled.

DHS official praises Gottumukkala for reforming CISA by cutting 'woke, weaponized bureaucracy' and saving taxpayer dollars, though industry views Andersen more favorably.

Leadership shakeup coincides with CISA CIO Robert Costello's exit, amid concerns Trump admin cuts damaged agency capacity despite some duplication.

Ex-USAF Maj. Gerald Eddie Brown Jr. (65), elite fighter pilot and F-35 contractor instructor, arrested 2/25/26 in Jeffersonville, IN, for providing unauthorized defense services to Chinese military pilots, violating Arms Export Control Act

Brown, who flew F-4/F-15/F-16/A-10 and commanded nuclear delivery units during 24-year USAF career (retired 1996), traveled to China Dec 2023, briefed PLAAF on first day, and trained pilots until early Feb 2026

Contract arranged via Su Bin (Chinese national convicted 2016 for hacking US defense contractors), with Brown expressing intent to instruct PLAAF pilots in combat ops equivalent to USAF Weapon School

Arrest highlights PRC exploitation of ex-US/NATO pilots for airpower gains, with F-35 expertise risking major US tactical leaks amid prior cases like ex-USMC Capt. Duggan (carrier training) and 30+ UK pilots

Initial court appearance set 2/26/26 in Southern District of IN; underscores AFOSI/FBI counterintelligence priority on ITAR violations threatening US servicemembers and allies

Hivemind mission autonomy software completed first flight test aboard Anduril's YFQ-44A over Mojave Desert (2/26/26), achieving all test points including mid-mission updates and initial operational behaviors

USAF selected Shield AI as mission autonomy provider for CCA TMRR after competitive evaluation, marking first independent selection of software and aircraft

Hivemind, A-GRA compliant and platform-agnostic, enables unmanned systems to sense, decide, act; executes collaborative tactics, reroutes around obstacles, responds to dynamic conditions

Test accelerates expanded Hivemind-YFQ-44A testing for CCA, establishes universal mission autonomy standard via modular open-systems approach

USAF shift to software-led autonomy treats it as foundational warfighting capability equal to aircraft, prioritizing speed and innovation

SOCOM issued SBIR solicitation for acoustic rainbow emitters (ARE) to redirect UAS acoustic signatures away from ground and filter frequencies inaudible to humans

ARE targets Army Special Operations Forces tactical drones, reducing signature by at least 50%, weighing ≤1kg for Group 1 UAS (<20lb) and ≤3kg for Group 2 (<55lb), with low visual signature coloring

Solicitation closes March 25; Phase I funds TRL 3 feasibility study, Phase II develops prototype for silent attack drones with low-cost terminal sensors

Proliferating battlefield acoustic sensors threaten noisy drone props, enabling targets to detect and engage UAS early

ARE leverages passive 3D-printed tech dispersing broadband sound like optical rainbows, requiring no power and building on recent Danish-Spanish research

US Army awarded AeroVironment $186M delivery order for Switchblade 600 Block 2 and Switchblade 300 Block 20 loitering munitions

Switchblade 600 Block 2, developed with US Special Operations Command, features AI for faster target detection/lock-on and maritime capability

Switchblade 300 Block 20 introduces Explosively Formed Penetrator warhead for anti-armor role, backpack-portable for small units, beyond-line-of-sight targeting

1st Cavalry Division soldiers tested Switchblade 600 at Fort Hood (TX) last October

Order signals Army prioritization of loitering munitions for contested battlefields amid expanding production to meet US/allied demand

German parliamentary budget committee approved €268M ($316M) contracts on 2/25 for Stark Defence's Virtus and Helsing's HX-2 loitering munitions, with €1B options each if systems mature

Rheinmetall's FV-014 loitering munition offer awaits budget committee review within weeks under same €268M + €1B structure

Systems equip Germany's armored brigade in Lithuania starting 2027, with parallel soldier testing/training to accelerate fielding

