WT 360 is where the conversation takes place on what’s driving the federal government market now and where the sector is going. Editor-In-Chief Nick Wakeman and Senior Staff Reporter Ross Wilkers look at the market from all angles through interviews with industry executives and informed observers of the sector.
One fundamental change to how the government contracting ecosystem functions centers on technology development and fielding: all of that must happen quicker and on a different cadence than before. Steve Lefkowitz and Raj Kanodia, co-founders and leaders of Sagewind Capital, join for this episode to shed light on how the private equity firm’s portfolio companies have responded to that government-wide push for quicker and different forms of tech development and fielding. The handful of contractors owned by Sagewind have made technology core to their strategies and prioritize making decisions on what is often called an “OODA Loop” methodology. By Light, Sabel Systems, Sigma Defense and Tria Federal are in the Sagewind portfolio. Lefkowitz and Kanodia also provide our Ross Wilkers their perspectives on private capital trends in GovCon, plus homework for business leaders to do before looking for an investment partner like Sagewind. PSA: We are going on hiatus until mid-September. Keep a lookout for an announcement of our return with new episodes and conversations about the market from all angles. DOD’s move to ‘wartime footing’ demands new contracting models The military's acquisition reform push means 85% ready is good enough to start Shield AI closes $1.5B Series G round and moves on acquisition Aechelon lands Sagewind's backing By Light acquires another simulation, training tech outfit Sigma Defense acquires Aries Defense to boost tactical edge capabilities Sabel Systems expands space domain work with Centil acquisition Growth, legal and operations leadership moves across the market WT 360: Tria Federal and its pair of priority areas
Greg Barbaccia’s impending departure from the federal chief information officer role after 18 months in it is one of a handful of headline topics that got industry’s attention over the past six weeks. As NextGov/FCW’s executive editor, Jessie Bur captains a team of reporters who cover developments across the government landscape with an eye toward those that overlap with our areas of interest here at WT. Jessie joins Nick and Ross for this episode to take a tour around the world of Fed Tech news and happenings, starting with Barbaccia’s pending exit from government and ending with the CMMC security standard’s very murky future. Their discussion agenda also includes the GovExec news team’s sit-down discussion with Rep. James Walkinshaw (D-Virginia), whose district includes many federal employees and contractors. Artificial intelligence storylines and the OneGov technology acquisition program enter the chat too. Greg Barbaccia to leave federal CIO role at end of August HUD CIO tapped to lead Interior tech shop, people familiar say Interior CIO Paul McInerny exits position Transportation’s tech chief Pavan Pidugu to depart in September Inside the federal CIO’s culture-first approach Lawmaker warns of administration’s ‘fetishization’ of Silicon Valley startups Connolly's successor, James Walkinshaw, looks to carry on his IT and workforce legacy Energy expects $74M in annual savings from new AI and data tools AI, once relegated to helping hackers with certain tasks, can now power every stage of a cyberattack 7 tech companies commit to protect consumers from rising electricity prices Anthropic hires Teresa Carlson as public sector lead Anthropic held cyberthreat briefings with agency CIOs last month GSA is eyeing OneGov savings beyond software and tech, official says OneGov’s discounted deals are ‘a first step’ to longer-term contracts, officials say Nearly 3.4M users across government can use AI through OneGov, GSA official says CMMC suspension caught industry off guard, but the reasons did not Not again! CMMC's comprehensive review is déjà vu all over again DOD suspends CMMC Phase 2, launches 60-day ‘reform’ review
LMI touts itself as a provider of “commercial-grade, mission-ready technology” as a description of its goal to bring fast-moving technology into federal environments with strict requirements on security and other key matters. But how does LMI define that technology and how do they bring it forward to agencies? Alex Adamczyk – vice president of sales, engineering and rapid prototyping at Company No. 73 on our 2026 Top 100 – joins for this episode to answer those questions and more about LMI’s approach to innovation and integration. Culture is everything, to the point that LMI reorganized the company to emphasize that every employee plays a role in innovation. Adamczyk takes our Ross Wilkers through the company’s new structure to achieve that aim. Adamczyk also explains how the unique, bespoke nature of certain government problems does not necessarily prevent industry and agencies from embracing more commercial-like development and integration approaches. TOP 100: LMI's commercial tech approach hinges on the business model LMI promotes Wilson to chief executive How LMI incubated its own generative AI tool before going to market WT 360: LMI's logistics heritage also informs its present and future
