Likely No End for Shutdown This Week
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The federal government remains shutdown after Congress failed to reach a funding deal on Friday. Republicans and Democrats remain at odds over health care subsidies. The shutdown will likely extend into the week as the House will not be in session, reports NBC News. House Speaker Mike Johnson canceled plans to have the lower chamber return to Washington this week, reports CBS News. The House is expected to return Oct. 14.
Troops received their paychecks on Oct. 1 but could face the possibility that their first missed paycheck will come in less than two weeks. Task & Purpose says there are some options for troops who will need emergency financial assistance.
The US Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District said last week that all of its essential services will continue during the federal government shutdown, reports dvidshub.net. District-operated recreational facilities, such as campgrounds, restrooms, and visitor centers, were operating as of Friday. In preparation for the shutdown, the Corps provided information and guidance regarding its missions and functions that may continue to be carried out in the absence of available appropriations.
Military families are seeking food assistance amid anxiety about the shutdown, reports Military Times. The government shutdown began at 12:01am Wednesday. Troops received their Oct. 1 pay, but “anxiety is high,” said Dorene Ocamb with the Army Services YMCA. “There’s a lot of anticipatory anxiety around potentially losing a paycheck.”
Funding for a military spouse tuition assistance program has been halted during the shutdown, reports Navy Times. No new requests for My Career Advancement Account aid have been approved since Sept. 30. If a request for assistance was approved before Sept. 30, the spouse can continue to attend classes.
With hundreds of thousand workers furloughed and most agencies closed, it is difficult to know what’s open, what’s closed, and what might be delayed during the shutdown. Maryland Matters provides a guide to help understand what’s going on.
Gov. Wes Moore spoke with Maryland utility partners and reminded them that gas or electric service shutoffs are prohibited for “eligible residential customers” during a government shutdown, or within seven days after the shutdown has ended, reports WMAR2 Baltimore. Also, eligible residential customers include residential utility customers employed by a federal, state, or local government, and involuntarily furloughed due to the government shutdown. An eligible residential customer, before termination must verify government employment with the utility, and enter into a payment plan after the shutdown, according to the Maryland Public Service Commission.
The Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin will not be updating its website during the shutdown except to provide “important public safety information,” according to the agency’s Oct. 2 newsletter. ICPRB relies on accurate data from federal organizations to predict drought conditions in the region. The commission says it is essential that it has up-to-date Potomac River flow information during a drought.
The Defense Department continues to carry out military operations and some other missions as funding remains available, reports Task & Purpose. A planning document released by the Pentagon in September offered guidance for operations. The document lists the US military’s top priorities as operations on the US-Mexico border, Middle East operations, the Golden Dome missile shield, depot maintenance, shipbuilding, and critical missions.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order saying the US would defend Qatar in the wake of Israel’s strike in September, reports AP News. The order says that the US will use all measures including military action to defend Qatar. It appears to be assurance to the Qataris following Israel’s surprise attack on the country that targeted Hamas leaders. “The United States shall regard any armed attack on the territory, sovereignty or critical infrastructure of the state of Qatar as a threat to the peace and security of the United States,” according to the order.
Trump has declared drug cartels to be unlawful combatants and says the US is in an “armed conflict” with them, reports The Associated Press. The announcement followed US strikes last month on boats in the Caribbean. On Friday, DefSec Pete Hegseth said the US military struck another alleged drug boat off the coast of Venezuela that killed four “narco-terrorists,” reports CBS News. In September, the US carried out three other deadly strikes against boats in the Caribbean that the administration accused of carrying drugs.
The US has begun drawing down its mission in Iraq, reports Navy Times. Both countries agreed last year to wind down the military mission of an American-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group by September 2025. The US must leave some of the bases where they have stationed troops during a two-decade-long military presence there.
China’s activities in and around American waters near Alaska have increased this past year, reports Breaking Defense, the latest development in a broader pattern that started in 2021. “Not only is it testing the resolve of the US in this space, but it’s also trying to normalize presence,” said Daniel White, a former Homeland Security official.
Boeing is set to receive a contract to replace the 14 bunker-busters dropped in June on Iran’s nuclear enrichment and processing facilities, reports Bloomberg on MSN. The contract is valued at as much as $123 million. Operation Midnight Hammer struck three Iranian nuclear sites June 22 at Natanz, Isfahan, and Fordo, USNI News reported at the time.
