growth[intelligence]
US Government-Wide Updates
Super Intelligence Force — President Trump last week launched a new Super Intelligence Force to coordinate the Federal government’s engagement with and response to advanced AI. The Super Intelligence Force will be lead by Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton, and will also include FTC Chair Andrew Fergson, Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering Emil Michael, and OPM Director Scott Kupor. The group will report to President Trump and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, and represents the latest effort by the Trump Administration to stay on top of the rapidly advancing technology. Last week President Trump also met with leaders in the AI industry, who signed a voluntary accord to share safety information and best practices.
New Federal CIO — Carter Farmer, the EPA’s Chief Information Officer, has been named as the new Federal CIO, replacing Greg Barbaccia who departed in August. Thomas Flagg, who is the CIO of the Education Department, has been named Deputy Federal CIO. No permanent replacement has been named for Farmer at EPA as of today.
Global Risk Updates
Provided by Senior Partner for Global Risk Management Mirriam-Grace MacIntyre
Global Oil Supply — Recent reports indicated oil exports from the Middle East writ large exceeded pre-war levels for the first time for several weeks in September. The US Navy is coordinating ship traffic through the strait while also maintaining a blockade on Iranian shipping traffic. Intermittent attacks on ships continue to occur with the UK’s Royal Navy reporting at least four attacks on commercial vessels in the area over the weekend. Oil is also being exported through other channels including pipelines. Companies should anticipate gradual supply increases as alternative oil sources and routes open up, but prepare for continued contestation of supply routes in the Middle East.
Iran Threatens Bombers — The US Air Force suddenly withdrew all its B-1 bombers from RAF Fairford back to the United States after reports of drone threats linked to Iran. This comes a week after UK authorities made several arrests in the vicinity of the air base linked to other threats from Iran. This dramatic move highlights the risks posed by non-traditional methods such as drones to conventional military assets. Companies, particularly in the defense industry, should also be aware of the potential for drone attacks or terroristic threats against their facilities.
Ebola — Health officials in Kenya this week announced a case of Ebola, indicating potential further spread of the deadly virus as an outbreak centered in the Democratic Republic of the Congo continues. Companies with operations in central Africa should prepare for the possibility of additional travel restrictions or other control measures.
Canada Updates
Provided by growth[period]’s Canadian affiliate, GW Group
EU Partnership — Canada and the European Union are expected to announce a broad new partnership at their October 29 summit in Montreal, covering digital trade, critical minerals, energy, defence-industrial co-operation, Ukraine and wildfire response. A draft statement also proposes accelerating critical-mineral investment, improving supply-chain security and jointly buying 50 Canadian-made water-bombing aircraft for use in 2030.
Chinese LNG Equipment — LNG Canada says it will use Chinese-made modules for its $33-billion Phase 2 expansion of its export terminal in Kitimat, British Columbia. The expansion will double the facility’s capacity to 28 million tonnes annually, while related Coastal GasLink compressor-station work is targeting about 15,000 tonnes of Canadian steel.
US Trade Dispute — The United States’ import bans on certain Canadian alcohol products, dairy byproducts and motorcycles took effect September 29, escalating the bilateral trade dispute. Canada-US Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc rejected President Donald Trump’s suggestion that Canada would apologize to secure a deal, saying Ottawa is defending Canadian workers, businesses and the economy.
Canadian Trade Sentiments — An Abacus Data survey found 77% of Canadians still intend to avoid US products or buy as few as possible, virtually unchanged from February 2025. Reported behaviour has increased: 61% said they bought more Canadian products and 51% said they tried to avoid American goods.
US Agency-Specific Updates
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War – In the wake of Secretary Pete Hegseth’s speech last week, there are a flurry of new initiatives or changes underway at the Pentagon. These include:
These moves comes as the War Department is handling a new fiscal year under a continuing resolution, which is expected to last until December 11. Operating under a continuing resolution is causing delays in dozens of new programs that were expected to start with the new fiscal year. Separately, the Pentagon succeeded in obligating 93% of the $152 billion allocated in last year’s reconciliation bill, the remaining unobligated funds are subject to an 8% cut. Progress in both houses of Congress on both Defense Appropriations and the NDAA has been slower than usual this year. The Army is standing up a new command and acquisition office focused on autonomous technology. The command will be called Army Futures and Autonomous Systems Command or FASCOM. The Army also designated a new standalone PAE for Autonomy, which has previously been housed under PAE Layered Protection and Integration. Last week the Defense Health Agency’s PEO DHMS was stood down, it is being replaced by PAE Medical Digital Solutions (MDS). Michael Dodd, Assistant Secretary of War for Critical Technologies announced a new 12 month partnership with In-Q-Tel focused on collaborating on technology scouting for national security and defense. Also last week the Pentagon disclosed that the Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC) personnel system experienced a data breach, exposing sensitive personal information belonging to over 3 million current and former service members. In personnel moves, the White House announced Lt Gen David Miller, USSF as the new four-star SPACEOM leader and VADM Brad Skillman to serve as Vice Chief of Naval Operations. Travis Metz has stepped in as the DIU’s while Owen West takes on Project Agincourt, and Michael Gancio is now acting Assistant Secretary of War for Space Policy after the departure of Marc Berkowitz. Matthew Ebner has been named as the new head of Army Contracting Command – Aberdeen Proving Ground after the departure of Danielle Moyer. |
GSA – GSA Deputy Administrator Mike Lynch is departing government to return to the private sector, Administrator Ed Forst announced. Lynch was known as a driving force behind GSA’s OneGov program. Separately, GSA announced the formal sunset of its 2nd Generation Information Technology (2GIT) BPA. Products and services previously bought through that BPA are now available via the GSA Schedule. Reporting from Federal News Network indicates that despite his announced departure, Kevin Rhodes has stayed on in a limited capacity as a special government employee to help lead the ongoing Revolutionary FAR Overhaul.
DHS – USCIS CIO Andrew Vanjani was placed on administrative leave on last week. Rob McMullen, the USCIS deputy CIO, is now acting. He has been with USCIS for more than six years. Separately the Coast Guard appointed Scott St. Pierre, a longtime Navy executive as its new CIO and head of C5I.
growth[period] Update
Fiscal New Year — Thank you to all who attended growth[period]’s Fiscal New Year Celebration last Thursday, October 1, and to our co-sponsors Gray Lens Consulting, ABCD & Company, Aureclar, Atlantic Union Bank, Cushman & Wakefield, ESGI Potomac Recruiting, Forvis Mazars, Howard Insurance, Kipps DeSanto, McGuireWoods, and Unanet. Check out our LinkedIn page for photos and stay tuned for future events!
