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

Palantir co-founder sees new chances for tech disruptors to unseat big defense primes

Joe Lonsdale, a co-founder of Palantir whose venture capital firm has funded companies like Anduril, Saronic and Epirus, said today he believes the political landscape in Washington led by President Trump and Elon Musk will force changes to Pentagon procurement that create a more friendly environment for smaller companies looking to win contracts from large defense primes like Lockheed Martin and RTX.

DIU official teases new marketplace initiative under 'Blue Manufacturing'

The Defense Innovation Unit is set to launch a digital "marketplace" in the coming weeks where commercial defense technology vendors can seek partners from a group of pre-approved commercial manufacturing companies, enabling the scaled production of their solutions, a DIU official told attendees during the Reagan National Security Innovation Base Summit on Wednesday.

Japan eyes Pentagon assistance with developing advanced long-range strike capability

The State Department has approved a potential $200 million foreign military sale to Japan for support services related to the country's Hyper Velocity Gliding Projectile (HVGP) program, a move that strengthens U.S.-Japan defense ties as Tokyo pushes forward with its next-generation, precision-strike capability.

Pentagon moves to streamline and scale new software procurement

The Defense Department is being directed to adopt special contracting pathways for rapidly acquiring software, according to a new memo from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

DOD launches contracting review, freezes civilian purchase cards to comply with DOGE order

The Defense Department, in compliance with President Trump's executive order implementing the "DOGE" initiative, is reviewing its contracting operations and policies and has suspended civilian government purchase cards typically used to procure items priced at $10,000 or less, according to new memos released by senior Pentagon officials.

The week ahead

Senior defense officials are scheduled to speak at several events around Washington this week. Meanwhile, a stopgap continuing resolution is set to expire.

F-35 pilots at Nellis Air Force Base could train on JSE as soon as this month

DENVER -- As soon as today, the Joint Integrated Test and Training Center at Nellis Air Force Base, NV could receive a final assessment of its Joint Simulation Environment before the synthetic test system can be officially stood up in the next few weeks, a senior Air Force materiel leader said Wednesday.

Air Force advances collaborative autonomy with new low-cost, air-launched munitions

The U.S. military is taking a key step forward in its pursuit of affordable, high-tech weaponry by advancing a new class of precision-guided munitions that can operate collaboratively in real-time, leveraging advanced autonomy and artificial intelligence.