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Federal AI & Tech Digest: Wednesday, Oct 7, 2026
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White House & Executive Action
US Justice Dept tells staff to call AI 'super intelligence' under Trump order
(1 minute read) In a Tuesday memo, Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter told Justice Department employees to use "super intelligence" and "SI" in place of AI "to the maximum extent permitted by law" in public communications, policy documents and other official records, and said the directive "shall extend to court filings when appropriate." It's the first reported department-level rollout of the Sept 29 executive order (EO 14434) mandating the rebrand. The order doesn't require changing existing regulations, contracts or grants, but vendors should expect the new terminology to start showing up in agency documents and solicitations.
Congress & Legislation
Democrat rolls out AI liability proposal
(1 minute read) Rep. Lori Trahan (D-Mass.) is circulating draft legislation, the CLAIM Act, that would make it easier for third parties to sue AI developers when their agents cause harm and would clarify questions of intent around AI agents' conduct. It's a direct response to this year's rogue AI agent hack of Hugging Face, and it would set a federal floor rather than preempt state laws. Trahan has worked with Rep. Jay Obernolte (R-Calif.) on frontier AI rules, so this gives the House its own agent-liability vehicle alongside the Senate's Hawley-Murphy AI Agent Accountability Act.
Acquisition & Contracts
Army awards Anduril contract worth up to $1.8B over five years to expand NGC2
(3 minute read) Anduril won a five-year contract worth up to $1.8 billion to expand the Army's Next Generation Command and Control (NGC2) ecosystem, starting with a $162.8 million base period to extend NGC2's common data layer to I Corps, the Pacific-focused corps that commands four divisions. The Army picked Anduril's Lattice-based data layer over Lockheed Martin's in June, after the two built parallel systems for nearly a year, and III Armored Corps began receiving NGC2's basic layers in September. NGC2 is how the Army plans to plug sensors, AI programs and weapons from many vendors into one network, so it's now the main on-ramp for third-party software into Army command and control.
'Hallelujah': Stakeholders react with praise and concern to GSA AI acquisitions clause
(5 minute read) What's new since last week's coverage of GSA's AI data-safeguarding clause: reactions from the groups that commented on it. They welcomed the removal of "unbiased AI principles" from most of the clause ("Hallelujah," said GWU procurement law dean Jessica Tillipman), and the Center for Democracy & Technology said the scaled-back version will have "significantly fewer harmful effects." But contractors must still provide documentation and testing methods tied to those principles on request, and the government "reserves the right" to evaluate models for "unsolicited ideological content," which EFF's Corynne McSherry called "somewhat alarming." The Alliance for Digital Innovation says some areas could still keep tech companies out of the federal market, and the clause becomes mandatory Oct 19.
New federal contracting proposals could change who controls intellectual property
(8 minute read) The FAR Council's second batch of four FAR overhaul proposed rules is open for comment until Oct 19, and Professional Services Council President Stephanie Kostro says the data-rights rule (FAR Case 2026-011) is "a massive change." It replaces FAR 27.4 with a Defense Department–style technical data and software framework for noncommercial buys and creates a new FAR 27.5 regime for commercial software and technical data, which brings DOD's approach into civilian agencies. The package also raises domestic content requirements from 65% to 75% in 2029 and routes Buy American waivers through the White House Made in America Office, so software and AI vendors selling to civilian agencies should review their data-rights terms before the deadline.
Air Force Research Laboratory permanently deletes $10B vehicle
(2 minute read) In a Monday SAM.gov notice, AFRL said it's scrapping its potential $10 billion multiple-award contract for unclassified science and technology support for good, after canceling it in January and reviving it in May. The lab said a single enterprise IDIQ "would introduce administrative friction and timelines" that don't match its delivery goals. Instead it will use commercial solutions openings, pitch days, modular prototyping agreements, other transactions, SBIR/STTR Phase III awards and discipline-specific vehicles, which shifts AFRL research work toward faster, smaller awards rather than one big contract.
DHS kicks its network, cloud and cyber consolidation vehicle down the road
(1 minute read) DHS said in a Monday notice that it's revising the schedule for its Network, Cloud, and Cyber Services 2.0 (NCCS 2.0) contract, which was meant to release a final solicitation Oct 1, take bids Oct 6 and Oct 21, and award in late November. NCCS 2.0 would fold network infrastructure, cloud and platform services, and cybersecurity IT service management across the department into one contract instead of buying them component by component. Incumbents on the legacy pieces include Leidos, General Dynamics and Peraton, and Leidos keeps running the core network security operations center under a short-term bridge order for now.