Approach includes reporting requirements and cancellation clauses to mitigate risks of novel AI-supported loitering munitions

Move marks Germany's policy shift since Russia's 2022 Ukraine invasion, overcoming prior reluctance on armed drones amid Ukraine-proven frontline effectiveness

Textron Systems won US Army prototype agreement for Damocles loitering munition system

Damocles provides loitering munition capability as part of LASSO program

Agreement advances prototype development for integration into Army operations

Deal bolsters US Army's precision strike options with recoverable munitions

CNAS report 'Hellscape for Taiwan: Rethinking Asymmetric Defense' calls for multilayered 50-mile maritime zone using thousands of air, surface, subsurface, and decoy drones alongside missiles to target PLA invasion forces during cross-strait transit and beach landings

Outermost layer (40-80km offshore) saturates Chinese air defenses with mixed drone-missile raids to deplete interceptors; inner layers (5-40km) disrupt landing craft via minefields and attacks; beach layers employ short-range autonomous drones resistant to jamming

Taiwan's porcupine strategy falls short due to insufficient asymmetric investments, personnel shortages, inadequate training, and overreliance on expensive imported prestige weapons over domestic drone production

Drone hellscape augments limited expensive munitions with affordable mass, enables cross-domain effects, reduces personnel risk by assigning uncrewed systems to high-threat missions, and supports defense-by-denial to prevent PLA from landing sufficient troops

Taiwan must redirect defense spending from US imports (three times local allocation in President Lai's special budget) to build domestic industrial base for drone scale production and address military's intellectual and operational deficiencies

US floods Middle East with combat aircraft, tankers, and naval assets in preparation for possible major strike on Iran, largest initial action in over 20 years

Unclear objectives range from destroying Iran's nuclear program, neutering military-industrial base, limited strikes for diplomacy, or regime change via airpower

Israel provides essential support with hundreds of fighters, unique munitions, intelligence sharing, and Mossad ground operations using drones and loitering munitions against Iranian air defenses and leadership

Airpower alone limits success against nuclear sites or regime change; lacks domestic support for ground war and sufficient assets for sustained wide-objective campaign

Limited strikes risk signaling weakness, provoking Iranian counterattacks, and eroding surprise; Pentagon unlikely to endorse without full shock to command and control

RTX's Raytheon ELCAN delivers customized Specter DR 1-4x weapon sight to German Bundeswehr

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) delivered BlueWhale autonomous submarine to German Navy at Eckernförde base (Germany) following Baltic Sea tests, first unmanned submarine from Israeli firm

BlueWhale product of IAI-Atlas Elektronik joint venture (Atlas subsidiary of Germany's TKMS, Israeli Navy submarine supplier); German Navy completed tests Nov 2024 under Navy 2035+ rapid tech adoption program

BlueWhale cruises at 7 knots underwater, sustains 2-3 weeks continuous operations, carries surface/sub-surface sensors, fits 40-foot container for multi-modal transport

Performs reconnaissance, detects surface/sub-surface targets, collects acoustics, locates seabed mines; supports unmanned anti-submarine warfare and covert ops as manned platform sensor extension

Delivery deepens Israel-Germany defense ties amid IAI's Arrow 3 sale (Israel's largest deal); highlights mutual reliance with TKMS supplying Dolphin AIP subs, Sa'ar 6 ships, future Decker-class subs starting ~2030

USSF Combat Forces Command (CFC) commander Lt. Gen. Gregory Gagnon states protective satellite measures insufficient for space superiority, requires offensive attack capabilities as part of joint force

China expanded from <100 satellites in 2013 to ~1900 today, including 500+ remote sensing satellites networked to track US mobile forces like carriers and aircraft in Pacific for long-range fire cueing

USSF launched USSF-87 mission on 2/12 with prototype spacecraft operated by Orbital Warfare Delta to test advanced maneuvers enabling precise offensive and defensive orbital warfare capabilities

