Overview
- The Pentagon says the baseline architecture is established and Gen. Michael Guetlein’s implementation plan is under review, with a classified House Armed Services briefing reportedly planned this week.
- The initial $25 billion appropriation lacks an approved spending blueprint that was due in late August and is now expected in December from Deputy Secretary Steve Feinberg.
- A 43-day government shutdown slowed hiring and contract approvals, and the program office has not met its staffing goal after losing a key technical director.
- Prospective contractors are balking at bearing heavy upfront costs for space-based interceptors as the Pentagon outlines prize-pool competitions requiring four interceptor variants and on-orbit tests.
- Industry officials warn key awards may slip past an internal Dec. 31 target, a delay they say could raise costs and further imperil the administration’s 2028 protection timeline.