In Virginia, concerns surround the toll data centers might take on the state’s power grid, and Dahlgren Naval Support Facility is among the concerned parties, according to some King George County supervisors, reports Northern Neck News.
Hegseth fired Navy chief of staff Jon Harrison on Friday, reports The Hill. Harrison’s removal came after retired US Navy captain and diver Hung Cao had been confirmed as the service’s undersecretary, reports Breaking Defense. Cao was selected by the White House to be undersecretary in February. His confirmation makes him the second-most senior civilian in the Department of the Navy behind NavSec John Phelan.
VADM Karl Thomas has been nominated to lead US Fleet Forces Command, reports DefenseScoop. VADM John Gumbleton is currently serving as acting commander. The position was previously held by ADM Daryl Caudle who is now the chief of naval operations.
GEN Thomas Bussiere, a top Air Force commander, announced his retirement last week, reports The Hill. He cited “personal and family reasons.” Bussiere has served as Air Force Global Strike Command commander since December 2022. He made the retirement announcement just hours after Hegseth addressed a gathering of top US military leaders. Bussiere had been nominated by the administration in July to be the next Air Force vice chief of staff, but the nomination was later withdrawn.
The Pentagon has downgraded the rank of the Air Force’s top commander in Europe to a three-star general, reports Defense News. LT GEN Jason Hinds, nominated to be the next commander of US Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa, will not get a promotion to four-star general. This aligns with the Defense Department plan to reduce general and flag officer positions.
ADM James Kilby has received the Old Salt award from the Surface Navy Association for his tenured service, reports Military Times. The Old Salt distinction, which began in 1988, is awarded in conjunction with a bronze statue depicting a naval officer on a ship’s pitching deck. The award recognizes an active-duty Navy officer with the earliest date of qualification as a surface warfare officer..
The Multi-Mission Tactical Unmanned Aerial Systems program office at NAS Patuxent River welcomed a new program manager during change of command ceremony last month. Marine COL Leigh Irwin relieved Navy CAPT Dennis Monagle, who is retiring after nearly three decades of service, reports NAVAIR News.
A federal government employee was arrested last week following an “active shooter hoax” that caused a lockdown at Joint Base McGuire in New Jersey, reports The Associated Press.
Two Royal New Zealand Air Force NH90 helicopters flew from Australia to New Zealand on a two-day, record-breaking journey for the aircraft, reports Defense News. Each of the helicopters carried two 1,100-pound external fuel tanks on the 1,765-mile flight over the Tasman Sea. The longest leg of the trip, 660 miles, took around four and a half hours.
The nonprofit SmileHub has released a new report on the Best States for Research and Development in 2025, and Maryland ranks third on the list.
701C LLC,* Sterling, Virginia (N00023-25-D-0150); Anovaeon LLC,* San Antonio, Texas (N00023-25-D-0151); Guardian 6 Solutions LLC,* Cedar Hill, Texas (N00023-25-D-0152); KDP Global Enterprises LLC,* Hollywood, Florida (N00023-25-D-0153); ResponseForce1, LLC,* Fort Walton Beach, Florida (N00023-25-D-0154); SGK Global Services, LLC,* Stafford, Texas (N00023-25-D-0155); and Worldwide Employee Housing Solutions,* Seguin, Texas (N00023-25-D-0156), are being awarded a $10,000,000,000 multiple award, firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, Worldwide Expeditionary Multiple Award Contract (WEXMAC) Territorial Integrity of the U.S. (TITUS) contract that will provide supplies and services in support of but not limited to supporting the six phases of the continuum of military operations in support of the geographic Combatant Command’s joint operations, coalition partners, and other U.S. federal agencies in setting and sustaining the theater through the following requirements: theater opening (includes reception, staging, onward-movement, and integration support; sustainment; theater distribution; and stability operations and Defense Support of Civil Authorities support. The WEXMAC TITUS description of contractual scope provides that services and supplies provided through the performance of this contract include but are not limited to humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, contingency, exercise, lodging, logistics, water-based, and land-based support. The contracts will run concurrently and will include a base performance period with one five-year option with individual requirements performed under task orders when specific dates and locations are identified. The base period will begin October 2025 and is expected to be completed by December 2029; if the option is exercised, the performance period will be completed by December 2034. information about the percentage and where the work will be performed cannot be currently provided. Fiscal 2026 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $3,500 will be obligated ($500 on each of the seven contracts to fund the contracts’ minimum amounts), and funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Additional funds will be obligated at the task order level with the appropriate fiscal year funding as issued by the customers for each area of responsibility. If the option period is exercised, the total estimated contract maximum for each contractor could be up to $20,000,000,000,000. The base period will begin October 2025 and is expected to be completed by December 2029; if all options are exercised, the performance period will be completed by December 2034. Work will be performed in the U.S., and outlying territories. Due to the fact that the specific requirements cannot be predicted at this time, more specific information about the percentage and where the work will be performed cannot be currently provided. The requirement was competitively procured as full and open competition with 109 offers received. 66 new offerors and 37 incumbent offerors were found compliant and responsible and will receive modifications to their existing contracts. Naval Supply Systems Command, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity.