If 2025 and 2026 have told us anything, it is that the government no longer sees the decades-long status quo of acquisition as acceptable anymore because the world is too different now. Matt Kasberg, chief executive of Company No. 73 on our 2026 Top 100, joins for this episode to explain how Odyssey Systems works with the defense acquisition community and provides an industry point-of-view on all the changes to that function of government. In Kasberg’s words, “acquisition is a warfighting function” and that requires a keen understanding of demand signals from operators. The Pentagon’s emphasis on speed and a different setup of decision authorities are part of the equation too, as Kasberg explains to our Ross Wilkers. How did Odyssey expand from 300 to 1,500 employees over a decade? Kasberg tells the growth story as one that required a mix of moves he calls “Stress and Stretch” and “New Horizons.” WT 360: Defense One's Lauren Williams on the new world order of acquisition Unveiling acquisition overhaul, Hegseth tells industry to get with the program DOD’s move to ‘wartime footing’ demands new contracting models The military's acquisition reform push means 85% ready is good enough to start DOD seeks industry feedback on acquisition reform push
By joining Constellis as CEO in February, Dan Gelston took the helm at a company with a vision of moving beyond a reactive security model to a more proactive and tech-enabled one. Gelston joins our Ross Wilkers for this episode to provide an update on the rollout of that strategy, which centers around integrating predictive analytics and other artificial intelligence-driven technologies into Constellis’ core business lines of training and risk management. “Guards, gates, guns and dogs” have long defined security operations over many decades. But as Gelston explains, that is no longer enough in a more complex world where adversaries also can use high-end tech. Gelston outlines what he believes the security perimeter can and should look like with technology complementing operators and helping them see more activity.
The 2026 Washington Technology Top 100 rankings are now live for everyone to use in their own research of the federal market’s largest technology and services contractors, plus the industry’s major overarching themes. For this episode, Nick and Ross huddle up to overview edition number 32 of WT’s flagship project that certainly does have an element of “Who’s Up and Who’s Down” to it. One question we posed in our breakdown of 2025’s rankings was whether 2026 would look noticeably different in light of the Trump administration’s cuts to contract spending and the federal workforce. The Department of Government Efficiency’s impact to the industry is real, but quantifying it is only part of the discussion about DOGE. Here are the other items for this episode’s discussion agenda: Consulting firms and resellers in today’s market Small businesses and their prospects True blue newcomers to the ranking, including Amazon SpaceX and its new era as a public company Introducing the 2026 Washington Technology Top 100 The 2026 Top 100 shows a market that bent, but did not break DOGE was government contracting's biggest story of 2025 — and it's not close WT 360: All about the paths forward for SAIC, Anthropic, resellers and 8(a) companies How consulting firms acquire to iterate, and sometimes reinvent themselves GSA wants answers from resellers about markups and equipment maker relationships CACI's outlook on the government's commercial acquisition push SAIC's CEO highlights mission IT, engineering work as priorities Oracle wins $396M federal HR systems overhaul contract How DHA plans to end Leidos’ run as the military's health record integrator GSA drops 'disadvantaged' from small business office name Small businesses face upheaval under the acquisition overhaul and agency cuts WT 360: Key points (and questions too) from Trump’s fixed-price contracting and AI orders Astrion hires former Sierra Space CEO Vice as new leader OMB seeks details from agencies on their commercial buying, or lack thereof SpaceX's S-1 lays out its government work and market ambitions SpaceX’s governance structure is built for one person: Elon Musk
The second Trump administration has outpaced the first one in terms of executive orders signed by the president, but this current tenure has put more focus on government contracting than before. Stephanie Kostro, president of the Professional Services Council, starts out this episode with Nick and Ross by providing historical context to that statement. Then the discussion turns to President Trump’s newest executive orders that focus on fixed-price contracts and artificial intelligence. Neither of those topics are new to the GovCon ecosystem, but executive orders bring them to the forefront like few other actions can. Kostro explains what contractors are looking to understand from those orders and how they likely will affect work with their customers. Also on the agenda: the Federal Acquisition Regulation overhaul, small businesses in today’s landscape and the Fiscal Year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act.
