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

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Contracts for March 12, 2026​

https://www.war.gov/News/Contracts/Contract/Article/4432797/contracts-for-march-12-2026/

Contracts for March 11, 2026​

https://www.war.gov/News/Contracts/Contract/Article/4431324/contracts-for-march-11-2026/

Contracts For March 10, 2026​

https://www.war.gov/News/Contracts/Contract/Article/4430325/contracts-for-march-10-2026/

 

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The Danger of Vibe Patriotism in Defense Tech

At conferences, in pitch decks, and increasingly in public writing, “service” is increasingly being used to describe the work of startup founders,

warontherocks.com

 

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Could lasers help fend off Iran's cheap drones? | 60 Minutes​

Mar 15, 2026
The Iran war is testing the U.S. military's ability to combat Iran's drones in a cost-effective way. Emerging laser tech, designed to zap drones out of the sky, may help.


13:08

 

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Over 5,000 Munitions Shot in the First 96 Hours of the Iran War

For three decades, American grand strategy has rested on what Barry Posen termed “Command of the Commons”: an unrivaled ability to project power across the globe. The opening 96 hours of Operation Epic Fury against Iran suggest this paradigm has shifted. The decisive factor in modern, high-end conflict has become more than just standoff strikes—it is about the industrial capacity to sustain those strikes and defend against adversarial attacks. The modern foundation of military power has become a problem that we refer to as the “Command of the Reload.” This is the result of industrial physics showing up to war like an unpaid invoice, and the bill is coming due in minerals, manufacturing, and strategic solvency.

Several organizations have published cost estimates for Operation Epic Fury’s opening phase. The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) places the first 100 hours at $3.7 billion; Anadolu Agency estimates $5.82 billion when asset losses are included; and the Penn Wharton Budget Model projects $40 to $95 billion for a two-month conflict. Those figures obscure a more uncomfortable reality. Our analysis, using a Payne Institute proprietary ledger that fuses open-source event tracking with expert validation (see Methods Box 1), reveals that the true story lies in the composition of the expenditure.

Read the full article here:

https://www.fpri.org/article/2026/03/over-5000-munitions-shot-in-the-first-96-hours-of-the-iran-war/

 

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Inspector General Audit of the Navy’s Defective Parts and Contractor Restitution​

The following is the Defense Department’s Inspector General audit of the Navy’s defective parts and contractor restitution. The report was published March 17, 2026.

From the Report​

Objective

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of the Navy’s efforts to remove from the DoD supply chain defective spare parts provided by contractors and to obtain restitution (reimbursement) from contractors that provide defective spare parts. This report is one in a series of two reports on DoD defective spare parts and contractor restitution.

Full report:

https://news.usni.org/2026/03/20/inspector-general-audit-of-the-navys-defective-parts-and-contractor-restitution

 

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Contracts for March 19, 2026​

https://www.war.gov/News/Contracts/Contract/Article/4438916/contracts-for-march-19-2026/

 

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Navy Creates New ‘Marketplace’ for Medium Unmanned Surface Vessels After Cancelling MASC Program​

The Navy cancelled the Modular Attack Surface Craft program launched last year and is creating a new acquisition strategy for unmanned vessels, a service official told reporters Thursday.

With the new Golden Fleet concept, the Navy wants a medium unmanned surface vessel that can perform multiple missions, a goal that the prior MASC program was too narrowly tailored to achieve, Portfolio Acquisition Executive for Robotics and Autonomous Systems Rebecca Gassler said during a media roundtable.

Gassler declined to specify the missions for the rebranded medium unmanned service vessel program, but said testing later this year will evaluate whether the proposed vessels can meet the Navy’s requirements.

More:

https://news.usni.org/2026/03/26/navy-creates-new-marketplace-for-medium-unmanned-surface-vessels-after-cancelling-masc-program

 

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Inspector General Audit of Naval Supply Systems Command Management of Inventory Items with No Demand for 5 Years​

The following is the Defense Department’s Inspector General audit of Naval Supply Systems Command Management of Inventory Items with No Demand for 5 Years or More. The report was published March 25, 2026.

From the Report​

Objective

The objective of this audit was to assess the effectiveness of Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP) management of inventory items with no demand for 5 years or more. An inventory item is an item of supply that includes reparable components, consumable repair parts and subsystems and assemblies of parts. Inventory items that were not requested or issued to customers are considered to have no demand.

More:

https://news.usni.org/2026/03/27/inspector-general-audit-of-naval-supply-systems-command-management-of-inventory-items-with-no-demand-for-5-years

 

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Contracts for March 26, 2026​

https://www.war.gov/News/Contracts/Contract/Article/4445165/contracts-for-march-26-2026/

Contracts for March 25, 2026​

https://www.war.gov/News/Contracts/Contract/Article/4444449/contracts-for-march-25-2026/

Contracts for March 24, 2026​

https://www.war.gov/News/Contracts/Contract/Article/4442927/contracts-for-march-24-2026/