G.S.E Dynamics Inc.,* Norfolk, Virginia (N00024-25-D-4333), is awarded (along with several other vendors – originally announced on Sept. 2, 2025) a combined $1,123,590,000 firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee, and cost-only, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity multiple award contract for discrete production, non-discrete production and other production work to support the public shipyards in accomplishing repair, maintenance, and modernization of nuclear-powered attack submarines undergoing scheduled Chief of Naval Operations maintenance availabilities. This contract includes options which, if exercised, across the various vendors, would bring the cumulative value to $1,906,010,000. Work will be performed in Norfolk, Virginia (35%); Bremerton, Washington (25%); Kittery, Maine (20%); and Pearl Harbor, Hawaii (20%), and is expected to be completed by August 2030. If all options are exercised, work will continue through August 2033. No funds will be obligated at the time of the award; funds will be obligated at the delivery order level as contracting actions occur. This contract was competitively procured via the System for Award Management website, with 29 offers received. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.
Lockheed Martin Space, Titusville, Florida, is being awarded a $647,069,302 hybrid, fixed-price incentive fee, cost-plus-incentive-fee, and cost-plus fixed fee contract modification (PZ0001) to a previously awarded and announced un-priced letter contract (N0003025C0100) for Trident II (D5) missile production and deployed systems support. The contract has optional line items which could increase the amount to $745,678,290, if exercised. This contract award also benefits a Foreign Military Sale to the United Kingdom. Work will be performed in Magna, Utah (23.0%); Denver, Colorado (14.2%); Cape Canaveral, Florida (13.1%); Titusville, Florida (10.0%); Kings Bay, Georgia (8.5%); Bangor, Washington (6.6%); Culpepper, Virginia (4.8%); Sunnyvale, California (4.1%); Valley Forge, Pennsylvania (3.2%); Huntsville, Alabama (2.3%); and locations less than 1.0 % each, 10.2% total. Work is expected to be completed Sept. 30, 2030. Fiscal 2025 weapons procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $120,442,802 will be obligated on this award and no funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract is being awarded to the contractor on a sole source basis under 10 U.S. Code 3204(a)(1) and was previously synopsized on the Systems for Award Management (SAM) website, with one proposal received. Strategic Systems Programs, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.
Systems Planning and Analysis Inc., Alexandria, Virginia, is being awarded a $500,000,000 Small Business Innovative Research Phase III, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee term contract (N0003026D3019), for Trident II Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile and Strategic Weapons System (SWS) engineering and support functions. This value includes all optional lines items. Tasks to be performed include systems engineering (SE) and analysis support, technical assessments and future studies, arms control and treaty support, risk assessment and high consequence event prevention framework, nuclear deterrence mission oversight counsel technical support, program integration support, strategic deterrent industrial base, technical studies, technical assessment, se and analysis support (SSP Strategic Partner Organizations), program assistance and analytic support, SSP strategic partner technical studies, enterprise data management, SSP alteration support, and SWS United Kingdom unique systems engineering and program support. This contract also benefits a Foreign Military Sale to the United Kingdom. Work will be performed in Alexandria, Virginia (50%); Washington, D.C. (35%); Arlington, Virginia (5%); Kings Bay, Georgia (2%); Silverdale, Washington (4%); the United Kingdom (2%); and Cape Canaveral, Florida (2%). Work is expected to be completed by September 30, 2035. No funds will be obligated on this award. This contract was awarded as a sole source acquisition with the authority of 15 U.S. Code 638 research and development and was previously synopsized on the System for Award Management (SAM.gov) online portal. Strategic Systems Programs, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.