We have taken a deeper dive into the government market’s private investment landscape in recent weeks by hearing the viewpoints of a banker and then a venture capital specialist. Kirk Konert, managing partner at AE Industrial Partners, joins for this episode to continue the conversation by weighing in on private capital trends across the market and explaining what goes into aligning business decisions with the government priorities. AE Industrial is also at the heart of the investment action, which in recent months has included initial public offerings of two portfolio companies. Konert takes our Ross Wilkers through that process and the reasoning behind listing Firefly Aerospace and York Space Systems on the public markets. Konert also provides advice for company owners, founders and architects on how to go about their search for external capital partners. Knowing what you want going in is the starting point. WT 360: Defense tech investing is cool again, but can it stay that way? WT 360: A pulse check on GovCon’s capital market landscape AE Industrial Partners unveils its third investment fund Firefly captures $868M in IPO proceeds Firefly seeks software, defense growth with $855M SciTec acquisition York Space Systems raises $629M in public offering Anduril, X-Bow and York detail their newest space acquisitions York Space Systems to acquire terminal maker in $355M transaction York Space Systems to acquire solar cell maker L3Harris to sell majority ownership of space propulsion unit to AE Industrial
If it feels like investors everywhere have some curiosity about the defense tech landscape, then it’s because more of them both want to increase their knowledge and sometimes involvement in the ecosystem. Steve Brotman, founder and managing partner of the growth equity investment firm Alpha Partners, fits into that category as an observer and participant that works with venture capital firms to be involved in promising tech companies. Steve joins our Ross Wilkers for this episode to answer the questions laid out in the title, namely how it became cool again for investors to get involved with defense tech companies and markers that indicate how long this boom of interest could last. SpaceX’s initial public offering and corporate VC funds feature in the chat too. Also listen out for Steve’s tips and suggested homework for business leaders to do before venturing out into VC networks. US investors warm to Ukrainian defense startups—but export laws slow cooperation Budget would cut Pentagon research by one-third. Can industry compensate? Meet the startups trying to build military-specific AI Venture investing is part of the M&A conversation too The defense tech ecosystem gives investors many opportunities Public offerings put GovCon in a new spotlight as SpaceX's listing looms SpaceX's S-1 lays out its government work and market ambitions SpaceX’s governance structure is built for one person: Elon Musk SpaceX’s biggest risk factor might be Elon Musk Lockheed boosts its venture investment fund to $1B Booz Allen commits $400M to Andreessen Horowitz's late-stage fund Booz Allen gives big boost to its venture arm WT 360: For Lockheed's ventures team, its investments are merely step one WT 360: RTX Ventures casts its net wide and far across an expanding tech ecosystem WT 360: Booz Allen’s roadmap for collaborating with startups after an investment WT 360: SAIC Ventures’ methods for investing in and working with tech startups
The window for government contractors, especially those in defense and space technology, to go public is open again as several listings over the past 12 months show and SpaceX’s own offering this year will illustrate. Dave Khalsa, head of mid-cap defense and government technology investment banking at J.P. Morgan, works on transactions of many different types and observes all of them to help companies in the market figure it all out. In starting out this episode, Dave explains what all companies can take away from the handful of initial public offerings over the past 12 months and SpaceX’s listing. This is true of whether they plan to go down the IPO path or not. The rest of the conversation between Dave and our Ross Wilkers focuses on how government priorities shape merger-and-acquisition activities by companies under different ownership models, including private equity and venture capital. Public offerings put GovCon in a new spotlight as SpaceX's listing looms HawkEye 360's public offering hauls in $416M AEVEX fetches $320M in IPO proceeds Firefly captures $868M in IPO proceeds York Space Systems raises $629M in