NYTIMES (Ana Swanson and Tripp Mickle) - Chinese Military Sought Nvidia Chips for Years, Report Says
An analysis of six years of procurement records suggests that the People’s Liberation Army has openly tried to acquire restricted U.S. technology.
NEWSNATIONNOW (Filip Timotija, Julia Shapero, and The Hill) - Pentagon's $9B Dell deal sparks Trump conflict of interest concerns
The Pentagon’s new $9.7 billion contract with Dell is raising questions about potential conflicts of interest after President Trump touted the company’s products and purchased significant amounts of its stock. The Department of Defense (DOD) on Wednesday announced a five-year agreement with Dell for Microsoft software and cloud services as part of an effort consolidate [...]
WAR (U.S. Army) - JIATF 401 Drone Defense Marketplace Broadens Allied Access to Counter-Drone Capabilities
Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and key leaders from Australia, Poland and South Korea recently signed agreements enabling each country to procure counter-small UAS technologies through the Joint Interagency Task Force 401 drone defense marketplace.
JUSTTHENEWS (The Center Square Staff) - Trump budget targets 'valley of death' with new military contractor accountability model
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth told the House Armed Services Committee that funding alone will not solve the problem – the procurement system itself must change.
REDSTATE (Ward Clark) - Inside the War Department's New Big Tech Artificial Intelligence Deals
JUSTTHENEWS (Nicholas Ballasy) - GAO finds U.S. Army software delay leaves $130 million in cost savings on the table
In the report, the GAO found that the Department of Defense identified 14 weapon systems with what it classifies as “critical” operating and support cost growth out of 36 systems reviewed in fiscal years 2023 and 2024.
STRIPES (Gary Warner) - As hypersonic missile nears operations, report suggests more congressional oversight | Stars and Stripes
As the Army begins procurement of the Dark Eagle missiles, continues tests and builds stockpiles, more frequent updates to Congress might be needed.
REDSTATE (Ward Clark) - New Trump-Class Battleship Revealed: Railgun Fury, Lasers & $43.5B Fleet Plan
STRIPES (Linda F. Hersey) - Federal court rules in ‘very large bid protest’ over high-value VA contracts | Stars and Stripes
Eighteen companies were affected by the ruling in a case that involved how the VA evaluated proposals.
AXIOS (Ashley Gold) - California cements its role as the national testing ground for AI rules
To see where tech policy is going in the U.S., look west: California is escalating its push to regulate AI across multiple fronts. Why it matters: California's multi-pronged approach makes it likely that AI companies in the U.S. will treat the state's rules as a de facto national standard, even as the White House moves to rein in state regulation. - It follows a familiar pattern: California acts first, companies adapt to keep doing business there and Congress dithers, eventually ceding its role to states due to gridlock. Driving the news: Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an AI executive order this week as state legislators advance a number of AI bills and consider other regulatory avenues for AI. The big picture: California is moving ahead as…