SOCOM Wants Speed⚡, Epirus at Sea 🌊, Shipyard Revival ⛴️, Anduril's Hypersonic Rockets 🚀

SOCOM Wants Faster, Leaner Acquisitions ⚡

Testifying before Congress, SOCOM Commander Gen. Bryan Fenton called for a complete overhaul of the Pentagon’s acquisition system, citing slow processes that can’t keep pace with modern conflict. He argued that outdated procurement cycles—measured in years—must shift to match the battlefield’s hour-by-hour evolution. “If I could say it so bluntly, take more people out of that system, get less hands on the requirements process. Go from operator to commander and then acquisition,” Fenton told lawmakers. Pointing to lessons from Ukraine and asymmetric challenges like cheap drones versus million‑dollar interceptors, he championed faster, simplified acquisition, streamlined funding lines, and longer-term contracts. The message aligns with what many defense tech firms have been demanding: fewer bureaucratic hurdles, more agile procurement, and a system that moves at software speed.

Epirus Debuts Leonidas H2O 🌊

Epirus has unveiled Leonidas H2O, a maritime variant of its high-power microwave (HPM) platform designed to non-kinetically disable boat motors, USVs, and drones. In a recent Navy exercise, Leonidas H2O proved effective at record ranges—even at half power—successfully stopping multiple outboard motors. Unlike decades of stalled DoD efforts to develop a vessel-stop solution, Epirus delivers a field-ready system today. With software-defined, solid-state architecture and non-kinetic counter-electronics capabilities, Leonidas H2O represents a major leap for maritime interdiction and force protection.

Shipbuilding Renaissance: Solano, CA & Beyond ⛴️

Jan Sramek of California Forever is rallying support for the proposed Solano Shipyard—a 3‑mile waterfront project that could become the largest U.S. shipyard. His X thread highlights that a single Chinese shipyard out-built all American yards combined since WWII, underlining the urgent need for modern, modular, and cleaner shipbuilding methods supported by current legislative initiatives.
Sramek envisions transformative partnerships between government, military, and Silicon Valley that could rejuvenate American maritime production for the next century.

Anduril’s Hypersonic Solid Rocket Motors 🚀

Anduril Industries recently achieved a key milestone by live-firing its 21‑inch hypersonic rocket motor for the U.S. Navy's STANDARD Missile Program. In close with the Navy, these tests pave the way for full‑scale production. To meet growing demand, Anduril has invested over $75 million in upgrading its solid rocket motor factory in Mississippi—an effort set to complete in July. By shifting from traditional batch processing to a single‑piece flow, automated production model enhanced by advanced data analytics, Anduril is set to increase throughput, improve quality, and lower costs while delivering faster, cutting‑edge hypersonic propulsion capabilities.