Welcome to today's Defense Business Briefing, your weekly roundup of the latest defense industry news.
GAO denies protest of Aerovironment Switchblade contract
The Government Accountability Office has denied the protest of a contract awarded in August to AeroVironment worth up to $990 million for the Switchblade loitering munition system, according to GAO's website.
Pentagon launching new defense industrial base advisory committee
The Pentagon is poised to launch a new federal advisory committee tasked with providing recommendations to strengthen the defense industrial base, according to a Federal Register notice published Monday.
Lawmakers call on Army to prioritize organic industrial base capacity
House and Senate authorizers agree that developing a reliable Army organic industrial base must be prioritized going forward, as opposed to investing in contractors outside the United States.
Army industry day will outline plans for Project Linchpin advancement
The Army will host an industry day in early January to inform a multiple-award task order contract for two requirement pools -- one dealing with software development and the other homed in on the Army’s first artificial intelligence, machine learning pipeline: Project Linchpin.
CMMC program rule goes into effect
Major changes to the Pentagon's Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program go into effect this week through a long-awaited final rulemaking establishing the program in the Code of Federal Regulations.
Canadian company wins nearly $16M to expand domestic tungsten supply
The Defense Department is granting Canada's Fireweed Metals Corp. $15.8 million to accelerate the company's development of a tungsten mine, according to a Friday DOD release.
Space Force releases schedule of upcoming COMSATCOM requests for proposals
The Space Force Commercial Satellite Communications Office last week released a provisional schedule for the COMSATCOM services the Defense Department will be seeking in calendar year 2025.
Former INDOPACOM chief Aquilino joins Lockheed's board of directors
Former U.S. Indo-Pacific Command chief Adm. John Aquilino has joined Lockheed Martin's board of directors.
The week ahead
Senior defense officials are scheduled to speak at several events around Washington this week, while the Senate is poised to pass the final version of the fiscal year 2025 defense authorization bill.
Navy reveals fresh details on TRAM demo as lawmakers advance calls for concrete fielding plan
As lawmakers advanced joint authorization legislation calling on the Navy to produce a concrete strategy for delivering an at-sea re-arming capability, service officials last week revealed new details about a successful demonstration of their developing Transferrable Reload At-sea Method (TRAM) conducted in October.
MADIS air-defense system fielded to Hawaii-based Marine Littoral Regiment
The Marine Corps has fielded a mobile, drone-killing air defense system to its 3rd Littoral Anti-Air Battalion in Hawaii, the service announced, with the system expected to achieve initial operational capability this week.
Inside Defense would like to wish our readers a safe and healthy Holiday Season and a prosperous New Year. The next Defense Business Briefing will be issued Jan. 7, 2025.