Department of War Awards $6.3 Billion Multi-Year Contract to RTX's Raytheon for SM-3 BLOCK IB Interceptors

Oct. 8, 2026 |

The Department of War and the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) awarded Raytheon, an RTX business, a multi-year procurement contract valued at up to $6.3 billion to produce Standard Missile–3 Block IB (SM-3 Blk IB) interceptors. 

"Our warfighters must never face a fair fight, and the SM-3 Blk IB has proven its operational superiority to dominate any adversary across the globe," said Under Secretary of War for Acquisition and Sustainment Michael P. Duffey. "This contract provides production certainty to our defense industrial base, breaks sub-tier manufacturing bottlenecks, and ensures that our fleets and combatant commands have the interceptors required to dominate the battle space — air, sea or land."

The agreement spans five years, and includes two additional option years, providing multi-year procurement stability for the Joint Force's premier ballistic missile defense capabilities. In addition, it eliminates the programmatic and supply-chain friction that constrains private-sector capacity, forcing capital allocation directly into assembly lines, solid-rocket motor suppliers, and critical domestic sub-tier vendors.

This Undefinitized Contract Action authorizes Raytheon to begin work immediately in Tucson, Arizona, and Huntsville, Alabama.

Department of War Executes White House Strategy for a New Golden Age of Science

Oct. 8, 2026 |

The Department of War (DoW) today announced a series of initiatives to advance President Donald J. Trump's vision for a New Golden Age of American science. Building on the recommendations in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Michael Kratsios's report Science: A New Golden Age, these initiatives will modernize how the Department supports and evaluates scientific research, bring new talent to work on critical scientific challenges in defense of the nation, and strengthen partnerships across the science ecosystem between discovery, innovation, and national defense to ensure American warfighters are supported with cutting edge technology and capabilities.

"President Trump has made it clear that technological dominance requires us to move faster, safeguard our research, and build right here in America," said Emil Michael, Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering. "We are answering that call by dismantling barriers to commercialization, modernizing our labs, and ruthlessly securing taxpayer-funded research from foreign exploitation. The Department of War will continue to turn the President's vision of a new golden age of science into unrivaled capability for our warfighters."

"Maintaining our technological edge requires balancing rapid innovation with responsible program protection," said Joseph Jewell, Ph.D., Assistant Secretary of War for Science and Technology. "As we accelerate how we move concepts from the lab to the field, we are equally committed to safeguarding federally funded research and ensuring domestic investments deliver tangible capabilities. By modernizing our testing facilities, empowering industry through initiatives like the Defense Patent Holiday, and expanding pathways for domestic scientific talent, we are safeguarding our nation's economic vitality and national security, ensuring this new golden age drives lasting domestic strength and unrivaled technological capabilities for our warfighters."

The Department's execution of the White House strategy includes major lines of effort led by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of War for Science and Technology:

1. Revitalizing America's Defense Research Enterprise

• Department of War and National Science Foundation Establish Memorandum of Understanding to Advance Science, Technology, and Innovation: The Department of War and the National Science Foundation (NSF) have established a broad memorandum of understanding (MOU) to pursue mutually beneficial collaborative activities in science, technology, and innovation. The MOU establishes a framework for the Department and NSF to explore and coordinate opportunities that strengthen the nation's research ecosystem, accelerate the transition of promising technologies, and promote collaboration among government, academic, industry, and other research partners. Initial areas of joint interest include X-Labs, the Programmable Cloud Laboratories Network, and AI Forge ($40 million), among other initiatives that advance experimentation, modernize research infrastructure, build the workforce, and push the development of emerging technologies. As part of this effort, the Department of War is dedicating $200M to Programmable Cloud Labs in Fiscal Year 2028 across the Future Years Defense Program (FYDP).

Through this partnership, the Department of War and NSF may identify opportunities for information exchange, joint workshops, research collaboration, pilot activities, and other initiatives consistent with each organization's authorities, priorities, and available resources.

