Welcome to today's Defense Business Briefing, your weekly roundup of the latest defense industry news.

Defense contractors urged to volunteer their own DOGE cuts

SIMI VALLEY, CA -- Sen. Deb Fischer (R-NE), a senior Senate Armed Services Committee member, is urging executives from the nation's largest defense companies to identify cuts to their own military programs in preparation for the "Department of Government Efficiency" review set to be run by tech billionaires Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy at the behest of President-elect Trump.

Palantir and Anduril join forces on defense AI

LOS ANGELES -- Defense technology companies Palantir and Anduril announced they are teaming up on artificial intelligence, joining their Maven and Lattice AI systems and launching a new consortium with plans to include other contractors.

Palantir, Booz Allen Hamilton announce 'co-creation partnership' for defense innovation

Defense technology contractors Booz Allen Hamilton and Palantir are entering a "co-creation partnership to accelerate defense mission innovation and help the U.S. maintain superiority against its adversaries," the companies announced Friday.

House lawmaker says Chinese mineral export bans threaten U.S. defense supply chain

China's recent ban on rare mineral exports to the U.S. is the latest warning sign the U.S. military could be left without the necessary tools to deter or defeat adversaries if the domestic supply chain isn’t shored up, Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) argued during a House panel.

CMMC accreditation body drives toward December launch of several deliverables to formally kick off program

The accreditation body behind the Pentagon's Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program is working to achieve several milestones ahead of the Dec. 16 effective date for the first rulemaking that will formally launch the initiative.

OpenAI, Anduril to partner for delivery of 'improved' C-UAS capabilities to warfighter

Defense contractor Anduril and artificial intelligence startup OpenAI are entering a "strategic partnership" aimed at delivering improved counter-drone capabilities to the U.S. and allied militaries.

HII acquires metal fabrication company's assets to meet 'generational demand' for subs

Shipbuilder HII has announced it will acquire metal fabrication facilities and equipment from South Carolina-based company W International.

The week ahead

Senior military officials speak at various defense industry events this week.

DOD conducts Guam missile defense test, key step toward hardening island again China

The U.S. military today executed the first-ever ballistic missile defense test from Guam -- a technical achievement that validated a small step toward integrating legacy technology in support of fielding a new 360-degree defense of the American territory in the Western Pacific against advanced Chinese threats.

Defense policy bill would fence some F-35 deliveries, again add six F-15EX to fighter mix

Some deliveries of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter would be temporarily fenced under the proposed fiscal year 2025 defense authorization conference bill until Lockheed Martin, the Joint Program Office and the incoming defense secretary create a plan to resolve any outstanding hardware and software deficiencies hamstringing the program.