Iran Praises Halt of USAID
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Iran praised President Donald Trump’s moves to freeze spending on foreign aid and maybe end the US Agency for International Development. AP News reports Iranian state media says the freeze in US foreign aid will halt funding for opponents of the Iran’s Shiite theocracy, pro-democracy activists, and others supported through US efforts to help democracy worldwide.
Trump on Tuesday suggested that displaced Palestinians in Gaza be “permanently” resettled outside the war-torn territory and proposed the US take “ownership” in redeveloping the war-torn territory. Military.com reports Trump outlined his thinking as he held talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the first foreign official invited to the White House in Trump’s second term.
El Salvador has agreed to house violent US criminals and receive deportees of any nationality, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Monday, reports CNN. Rubio said on Tuesday the arrangement raises clear legal issues but described it as “very generous” and said Trump would make a decision on whether to move forward with it, according to Military.com.
The US Marine Corps has passed its audit for a second year while the rest of the DoD is still working toward that goal. Defense News reports the Pentagon, in its seventh year conducting a full audit, has not yet passed and has until FY28 to obtain a clean opinion from the inspector general as mandated by Congress.
Soldiers and Marines were sent to Naval Station Guantanamo Bay amid Trump’s immigration crackdown and plans to use the installation for detention of migrants who entered the US illegally, reports Military.com. There were 310 service members at Guantanamo Bay supporting the detention mission as of Monday. A flight of 10 migrants were flown to the island on Tuesday to be held in the same facility as suspected terrorists imprisoned over the past two decades, reports Military.com. Officials only described the individuals as “high-threat” migrants with criminal records, and said they would be separated from the terrorism suspects.
Patrol and Reconnaissance wings 10 and 11 are conducting intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions on the southern border, a Navy official confirmed to USNI News on Monday. The two air wings, based out of Whidbey Island, WA, and Jacksonville, FL, are conducting P-8 flights. Right now, the squadrons involved are VP-45 and VP-46, but they will likely rotate.
Cybersecurity experts are concerned Elon Musk and employees from DOGE could be creating new cybersecurity vulnerabilities for malicious hackers to exploit. Chief concerns, Cyperscopp reports, are DOGE efforts to access the Treasury’s payment system controlling congressionally mandated spending programs like Social Security.
The nation’s top defense contractors are positioning themselves to capitalize on a new missile defense initiative announced by the Trump administration. Executives from Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and L3Harris told Wall Street analysts last week that they are well-equipped to support the administration’s push for a “next-generation missile defense shield,” reports Space News.
The Navy’s podded Infrared Search And Track System planned for its F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fighters, has “demonstrated significant reliability problems during operational testing,” according to the Pentagon. The War Zone reports, ASG-34A(V)1 IRST Block II, seen as a key part of the Navy’s ability to retain its air-to-air advantage over potential adversaries, was first flown on a Super Hornet in late 2019 but has struggled with delays caused by production quality issues with the system.
The F-35 fighter program continues to struggle with meeting test milestones and mission readiness goals, but progress is being made on both fronts, according to the latest report from the Pentagon’s test director and comments from the Joint Program Office and Lockheed Martin, reports Air & Space Forces Magazine. “The F-35 program has shown no improvement in meeting schedule and performance timelines for developing and testing software designed to address deficiencies and add new capabilities,” according to the latest report from the Pentagon, released in late January.
The Army is set establish 10 additional basic training units across Fort Leonard Wood, MO, and Fort Sill, OK, dramatically expanding how many new recruits it can send to basic training, riding the momentum of reversing a recruiting slump. The additions would allow the Army to train up to 9,600 new recruits per year.
The US Military Academy has banned organizations centered primarily on ethnic and gender affiliation as part of what it says is compliance with the effort to end diversity, equity and inclusion programs in government, reports Stars and Stripes. The move, outlined in a memorandum issued Tuesday by West Point, told 12 campus clubs to immediately shut down all activities, formal and informal.
The Air Force is not shutting down its equal opportunity programs, it said in a new memo, distinguishing them from the department’s sweeping review of diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, reports Air & Space Forces Magazine. Acting Assistant Secretary for Manpower and Reserve Affairs Gwendolyn Defilippi wrote that the EEO and MEO programs are based on federal laws and regulations that prohibit discrimination in the workplace and thus are cleared to continue.
CAPT Justin Hodges, the commanding officer of the USS Gettysburg — the Navy ship whose crew shot down one of its own fighter jets in the Red Sea in late December — has finished out his tour on the ship and transferred off, reports Military.com. He was relieved as the commanding officer of the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser during an uncommon “at-sea” change of command ceremony on Jan. 30.
Senate lawmakers on Tuesday confirmed former Georgia congressman Doug Collins as the next Veterans Affairs secretary, putting a post-9/11 veteran into the cabinet post for the first time. Military Times reports Collins, 58, served in both the Navy and Air Force Reserve as a chaplain and deployed to Iraq as a member of the 94th Airlift Wing.
VA Acting Secretary Todd Hunter emailed all VA employees on Monday saying the VA would honor an offer for federal workers to be paid through Sept. 30 if they submit a “deferred resignation” by a Feb. 6 deadline. But Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) emailed that no federal funding has been authorized by Congress to actually pay for such resignations, and the government could not guarantee employees who take the deal would actually be paid through September. Also, job positions may no longer exist if employees change their minds, reports Military.com.
