Gov / Military Spending, DOD Contracts, National Defense $$$$

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U.S. Plans $6 Billion in New Arms Sales to Israel​

The Trump administration is seeking congressional approval to sell nearly $6 billion in weapons to Israel, people familiar with the request said, moving forward despite Israel’s missile strike on Hamas in Qatar and intensifying offensive in Gaza City, which have drawn strong condemnation in Europe and the region.

The proposed sales include a deal worth $3.8 billion for 30 AH-64 Apache helicopters that would nearly double Israel’s current fleet of the aircraft. The administration is also seeking approval for a $1.9 billion deal for 3,250 infantry assault vehicles for the Israeli army, according to documents reviewed by The Wall Street Journal and one of the people familiar with the request.

The weapons likely wouldn’t be delivered for two to three years, that person said.

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https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/worl...-sales-to-israel/ar-AA1MUEi3?ocid=socialshare
 

GAO Report on Weapon System Sustainment​

The following is the Sept. 25, 2025, Government Accountability Office report, Weapon System Sustainment: Various Challenges Affect Ground Vehicles’ Availability for Missions.

From the Report​

Mission Capable Rates Trends for Selected Army and Marine Corps Ground Vehicles

Five of six selected Army ground combat vehicles did not meet mission capable goals in any fiscal year (FY) during the time frame of GAO’s review. In the same time frame, selected Army ground support vehicles achieved mission capable goals about 20 percent of the time. The Marine Corps does not have a mission capable goal for its ground vehicles, though two of seven selected vehicles achieved positive changes in mission capable rates when comparing fiscal years 2015 and 2024.

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U.S. Navy Considering $3.5B Multiple Award Contract for 2,800 Small Boats and Craft​

The U.S. Navy is considering a 10-year-long multiple award contract potentially worth up to $3.5 billion for 2,800 service craft and boats in an effort to streamline the procurement process, according to new documents.

A request for information released by the U.S. Navy and Foreign Military Sales Boats and Craft Program Office, known as PMS 300, detailed the service’s desire to shift its procurement of service craft and boats from multi-year firm fixed price indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contracts to multiple award contracts. A presentation on the shift claimed that this new strategy “benefits both government and industry — especially in volatile cost environments.”

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Canada

Canada Launches Defence Investment Agency | Your Morning​

Oct 3, 2025 #military #federal #government
The federal government is launching a new agency to manage the purchasing and delivery of military equipment.

5:21
 

Subic Bay Regains its Importance as a Forward Base

Subic Bay was once a key strategic facility for the U.S. Navy, and may soon be again: the service is ramping up plans for forward equipment storage a...
maritime-executive.com

ICTSI Secures 25-Year Extension for Subic Bay Container Terminals

Philippines-based Subic Bay International Terminals Corp. (SBICT) and ICTSI Subic Inc. (ISI), both subsidiaries of International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI), have secured a 25-year extension of their concession agreements...
gcaptain.com
 

U.S. Navy Seeks Singapore-based American Contractor For Indo-Pacific Ship Repairs​


The U.S. Navy is looking for an American shipbuilder to establish a Singapore-based lead maintenance activity in the Southeast Asian city-state to support the fleet’s regional repair operations by partnering with shipyards across the Indo-Pacific by 2027. While regional ship maintenance across the Indo-Pacific is not new for the sea service, this contract comes amid a recent expansion of regional yards cleared to support the U.S. Navy’s vessels in the region – including newly certified yards in India, Sri Lanka, Japan and South Korea.

The push for in-theater maintenance support is driven by concerns for the fleet’s ability to conduct maintenance in a potential conflict in the Indo-Pacific. Should a conflict with Beijing break out, Washington would be forced to rely on a select few naval bases and ports – usually separated by vast distances – to sustain its vessels.

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Office of Strategic Capital Agrees to Joint $700M Conditional Loan Commitment with Vulcan Elements and ReElement Technologies​


Department of War Awards $29.9 Million to Create a U.S. Domestic Supply of Gallium and Scandium​

 

US, Canada, and Finland Double Down on Joint Icebreaker Effort in DC Meeting

The US aims to further revitalize its shipbuilding capacity and Arctic icebreaker fleet under the trilateral ICE Pact. Officials from the three countries met in DC this week to discuss plans for 2026. Earlier this year the pact had resulted in a commitment to construct 11 new icebreakers for the...
www.highnorthnews.com
 

Newport News President: Carrier JFK Could Start Sea Trials in Early 2026, Shipyard Retention Improving​

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — The next Ford-class aircraft carrier is set to go to sea for the first time early next year and employee retention is improving, the president of HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding told USNI News this week.

Following the keel laying ceremony of the future USS Barb (SSN-804), Newport News Shipbuilding president Kari Wilkinson said the future USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79) is preparing for sea trials in January.

“[The] ship’s force is going through their paces to make sure they’re ready to operate the ship, and after the first of the year, I expect that ship to get underway for its first sea trial,” she said.

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New NDAA Repeats Mistakes of the Past​

Yesterday, the House of Representative voted on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which determines the authorized funds for next year’s defense budget. A major feat, though long overdue, is Congress’s repeal of the Authorizations for Use of Military Force (AUMFs) related to Iraq. However, this NDAA still has the same problem as those of years past—namely, its insistence on maintaining a fiscally unsound military machine to pursue ill-defined national objectives.

Some, including the New York Times and Washington Post editorial boards, are wont to note that the United States must spend more on defense to help defend “the free world” and that defense spending at 3.4 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) is at its “lowest level in more than 80 years.” Yet, using percentage of GDP to determine the spending amount for a federal sector is extremely misleading. A growing economy doesn’t make its citizens less safe and in need of more defense spending. Nor does defense spending as a percentage of GDP accurately illustrate the changes to defense spending over time.

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Report to Congress on the Defense Industrial Base​

The following is the Dec. 15, 2025, Congressional Research Service in focus report, Defense Primer: U.S. Industrial Base.

From the Report​

Defining the Defense Industrial Base

The DIB encompasses all organizations and facilities that provide DOD with materials, products, and services. The composition of the DIB is diverse and includes entities such as small and medium-sized businesses, university laboratories and research centers, and large multinational corporations. DIB functions are similarly varied, ranging from the production of complex platforms unique to the military (e.g., aircraft carriers) and the provision of highly specialized services (e.g., intelligence analysis) to the provision of general commercial products and routine services (e.g., issuing laptops and providing information technology support).

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