Gagnon compares satellite protection to aircraft defenses, emphasizes maneuver as key joint warfighting function while withholding specifics to preserve advantage over Beijing and Moscow

China's orbital ISR growth, including commercial firms like MizarVision, directly threatens US force movements, necessitates shift beyond defend-only posture to deny adversary space-based targeting

Space Force reports positive results from AMTI payload prototypes tracking airborne targets including aircraft, drones and missiles

USSF and NRO seek to accelerate AMTI program with $2B from FY26 reconciliation funds pending congressional approval

AMTI aims to replace USAF E-7 Wedgetail aircraft (intended E-3 AWACS successor) while GMTI replaces E-8 JSTARS due to adversary air defense threats

GMTI groundwork on RF links, data processing and fusion directly accelerates AMTI development toward early 2030s orbit

AMTI faces greater challenges than GMTI from target speed and air domain clutter, complicating rapid data fusion for Golden Dome missile shield

Pentagon's CDAO partners with US Army to acquire AI-powered coding tools for edge deployment and multipart engineering tasks with minimal human intervention

Current DOD software workforce lacks enterprise-wide access to commercial-grade AI coding tools, limiting productivity and mission-critical software delivery

Tools must support IDE-based assistance (code completion, chat) and CLI-based agentic coding, deployable to tens of thousands of users across desktop, virtual, web environments, customer clouds, on-premise, and air-gapped networks

Solutions require FedRAMP High and DISA IL5 PA compliance for CUI and NSS data, plus built-in attribution for AI-generated code

Solicitation prioritizes rapid delivery, interoperability with existing infrastructure, and scales AI coding as critical technology under second Trump administration to match commercial innovation pace

AI compresses routine cognitive labor in military planning staffs by absorbing guidance, reorganizing complex material, and producing clear strategic language at speed.

AI creates illusion of qualitative advance in planning, making it seem easier.

AI produces plausible constructs that obscure judgment requirements and risk substituting analytic completeness for prioritization.

Scarcest resource in AI-era headquarters shifts from time to willingness to say no.

AI-enabled planning threatens to undermine effective decision-making by masking areas needing human prioritization.

Military planners access computational power simulating thousands of battle scenarios using satellite imagery, signals intelligence, open-source data, human intelligence, biometric information, and real-time sensors

Algorithms accelerate Observe-Orient-Decide-Act (OODA) loops but risk accelerating toward wrong outcomes without human-provided context

Models fail outside training conditions, such as logistics in Arctic vs temperate climates or pattern-of-life analysis in combat vs peacetime

Human-machine teaming amplifies strengths: machines process scale, humans interpret context-specific patterns and provide feedback to improve models

Vietnam War metrics like body counts suggested progress but ignored unquantifiable political context, underscoring need for skepticism toward model outputs

Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink unveiled Ringleader exercise series Mon at AFA Warfare Symposium (Orbital ATK, CO) to operationalize fused data from ground, air, space sensors for target tracking

Ringleader leverages DAF Battle Network (DAF contribution to CJADC2) and Joint Fires Network (Air Force PEO C3BM executive agent since Oct 2025 with budget/acquisition authority)

Exercises incorporate Air/Space Force sensors (incl proliferated satellite constellations), joint force, commercial industry sensors to develop tactics for multi-target tracking at speed/scale

Chief of Space Operations Gen Chance Saltzman described Ringleader as collaborative simulated environment to practice fusing global targeting data volumes into rapid battle management decisions

Ringleader expands beyond DAF's space-based GMTI/AMTI efforts with USSF, NRO partners; funded via 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act and prior appropriations, no start date announced

25th Infantry Division (25th ID, Hawaii) tests Next Generation Command and Control (NGC2) in Lightning Surge 2 exercise, underway now after January's Lightning Surge 1