Global Air Logistics and Training Aerospace Inc., San Diego, California, is awarded a firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost $145,524,883 indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract for production and delivery of up to 20 Airborne Network Extension SkyTower II Pod systems, as well as provides associated logistics and engineering support for the Marine Air Ground Task Force Unmanned Expeditionary Medium Altitude Long Endurance program for the Navy. Work will be performed in San Diego, California (75%); Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii (5%); Patuxent River, Maryland (5%) Yuma, Arizona (2%); and various locations outside the continental U.S. (13%), and is expected to be completed by September 2030. No funds will be obligated at the time of award; funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. This contract was not competed. Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N0001925D1117).
Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems, Moorestown, New Jersey, was awarded a $131,380,789 fixed-price-award-fee, cost-plus-award-fee, cost-plus-incentive-fee, and cost-plus-fixed-fee type modification to previously-awarded contract (N00024-23-C-5117) to exercise option items supporting systems engineering and software integration for the Integrated Combat System across the Surface Force portfolio of the Navy and Coast Guard. Work will be performed in Moorestown, New Jersey (41%); Columbia, Maryland (30%); Norfolk, Virginia (7%); Middletown, Rhode Island (6%); College Park, Maryland (5%); Mount Laurel, New Jersey (4%); Huntsville, Alabama (3%); Wallops Island, Virginia (1%); Arlington, Virginia (1%); San Diego, California (1%); and Herndon, Virginia (1%), and is expected to be completed by September 2026. Fiscal 2025 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $9,852,089 (75%); and fiscal 2025 weapon procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $3,372,096 (25%), will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C. is the contracting activity (N00024-23-C-5117).
Innovative Defense Technologies, Arlington, Virginia, has been awarded a contract modification to a previously awarded sole-source Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) Phase III contract (N0003923C1000) for rapid and affordable software development supporting distributed maritime operations (DMO). The objective of this cost-plus-fixed-fee contract is to improve the practices and tools for testing software to keep up with the growing complexity of Navy software systems in support of Project Overmatch. In this modification (P00022), the final option year has been exercised in the amount of $34,826,578, making the cumulative value of this contract $89,804,610. Total funding provided for this contract modification is $9,300,000. Work will be performed in San Diego, California, and is expected to be completed by Sept. 26, 2026. The Naval Information Warfare Systems Command, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity (N00039).
Ultra Electronics Ocean Systems Inc., Braintree, Massachusetts, was awarded on Sept. 26, 2025 a $55,994,971 firm-fixed-price and cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to previously awarded contract N0002425C4127 for exercise of a production option and the procurement of spares and incorporation of engineering changes in support of the AN/SPS-73(V) Next Generation Surface Search Radar program. Work will be performed in Braintree, Massachusetts (60%); Wake Forest, North Carolina (35%); and Chantilly, Virginia (5%), and is expected to be completed by August 2027. Fiscal 2025 other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $37,913,280 (68%); and fiscal 2023 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds in the amount of $18,081,691 (32%), will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.
Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace, Kongsberg, Norway, is awarded a $31,755,185 firm-fixed-price, undefinitized modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-25-C-5434) for the procurement of critical material and commencement of production activities in support of the over-the-horizon weapon system. Work will be performed in Kongsberg, Norway (40 %); ‘t Harde, Netherlands (8 %); Schrobenhausen, Germany (7%); Toulouse, France (6%); Raufoss, Norway (6%); Staubø, Norway (5%); Chandler, Arizona (2%); Eidsvoll, Norway (2%); Høvik, Norway (2%); Solna, Sweden (2%); Chatou, France (2%); Woodland Hills, California (2%); Ashburn, Virginia (1%); and various locations all less than 1% (15%), and is expected to be completed by October 2030. Fiscal 2025 other procurement (Marine Corps) funds in the amount of $2,231,042 (47%); fiscal 2025 other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $839,881 (18%); fiscal 2024 other procurement (Marine Corps) funds in the amount of $790,960 (17%); fiscal 2025 research, development, test, and evaluation (Marine Corps) funds in the amount of $531,159 (11%); fiscal 2024 weapons procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $164,381 (4%); and fiscal 2025 weapons procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $137,787 (3%), will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.
