Inside the Pentagon highlights

Some must-reads from this week's issue of Inside the Pentagon:

1. The Pentagon's No. 2 civilian has directed the Defense Innovation Board -- a star-studded advisory panel of entrepreneurs, academics and scientists -- to form a subcommittee focused on the U.S. military's science and technology "ecosystem" and serve up recommendations on potential new ways for the enterprise to innovate.

Full story: Work directs formation of new innovation subcommittee to assess DOD S&T

2. Defense Secretary Ash Carter criticized congressional appropriators during a Sept. 22 visit to Capitol Hill, citing proposed cuts to an array of weapon system improvement programs including electronic warfare, undersea drones and missile modernization that fall under the Pentagon's push for "Third Offset" technologies.

Full story: Carter: Congress' cuts 'starve' new tech in favor of LCS and other priorities

3. The Senate on Wednesday passed a measure authorizing a short-term, stopgap spending measure, or continuing resolution, to keep the federal government operating through Dec. 9.

Full story: Senate passes three-month CR package to avert government shutdown

4. Republican efforts to oppose protections for the sage grouse are "veto bait" if they become part of the final version of the fiscal year 2017 defense authorization bill, according to the House Armed Services Committee's ranking Democrat.

Full story: Smith weighs in on sage grouse debate holding up defense policy bill