Author: thaobh.leo@gmail.com

Every federal chief information officer is being asked to deliver more secure digital services, accelerate artificial intelligence adoption, modernize decades-old infrastructure, comply with increasingly sophisticated cybersecurity mandates and improve the citizen experience — all while operating with fewer skilled technology professionals. The Trump administration slashed IT spending across civilian federal agencies from $75.1 billion in 2025 to $67.9 billion for the current fiscal year. While the newly proposed federal IT budget calls for a return to 2025 levels, there’s no guarantee of increase as it gets negotiated through Congress. Although it is tempting to conclude that automation and additional hiring will solve the immediate challenge, I see a broader opportunity for outcome-based contracting focused on experience-level agreement metrics and realized taxpayer savings. Even if agencies…

Your back squat PR can tell you a lot about your lower body strength, but it does not tell the whole story unless you compare it in the right context. A 225 pound squat means something very different for a 140 pound lifter than it does for a 240 pound lifter. It also means something different for a beginner, a recreational gym member, and a competitive powerlifter. Age matters too, although it should not become an excuse to lower your expectations too early. Strength typically peaks in early adulthood and gradually declines with age, especially when people stop training. However,…

The House Veterans Affairs Committee plans to subpoena Oracle Chairman Larry Ellison and CEO Mike Sicilia to compel them to testify over its $16.9 billion increase to the Veterans Affairs Department’s electronic health systems contract. The committee unanimously agreed to the motion presented by Rep. Maxine Dexter (D-Ore.) after Oracle pulled out of today’s oversight hearing. “[T]here are plenty of red flags to raise concern. A $17 billion no-bid contract extension has been given to a company that our President invests in, whose founder has contributed heavily to our President, and that company has a terrible record of past performance…

As the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) prioritises fleet modernisation and operational resilience across the armed forces, Ford, General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) and Ricardo, today confirmed they have joined forces to compete for the UK MoD’s LMV programme. The Team is offering a commercial derivative vehicle based on the Ford Ranger, Europe’s undisputed leader in the truck segment. The Team’s solution combines military-grade capability with the cost, scale and supply chain resilience of a proven commercial platform, factory-ready to meet the stringent requirements of modern military operations. The proposal is rooted in Ford’s long-standing UK industrial capability. With more…

News September 03, 2026 Dan Taylor Technology Editor Military Embedded Systems LOCUST system via AV ARLINGTON, Virginia. AeroVironment won a $464.8 million contract from the U.S. Army Portfolio Acquisition Executive for Fires (PAE Fires) program office for the Enduring-High Energy Laser (E-HEL) program, the company announced in a statement.   Under the Other Transaction Agreement (OTA), AeroVironment will deliver dozens of LOCUST X3 laser weapon systems over the next several years to support the Army’s layered air defense against group 1-3 uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS), the statement reads. The company describes the award as the first production contract for directed…

The year 2025 was another record setter for global defense companies, so much so that production bottlenecks in Western nations — not the usual industry lamentations about lacking government spending — began creeping up as the key problem many NATO countries are facing today.Companies in the United States and Europe rode a wave of significant defense-spending increases on both sides of the Atlantic. In Europe, individual national budget increases, as well as the European Union’s increasing involvement in brokering and financing joint procurement, continued to increase the revenue of defense industry players large and small. In the United States, the…

Among its many advantages, the United States benefits from a rare form of geographic luck: it is bracketed on the east and west by two vast moats, the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and on the north and south by only two neighbors, both of whom are relatively friendly. Adding to this good fortune is that, since the end of World War II, the United States has possessed a powerful nuclear arsenal and unparalleled military, economic, and technological might. Despite the 9/11 terrorist attacks, this mix of geography, deterrence, and power has led many Americans to feel almost untouchable at home.…

The draft Request for Proposal RFP for the US Army Portfolio Acquisition Executive for Fires (PAE Fires) Enduring-High Energy Laser (E-HEL) requirement issued in January 2026 aimed at producing and rapidly field up to 24 E-HEL systems. On 2 September, 2026, PAE Fires announced that AeroVironment was awarded a landmark contract valued at US$ 464.8 million under which the company will provide an undisclosed number of Locust X3 laser weapon systems “The Enduring High Energy Laser Program, is historically significant. It’s not simply about lasers defeating a drone. It is the transition of directed energy toward an enduring place in…

In August 2024, special forces from five Ukrainian military intelligence units crossed the Black Sea to raid Russian-held Kinburn Spit. The commandos of these units — Chimera, Aratta, Stuhna, Paragon, Terror, and the Siberian Battalion — landed, fought, destroyed equipment, and withdrew. Two years later, in July 2026, Ukraine returned, but left the soldiers behind. Instead, an uncrewed surface vessel carried a ground robot across the water and released it onto the shore. The robot, equipped with a Wolly 7.62 remotely operated combat module, featuring a machine gun and an AI-assisted targeting system, rolled onto shore and engaged targets. A…

Tim Wheaton of Calf Kick Sports and Beyond Kickboxing traces the journey from young talent to the professional SENSHI ring International sports journalist Timothy Wheaton, a contributor to the specialist media outlets Calf Kick Sports and Beyond Kickboxing, has dedicated a short documentary to SENSHI and KWU SENSHI. The video provides a detailed look at the model for the development of combat sports that the two international organizations are building in Bulgaria. In his feature, Wheaton places SENSHI within a much broader context than that of professional fight galas alone. The journalist explores how KWU SENSHI has gradually created an…