Colorado Springs is set to gain a larger role in Space Force acquisition as a major procurement office relocates from Los Angeles to Peterson Space Force Base. The Portfolio Acquisition Executive (PAE) office will oversee roughly $4 billion in Space Force infrastructure spending and is expected to hold about 90% of the contracting and hiring authority for its portfolio. The move is part of a broader Pentagon effort to streamline acquisition by giving individual offices greater control over budgets and contracting decisions.
The relocation could also create new opportunities for the region’s defense workforce and contractor community. Colorado Springs already has a significant national security presence, including major military installations, defense contractors, startups and a large population of veterans with space, cyber, intelligence and missile defense experience. Bringing more acquisition authority to Peterson could give local companies closer access to Space Force decision-makers while potentially supporting additional contracting and hiring activity as the office manages its portfolio.
Layoffs: Oracle
Oracle is reportedly preparing another round of layoffs in August, with some teams potentially facing double-digit reductions as the company looks to lower payroll ahead of the September 1 start of its second fiscal quarter. Managers have reportedly been asked to identify employees who could be affected, although Oracle has not publicly commented on the planned cuts.
The potential layoffs follow a year in which Oracle reduced its workforce by about 21,000 employees, or 13%, bringing total headcount to roughly 141,000. At the same time, the company is investing heavily in AI infrastructure, with fiscal 2026 capital expenditures reaching $55.7 billion as demand for cloud computing capacity continues to grow. Oracle’s cloud infrastructure business expanded 77% during the fiscal year, highlighting the company’s push to balance rapidly rising AI demand with the cost of building the infrastructure needed to support it.
Hiring: Anduril
Anduril is planning a major expansion of its Seattle-area engineering workforce as the defense technology company builds out its AI, autonomous systems and connected warfare capabilities. The company currently employs about 560 people across its Bellevue and downtown Seattle offices, up from roughly 30 four years ago, and has more than 110 open positions in Washington state. Senior Vice President Tom Keane said Anduril could eventually reach 1,000 engineers in the region, potentially within the next two years.
The hiring push is targeting talent in distributed systems, artificial intelligence, machine learning and advanced optics, including engineers from Seattle’s large technology sector. Much of that workforce is supporting systems such as Anduril’s Lattice software, EagleEye augmented-reality platform and next-generation digital night vision technology. The company also operates a testing facility near Carnation, WA, where engineers can test technology alongside military personnel. Despite recently leaving a Seattle shipyard following the cancellation of a Navy autonomous warship program, Anduril’s broader Seattle-area engineering expansion appears to be continuing, with additional office space already being added downtown.
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Opportunity to Watch
Amentum has secured a $974 million contract to support NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, VA, covering maintenance, operations and engineering services across the center’s research and institutional facilities. Under the Center Maintenance, Operations, and Engineering II contract, Amentum will support advanced research infrastructure including wind tunnels, laboratories, research utilities and pressure systems.
The work also includes engineering, design, construction and configuration management, along with preventive maintenance, repairs and central utility operations. The contract will help NASA maintain and modernize Langley’s facilities as the center continues research supporting aeronautics, space science and deep-space exploration.
