PentagonPolicy

Budget Drama on the Hill

It’s been quite the week for Pete Hegseth. In the past few days, he faced lawmakers on the Hill for the first time since becoming SecDef to defend a $1T DoD budget request that, well, he hasn’t released. Then, the House went ahead and released their appropriations bill, his procurement budget was leaked, and he […]

Policy

The UK’s Strategic Defence Review

It’s been a (long, long) week since the UK officially released its Strategic Defence Review (SDR) and, well, people have thoughts.  The document is meant to lay out the UK’s current defense posture, and indicates what the country thinks are the greatest threats to its national security. It’s also a pretty good indication of where […]

PentagonPolicy

Senate Unveils its $150B Defense Package

The disagreements in Washington continue. Yesterday, the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) unveiled its answer to the House’s $150B defense reconciliation bill and, well, there were some differences.  The SASC package—which will be folded into the Senate’s version of the “One Big Beautiful Bill” to push through Trump’s agenda—focuses way more on air superiority, low-cost […]

InvestmentPolicy

What did Trump’s Middle East Trip Mean for Defense?

In case you missed it, President Trump took a grand ol’ whistle-stop tour through the Middle East last week, visiting Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE, and securing—per his team—over $2T in deals (though the numbers are a little fuzzy).  You may have overlooked it amidst the hair-flipping, camel-and-horse-parading, and mobile-McDonald’s-making, but a few of […]

PentagonPolicy

Trump’s Budget Drop

In case you missed it, Trump’s FY26 budget request dropped Friday, and, to quote one executive we chatted to, it was a “bloodbath.” Everything from NASA, to the NIH, to the CDC, to the EPA face massive budget cuts, while DHS is set to receive a boost of nearly $43.8B.  Up and up: At least […]

InvestmentPentagonPolicyTech

The Summit at the Center of the World

If you took top Trump officials, Silicon Valley elite, some of the world’s wealthiest investors and executives, and a whole bunch of defense tech founders and stuck them in a room, what would you get? The Hill and Valley Forum, apparently.  Yesterday, as budget negotiations continued overhead, tech and policy big guns (pun intended) gathered […]

Policy

What Do Trump’s Defense Production EOs Mean for You?

Earlier this month (yes, it’s been a long month), President Trump signed a few executive orders aimed at revamping defense acquisition and production that sent the defense tech community abuzz.  The President ordered SecDef Hegseth to create a plan to speed up acquisition using existing authorities and prioritizing commercial solutions. He also called for major […]

PolicyTech

NATO Brings Palantir’s Maven Into the Alliance

Looks like Palantir ($PLTR) is making another leap across the pond. On Monday, NATO revealed that it’s acquired the data giant’s AI-powered Maven Smart System, marking a giant leap forward for the alliance’s AI-powered warfare capabilities.  NATO’s Allied Command Operations (ACO) will begin using the system within 30 days and will be known as the […]

Policy

Bonus: How Do Tariffs Impact the Defense Industry?

For those of you who’ve taken a relaxing vacation under a rock for the past week: on April 2, Trump unveiled sweeping, massive tariffs on nearly all imports to the United States, sending markets into a tailspin.  Yesterday, Trump paused most of those tariffs for 90 days but maintained a general 10% tariff on all […]

PolicyTech

Innovation Across the Pond

The United Kingdom wants more drones, and fast. Yesterday, the MoD’s Defense and Security Accelerator (DASA) announced phase two of its Innovation in Support of Operations competition, aimed at bringing British defense up to date.  The MoD is looking to fund:  UK-registered companies can apply with projects that will take up to 4 months and […]