NGC2 integrates siloed battlefield data from intelligence, surveillance, targets, and munitions into single display; soldiers requested controls for data volume, prompting Palantir-Lockheed Martin app to filter thousands of data objects

Lightning Surge 2 reveals need for app to separate unclassified and classified data, eliminating manual swivel-chair interfaces between systems

25th ID seeks automated satellite/transport selection for optimal 5G connectivity (public/private), reducing manual engineering efforts to restore platforms during switches

NGC2 upgrades target <4-minute kill chain from electronic warfare detection to impact against unknown adversary/single target, enabling commanders to outpace foes

U.S. defense leaders face persistent vulnerability in resilient tactical edge communications amid advancing adversary electronic warfare and contested spectrum operations

Elsight’s Halo platform integrates multiple communication pathways for low-signature, BLOS connectivity resilient to electronic attacks and supports unmanned systems, sensors, edge nodes

Halo logs 500K+ operational hours in global contested environments; DIU awarded Elsight BLOS connectivity contract under Project Gl, with special forces training nearing completion

Future operations demand seamless interoperability, dynamic network management, undetectable emissions to counter EW threats

Battlefield effectiveness depends on network survivability enabling autonomous systems, AI targeting, distributed ops in cyber/EW-contested settings

EA-37B Compass Call serves as USAF's sole long-range electromagnetic spectrum aircraft, dedicated to degrading, denying, and disrupting adversary communications, command-and-control, integrated air defense systems (IADS), and counter-C5ISRT capabilities

Platform transitioned from EC-130H (final flight 2/15/24 by 43rd ECS at Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ) to Gulfstream bizjet-based EA-37B, achieving higher altitude, speed, range, and time on station while maintaining or increasing power through size, weight, power (SWAP) reductions

L3Harris integrates aircraft (Waco, TX) with BAE Systems' software-defined mission equipment (built/tested Nashua, NH), enabling rapid reconfiguration against evolving threats via ISR data

EA-37B disrupts sophisticated adversary comms networks and breaks kill chains at significant range, distinguishing from point solutions via simultaneity of multiple techniques against complex threats

Theater-level dominance enables US forces to operate undeterred in contested electromagnetic spectrum while neutralizing enemy C2 and IADS, critical for peer conflicts beyond Global War on Terror missions

Russia launched 420 drones and 39 missiles (11 ballistic) targeting critical infrastructure and residential areas across eight Ukrainian regions overnight Wed-Thurs, injuring dozens including children

Ukraine's air defenses downed most incoming missiles, crediting timely Western interceptor deliveries; Russia struck gas infrastructure in Poltava region and electrical substations in Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk regions

US envoys Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner met Ukraine's Rustem Umerov in Geneva to discuss economic support, investment, long-term cooperation, next trilateral talks with Russia, prisoner exchanges; Zelenskyy spoke with Trump beforehand

Talks deadlocked on Russian-claimed Ukrainian territory; Zelenskyy pushes Putin summit, Kremlin rebuffs beyond Moscow invitation

Russia returned 1,000 Ukrainian soldier bodies, received 35 of its own; continued unsubstantiated nuclear plot claims against France/UK

In Aug 2023, New York Army National Guard CH-47 Chinook crew from B Company, 3rd Battalion, 126th General Support Aviation Battalion launched from Erbil, Iraq to rescue ~35 French special operations forces under ISIS fire near Hawija

Crew flew 70 miles, inserted French quick reaction force amid scant ground intel, and stood by with heavy rotor blades overhead to stabilize situation

France awarded National Defense Gold Medal with Bronze star (regimental/brigade-level multinational ops recognition) to six guardsmen: CW4 Christopher Scott, CW3 Aaron Taylor, CW2 Jared Twigg, SSG Samuel Sacco, SGT Zachary Albright, SGT Jedediah Estrada

Ceremony held this week at Rochester aviation facility; NYARNG Maj Gen Michel Natali praised soldiers' actions and French recognition of their role in protecting allied forces

One French paratrooper, SGT Nicolas Mazier, killed in firefight; door gunner SGT Estrada views award as way to honor his legacy and multinational partnership

Russia advances at historically slow rates in Ukraine

Russia suffers unprecedented fatalities

Russia seizes ~20% of Ukraine territory since 2014

Russian drone launches surge since Sep 2024

US military aid deliveries to Ukraine continue with NATO addition; financial burden shifts from US to allies

US and Iranian officials held third round of Oman-mediated talks in Geneva on Thursday amid largest US military buildup in Middle East since Iraq War, including two carrier strike groups and dozens of bombers and fighters representing nearly half of deployable US airpower

Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi announces ‘significant progress’ with technical-level talks resuming next week in Vienna after capital consultations

US demands include destruction of Iran's three nuclear sites and discussions on intercontinental ballistic missiles, which Iran refuses to address; Witkoff claims Iran one week from industrial-grade bomb material despite Trump’s prior claim of sites obliterated in Operation Midnight Hammer last June

Buildup and stalled talks heighten war risk, with Iran vowing retaliation via proxies and Taliban, Gulf allies denying US airspace access, and threats to US installations and Israel

Trump prioritizes diplomacy but conditions avoidance of conflict on Iran publicly renouncing nuclear weapons pursuit, exposing gaps between US claims of program destruction and current assessments

New START Treaty (2010) limits U.S. and Russian deployed strategic warheads to 1550 and deployed delivery vehicles to 700 each; expires 5 FEB'26 without extension option

Biden Administration proposed extending New START by 5 years or negotiating new framework including tactical nuclear weapons; Russia suspended participation in FEB'23 citing U.S. aid to Ukraine

Russia fields ~1700-2000 non-strategic nuclear warheads versus U.S. ~200 in Europe; U.S. relies on NATO allies for forward basing

New START expiration risks unverifiable growth in Russian strategic forces amid U.S. Sentinel ICBM and Columbia-class SSBN modernization programs

Congress faces choices on verification regimes, tactical weapons inclusion, and integrating arms control with China competition and NATO extended deterrence

NNSA major construction cost overruns rose from $2.1B in 2023 to $4.8B as of 6/25

Total delays across projects increased from 9 years to 30 years

NNSA manages 28 projects costing $30B total; 16 in Execution Phase with 9 facing 20%+ overruns; UPF and UPF Salvage projects at Y-12 account for 80% of overruns

Eight Definition Phase projects on hold, redesigning, or facing design challenges

NNSA agreed to most of 21 prior GAO recommendations but left 8 unaddressed, including plutonium master schedule and Y-12 interim operations plan

UPF delays require safe operations plan for Y-12 facility through 2035; NNSA developing but not fully implemented

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) placed a hold on Lt. Gen. Joshua Rudd's nomination to lead US Cyber Command (CYBERCOM) and National Security Agency (NSA), blocking unanimous consent confirmation

Wyden cited Rudd's lack of familiarity with basic constitutional rights in confirmation hearing responses and absence of signals intelligence or cybersecurity background as disqualifying

Rudd, deputy commander of Indo-Pacific Command and career special operations officer, testified before Senate Armed Services Committee in January and Intelligence Committee in early February

CYBERCOM/NSA lacks permanent leader since Trump administration fired Gen. Timothy Haugh in April without stated reason

Wyden emphasized urgent cyber threats demand nominee with immediate technical, policy, and geopolitical expertise, rejecting on-the-job training

Xi initiated second major round of PLA purges around 2023, targeting corruption and political loyalty across Central Military Commission, theater commands, and service branches

CSIS confirms 36 generals and lieutenant generals officially purged since 2022, with total confirmed and potential purges reaching 101 senior officers

Purges removed 80% of CMC officials in key operational roles, leaving no operational track leaders and 61% of active senior PLA leaders from operational backgrounds

Purges prioritize political control and regime security over operational continuity, avoiding disruption to routine military activity

Narrowed candidate pool forces Xi to balance loyalty and competence in rebuilding PLA high command, potentially delaying experienced leaders for modernization and crisis response

Mandatory spending consumed 56% of $6.75T FY24 federal outlays, net interest $880B (13%) rivaled $850-875B defense spending, leaving <33% for discretionary choices.