public offering Merlin Labs’ public offering collects $200M to build an AI autopilot for any aircraft L3Harris to spin off its rocket motor business with the Pentagon as an anchor investor AeroVironment's tech and business blueprints with BlueHalo now in the fold Veritas Capital's ninth fund grows to $15.3B OceanSound Partners hauls in $3.4B for third fund Arlington Capital fetches $6B for its seventh fund Government equity investments open a new frontier for industry Venture investing is part of the M&A conversation too Anduril hauls in $5B for Series H round Shield AI closes $1.5B Series G round and moves on acquisition Saronic wraps up $600M Series C round Sierra Space and Vast detail their Series C investment rounds
The federal government’s lead agency for domestic cybersecurity and infrastructure protection matters has only completed its first week of being fully back up and running after not being funded for 11 weeks. David DiMolfetta , cyber reporter at NextGov/FCW , has covered how the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has operated through a period that followed losses of nearly one-third of its workforce under this Trump administration. David joins our Ross Wilkers for this episode to lay out CISA’s path forward with funding in place, plus what the agency’s stakeholders in the private and public sectors should watch out for amid the catchup. David then breaks down NextGov/FCW’s recent reporting on two major storylines on artificial intelligence policy coming out of the White House that has direct implications for industry. The second half of their conversation is all about a deep dive article David put together on where industry fits, or may not fit, into the government’s offensive cyber approach. CISA resources ‘more limited than I would like’ amid shutdown, top official says IBM security executive emerges as possible contender to lead CISA Plankey withdraws nomination to lead CISA Trump admin floats policy language limiting contractor say on agency uses of technology White House is drafting plans to permit federal Anthropic use Operational technology providers are feeling ‘annoyance’ at exclusion from Anthropic’s Mythos rollout, sources say Anthropic’s Glasswing initiative raises questions for US cyber operations US push to counter hackers draws industry deeper into offensive cyber debate US lists offensive cyberattacks in counterterrorism strategy Trump admin will push for ‘long-term’ reauthorization of key cyber data-sharing law
Once again, the U.S. government is accusing China of being among several foreign entities that are looking to steal proprietary information on artificial intelligence models from American companies. Edward Graham , managing editor and Veterans Affairs Department reporter at NextGov/FCW , discovered a memo the White House sent to federal agencies that warns of distillation campaigns seeking to help create knockoff versions of AI models. Ed joins our Ross Wilkers for this episode to explain how those campaigns work and, more importantly, how they help illuminate the competition between the U.S. and China to lead the world in AI and robotics tech development. Ed also provides an update on where things stand with VA’s rollout of a new electronic health record, which has had many fits and starts over the years to say the least. White House accuses China of ‘deliberate, industrial-scale campaigns’ to steal US AI models US needs to flesh out strategy to counter China’s robotics advances, lawmakers say AI capabilities are needed to counter drone threats, senator says House FY27 VA funding bill allocates $3.4B for EHR rollout VA resumes EHR rollouts at four Michigan medical sites
Decision authority shifts, the government acting like a venture customer and data transparency being the standard mode of operations are examples of how the old formulas of GovCon business success are becoming outdated. Davi Hayes, senior director for federal strategy at The Chertoff Group, fields any questions from industry clients seeking to understand those trends and more about how the buying behaviors of their federal customers are changing. For this episode, Davi joins our Ross Wilkers to lay out some of the answers he found in putting together the article “ The Federal Market Has Changed. Has Your Strategy? ” The three trends highlighted at the top feature in their discussion. Davi and Ross also overview how services companies are also part of the equation when “ Navigating the New “Production-First” Defense Paradigm ,” a second article to read along as they discuss the new world order of GovCon.