• Department of War Advances Metascience-informed Framework to Strengthen the Defense Research Enterprise: Consistent with Science: A New Golden Age and the recommendations of the Defense Research Enterprise Review, the Department of War is establishing a new enterprise-wide framework to measure and improve the performance and effectiveness of its in-house laboratories, Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) and University-Affiliated Research Centers (UARCs).

Implementing Recommendation 14 of the Department's recently published "Defense Research Enterprise Review," the initiative will apply metascience-informed principles to create measures of performance (MOP) and measures of effectiveness (MOE) as metrics.

The initiative reflects a metascience-informed approach to research management: using evidence and rigorous evaluation to improve how research organizations are assessed, governed, and resourced. Rather than impose a single scorecard on organizations with different missions, the Department will develop category-specific measures anchored to each institution's mission, comparative advantages, and enduring technical capabilities.

The framework will be designed to:

• Focus on outcomes: Assess whether portfolios achieve mission-relevant results commensurate with their resources and responsibilities
• Support independent verification: Use measures that can be audited and substantiated
• Measure progress over time: Track long-term performance consistent with the timelines of scientific research and engineering
• Respect institutional differences: Enable appropriate comparisons while recognizing that laboratories, warfare centers, medical research organizations, federally funded research and development centers, and university affiliated research centers have distinct missions and operating models
• Reduce distorted incentives: Avoid overreliance on narrow activity metrics that can encourage organizations to report volume instead of mission outcomes
• Inform leadership decisions: Strengthen the evidence base for portfolio management, resource allocation, and performance improvement

The Defense Research Enterprise Review found that existing enterprise measures, including activity counts and obligation and expenditure rates, remain useful for financial stewardship and oversight but do not independently capture portfolio-level outcomes. The new MOP/MOE framework is intended to complement—not replace—appropriate financial management and program oversight tools.

The Department is launching the framework with a limited pilot across representative research organizations to validate measures before engaging in a broader implementation.

• New Department of War Research Center Unites Academic Researchers with Broader Industry, Venture Capital, Non-Profit Ecosystem: The Department of War is catalyzing the university research ecosystem through the new Center for Defense Academic Research's (CeDAR) two complementary initiatives: the Problem-Based Basic Research Consortium (PBR-C) and the Translational Research Initiative for Academia and Defense (TRIAD) Partnership. Through PBR-C, the Department will unite multidisciplinary university research teams and world-class individual investigators to solve pressing scientific challenges, leveraging partnerships with non-profit research foundations, selective international collaborations, and participation from industry and venture capital observers. In parallel, TRIAD pairs transdisciplinary academic research teams with Service laboratories to develop actionable solutions for Combatant Command and Joint Interagency Task Force mission priorities.

2. Investing in America's Scientific Talent to Support the Warfighter

• Expansion of Hands-On Technical Learning: Fulfilling the White House directives to invest in individual researchers and elevate technical apprenticeships, the Department is expanding premier human capital programs. Celebrating its 20th anniversary, the Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship for Service Program welcomed its largest cohort of more than 750 scholars this year.

The DoW's SMART Program provides merit-based scholarships to bachelor's, master's, and doctoral students in STEM fields. In exchange for full tuition, stipends, and internship opportunities, scholars commit to a one-to-one service period as civilian employees with the DoW. Since its inception in 2006, the SMART program has awarded over 6,500 scholarships, with 91 percent of scholars successfully completing the program.

Beginning this fiscal year, the Department of War will explore a talent exchange initiative that would connect the Department of Energy's (DOE's) Genesis Mission Fellowship program to the DoW's SMART and National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) programs. This partnership enables DoW and DOE scholars to intern with each other's laboratories and industry partners, putting opportunities in academia, government laboratories, and companies under one umbrella.

The Department's flagship SMART and NDSEG programs are producing a new generation of scientific leaders. To date, the two programs boast over 5,000 Ph.D. graduates between them; these graduates have gone on to fill critical roles within the Department, drive innovation in the private sector, and advance the frontiers of knowledge in academia.

