This Week in Government Tech Media – September 5, 2025

By Brad Bass /

If you read this blog regularly, you know that issues related to artificial intelligence (AI) frequently hog the headlines in government tech media outlets.While that trend held true to an extent this week, there were a number of stories not specifically focused on AI that generated a buzz. That included a number of articles on U.S. Space Command’s move to Alabama, drones in the Department of Defense (or DOD – are we still calling it that?) and programs to support state and local government cybersecurity efforts. Find my weekly roundup below:

New Space In Huntsville

The biggest story of the week for the government tech media was the White House announcement that it would move the home of the U.S. Space Command to Huntsville, Alabama. The coverage across the government tech media landscape included a mix of straight reporting with a small dose of skepticism.

  • Theresa Hitchens of Breaking Defense wrote that space watchers and Alabama politicians were predicting the command’s move to Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville from its present location in Colorado Springs. 
  • Sandra Erwin reported in industry publication Space News that the announcement capped a protracted, six-year debate over the headquarters, marked by sharp political and military disagreements about where the command should be permanently based. 
  • The White House asserted that the move would produce thousands of jobs and “billions of dollars” in investment in Alabama, according to coverage by Greg Hadley in Air & Space Forces Magazine. 
  • Mikayla Easley quoted Trump in DefenseScoop stating that “this decision will help America defend and dominate the high frontier.” 
  • But an analysis for cybersecurity publication Ars Technica by Stephen Clark said the move has “little to do with national security” and appears more focused on cutting costs. John Frank and Derek Lacey reported in Axios that officials with the State of Colorado vowed to challenge the move. 
  • Audrey Decker noted in Defense One that Trump said the decision was also influenced by Colorado’s use of mail-in voting. 

Droning on

Unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), better known as drones, seemed to pop up repeatedly in defense tech publications and beyond this week. Here’s a roundup of some that coverage:

  • The Secretary of Defense directed the Army to lead the development and fielding of counter-unmanned aerial systems capabilities across the U.S. military, according to coverage by Anastasia Obis in Federal News Network. Meghann Myers wrote in Defense One that the move will result in a new office to replace the existing Joint Counter-small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Office, which has been around since February 2020 but struggled to enlist participation across the military. Reporting for MeriTalk, Lisbeth Perez noted that the first step for the Army will be to establish an interagency task force, expected to have broad acquisition and procurement powers. The move comes amid growing concerns by Defense Department leaders about the threats posed by adversary UAS overseas as well as in the homeland, Jon Harper of DefenseScoop reported.
  • As if to underscore the point, Stephen Losey published an analysis of the 2025 edition of Defense News’ annual list of the top 100 defense companies, noting that drones and AI technology are reshaping the Defense business landscape. Also, Kimberly Underwood of SIGNAL Media reported on a recent DOD “Drone Day” demonstration, showcasing 18 of the most promising solutions developed over the last two years under the department’s rapid prototype development program.
  • In related news, Brandi Vincent broke the news in DefenseScoop that the department’s Replicator program delivered hundreds of uncrewed systems to U.S. military personnel on an accelerated two-year deadline – a quantity significantly lower than the original objective of fielding thousands of systems within two years.

Cyber Sharing With States

Media outlets took varied approaches to the issue of helping state and local governments combat cyber threats, depending on whether their focus was on federal government, state and local, or cyber in general. But all conveyed a sense of urgency about the issue:

  • The House Homeland Security Committee forwarded legislation that would extend the soon-to-expire Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015 to the full House, according to a report from John Curran of MeriTalk. In his article for Nextgov/FCW, David DiMolfetta wrote that the extension, dubbed the Widespread Information Management for the Welfare of Infrastructure and Government, (WIMWIG) Act, would extend the law another 10 years.
  • The committee also approved an extension of the Protecting Information by Local Leaders for Agency Resilience Act, which would fund a big-dollar cybersecurity grants program for another 10 years, Tim Starks reported in CyberScoop. Earlier in the week, several industry groups on Tuesday signed a letter to congressional leaders requesting that the grants program be revived, but this time with more money, according to an article by Colin Wood in StateScoop.
  • Chris Teale of Route Fifty noted that the push for cyber information sharing increased following a recent cyberattack on the State of Nevada, which observers said highlighted the need for more sustained and targeted support for state and local governments through the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center or MS-ISAC. In related coverage for cybersecurit- publication The Record, Jonathan Greig wrote that the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is working with the FBI and other agencies to help Nevada get back online safely while investigating the origins of the attack and rebuilding systems.
  • Sam Sabin published a comprehensive analysis of the situation for the Axios Future of Cybersecurity newsletter, noting that nearly 19,000 state and local government offices could lose access to vital cyber threat intelligence and security tools by the end of September if action isn’t taken.

Upcoming Industry Events

Now that we’re past Labor Day, we can expect more events to pop up on the calendar. I, for one, will be attending the Billington Cybersecurity Summit, September 9-12 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington, D.C. And I’ll once again encourage you to check out the video interview between W2 Communications co-founder and principal, Evan Weisel, and Billington Cybersecurity’s president, Troy Schneider, previewing the conference. 

Here are a few other upcoming ones that might be worth your time this coming week:

There’s also a new episode of the “Gov & Beyond” podcast featuring an interview with defense tech reporter Audrey Decker in which she talks about her career, the stories she’s covering and how she works with sources to report the news.

That’ll do it for this week. Subscribe to this newsletter on LinkedIn or via the form below.

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