Defense & National Security
Bonnie Evangelista to lead drone buying on Pentagon's new DRPM-UxS team
(2 minute read) Bonnie Evangelista, a former acting deputy chief digital and AI officer who helped found the Pentagon's Tradewinds Solutions Marketplace for commercial AI, is now leading procurement for the Direct Reporting Portfolio Manager for Unmanned Systems (DRPM-UxS), sources told DefenseScoop. Her LinkedIn profile says she is "leading acquisition transformation for DRPM-UxS and laying the foundation for the Autonomous Warfare Command." The office, now run by Owen West, is meant to be the military's acquisition engine for drones and counter-drone systems, and her background suggests it will lean on marketplace-style, fast commercial buying. The Pentagon didn't respond to questions about her role.
⚠️ Exclusive: Striveworks lands $9.75M contract with US Army Europe and Africa
(3 minute read) Striveworks says it won a $9.75 million award to support Task Force RAVEN, the Army's effort to put AI agents to work in European operations. Soldiers will use its Chariot Forge software for intelligence assessments, target validation and fire-support coordination, "with human review and authorization built into the process." The order falls under the $70 million multiyear Army enterprise agreement Striveworks won less than six months ago, so it's an early sign of agentic AI moving into theater-level intelligence and targeting work.
Pentagon picks 4 vendors for counter-drone directed energy pilot program
(2 minute read) The Pentagon picked AeroVironment (Palletized HEL), Epirus (Leonidas high-powered microwave), Kord (Firefly HEL) and Boeing (Compact Laser Weapon System) for a pilot that tests lasers and microwaves against drones inside the U.S. The pilot was ordered by the FY2026 NDAA and is run by the Army-led JIATF-401 with the FAA and U.S. Northern Command, after a February mix-up over a counter-drone laser closed airspace around El Paso. JIATF-401 will hold a "shoot off" in December where systems that perform well could be bought on the spot, and it will keep evaluating other directed energy systems.
Civilian Agency Initiatives
CBP reaches 1 billion verified traveler identities with facial biometrics
(3 minute read) CBP said Monday it has used facial biometrics to verify more than 1 billion travelers and has caught more than 600,000 overstays and 2,300 impostors since 2018. The technology handles arrivals at every U.S. airport with reported accuracy above 98%, plus exit processing at 66 airports and 42 seaports, and DHS's Science and Technology Directorate has tested pedestrian-exit systems from NEC and from Paravision and AiFi at Texas's Progreso International Bridge. With $673 million from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act for biometric entry-exit, expect more buying for pedestrian and vehicle lanes. CBP says it deletes photos of U.S. citizens within 12 hours.
FAA taps 19 companies for drone integration research
(3 minute read) The FAA awarded $12 million to 19 companies under its UAS Broad Agency Announcement program to test technologies for safely integrating drones into the National Airspace System, working through FAA-designated test sites under the Unleashing American Drone Dominance executive order. Projects include General Atomics' ground-based detect-and-avoid systems, ANRA Technologies' AI tools to identify drone types and link drone traffic networks with airport air traffic systems, and DroneUp's method for confirming a drone's identity and clearance to fly. The results will feed the FAA's plans for drone traffic management, cargo drones and air taxis.
AI Safety, Security & Incidents
FBI removes Accenture contractor after missed security patch led to breach
(2 minute read) The FBI removed a contractor working for Accenture after a missed Oracle PeopleSoft patch let the ShinyHunters cybercrime group steal data on bureau employees. The stolen data included home addresses, phone numbers, spouses' information, intelligence and surveillance roles, and medical details. FBI cyber chief Brett Leatherman said the breach came from "a security failure of a platform managed by a third-party organization" after a contractor "failed to implement a security patch explicitly issued to secure the platform." Accenture handles patch management and custom code at the FBI, and the case is likely to increase scrutiny of how agencies oversee contractors' patching, given the counterintelligence risk to employees on sensitive cases.