Noblis was stood up in 1996 as a science, technology and strategy organization that works with federal agencies on creating and rolling out solutions for some of their most complex problems. Mile Corrigan, chief executive of Noblis, joins for this episode to go over the firm’s blueprint for its future beyond this milestone year of celebrating its 30th anniversary and how technology transition efforts are at the heart of that vision. The government wants tech to get from lab to field much quicker than before. In talking with our Ross Wilkers, Corrigan explains some of the keys to making that happen from an industry point-of-view. Corrigan also lays out how Noblis looks at applied science, the firm’s venture investment activity since starting out on that in 2023 and what it means to be a nonprofit in today’s landscape. WT 360: The tech and investment threads of Noblis 'Vision 2030' Noblis' venture arm backs generative AI company Noblis' venture arm invests in space data tech company Noblis' venture arm backs digital twin specialist Noblis looks within for its next chief executive More code than papers: inside Noblis' turn into that direction Noblis' evolution told by this foray into solutions
While the 20th century’s Space Race was strictly head-to-head, the 21st century variant is much more complex and multipolar as private businesses and nations are looking to lead in this domain. Kevin Kelly, chief executive of Arcfield, joins for this episode to go over how this systems engineering outfit is looking at the landscape through the lens of a company that has both government and private sector customers. In talking with Ross Wilkers, Kelly explains the art and science of managing space as it gets more and more crowded thanks to plummeting launch costs. The Golden Dome missile defense initiative, data centers in space and Arcfield’s acquisition activity over the past three years are also on the agenda. Arcfield enters the seas via acquisition Arcfield adds small satellite skills with new acquisition Arcfield acquires digital twin provider WT 360: All about Arcfield's strategy and investment thesis
Cuts to contract and grant spending, including outright cancellations, were a feature of the Department of Government Efficiency’s activities during the first year of the Trump administration and some lawsuits followed from those impacted. Natalie Alms , senior correspondent at NextGov/FCW , worked with our colleague and fellow senior reporter Eric Katz at Government Executive to watch 23 hours of testimony in one of those cases that sheds light on DOGE’s goals and the pressures to meet them. “Nat” joins our Ross Wilkers for this episode to explain what she and Eric discovered in reporting out a story that is still working its way through the judicial system, but is showing enough of the atmosphere and environment surrounding DOGE. Nat also goes over her findings on how some technologists joining the government workforce can remain connected to their private sector employers and summarizes the White House budget office’s ongoing review of federal contracts. If you have a tip you'd like to share, Natalie Alms can be securely contacted at nalms.41 on Signal. Inside DOGE’s early days of pressure campaigns, rule breaking and ‘chaos’ DOJ clears the way for government to hire technologists still connected to their private sector employers Contract reviews continue at OMB, official says Federal CIO tapped for dual-hatted role at GSA Agencies lost around 20,000 tech workers last year — and now the Trump admin is hiring Inside the federal CIO’s culture-first approach Trump admin launches US Tech Force to recruit temporary workers after shedding thousands this year
GovCon finds itself in a strange situation where the Homeland Security Department does not have a budget and is in a shutdown, but the three immigration agencies are still operating with some funds. How is that possible? Stephanie Kostro, president of the Professional Services Council, joins Nick and Ross for this episode to lay out how that is and the DHS funding lapse’s myriad impacts on industry and society. Their conversation then turns to what contractors are seeking to learn and understand from the U.S. government’s very public breakup with Anthropic, which will take months to complete, and what to watch for next in the Federal Acquisition Regulation overhaul effort. The Revolutionary FAR Overhaul is far from the only policy item contractors should pay attention to in 2026, as Kostro explains. Trump's new DHS nominee promises some changes, adequate staffing amid shutdown-induced departures CISA to furlough most of its workforce under impending DHS shutdown Path to averting a shutdown remains elusive as lawmakers debate DHS funding Microsoft takes Anthropic's side in DOD fight, warns it sets a new precedent WT 360: Nextgov/FCW’s Alexandra Kelley on the government’s breakup with Anthropic Anthropic sues over a dozen federal agencies and government leaders The FAR overhaul rewrote the rules, but now comes the hard part The hardest part of FAR reform is culture, not the rules GSA set to begin its rulemaking push for the FAR overhaul Small businesses face upheaval under the acquisition overhaul and agency cuts
