The INSIDER daily digest -- May 8, 2024

This Wednesday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on lawmakers inching toward breaking the spending cap mandated by the Fiscal Responsibility Act, plus coverage from the AI Expo for National Competitiveness and more.

Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee Chairman Jon Tester (D-MT) said during a hearing this week that he and Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) agree that the 1% increase in spending the Defense Department would see under the Fiscal Responsibility Act -- which is $10 billion less than the Pentagon planned for -- is far too small to meet global threats:

Senate appropriators say they are ready to break defense spending cap

Senior Senate appropriators voiced bipartisan support today for increasing the fiscal year 2025 defense budget above the spending cap mandated by the Fiscal Responsibility Act.

Senior defense officials spoke this week at the AI Expo for National Competitiveness in Washington:

CENTCOM technology chief watching Chinese AI and cyber activity

U.S. Central Command's chief technology officer says she is keeping an eye on China's activities, particularly the negative cybersecurity implications and artificial intelligence advances that do not adhere to responsible innovation policies.

DOD working with industry on bio manufacturing program

The Pentagon's technology chief said the Defense Department is working on a "bio industrial manufacturing" program, highlighting recent awards that small businesses have received to provide the U.S. military with new technologies in that area.

Allvin: Innovative technology is changing the way the Air Force deals with industry

As the military moves to maximize interoperability to prepare for a potential fight with a near-peer adversary, the services and industry need to "adapt together," Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin said Tuesday.

The American Enterprise Institute in Washington, which recently released a report asserting that China’s annual military budget for fiscal year 2022 was $711 billion, or triple the amount Beijing claimed:

Top House Dem says U.S. intel community should disclose more info on China's defense spending

Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, said today that he would favor the U.S. intelligence community being more "aggressive" when it comes to disclosing information about the actual size of China's military budget, which U.S. officials and analysts have long said is not accurately reported by Beijing.

The Replicator initiative has two focuses: fielding attritable autonomous weapon systems by August 2025 to counter the challenge posed by China and creating a repeatable process that the Defense Department can use again multiple times in the future, according to Defense Innovation Unit chief Doug Beck:

DIU head focuses on repeatability of Replicator weapons tranches

The head of the Defense Innovation Unit spoke today about the importance of consistently repeating the Replicator initiative as planning work has begun on the second tranche of weapon systems.