Industry & Vendor News
White House, Anduril announce plans for new 'software-defined' shipyard to help build attack submarines
(5 minute read) The Navy awarded Anduril a contract worth up to $2.9 billion, and the company will put in $3.7 billion of its own money, for a total $6.6 billion investment in Arsenal-2, a shipyard on a 187-acre site at Tradepoint Atlantic in Baltimore County. Arsenal-2 will build Virginia-class submarine parts for Electric Boat and Newport News Shipbuilding, with initial operations expected in 2030. Anduril's ArsenalOS software will connect fabrication, inspection and documentation with digital work instructions and automation, and the White House says the project will create 13,000-plus direct and indirect jobs. Together with the NGC2 award, it was a big day for a company best known for drones and AI software.
⚠️ ConductorAI secures APFIT award to support the Defense Intelligence Agency
(3 minute read) ConductorAI says it was selected for a Pentagon Accelerate the Procurement and Fielding of Innovative Technologies (APFIT) award to deploy its Conduit agentic AI platform at DIA. The company calls it DIA's first APFIT award and one of the program's first pure-software awards, and it didn't disclose the dollar value. Conduit encodes policy and tradecraft into auditable decision workflows for document approvals, export-control compliance, security classification, foreign military sales and intelligence sharing with partners, and the award shows APFIT production money starting to flow to agentic AI software.
Upcoming Deadlines
- Today, Oct 7, 10 a.m. ET: VA enterprise AI RFI responses due, reminder (Washington Technology)
- Today, Oct 7, 11 a.m. ET: Registration closes for CISA's Strategic Cyber Tools Buy virtual industry day on Oct 20, with up to three people per company. The notice says "2027," which looks like a typo, so verify on SAM.gov (FedOps copy of the GSA notice)
- Oct 12: Registration closes for ARPA-H's Oct 15 SURPASS informational webinar, reminder (ARPA-H)
- Oct 13, 11:59 p.m. ET: Comments due on NIST's National Vulnerability Database RFI, reminder (Federal Register)
- Oct 15: Federal Highway Administration RFI for an AI-enabled traffic incident response system, reminder; verify on SAM.gov (Settle)
- Oct 16: VA Microsoft enterprise agreement alternatives RFI and ICE agentic software factory RFI responses due, reminder (Washington Technology, FedScoop)
- Oct 19: Comments due on the FAR overhaul's second batch of proposed rules, including the data-rights rule, FAR Case 2026-011 (Federal News Network)
- Oct 19: GSA AI data-safeguarding clause becomes mandatory, reminder (FedScoop)
- Oct 28: Registration closes for ARPA-H's Nov 6 SURPASS Proposers' Day, reminder (ARPA-H)
- ~Oct 30: DRPM-UxS plan of action and milestones for the Autonomous Warfare Command due to Hegseth, reminder (GovConWire)
- ~Nov 28: The White House science adviser's proposed legislative language for a federal definition of "Super Intelligence" is due to the President, 60 days after EO 14434 (EO 14434)
- Nov 30: ARPA-H SURPASS solution summaries due, reminder (ARPA-H)
- December: JIATF-401 directed energy "shoot off," where well-performing counter-drone systems could be bought on the spot (Breaking Defense)
Upcoming Events
- AUSA Annual Meeting, Oct 12–14, Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington, D.C. NGC2, FASCOM and Army autonomy will be front and center.
- IEEE MILCOM 2026, Oct 12–16, National Capital Region. Military communications with AI, quantum and cyber tracks.
- ACT-IAC Cybersecurity Summit 2026, Oct 14, in person. Proactive cyber defense and evolving federal security standards.
- ARPA-H SURPASS informational webinar, Oct 15. For teams pursuing the AI clinical-trials program; register by Oct 12.
- Google Public Sector Summit, Oct 20, Washington, D.C. Gemini for Government and agentic AI ahead of the Nov 15 OneGov deadline.
- CISA Strategic Cyber Tools Buy virtual industry day, Oct 20, 9 a.m. ET, Google Meet. CISA's vision and current requirements for its cyber tools buy; registration closes today.
- FedInsider Innovation Summit 2026: AI Dominates the Landscape, Oct 21, Ritz-Carlton, Washington, D.C. Scaling AI, Zero Trust for AI and AI infrastructure.
- ACT-IAC Updates on Technology Advancements Forum 2026, Oct 30, Reston, Va. Frontier technology capabilities that are transforming government.
- ACT-IAC Service Delivery and Experience Summit, Nov 13. How AI is changing the design and delivery of government digital services.
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