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Cost Estimating NewsBrief: February 7, 2025
Marine Corps cutting F-35B buy for more F-35Cs: New aviation plan
(Breaking Defense) The Marine Corps is shifting the balance of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters it intends to buy, opting to purchase dozens more carrier-based variants in lieu of the short-take-off and vertical landing variant, according to the service’s new 2025 aviation plan. Moving forward, the Marines plan to buy a total of 280 F-35Bs rather than their previous objective of 353 aircraft. In turn, the service will purchase 140 F-35Cs rather than the previous objective of 67 F-35Cs. The total procurement objective of 420 F-35s remains the same. Read More
Audit Flags DHS for Insufficient Governance of AI Use
(Executive Gov) The Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General released on Jan. 30 the results of an audit it carried out concerning DHS’ use of artificial intelligence. The audit sought to determine whether and to what extent the agency had developed and put into effect policies governing the use of AI, whose adoption by the agency increased from 2022 to 2023, DHS OIG said. The audit found that DHS took multiple steps to ensure the responsible and ethical use of AI. Read More
GSA seeks 50% spending cuts, nonvoluntary RIF after OPM’s resignation offer
(Federal News Network) The Trump administration’s leadership at the General Services Administration is looking to cut the agency’s total budget in half, and looking to reduce staffing to reach that goal. GSA leaders have notified staff they are expected to reduce total spending across all programs and personnel by 50%. Plans to meet that goal are due to GSA’s acting administrator no later than Friday. GSA’s Federal Acquisition Service told staff in a town hall meeting on Jan. 31 that senior leadership is developing a plan to cut GSA’s spending by 50%. Potential areas for cuts include personnel, payroll and contracts. Read More
James Webb Space Telescope images bacteria-size dust grains — they’ll likely turn into exoplanets
(Space.com) The image above may look similar to a combat scene in an Avengers movie, but it’s actually a uniquely lit-up view of the dust and gas around a distant newborn star. Captured by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), this celestial spectacle, known as Herbig Haro 30 or HH 30, highlights a luminous region around a star only half a million years old residing in the constellation Taurus. While the young star itself is obscured by the dense dust disk that embeds it, the intense winds and fast-moving jets it blasts into space collide with the sparser gas and dust above and below the disk, creating shockwaves that heat the material, causing it to glow. Read More
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