Caudle Nominated to Be Next Navy CNO

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ADM Daryl Caudle has been nominated to be the next chief of naval operations, nearly four months after the firing of ADM Lisa Franchetti with no explanation, reports The Hill. Caudle, the head of US Fleet Forces in Norfolk, VA, would replace ADM James Kilby, vice chief of naval operations who stepped in to serve as the acting chief of naval operations in February.

Marine Corps GEN Christopher Mahoney has been nominated to be the next vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, reports ExecutiveGov. His nomination has been sent to the Senate Armed Services Committee. Navy ADM Christopher Grady currently serves as the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

DefSec Pete Hegseth said Sunday, America “does not seek war” with Iran in the aftermath of a surprise attack on three of that country’s nuclear sites early Sunday morning in Iran (Saturday evening in Washington). Military.com reports the Pentagon briefing did not provide any new details about Iran’s nuclear capabilities.

The US State Department began evacuating nonessential diplomats and their families from the US embassy in Israel last week as hostilities between Israel and Iran intensify, reports Military.com.

NavSec John Phalen said the service has reached its fiscal 2025 recruiting goal three months early, reports Navy Times. Phelan made the announcement in a post on X. The Navy has recruited 40,600 future sailors.

The Air Force had to reduce its target recruiting goal by several thousand airmen due to ongoing congressional budget delays but is still on pace to hit its newly revised benchmark, reports Military.com. Chief Master Sgt. Frank Rawls, top recruiter for the Air Force, said the service is “96%” of the way to its active-duty goal of 29,950 airmen with expectations it will hit that number by the end of June, roughly three months ahead of schedule.

Lockheed Martin and Boeing are positioning themselves to secure a significant share of US’ Golden Dome missile defense system, reports Reuters on MSN. Golden Dome is projected to cost up to $175 billion and aims to create a network of satellites, perhaps numbering in the hundreds, to detect, track, and potentially intercept incoming missiles.

President Trump officially nominated Space Force GEN Michael Guetlein to serve as “direct reporting program manager for Golden Dome for America,” reports SpaceNews. The nomination elevates Guetlein from his current role as vice chief of space operations — the Space Force’s second-ranking officer — to lead what Trump has described as one of his administration’s top national security priorities. Live Science says here’s everything to know about Trump’s missile defense plan.

Reps. Jeff Crank (R-CO) and Dale Strong (R-AL) have launched the House Golden Dome Caucus to advocate for the missile shield, reports C4ISRNET. The caucus will serve as an educational clearinghouse for members and staff to engage with civilian and military leadership, industry partners, think tanks, and others in relation to the initiative.

A SpaceX Starship launch vehicle exploded last week during a preflight procedure at Starbase in Texas as the company tested its upper stage, reports UPI News. In a post on X, company CEO Elon Musk called it “just a scratch.”

The Defense Department has canceled its multibillion-dollar Global Household Goods contract, reports Federal News Network. This brings an end to a years-long effort that was intended to overhaul the management structure of the system that’s used to move service members’ belongings from one duty station to another. The up-to-$17.9 billion contract with HomeSafe Alliance was terminated for cause after HomeSafe’s “demonstrated inability to fulfill their obligations and deliver high quality moves to service members.”

A new US Navy initiative will help expand work opportunities for sailors unable to deploy by placing them in shore billets that suit their unique expertise, reports Navy Times. The EMPLOY program will place sailors who are dealing with injury or serious illness into positions that match their rank, and which would otherwise be gapped.

Karen Brazell has been tapped to serve as the next Veterans Affairs under secretary for benefits, reports Marine Corps Times. Brazell will be the senior advisor in charge of processing and management for nearly $200 billion in financial aid to millions of veterans. Brazell would be the permanent replacement to Josh Jacobs, who stepped down from the role at the start of the new administration in January. White House officials also nominated Alan Boehme to serve as assistant secretary of Veterans Affairs for information and technology.

The Maryland Defense Forum was held last week in Baltimore. “Yesterday’s facilities,” an unstable workforce, and broadband and other digital infrastructure were among the state’s base commanders’ worries, reports Defense One. “Essentially, we’re fighting tomorrow’s wars with yesterday’s facilities, and we need to fix that,” BRIG GEN Andrew W. Collins, assistant adjutant general of the Maryland Army National Guard, told attendees.

The Maryland Department of Commerce has awarded grants totaling $6.95 million through the Build Our Future Grant Pilot Program, reports The Daily Record. The 10 recipients represent projects that will support innovation infrastructure development in “eligible technology sectors,” ranging from manufacturing, to aerospace, to agriculture, to artificial intelligence and more.

Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland, College Park are suing the US Defense Department over an attempt to slash indirect cost rates to 15% for research funded by the DoD, reports CBS News Baltimore. They are joined by 10 other plaintiffs in the lawsuit. In a memo issued June 14, DoD announced plans to cap the amount paid for indirect costs awarded on all research grants to 15%. According to the lawsuit, UMD currently has a 56% indirect costs rate, and JHU has a 55% rate. Indirect costs are resources used for operational expenses that are related to research activities.

Cybernews researchers said that billions of login credentials have been leaked and compiled into datasets online, giving criminals “unprecedented access” to accounts consumers use each day, reports The Hill. That includes user passwords for a range of platforms including Google, Facebook, and Apple.

Leonard Glenn “Fat Leonard” Francis is asking that his 15-year sentence for bribery be overturned, reports Military.com. The contractor said that a San Diego federal judge violated his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination and ignored his poor health that should have resulted in a shorter prison term. He was found guilty of bribery, conspiracy to commit bribery, and conspiracy to defraud the US out of at least $35 million.

US sailors and Marines teamed with troops from the Latvian Army this month to turn a clearing in the woods into a network of trenches designed specifically to survive attacks from drones, reports Task & Purpose. During exercises in Latvia, combat engineers are testing how to stay protected from small, deadly quadcopters.

Two US Army soldiers deployed to the Middle East in support of Operation Inherent Resolve died last week in non-combat incidents, reports Army Times. Staff Sgt. Saul Fabian Gonzalez, 26, of Pullman, MI, died June 17 in Erbil, Iraq. Sgt. 1st Class Emmett Wilfred Goodridge Jr., 40, of Roseville, MN, died June 15 in Camp Buehring, Kuwait.

Contracts:

The MITRE Corp., Bedford, Massachusetts, has been awarded a $101,086,925 cost-reimbursement, ceiling increase contract modification (P00063) to a previously awarded contract (FA8702-19-C-0001) for support to the Air Force as the administrator of the National Security Engineering Center Federally Funded Research and Development Center. This modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $5,280,644,705 from $5,179,557,780. Work will be performed at Bedford, Massachusetts; McLean, Virginia; and other various locations within and outside the continental US, and is expected to be completed by Sept. 30, 2028. This modification involves Foreign Military Sales to various countries under the basic contract. No funding will be obligated at the time of award as this is a ceiling increase action only. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts, is the contracting activity.

Agile Decision Sciences LLC, Huntsville, Alabama, has been awarded a $29,254,675 option exercise modification (P00023) to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract, HS0021-22-C-0004, for the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA). This modification exercises option period three to continue to provide DCSA Cybersecurity Support Services. Work will be performed at Quantico, Virginia, with an estimated completion of June 28, 2027 (with options). Fiscal 2025 DCSA defense wide working capital funds in the amount of $20,919,749 and fiscal 2025 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $8,334,926 were obligated at the time of award. The cumulative face value of the contract to date is $175,293,693. DCSA Contracting and Procurement Office, Quantico, Virginia, is the contracting activity.