Complementing this talent pipeline, the NDSEG program has cultivated the nation's scientific minds since 1989, awarding nearly 4,900 fellowships. The program offers full tuition and a generous stipend for up to three years to individuals pursuing doctoral degrees, with no service obligation. This provides fellows with the flexibility to pursue careers across academia, industry, and government, with 90 percent of graduates entering research and development roles, broadly strengthening the U.S. innovation ecosystem.

The SMART SEED Innovation Award supports SMART scholars as they begin their DoW employment after completing their doctorates. The technical work completed through SEED, which provides funding of up to $155,000 per year for up to three years, aligns with Department missions or critical technology areas.

The Department of War is proud to announce the Fiscal Year 2026 SMART SEED Innovation Award principal investigators:

• Jeffrey Becker, Naval Surface Warfare Center – Carderock Division, West Bethesda, MD
• Brian Burke, Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division – Patuxent River, Patuxent River, MD
• Alexander Chen, Air Force Research Laboratory – Information & Spectrum Warfare Directorate, Rome, NY
• Luke Fina, Naval Surface Warfare Center – Panama City Division, Panama City, FL
• Charris Gabaldon, Naval Information Warfare Center Atlantic, Norfolk, VA
• Nathan Gajowski, Air Force Research Laboratory – Space Warfare, Kirtland AFB, NM
• Jeffrey Koenig, Defense Centers for Public Health – Aberdeen, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD
• Timothy Lim, Air Force Research Laboratory – Information and Spectrum Warfare Directorate, Kirtland AFB, NM
• Maile McCann, U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center – Coastal Hydraulics Laboratory, Duck, NC
• Jennifer Mejia, U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center – Environmental Laboratory, Vicksburg, MS
• Tristan Melton, Naval Surface Warfare Center – Corona Division, Corona, CA
• Alexander Perruci, Air Force Research Laboratory – Information and Spectrum Warfare Directorate, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH
• Nhon Phan, U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Army Research Laboratory, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD
• Trent Schreiber, U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center – Construction Engineering Research Laboratory, Champaign, IL
• Varsha Swamy, U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center – Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory (GSL), Vicksburg, MS
• Juliet Swinea, U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center – GSL, Vicksburg, MS
• Amani Webber-Schultz, Naval Undersea Warfare Center- Newport Division, Newport, RI
• Daniel Weitsman, U.S. Army DEVCOM Aviation Missile Center – Technology Development Directorate, Fort Eustis, VA
• Ethan Wright, Naval Surface Warfare Center- Panama City Division, Panama City, FL

Since Fiscal Year 2020, SMART SEED awards have invested $41 million in 140 projects, resulting in new patents, publications, and advanced defense technologies. Ultimately, these programs ensure the long-term sustainability of an agile, highly capable STEM workforce equipped to safeguard national security and maintain America's enduring technological edge.

3. Accelerating and Safeguarding American Defense Innovation

• Enforce Robust Research Security and Program Protection: The Department has strengthened its Science & Technology Program Protection and Maintaining Technology Advantage frameworks to support implementation of National Security Presidential Memorandum-33 (NSPM-33). The Department conducts rigorous risk-based reviews of fundamental research, screens against National Defense Authorization Act Section 1286 foreign-risk entity lists, ensures strict compliance with Section 1062 foreign institution limits, and executes mandatory foreign ownership due diligence. This ensures technological advancements made in America can be translated into operational capabilities for the United States and our allies.
• Dismantle Commercialization Barriers via the Defense Patent Holiday Initiative: The Department is responding to the White House's mandate to reform intellectual property licensing and open federal innovations to non-traditional builders through the Defense Patent Holiday Initiative. This initiative directly supports White House priorities by rapidly accelerating the transition of Department-funded technologies into the commercial sector. By granting royalty-free licensing windows to federally developed patents, the Department empowers private-sector innovators to commercialize breakthrough defense hardware without navigating months of legal friction.
• Leverage R&D to Strengthen Domestic Manufacturing: The Department of War's ManTech Program celebrated its 70th anniversary this year and serves as the Department's primary bridge from prototypes to programs of record, shaping not just what the military designs, but how it is produced affordably, securely, and at scale. The Department's Manufacturing Innovation Institutes (MIIs) include a network of nine active, defense-led institutes across the nation, including the latest addition, the FutureTEX institute in Belmont, North Carolina.

