# DHS Increases Spending on Anduril

Antoine McCord returned to Anduril after serving as DHS chief information officer from March 2025 through August 2026. During that period, reported DHS spending on Anduril services rose from approximately $148 million in FY2025 to $431 million in FY2026. Separately, the Department of Veterans Affairs has begun a voluntary CLEAR identity-verification pilot for VA.gov accounts. Together, the signals point to federal demand for security-related technology and digital identity services, while McCord’s move from DHS to a contractor receiving increased agency spending makes governance and conflict-of-interest controls relevant to procurement stakeholders.

- **Why this matters:** Contractors pursuing DHS work should assess opportunities related to surveillance, data, AI, and biometrics, while recognizing that the reported spending figures do not identify a specific award or solicitation.
- Procurement teams and contractors should account for governance and conflict-of-interest scrutiny when evaluating personnel transitions between agencies and companies with federal business.
- The VA pilot gives identity-verification providers a concrete example of federal account-access modernization; the signal describes it as voluntary and provides no contract value or solicitation details.

**Jurisdictions:** federal
**Industries:** Public Safety, Information Technology
**Topics:** Artificial Intelligence, Digital Infrastructure
**Published:** October 08, 2026

### Government Entities
- U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
- Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)

### Vendors
- Anduril (Contractor receiving DHS services spending)
- CLEAR (Identity-verification provider in VA pilot)

### Sources
- [Former DHS CIO lands back at Anduril | FedScoop](https://fedscoop.com/former-dhs-cio-antoine-mccord-anduril) - FedScoop
- [Antoine McCord returns to Anduril after leaving DHS CIO role | FedScoop](https://fedscoop.com/radio/former-department-of-homeland-security-cio-antoine-mccord-has-returned-to-defense-technology-company-anduril) - FedScoop