Raytheon Missiles and Defense, Marlborough, Massachusetts, is awarded a $24,992,700 firm-fixed-price order under a previously awarded Basic Ordering Agreement (N00024-22-G-5311) for AEGIS solid state switch assembly mod kits with on-board assembly spares for Navy guided-missile destroyers. Work will be performed in Andover, Massachusetts (56%); Chesapeake, Virginia (28%); Marlborough, Massachusetts (15%); and Burlington, Massachusetts (1%), and is expected to be completed by December 2028. Fiscal 2025 other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $24,992,700 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured in accordance with 10 U.S. Code 3204(a)(1) (only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements). Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity (N00024-25-F-5362).
Rockwell Collins Inc., Government Systems, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was awarded a $10,860,215 modification (P00072) to a firm-fixed-price contract (N6134017C0007). This modification adds in-scope requirements for the production and delivery of 152 operational data-recording devices, 68 full rate production III ballast kits, 68 dual pod shipping containers, spares, and peculiar support equipment, as well as provides installation and site acceptance testing for FRP III subsystems, support licenses, tactical air range instrumentation facility site-based security assessment, and field engineering support for the Navy’s Tactical Combat Training Systems II program. Work will be performed in Cedar Rapids, Iowa (51%); Fort Walton Beach, Florida (31%); Virginia Beach, Virginia (9%); Cherry Point, North Carolina (5%); Jacksonville, Florida (3%) and Lemoore, California (1%); and is expected to be completed March 2027. Fiscal 2025 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $7,688,412; fiscal 2025 other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $2,777,096; and operation and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $143,362, will be obligated at the time of award, $143,3620 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The initial contract was competed. Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division, Orlando, Florida, is the contracting activity.
Progeny Systems LLC, Manassas, Virginia, is awarded an $8,579,352 modification (P00001) to contract (N0001423C1035) for the program entitled, “Gypsy.” This modification provides for building on the current development efforts to increase maturity of long endurance loitering unmanned aerial system platforms. Work will be performed in Manassas, Virginia, and is expected to be completed in August 2027. Fiscal 2025 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $8,579,352 are obligated at time of award, bringing the total cumulative face value of the contract to $20,479,558. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Office of Naval Research, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity.
Amentum Services Inc., Chantilly, Virginia, was awarded a $995,000,000 indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract for remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) maintenance services. This contract provides for RPA organizational-level maintenance support for the MQ-9 Reaper weapons systems and sustainment of combat and training capability at tasked locations worldwide, wherever required. Work will be performed at Creech Air Force Base, Nevada; Nellis AFB, Nevada; Shaw AFB, South Carolina; Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota; Whiteman AFB, Missouri; Battle Creek Air National Guard (ANG) Base, Michigan; Berry Field ANG Base, Tennessee; Ft. Smith, Arkansas; Horsham ANG, Pennsylvania; and overseas locations. The work is expected to be completed by Sept. 29, 2030. This contract is the result of a competitive acquisition, and three offers were received. Fiscal 2025 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $42,218 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Combat Command, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Hampton, Virginia, is the contracting activity (FA4890-25-D-0004).
Avantus Federal, McLean, Virginia, has been awarded a maximum $95,095,000 modification (P00027) to a previously awarded contract (FA2401-23-F0002) to exercise Option Year Two. This contract provides systems engineering and technical assistance to the Space Development Agency (SDA) and provides a broad range of professional services. The modification brings the total cumulative face value of option year two to $170,381,412 from $75,286,412. Work will be performed at Chantilly, Virginia, and SDA applicable locations and is expected to be completed by Sept. 29, 2026. Fiscal 2025 research, development, test, and evaluation funds; and operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $15,815,000 are being obligated at time of award. Space Development Agency, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.
Private Tech Inc., Montgomery, Alabama, was awarded with a ceiling $49,991,000 firm-fixed-price contract for the commercial non-attributable network operations. This contract provides for extended work performed under a Small Business Innovation Research Phase II contract to provide for a secure global communications network that offers enhanced privacy and resiliency. Work will be performed at Arlington, Virginia; Camp Smith, Hawaii; and Montgomery, Alabama, and is expected to be completed by Sept. 29, 2029. This contract was a sole source acquisition. Fiscal 2025 and 2026 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $6,498,764; and fiscal 2025 operations and maintenance appropriations funds in the amount of $948,000, are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Business and Enterprise Systems Directorate, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity. (FA8771-25-C-0006)