These unified lines of effort strengthen the American innovation pipeline and deliver unmatched capabilities to our warfighters.

Department of War Announces $350 Million in Quantum Computing Initiatives

Oct. 8, 2026 |

Winning the race for quantum leadership is essential to preserving the United States' technological edge and securing its national security. President Trump made American leadership in quantum information science a national priority through Executive Order 14413, ushering in the Next Frontier of Quantum Innovation. Today, building on the call to renew bold, ambitious national missions in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Michael Kratsios' report Science: A New Golden Age, the Department of War is accelerating its efforts to identify, develop, and prepare for quantum computing capabilities that will underpin future national security missions.

In support of President Trump's mandate for American leadership in quantum, the Office of the Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering (R&E) today announced new initiatives and programmatic updates totaling approximately $350 million to strengthen U.S. leadership in quantum computing capabilities that support national security.

"Dominance in quantum information science is a critical priority for both President Trump and the Department of War. Maintaining American leadership in this field is essential to preserving our technological edge, and R&E is uniquely positioned to drive the innovation needed across academia and industry," said Emil Michael, Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering.

R&E will direct greater attention across the Department of War's innovation ecosystem toward identifying mission-relevant applications of quantum computing, particularly as sufficiently capable quantum computers become available. R&E expects that quantum-enabled applications in disciplines such as chemistry, materials science, and physics will enable the development of next-generation weapons, platforms, and other critical capabilities that are more lethal, cost-effective, and manufacturable.

This new effort will build on existing Department of War programs and complement related national initiatives led by the Department of Energy (DOE), particularly its recently announced Quantum Genesis Priority Applications and the Quantum Genesis Q Competition, as well as initiatives led by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). In coordination with DOE's Office of Science, the National Nuclear Security Administration, and the Laboratory for Physical Sciences, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) will host a series of application workshops beginning before January 2027. The workshops will bring together end users and quantum-algorithm experts to identify high-value use cases, accelerate industrially relevant quantum advantage, create economic opportunity, and strengthen national defense.

DARPA is also advancing the technical validation needed to determine whether prospective quantum computing systems can deliver utility at scale. Through its Quantum Benchmarking Initiative, DARPA announced the advancement of four prospective quantum-computing providers to Stage C of the initiative, representing approximately $200 million in new funding that builds on more than $650 million in investments from DARPA in prospective quantum-computing providers. During Stage C, participants will work with DARPA to verify and validate that their utility-scale quantum-computer concepts can be constructed as designed and operated as intended. Advancement to Stage C indicates that each participant has demonstrated a research and development plan capable of realizing a utility-scale quantum computer; characterized key program risks and mitigation measures; and developed prototype requirements to retire those risks.

A strong quantum industrial base is essential to maintaining U.S. leadership in science and technology. To help build that foundation, the Department of War's Office of Strategic Capital today announced an approximately $150 million conditional loan commitment to support PsiQuantum's advanced manufacturing and prototyping capabilities in the United States.

Together, these efforts will advance the Department's understanding of quantum computing's future national security applications and strengthen avenues for companies to deliver systems capable of executing them.

Department of War's Office of Strategic Capital Announces $1.5 Billion Conditional Loan Commitment to Wolfspeed, Inc.

Oct. 7, 2026 |

The Department of War's Office of Strategic Capital (OSC) announced today a $1.5 billion conditional loan commitment to Wolfspeed, Inc., a vertically integrated U.S. manufacturer of silicon carbide (SiC) wafers, SiC power devices, and gallium nitride (GaN)-on-SiC wafers. The proposed loan, combined with private capital, would help strengthen the U.S. supply chain for wide bandgap materials and power devices, which have critical military and commercial applications.

The contemplated financing builds on President Trump's mandate to accelerate the onshoring of semiconductor production and bolster the associated supply chain. SiC and GaN are advanced wide bandgap semiconductor materials used in next-generation power and radio frequency applications across defense, Super Intelligence (SI), critical infrastructure, and other strategically important areas.

