# Federal Agencies Seek Critical Infrastructure Cyber Defenses

Retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Robert Skinner identifies China as the leading strategic cyber threat and warns that nation-state adversaries are positioning within critical infrastructure for potential disruption. For procurement professionals, this points to continuing federal demand for capabilities that improve visibility and continuously validate security across IT and operational technology environments, including telecommunications and water systems. The signal identifies no specific solicitation, award, funding amount, or deadline.

- Cybersecurity contractors can position offerings around visibility and continuous validation spanning both IT and operational technology environments.
- Telecommunications and water systems are specifically identified as critical infrastructure areas relevant to this demand signal.
- Because no procurement vehicle or solicitation is named, companies should treat this as market context rather than an active bid opportunity.

**Jurisdictions:** federal
**Industries:** Information Technology, Defense & Military
**Topics:** Cybersecurity, Digital Infrastructure
**Published:** October 08, 2026

### Government Entities
- Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA)
- United States Air Force (USAF)

### Vendors
- Axonius Federal Systems ()

### Sources
- [Which nation-sate should worry us most | CyberScoop](https://cyberscoop.com/radio/how-ai-is-shifting-the-advantage-between-offense-and-defense) - CyberScoop