Artificial intelligence changes conflict, says DepDefSec Robert Work about the nature of war. Breaking Defense quotes Mr. Work, “The nature of war is all about a collision of will, fear, uncertainty, and chance. You have to ask yourself, how does fear play out in a world when a lot of the action is taking place between unmanned systems?”

A group of Democratic senators asked the FBI to investigate an alleged cyberattack on the Federal Communications Commission, writing, “This particular attack may have denied the American people the opportunity to contribute to what is supposed to be a fair and transparent process, which in turn may call into question the integrity of the FCC’s rulemaking proceedings,” reports The Hill.

 The $110 billion Saudi arms deal President Donald Trump brought home from Saudi Arabia could include the THAAD missile defense system and new coastal patrol ships for Saudi Arabia, defensetech.org reports. Both the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense anti-missile system, which the US is now setting up in South Korea, and the Multi-Mission Surface Combatant are developed by Lockheed Martin.

High school graduation season is already a busy time for military recruiters, reports Military Times. Recruiters believe Trump’s effort to increase military spending by $54 billion could lead to higher foot traffic in their offices.

Bipartisan senators introduce Hack the Department of Homeland Security Act to establish a DHS bug bounty in the mold of the Pentagon competitions.  The Pentagon has been repeatedly hacked — and officials have been pleased with the results of the sanctioned bug bounty programs, reports FCW.

Suspected drug thefts persist at Veterans Affairs hospitals, reports Military Times. There are 108 open cases involving theft and unauthorized drug use, up from last year.

The bomb that exploded Wednesday morning in Kabul, Afghanistan, was concealed in a water delivery truck outside the offices of a major local cellphone company and a popular TV station. It hit about 400 yards from the German Embassy in one of the busiest parts of town, near big supermarkets and shops. CNN’s updating report and video here.

Governments across the world are pushing tighter fuel-efficiency standards, Bloomberg reports on how technology is impacting how efficiencies are to be accomplished. And on pressure on regulators to toughen standards in the wake of the diesel-emissions cheating by Volkswagen and similar accusations against other automakers.

President Donald Trump is on again off again with a decision on the US remaining a part of the Paris climate pact, reports Politico.

AP reports the president is giving his unsecured cellphone number to world leaders, in defiance of diplomatic protocol and a security risk.

The White House says Trump’s agenda is “moving full steam ahead,” reports The Washington Times, despite frustration with the pace of Congress and the president’s tweet earlier in the day urging the Senate to abolish the filibuster.

Mike Dubke, President Trump’s communications director, has resigned, reports Politico.  The veteran GOP strategist privately announced his resignation in a meeting with the president May 18, and Trump accepted immediately, Mr. Dubke said in an interview. He added that he offered to stay through Trump’s first foreign trip to ensure there was a smooth transition as he exited.

Former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski says he’d consider taking the now open communications job, reports The Washington Times. “If they want me to be helpful on the inside, I’d be willing to consider that. But the most important thing is you have to have people who surround the president who are on his agenda,” Mr. Lewandowski said on Fox News.

Contracts:

Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Linthicum Heights, Maryland, has been awarded a $243,873,277 predominantly fixed-price contract with cost-plus-fixed fee and fixed-price incentive portions for 72 Active Electronically Scanned Array radars, spares and support services. Work will be performed at Linthicum Heights, Maryland, and is expected to be complete by Jan. 31, 2019. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition with one offer received. Fiscal 2016 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $30,714,025 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8615-17-C-6047).

M1 Support Services, Denton, Texas, has been awarded a $9,288,908 modification (P00062) to previously awarded contract FA8106-13-C-0008 for C-21 contractor logistics support. Contractor will provide organizational and depot level maintenance, data, contractor operated and maintained base supply, and modification design and installation support. It also includes launch and recovery of the C-21 aircraft at their main operating bases and any other deployment operating locations worldwide. Work will be performed at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland; Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado; Ramstein Air Base, Germany; Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, and locations worldwide. Work is expected to be complete by May 31, 2018. Fiscal 2017 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $9,288,908 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, is the contracting activity (FA8106-13-C-0008).

Carahsoft Technology Corp., Reston, Virginia, was awarded a $28,208,594 modification (BA0114) to contract N00104-08-A-ZF43 to provide brand name commercial system application and products software, tightly integrated third-party software, and software maintenance. Work will be performed in Fort Belvoir, Virginia, with an estimated completion date of May 31, 2018. Fiscal 2017 operations and maintenance (Army); other; research, development, test, and evaluation; and other procurement (Army) funds in the combined amount of $10,086,168 were obligated at the time of the award. US Army Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, is the contracting activity.

Six3 Advanced Systems Inc., Dulles, Virginia, was awarded a $10,539,652 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to design, develop, and validate system prototypes for a combined-arms squad, which combines humans and unmanned assets, ubiquitous communications and information, and advanced capabilities in all domains to maximize squad performance in increasingly complex operational environments. Bids were solicited via the Internet with one received. Work will be performed in Dulles, Virginia; Blacksburg, Virginia; Herndon, Virginia; Falls Church, Virginia; and Monrovia, California, with an estimated completion date of May 31, 2019. Fiscal 2016 and 2017 research, development, test, and evaluation funds in the combined amount of $6,645,986 were obligated at the time of the award. US Army Contracting Command, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, is the contracting activity (W911NF-17-C-0010).

Metron Inc., Reston, Virginia, is being awarded an $8,399,965 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for software and training material development in support of Executable Architecture Management System. The scope of this contract includes the full spectrum of architecture, mission engineering analysis, interoperability assessments, systems engineering, modeling, simulation and assessment support services. This contract contains options, which if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to an estimated $25,867,434. Work will be performed in San Diego, California, and is expected to be completed in May 2018. If options are exercised, work could continue until May 2020. Fiscal 2017 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funding in the amount of $220,000 will be obligated at the time of award. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured and was awarded as a sole-source acquisition under the authority of Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1(a)(2) – only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. The Space and Naval Warfare System Command, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity (N00039-17-C-0006).

Agile Defense Inc., Reston, Virginia,, has been awarded a $30,688,418 modification to previously awarded task order HR0011-15-F-0002 for unclassified information technology services. The modification brings the total cumulative value of the contract to $95,211,174 from $64,522,755. Work will be performed in Arlington, Virginia, with an expected completion date of June 8, 2018. Fiscal 2017 research and development funds in the amount of $14,364,965 are being obligated at time of award. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity.