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Cost Estimating NewsBrief: June 26, 2026
Space Force Acquisition Overhaul: What GovCons Need to Know
(Executive Gov) Space is increasingly contested and global adversaries are actively building out orbital capabilities that directly threaten U.S. national security. To maintain strategic dominance, the Space Force must equip warfighters with advanced capabilities fast and at scale. However, old procurement processes bogged down by bureaucracy and years-long development processes can no longer keep up with the demands of the modern battlefield. Recognizing the challenge, the space service is reforming its acquisition structure to ensure that guardians have access to cutting-edge tools. Read More
The Office of the Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering Finalizes Lab Review, Aims to Modernize R&D Enterprise
(U.S. Department of War) The Office of the Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering has finalized a set of recommendations to modernize and reform the War Department’s vast research enterprise, priming it to ease bureaucratic friction points and to rapidly deliver combat-ready technologies. The recommendations flow from a 90-day comprehensive assessment of the Department’s laboratories, Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) and University-Affiliated Research Centers (UARCs). Secretary of War Pete Hegseth mandated a sweeping modernization of the U.S. defense innovation ecosystem to keep pace with a rapidly evolving, commercially driven global technology landscape. Read More
Cloud Computing: Federal Government Needs to Address Procurement Challenges
(U.S. Government Accountability Office) Senior agency officials from 22 of 24 selected agencies reported primarily relying on historical procurement data to help make cloud decisions. Timely implementation of the many recommendations GAO has made to federal agencies to improve these data could result in high-quality information. Federal agency IT provides essential services affecting the health, economy, and defense of the nation. Cloud computing helps provide these services at potentially lower costs. But agencies have had trouble acquiring cloud services because: Cloud-related definitions were outdated in federal acquisition regulations; Tracking cloud costs requires agencies to change their day-to-day IT management; There also wasn’t enough guidance on the best ways to implement cloud environments with multiple vendors. Read More
White House budget director calls for fifth public shipyard amid push to expand fleet
(Breaking Defense) The Trump administration is pushing for a fifth public shipyard to support a growing fleet, the head of the Office of Management and Budget said Wednesday. The Trump administration’s budget request includes $65.8 billion for shipbuilding alone for fiscal 2027, and calls for expanding the Navy’s inventory to 450 ships — including battle force ships, auxiliary ships, and unmanned vessels — by 2031. The request also includes $1.85 billion in reconciliation funding to study whether foreign shipyards could be used to build US warships — with designs on possibly procuring the first vessel from South Korea or Japan, Breaking Defense previously reported. Read More
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