US Defense Budget Push: Pete Hegseth urged Congress to approve a $1.5T FY2027 military budget at a ceremony renaming Joint Base Charleston for Sen. Lindsey Graham. Army Tactical Networking: CodeMettle won an IDIQ to field its Terminus software for the Army’s Tactical Network Operations and C2NOW push, following division-level exercise testing. Counter-UAS & Missile Tech: Northrop Grumman unveiled Raid Hunter, a 50mm gun-based short-range air defense for layered counter-UAS protection. Cyber Offense Policy: The White House authorized vetted private cyber firms to “manipulate, degrade, disrupt, and destroy” foreign networks under strict limits. Cyber Threats: Acronis flagged HACKERAI malware using GitHub Gists as a command-and-control channel targeting telecom, government, defense, and critical infrastructure. Regional Defense Pacts: Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, setting up ministerial mechanisms, joint exercises, and defense-industry cooperation. Autonomous Systems M&A: AEVEX agreed to buy BlackSea Technologies in a deal worth up to $650M to expand unmanned air, surface, and subsea capabilities. Missile Supply Chain Claims: Ukraine alleged Russia’s S-71 “Monochrome” cruise missiles use Nvidia Jetson Orin modules, while Nvidia disputes the military use claim. Procurement Scrutiny: DHS spent $464M on no-bid used aircraft for deportation flights, but many sit idle, drawing criticism from lawmakers. Defense AI Benchmarking: Zhipu launched GLM-5.3, claiming it outperformed Anthropic’s Mythos 5 on a cybersecurity test.