Volume 1, Issue 16
SE&M Solutions LLC publishes The In-Brief to help keep government and industry leaders aware of important issues in the personnel security, suitability, Trusted Workforce 2.0, background investigations, adjudications, counterintelligence, industrial security communities, and emerging technologies.
Articles of Interest
Congress Voted to Reopen the Government: What Does That Mean for Defense?
The longest shutdown in history is over, with Congress voting to fund the government at previous fiscal year levels until January 30. The bill provides $1.1B for shipbuilding and nearly $200M for the Air Force’s E-7 Wedgetail early warning and control aircraft. Congress now has 11 weeks to pass a FY26 budget. More from Breaking Defense.
Feds Should Get At Least Most Backpay by November 19
Defense one reports most federal workers will receive their first paycheck in more than a month between Saturday and Wednesday of next week, and it should include at least most of the backpay that is due. For many agencies, these paychecks will reflect pay furloughed and excepted workers would have earned from Oct. 1 through Nov. 1. General Services Administration and Office of Personnel Management employees can expect to see a paycheck Saturday, while Energy, Health and Human Services, Veterans Affairs and Defense Department civilian workers will be paid Sunday.
Are We Ready for the Post-Quantum Era?
Although encryption forms the backbone of digital security and protects sensitive data from unauthorized access, quantum computing threatens to shake the foundations of traditional encryption methods—and fundamentally change cyber security as we know it. Moreover, “harvest now, decrypt later” makes this a very real current threat. More from MSN.
Army Overhauls Acquisition Structure
ExecutiveGov reports the U.S. Army is creating six portfolio acquisition executives (PAEs) as part of an acquisition reorganization aimed at accelerating the delivery of weapons systems and technology to warfighters. The new PAEs are: PAE Fires, PAE Command Counter C2, PAE Maneuver Ground; PAE Maneuver Air, PAE Agile Sustainment and Ammunition, and PAE Layered Protection Plus Chemical.
Senate Bipartisan Bill Proposes US Access to Advanced AI Chips
A bipartisan group of Senators have introduced the Guaranteeing Access to Innovation for National Artificial Intelligence (GAIN AI) Act. The act would require chipmakers to give U.S. companies, startups, and universities access to advanced AI chips before exporting them to China or other countries of concern. More from ExecutiveGov.
Golden Dome Space-Based Interceptors Will Need to Be Defended from Adversary Attack
No matter what shape a future constellation of U.S SBIs takes, the orbital weapons will need to be protected “not just from adversary kinetic or local orbital attacks, but also from cyber attacks, electronic jamming and laser attacks”, according to Patrick Binning from John Hopins University. Binning noted another critical issue is ensuring the command, control and communications (C3) structure have the proper throughput to allow commanders to make critical decisions in a short timeframe. More from Breaking Defense on these, and other challenges to the Golden Dome program.
Upcoming Events and Conferences
State of Defense Business Acquisition Summit
11/18/2025
The Westin | Washington, D.C.
This year’s State of Defense Business event will bring together public sector leaders to explore the future of defense acquisitions and industrial base strategy, highlighting how the Pentagon is advancing modernization and reshaping the defense business landscape. Officials will share updates on efforts to streamline procurement, accelerate the adoption of emerging technologies, and expand production capacity to meet evolving mission demands. Discussions will examine the growing role of autonomy and advanced tech in military operations, challenges in scaling shipbuilding and manufacturing, and how the Department is rethinking collaboration across both established defense contractors and new industry players.
https://events.defenseone.com/state-of-defense-business-acquisition-summit
TechNet Transatlantic 2025
Dec 3-4, 2025
Kap Europa | Frankfurt, Germany
AFCEA’s third annual TechNet Transatlantic symposium, in cooperation with its chapters in Stuttgart, Kaiserslautern, and Wiesbadan, unites the U.S. forces in Europe, NATO and partner nations to advance defense capabilities through innovation and collaboration. This year’s theme is “Driving Innovation and Cooperation in a Contested Security Environment.”
https://europe.afcea.org/website/15711
About SE&M
SE&M Solutions LLC is a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) headquartered in Harrisburg, PA. We are experts in personnel security, continuous vetting, Trusted Workforce 2.0 (TW2.0) policies, processes, and information technology. We offer professional services and IT support including staff augmentation, consulting, planning and implementation for clients in the federal, state, local and commercial sectors. For more information, contact SE&M at info@semsolutionsllc.com.