Protecting U.S. Critical Energy Investments Through C-UAS and UAS Surveillance Capabilities in Iraq
Closed Posted
- Opportunity number
- DFOP0018094
- Agency
-
Bureau of Counterterrorism
Department of State
- Applications due
- Award size
- $6,808,090
Opportunity facts
- Assistance listings
- Funding instrument
- Cooperative Agreement
- Category
-
- Other
- Eligible applicants
-
- Unrestricted
- Points of contact
-
- Cheyenne Arbogast arbogastc@state.gov
- Full announcement
Opportunity details come from Grants.gov. Updated .
About this opportunity
The Department of State Bureau of Counterterrorism seeks applicants to deliver counter-unmanned aircraft systems (C-UAS) and UAS surveillance capabilities training and capacity-building to Iraqi civilian law enforcement and security forces to protect U.S. critical energy investments and personnel from Iran-aligned threats. The program requires applicants to build sustainable Iraqi capabilities in detecting, tracking, identifying, and neutralizing hostile UAS threats while reducing long-term dependency on U.S. resources through train-the-trainer methodologies and institutional development. Eligible applicants include not-for-profit organizations, educational institutions, for-profit organizations, public international organizations, and governmental institutions, all of which must maintain active SAM.gov registration with a Unique Entity Identifier prior to submission. Proposals will be evaluated on five criteria: quality and feasibility of program idea (30 points), organizational capacity and prior grant performance (20 points), program planning and outcome achievement ability (15 points), monitoring and evaluation capability (15 points), budget reasonableness (10 points), and sustainability planning (10 points). The application deadline is June 8, 2026, at 5:00 P.M. Washington D.C. time, with a question receipt deadline of April 23, 2026, and submissions directed to Cheyenne Arbogast at ArbogastC@state.gov.
The single anticipated cooperative agreement award is valued at $6,808,090 from FY25/26 Nonproliferation, Anti-terrorism, Demining and Related Programs (NADR) funds, with a 24-month performance period anticipated to begin September 30, 2026. Applicants must submit a 12-page proposal narrative addressing situational analysis, problem statement, project activities, logic model, theory of change, performance monitoring plan with at least three counterterrorism standard indicators, project schedule, key personnel qualifications, sustainability plans, and risk analysis, accompanied by required federal forms and detailed budget justification. The program will operate in Iraq with balanced implementation across Federal Iraq and the Iraqi Kurdistan Region, requiring all Iraqi security forces personnel to undergo Leahy vetting with vetting packages due 90 days before planned training.
Synopsis
The Department of State's Bureau of Counterterrorism (CT) announces this funding opportunity to protect American economic interests, personnel, and national security by supporting the Government of Iraq's (GOI) capabilities to counter unmanned aircraft systems (C-UAS) threats while simultaneously advancing Iraqi security forces' capability to protect critical infrastructure. This program should deliver concrete returns for American taxpayers by safeguarding U.S. commercial investments in Iraq's energy sector and reducing threats to American personnel from Iran and Iran-Aligned Milita Groups (IAMGs). U.S. companies maintain significant investments in Iraqi oil and gas production, representing substantial American economic interests. UAS operated by Iran and IAMGs present a persistent and escalating threat to these American investments and to U.S. personnel operating in Iraq. Recent drone attacks on U.S. facilities in Erbil and Baghdad illustrate IAMGs intent and capabilities to attack American interests. By supporting Iraq's ability to both defend against hostile UAS and conduct proactive surveillance operations, this program should directly protect American economic assets and reduce risks to American citizens abroad. This program advances critical U.S. national security priorities outlined in the U.S. Department of State Agency Strategic Plan for fiscal years 2026-2030, 2025 National Security Strategy (NSS) and National Security Presidential Memorandum-2 (NSPM-2) on Countering Iran and IAMGs by degrading the operational capabilities of their UAS and protecting U.S. interests. This program should be designed to reduce Iraq's long-term dependency on U.S. taxpayer resources by building sustainable Iraqi civilian law enforcement capabilities to independently protect critical infrastructure, conduct surveillance operations, and respond to UAS threats.
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