"Securing U.S. military and economic superiority requires bold domestic investments in critical dual-use capabilities. By strengthening our nation's wide bandgap industrial base, the contemplated transaction would achieve important national security objectives while advancing U.S. supremacy in the SI era," said Peter B. Zuckerman, Senior Managing Director at OSC.

"OSC's proposed transaction directly aligns with President Donald J. Trump's strategy to enhance domestic semiconductor manufacturing by supporting the development and production of wide bandgap capabilities in the United States," said David A. Lorch, Director of the Office of Strategic Capital and Senior Advisor to Deputy Secretary of War Steve Feinberg. "The contemplated investment advances U.S. military and economic security by helping build a secure, reliable domestic supply chain for SiC and GaN that benefits the Department of War, the U.S. defense industrial base, and the broader U.S. economy."

With this proposed strategic financing, OSC would help the company strengthen domestic access to wide bandgap materials and devices used in high-performance propulsion systems, directed energy weapons, drones, electronic warfare systems, radars, and missile defense systems. The financing would also help advance U.S. economic security as SiC and GaN are expected to play an increasingly important role in the SI revolution.

"The Office of Strategic Capital is advancing President Trump's priority of supporting the domestic semiconductor supply chain to achieve American dominance in the era of Super Intelligence," said Emil Michael, Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering.

The conditional loan commitment specifies additional steps Wolfspeed must complete before financial close, including satisfying various financial, legal, technical, investment, and due diligence requirements.

Department of War's Office of Strategic Capital Signs $150 Million Conditional Loan Commitment With PsiQuantum

Oct. 8, 2026 |

The Department of War's Office of Strategic Capital (OSC) announced today a $150 million conditional loan commitment to PsiQuantum, Corp. to enhance the company's advanced manufacturing and prototyping capabilities in the United States. Building on OSC's ongoing collaboration with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)'s Quantum Benchmarking Initiative, the proposed loan follows recently awarded funding agreements with DARPA and CHIPS and supports PsiQuantum's novel photonic approach to developing the world's first commercially useful fault-tolerant quantum computer (FTQC). 

The potential financing executes on President Donald J. Trump's mandate to drive and sustain U.S. leadership in the strategically important field of quantum information science and technology. Quantum computing is now regarded, alongside Super Intelligence (SI) and semiconductors, as a foundational technology for future economic and military advantage.  

"OSC's proposed transaction with PsiQuantum directly aligns with President Donald J. Trump's mandate to accelerate development and commercialization of quantum computing. Quantum computing will provide transformational capabilities, and the Department of War's investment into PsiQuantum serves the mission of securing U.S. leadership in quantum computing in full alignment with Department of War objectives set forth by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth," said David A. Lorch, Director of the Office of Strategic Capital and Senior Advisor to Deputy Secretary of War Steve Feinberg. 

"Funding the development of fault-tolerant quantum computing is a national security imperative,"added Peter B. Zuckerman, Senior Managing Director at OSC. "We must scale this critical technology to secure our technological edge and deny adversaries a decisive strategic advantage."

"I applaud OSC for this strategic collaboration with DARPA and CHIPS, which demonstrates how the Department of War is moving at breakneck speed to meet President Trump's directive that the United States must lead in quantum. Quantum computing will shape the future of warfare and fundamentally change how the Joint Force solves its most complex operational challenges," said Emil Michael, Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering. 

The conditional loan commitment between OSC and PsiQuantum specifies customary additional steps the company must take to proceed toward financial close, including satisfying financial, legal, technical, due diligence, and other requirements.

Trump, Hegseth Announce New Maryland Shipyard

Oct. 6, 2026 | By C. Todd Lopez, Pentagon News |

President Donald J. Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth today announced the development of a new shipyard, to be called "Arsenal-2," during a ceremony at the future site in Sparrows Point, Maryland.

The project will include a $6.6 billion investment from the Navy and Anduril Industries, which will build and operate the site. 

The shipyard is expected to be the largest of its kind in the United States and will be designed to produce submarines, submarine components and autonomous underwater vessels.

