ClearSignal — Feb 25, 2026 — Senator Wyden is blocking the CISA Director nomination until the agency releases a 2022 telecommunications vulnerability report. This directly impacts agency leadership continuity and signals congressional concern about transparency regarding critical infrastructure security—particularly relevant given ongoing Salt Typhoon telecommunications compromises. GovCon executives should monitor this as it affects CISA's operational direction and potential contract priorities. The White House eliminated SBOM requirements in favor of agency-managed risk assessments, fundamentally changing software procurement compliance expectations. This policy shift provides flexibility but transfers security assessment burden to individual agencies, potentially creating inconsistent standards across the federal government. Contractors should immediately review how this affects their software delivery processes and compliance strategies. Lockheed Martin demonstrated tactical AI on the F-35 that independently identifies and suggests combat targets to pilots—the first operational implementation of this capability. This milestone represents a significant leap in military AI adoption and signals accelerating demand for AI-enabled weapons systems across DoD programs. GovCon executives should assess their AI capabilities and partnerships to compete in this rapidly evolving market.
ClearSignal — Feb 24, 2026 — This represents a critical inflection point in military AI capabilities with direct implications for DoD procurement strategies and competitive positioning in autonomous weapons systems. Lockheed's successful demonstration signals accelerating integration of AI-assisted targeting across tactical platforms, which will reshape requirements for future combat aircraft programs and create new teaming opportunities for AI/ML contractors. The expansion of state-sponsored North Korean cyber capabilities to include ransomware represents an elevated threat to defense contractors and critical infrastructure that support government operations. This evolution demands immediate attention to cybersecurity investments and Zero Trust architecture implementations, particularly for companies holding sensitive classified information or supporting critical DoD programs. Ukraine's operational shift toward unmanned and autonomous systems provides real-world validation of concepts that will drive future DoD spending priorities and acquisition strategies. This combat-proven evolution toward machine-centric warfare creates significant market opportunities in autonomous systems, counter-UAS technologies, and AI-enabled platforms while informing force structure debates about human-machine teaming.