Over the past few years, cybersecurity incidents—ranging from massive supply chain intrusions to large-scale ransomware attacks—have reshaped how both government and industry approach digital threats. The new Executive Order on Strengthening and Promoting Innovation in the Nation’s Cybersecurity, released last week, is best understood as a capstone document. It consolidates the lessons learned from these incidents and builds upon previous measures such as Executive Order 14028 (2021) and the National Cybersecurity Strategy. There is something here for everyone, be it federal agencies modernizing core infrastructure, software providers tightening their supply chains, or companies preparing for a quantum-powered future.

The Combat Air Forces Weapons and Tactics Conference (WEPTAC) took center stage at Nellis AFB on January 15 and 16, bringing together a cross-section of the Air Force, Army, Navy, Marines, and industry partners. Hosted by the United States Warfare Center and directed by Air Combat Command’s (ACC) Directorate of Operations, WEPTAC is a premier forum for discussing current warfighting challenges, exploring emerging threats, and shaping the future of joint force employment.Our team at M42 was honored to take part in the concurrent industry tradeshow, where we showcased our latest technology solutions and gathered invaluable feedback from the warfighters themselves. The conversations we had were just as important as the displays—a unique opportunity to hear firsthand how today’s operators view existing products and what they’re looking for in next-generation capabilities.

In 2024, the world has come to be defined by computing and the technologies which are enabled by it. We live in an age where both organisations and individuals relentlessly purchase technology to maximise the efficient realisation of their own missions, securing the greatest available force multipliers which contemporary technology can deliver and which the market is able to sell.‍For many individuals, their homes and cars are defined by a relentless advance in information processing technology. Cellphones which provide compute power unprecedented for a supercomputer just a generation ago; smart speakers harnessing advanced voice recognition and Large Language Model (LLM)-based AI technology.

The recent Yama Sakura 87 exercise marked several historic firsts in multinational military cooperation, bringing together forces from Japan, the United States, and Australia in an unprecedented trilateral command post exercise. As one of only a few companies invited to participate, alongside organizations like Palantir, Dell, and Booz Allen Hamilton, we were honored to bring our expertise to this significant engagement.

Against the backdrop of fighter jets cutting through Southern California skies, our team recently showcased next-generation defense capabilities at Naval Base Ventura County, Point Mugu. This full-day engagement marked a significant milestone in our ongoing partnership with the Department of Defense, demonstrating how innovative networking and security technology ready for consumption can transform military operations.

At the recent AFCEA TechNet Indo-Pacific conference in Honolulu, our team showcased groundbreaking advancements in secure communications technology during the Innovation Showcase. This premier defense technology event provided an ideal platform to demonstrate how our collaboration with Dell Technologies and NVIDIA is transforming high-assurance communications in the Indo-Pacific theater and beyond.

The release of NIST's first three finalized post-quantum encryption standards marks a crucial milestone in our ongoing mission to protect national security systems against emerging quantum threats. As organizations like NSA target full post-quantum cryptography implementation by 2030, the urgency to address this challenge has never been greater.

We are excited to announce the expansion of M42 operations with the opening of our United Kingdom office, led by Chief Engineer Hugo Landau. This strategic expansion strengthens our ability to advance verifiable security solutions for defense and intelligence communities across allied nations.

The exponential growth in software complexity and the rise of AI-generated code have exposed critical gaps in traditional security approaches. We founded Messier 42 (M42) to address a fundamental challenge: the lack of verifiable security in modern software infrastructure. While inspection-based security made sense in simpler times, today's interconnected systems and accelerated development cycles demand a more stringent approach.