The VA will require thousands of department staffers to return to in-office work by the end of February, part of a government-wide effort to eliminate remote duty assignments launched during the COVID-19 pandemic. Military Times reports about 20% of VA’s 479,000 employees — nearly 96,000 individuals — currently have full-time or part-time telework arrangements.
The VA has dismissed its directors for the Center for Women Veterans and the Center for Minority Veterans, both political appointees from the Biden administration who had three years left on their six-year terms, reports Military.com. Air Force veteran Lourdes Tiglao, who led the Women’s Center, and Navy veteran James Albino, director of the Center for Minority Veterans, were let go last week.
Pentagon leaders last week revoked the DoD’s abortion access policy for troops, following an executive order cracking down on the use of taxpayer dollars for any abortion services, reports Military Times.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said he will pause all retaliatory measures against the United States after news broke that the threat of tariffs has been put on hold for a month. Earlier he said he was ripping up a contract with Elon Musk’s Starlink internet service in response to Trump’s sweeping tariffs on Canada, reports Military.com.
China said on Tuesday it would restrict exports of five metals used in defense, clean energy, and other industries in response to fresh US tariffs, refraining from the outright export bans Beijing has previously used against Washington, reports Reuters. However, China also announced on Tuesday a wide range of measures targeting US businesses including Google, farm equipment makers, and the owner of fashion brand Calvin Klein, minutes after new US tariffs on Chinese goods took effect. Beijing also slapped tariffs on US products such as coal, oil, and some autos.
Contracts:
Contrack Watts Inc., McLean, Virginia (N44255-21-D-5003); Manson Construction Co., Seattle, Washington (N44255-21-D-5004); Nova Group Inc., Napa, California (N44255-21-D-5005); R.E. Staite Engineering Inc., San Diego, California (N44255-21-D-5006); The Dutra Group, San Rafael, California (N44255-21-D-5007); Triton Marine Construction Group, Bremerton, Washington (N44255-21-D-5008); Western Marine Construction Inc., Seattle, Washington (N44255-21-D-5009); and McMillen Inc., Boise, Idaho (N44255-21-D-5010), are awarded a $86,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity modification to a previously-awarded contract. This modification increases the not-to-exceed ceiling capacity of a previously awarded contract for construction of piers, wharves, sea walls, docks, marinas, shore protection, dredging, and related utilities. This award brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $326,000,000. Work will be performed primarily within the Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) Northwest area of responsibility including Washington (92%), Oregon (2%), Alaska (2%), Idaho (1%), Montana (1%), and Wyoming (1%). Work may also be performed in the remainder of the US (1%), with an expected completion date of February 2026. No funding is being obligated as part of this modification. Funding will be provided by military construction and operations and maintenance, (Navy) funds upon issuance of task orders. NAVFAC Northwest, Silverdale, Washington, is the contracting activity.
Leidos Inc., Reston, Virginia, was awarded a $148,752,058 firm-fixed-price contract for Project Night Owl Managed Service Provider. This contract provides for managed services support including network, application, infrastructure, and security. Work will be performed at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma; and Northern Virginia, and is expected to be completed by Feb. 2, 2030. This contract was a competitive acquisition, and seven offers were received. Fiscal 2024 research and development funds in the amount of $23,746,321 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Lifecycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8600-25-C-9080).
BKM Prime AE JV JC LLC, Baltimore, Maryland (FA8903-25-D-0029); Blair Remy Merrick MP JV LLC, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (FA8903-25-D-0030); Chimborazo JV, Kennesaw, Georgia (FA8903-25-D-0031); Cyntergy-SLA JV, Wichita Falls, Texas (FA8903-25-D-0034); GM Hill Baker JV LLC, Jacksonville, Florida (FA8903-25-D-0032); JP Harvey-Stantec JV, Hampton, Virginia (FA8903-25-D-0033); and WJA Design Collaborative, Seattle, Washington (FA8903-25-D-0035), have been awarded a $49,000,000 ceiling, firm-fixed-price, multiple award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for Air Force Civil Engineer Center architect-engineering services. This contract provides for Title I, Title II, and other related architect-engineering services, for dormitory facilities. Work will be performed globally and is expected to be completed Feb. 2, 2030, if all options are exercised. These contracts were competitive acquisitions, and 17 offers were received. Fiscal 2025 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $17,500 ($2,500 per awardee) are being obligated at the time of award. The 772nd Enterprise Sourcing Squadron, Joint Base Lackland-San Antonio, Texas, is the contracting activity.
Definitive Logic Corp., Arlington, Virginia, was awarded a not-to-exceed $21,236,975 for program and budget enterprise systems (PBES) system integrator modernization support. This contract provides for system integration to manage customized commercial off-the-shelf software, modernization of the program, offering technical and engineering support, documenting the PBES System, delivering software configurations and reducing technical debt, operating a customer support desk, and training the user community. Work will be performed at the Pentagon, Washington, DC, and is expected to be completed by July 1, 2026. This contract was a sole source acquisition. Fiscal 2025 operation and maintenance funds in the amount of $1,409,879 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Lifecycle Management Center, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8770-25-C-B003).
Amentum Services Inc., Chantilly, Virginia, was awarded a $12,840,184 modification (P00008) to contract W58RGZ-25-C-0003 for global aviation maintenance services. Work will be performed in Fort Campbell, Kentucky; Fort Drum, New York; and Kuwait, with an estimated completion date of Nov. 30, 2025. Fiscal 2024 aircraft procurement, Army and 2025 operation and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $12,840,184 were obligated at the time of the award. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity.