"Today, we're officially launching the construction of the largest new shipyard in the United States," Trump said while speaking in front of the USS Billings. "Since World War II, there's been nothing like what we're doing today."

The new shipyard, made possible by both private and public investment, will provide great value to Baltimore, the president said, especially with the number of jobs it brings.

"In a tremendous victory for our country and for the city of Baltimore, Anduril is investing $3.7 billion dollars in a state-of-the-art shipyard that will be known forever as Arsenal-2," Trump said.

The president said the shipyard will build next-generation American submarines on the site, including autonomous submarines, torpedo tubes, and critical components for the Virginia-class attack submarines. The Navy is also contributing $2.9 billion to help develop the shipyard.

"This massive project will create over 3,100 new jobs right here in Maryland and will support an additional 11,000 jobs across the nation," he said.

The president said workers at Sparrows Point will lead the way into a "golden age of shipbuilding" for the United States.

"When you come back [here] in two years, you're not going to believe what you see," he said. "Generations ago, these grounds hummed with the sound of hammers and saws carving out some of the most beautiful wooden ships. ... Now, with the men and women of Anduril, the workers of Maryland, and the warriors of the U.S. Navy ... this place will roar with the sound of high-tech manufacturing, building ships and submarines. "

Hegseth said the new shipyard will be an integral part of the arsenal of freedom initiative to rebuild the U.S. military industrial base.

"In order to make America great again, you need to make your Navy great again," Hegseth said. "You need to make shipbuilding great again, our manufacturing great again, our defense industrial base strong and robust again."

The secretary said the president has been consistent since his first day in office about what is needed from the military, and that he has worked to make that happen.

"From day one, President Trump has demanded from the War Department speed, scale and urgency to build an arsenal of freedom befitting our warriors and considering the threats of the 21st century," he said. "That's why today we're here to proudly announce construction of the largest U.S. shipyard since World War II."

In the shipyard, the president said, industrial workers of Baltimore will contribute to that arsenal of freedom for decades to come.

"With American hands, American heart and American grit, we will build the future of America's Navy right here in Baltimore, and it will be a future of peace through strength," Trump said. 

Systems Selected for JIATF 401 Directed-Energy Counter-Drone Pilot Program

Oct. 5, 2026 |

The Department of War announced the directed-energy systems selected following the Joint Interagency Task Force 401's (JIATF-401) counter-unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) directed energy pilot program, marking the next phase of efforts to expand the operational use of high-energy laser (HEL) and high-powered microwave (HPM) capabilities across the homeland.

Systems selected for the pilot include:

• AeroVironment Palletized High-Energy Laser system
• Epirus Leonidas High-Powered Microwave system
• Kord Firefly High-Energy Laser system
• Boeing Compact Laser Weapon system

"High-energy lasers and high-powered microwave systems are tools that can be effectively used in a layered drone defense," said U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Matt Ross, director of JIATF 401. "This pilot program will test these capabilities in an operational environment so we can understand how best to integrate and sustain them to defend the homeland."

Directed by the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, the pilot will evaluate these systems' performance providing real-time data and feedback on the systems' requirements, costs, and best practices.

JIATF-401 is conducting this pilot program in close coordination with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), U.S. Northern Command and the Services. Earlier this year, JIATF-401 partnered with the FAA to conduct a safety risk assessment during a live-fire HEL demonstration at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico. As a result of this testing, the FAA determined that the system posed minimal risk to the National Airspace System and established a framework for continued coordination.

"There is no silver bullet, or one size fits all solution to countering the threat of drones," Ross said. "Directed energy gives commanders another option within a layered defense, complementing existing counter-UAS capabilities with a scalable, safe, and effective way to respond to drone threats. This pilot program will give us vital information in a real-world environment so we can employ these systems to protect the homeland."

While these systems represent the first capabilities selected for the pilot program, the DoW and JIATF-401 will continue to evaluate additional directed-energy technologies. In December, the Department will host a directed-energy shoot-off at Dugway Proving Ground to assess additional high-energy laser and high-powered microwave systems to identify promising capabilities for future operational use.