The INSIDER daily digest

This Friday INSIDER Daily Digest includes news on a previously classified Navy SM-6 project and more.

The Standard Missile-6 will have a new capability soon:

Carter reveals secret Navy project to give SM-6 offensive, anti-ship capability

Defense Secretary Ash Carter has unveiled a previously classified Navy project to double the punch of the Standard Missile-6 by giving the defensive weapon -- designed to protect the fleet from enemy cruise missiles and ballistic missiles -- a new, previously undisclosed offensive capability: the means to attack far-away adversary ships.

Electronic warfare will be a topic of congressional debate in the coming months:

Senators introduce bill to speed acquisition of EW capabilities

A bipartisan pair of senators have introduced a bill to help the Pentagon develop electronic-warfare technology as other nations are enhancing their capabilities in ways that narrow the United States' competitive edge.

Keep an eye out for the findings of a Navy study group looking into problems with the F-18 oxygen system:

Navy establishes team to determine F-18 physiological episode root cause

Since 2009, the Navy has noticed an increase in hazard reports due to physiological episodes in the Super Hornet and Growler aircraft and established a Physiological Episode Team to determine the root cause, the Navy revealed this week.

Spare parts will be a big problem for the Marine Corps' Joint Strike Fighter:

Spare parts inventory is Marine Corps' greatest concern for sustaining F-35s

The greatest concern for the Marine Corps' aviation chief is the lack of spare parts to sustain the Joint Strike Fighter.

Document: House hearing on Navy fighter aircraft

More F-35 news from the Pentagon's latest OT&E report:

Gilmore: F-35 suitability, availability improving, but not fast enough

Although the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter's operational suitability is lower than desired by its users -- and though it still has a long way to go in achieving the program's availability goals -- the platform has shown improvement in almost all suitability measures over the last year, according to the Pentagon's top weapons tester.

A primer on what to expect from the Air Force's Space Fence in 2016:

Space Fence radar team heading into challenging year on solid footing

With key software development and radar production on the near-term slate for the Air Force's Space Fence program, 2016 is likely to be its busiest and most challenging year, according to program manager Dana Whalley.

The Air Force's MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aircraft will see delays in testing:

Thermal and power management issues persist on MQ-9 Reaper

Competing test priorities have tied up resources for MQ-9 Block 5 testing, allowing stubborn thermal and power management problems to persist on the MQ-9 Reaper, according to the Pentagon's director of operational test and evaluation.