Social Security trust fund covers 100% benefits until 2033, then drops to 77% without action; 79% of Americans oppose cuts across parties.

US defense budget formed 2/3 of NATO total FY24; allies provide forward basing, host-nation support, logistics, intel integration US would otherwise replicate.

Unilateralism raises costs by forcing US to replace allied in-kind contributions, slows response times, heightens deterrence risk amid rising interest outlays.

Fiscal realism requires revenue reform above Social Security wage cap, mandatory financing fixes, defense reprioritization to match long-term capacity without withdrawal.

US adversaries exploit gray zone tactics like Russia's little green men and China's maritime militia to achieve political goals below kinetic response thresholds

US SOF doctrinal limitations hinder effective responses; adversaries' doctrines emphasize asymmetric tools including cyber and information warfare

Remove counterinsurgency and foreign humanitarian assistance from SOF core activities; add Persistent Gray Zone Operations (PGZO) focused on lowering attribution thresholds, projecting US messaging, and fomenting instability

SOF's flexibility, low-attribution expertise, and rapid procurement enable proactive gray zone offense, shifting adversaries from proaction to reaction and establishing deterrence without escalation risks

US must broaden force continuum to match Russia and China, using SOF to mold the battlefield and counter nuclear-era threats through persistent low-intensity pressure

Leonardo targets aerostructures joint venture setup with unnamed financial-industrial partner by June after exclusivity clause expires

JV starts 50-50, partner gains higher stake post-training and tech transfer; Leonardo expects threefold market growth and top-three world ranking

2025 prelim results: €23.8B new orders (+14.5%), €19.5B revenues (+11%), boosted by GCAP sixth-gen program

Civil aerostructures unit loss-making due to Boeing 787 slowdown; JV promises 2026 balance sheet gains via civil/military aviation, rotorcraft, space access

Leonardo nears Iveco Defence Vehicles acquisition completion, plans military trucks sale to Rheinmetall amid Lynx IFV and Panther KF51 deals for Italian Army

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions priced underwritten public offering of common stock 2/26/26

DOD identifies overreliance on foreign suppliers as key industrial base risk; biomanufacturing uses living cells or microorganisms to produce materials like explosives, body armor, solvents for weapon systems

DOD lacks sufficient infrastructure, especially pilot-scale facilities, to advance biotech projects from lab to commercial production and establish domestic supply chains

Since 2021, DOD invested $965.2M across three initiatives: maturing military lab projects for warfighter use, building nationwide biomanufacturing facility network with industry partners, supporting commercial-scale facilities for dual-use biomaterials

DOD plans end two initiatives after FY27 and FY28; other efforts years from operational status; forthcoming biotechnology roadmap due SEP 2026 will outline strategic priorities, goals, funding, milestones

Biomanufacturing enables domestically sourced, cheaper, safer alternatives to critical components, expands defense capabilities, mitigates foreign dependency risks

11 of 12 joint bases received less facility sustainment funding than DOD goal in FY18-22

DOD lacks data on funding allocation to lead vs supported services (e.g., USAF lead/Army supported at Joint Base San Antonio), preventing assessment of disparities in facility conditions

Joint base leaders report insufficient funding for facility management; GAO site visits to five bases (including Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam) observed degradation like broken hangar roofs from deferred maintenance

Ongoing cost-sharing disputes between services exceed $1B; DOD issued clarifying instruction in JUL'25 but senior leaders remain confused on funding responsibilities

All joint bases with data show facility management workforce shortages; requirements unreassessed despite growing unit workloads, risking mission impacts from degradation