Science Applications International Corp. can move ahead on their big decision points now that it has a permanent chief executive, which presents at least one element of certainty in a world replete with unknowns. Nick and Ross use this episode as a starting point for looking at SAIC’s next steps under CEO Jim Reagan, and the paths forward for several other key business and policy storylines in the public sector landscape. Anthropic’s fight against the U.S. government’s push to eject it from the market has industry-wide implications to unpack, as does the future of IT resellers and 8(a) companies amid their customer’s scrutiny on those corners of the market. Nick and Ross also break down why organizational culture is crucial for the Federal Acquisition Regulation overhaul effort. SAIC's board stays with Reagan, names him full-time CEO SAIC plans partial pivot away from enterprise IT Microsoft takes Anthropic's side in DOD fight, warns it sets a new precedent Anthropic sues over a dozen federal agencies and government leaders WT 360: Nextgov/FCW’s Alexandra Kelley on the government’s breakup with Anthropic Government equity investments open a new frontier for industry OPINION: Federal equity investments raise troubling questions about picking winners and losers L3Harris to spin off its rocket motor business with the Pentagon as an anchor investor OPINION: The government's 'passive' Intel stake heightens their commitment to each other and winning the chip wars ‘We will have their backs:’ GSA pushes culture shift for FAR changes The hardest part of FAR reform is culture, not the rules FAR overhaul targets risk-averse acquisition culture GSA wants answers from resellers about markups and equipment maker relationships Don’t count out resellers as OneGov agreements grow Where GSA sees resellers fitting into its unified procurement strategy SBA boots 628 more companies from 8(a) program 8(a) program faces unprecedented pressure from Trump administration attacks SBA probing 8(a) fraud allegations at tribal-owned contractor
The Defense Department and Anthropic are on opposite ends of a nasty disagreement, with government-wide and industry-wide implications, over what the company’s Claude large language model and other offerings can be used for. Alexandra Kelley , our Nextgov/FCW colleague who covers emerging tech, has extensively covered the fallout from that impasse as agencies are working to comply with President Trump’s executive order to stop using Claude after the Pentagon essentially broke up with Anthropic. “Alexa,” as we and other GovExec colleagues call her, joins our Ross Wilkers for this episode to explain how those phase-out processes are taking place and provide an initial look at the government’s AI landscape without Anthropic in it. Claude is embedded in so many workflows across government that fully removing it is not a matter of simply deleting the app, as Alexa points out. Private sector, former military leaders urge Congress intervene in Pentagon-Anthropic dispute House amendment responding to Pentagon-Anthropic conflict fails committee vote Defense tech enters a new era: the case of Anthropic and the DOD Pentagon’s war on Anthropic based on ‘dubious’ legal thinking and ideology—not real risk, sources say Agencies begin to shed Anthropic contracts following Trump’s directive Trump directs government to ‘immediately cease’ using Anthropic technology It would take the Pentagon months to replace Anthropic’s AI tools: sources Anthropic CEO defends support for AI regulations, alignment with Trump policies Anthropic CEO sees 3 areas where policymakers can help with AI GSA and Anthropic ink deal for Claude AI across all government branches AWS GovCloud gets high-level security approvals for Anthropic and Meta AI models Anthropic introduces new Claude Gov models with national security focus AI startup Anthropic to build out public sector team
Data labeling refers to the practice of tagging and identifying raw data in order to add meaningful context, of which U.S. government agencies openly admit they struggle with and ask industry for help in. Peter Kant, founder and chief executive of Enabled Intelligence, started the company in March 2020 to specialize in data labeling work that also relies on continuous training and retraining of artificial intelligence models. Kant joins for this episode to explain how Enabled Intelligence tailors large language models for use in national security environments where the out-of-the-box tools are not quite ready to be in the hands of operators. In talking with our Ross Wilkers, Kant also describes how the company’s capture of a contract called Sequoia helps shed light on how the government is looking at the challenge of grasping all the data it has.
