Curated foreign policy and national security news for professionals.
Good morning,
Welcome to the Thursday edition of The Intel Brief.
Reporting Period: March 23-26, 2026
Bottom-Line Up Front:
1. On March 24, NASA hosted its Ignition event. The panel details various projects that are being pursued under President Trump’s National Space Policy. The plans include a human presence on the moon, updates to the ISS, and further deep-space sensor missions.
2. On March 24, Senator Mullin was confirmed as the new Secretary of Homeland Security. Mullin, who replaced Kristi Noem, was confirmed with the help of Democrat Senators and has been hailed as an “across-the-aisle” politician. Critics who voted against his appointment cited his lack of national security experience.
NASA Outlines Plans For National Space Policy, Return To The Moon
Summary
On March 24, NASA hosted its Ignition event. The panel details various projects that are being pursued under President Trump’s National Space Policy. The plans include a human presence on the moon, updates to the ISS, and further deep-space sensor missions.
Findings and Analysis
Ignition Event: On March 24, NASA hosted a series of panels as part of its “Ignition” event, itself a “series of transformative agencywide initiatives designed to achieve President Donald J. Trump’s National Space Policy and advance American leadership in space” (NASA).
Updating the Artemis Program: A large and central part of Ignition is updates to the Artemis program, which now includes returning humans to the Moon (NASA). The Artemis program, which is expecting to launch the Space Launch System (SLS) in April, is adding another launch mission in 2027, “and undertaking at least one surface landing every year thereafter” (BBC, NASA). While Artemis III and IV are focused on a lunar landing, the program now includes the establishment of “an enduring human presence on the Moon” (NASA). The plan is divided into three phases:
Phase One: Build, Test, Learn
Phase Two: Establish Early Infrastructure
Phase Three: Enable Long-Duration Human Presence
NASA stated it will issue Requests for Information (RFIs) and Requests for Proposals (RFPs) in the coming days (NASA).
Operations in Low Earth Orbit: Citing the International Space Station’s (ISS) continued mission success, but issues with longevity, NASA is pursuing a modernization plan (NASA). The plan includes procuring “a government-owned Core Module that attaches to the space station, followed by commercial modules that are validated using ISS capabilities and later detach into free flight” (NASA).
Nuclear Power in Space: Before 2028, NASA plans to launch the Space Reactor-1 Freedom into space, the world’s first nuclear-powered interplanetary spacecraft (NASA). The SR-1 Freedom will travel to Mars where it will deploy “the Skyfall payload of Ingenuity-class helicopters” for exploration (NASA).
Senator Mullin Confirmed As DHS Secretary
Summary
On March 24, Senator Mullin was confirmed as the new Secretary of Homeland Security. Mullin, who replaced Kristi Noem, was confirmed with the help of Democrat Senators and has been hailed as an “across-the-aisle” politician. Critics who voted against his appointment cited his lack of national security experience.
Findings and Analysis
Background: On March 5, President Trump removed Kristi Noem as Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), instead appointing her as the Special Envoy for the Shield of the Americas project (The Intel Brief). Trump nominated Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) as the new DHS Secretary in the same address (The Intel Brief).
On March 5, President Trump announced the removal of Noem as DHS Secretary and his intent to appoint Senator Mullin to the role.
Confirmation: On March 24, Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) was sworn in as the ninth Secretary of Homeland Security (Fox News). Mullin was confirmed by the Senate, 54 votes for, and 45 against (NBC News). In Oklahoma, Alan Armstrong was selected by Governor Stitt to act as a caretaker Senator until the next election (The New York Times).
Comment: Currently, DHS is experiencing a partial shutdown due to lawmakers failing to agree on a funding plan, itself a scheme to sway and influence DHS, ICE, and CBP operations. It is uncertain how Mullin will reform ICE and CBP, or if he will instead focus on securing funding before committing to operational shifts.
End Brief
That concludes this brief.
Thank you for reading!
— Nick
This publication is an Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) product and does not contain Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) or Classified Information.
Comments represent the analysis, opinions, and estimates of The Intel Brief writer(s).