Defense Business Briefing -- Sept. 29, 2020

Welcome to today's Defense Business Briefing, your weekly roundup of the latest defense industry news.

This week's top story

Amentum to acquire DynCorp International

Amentum has agreed to acquire DynCorp International, which would create a $6 billion contractor.

News & notes

Lord says pandemic sharpened DOD's focus on re-shoring, especially microelectronics

Pentagon acquisition chief Ellen Lord said today the effort now underway to identify and re-shore critical defense technologies with fragile or foreign supply chains was enhanced by the global outbreak of COVID-19.

SAIC chief expects more flexibility in workplace to outlast COVID-19 pandemic

The chief executive of Science Applications International Corp. anticipates that the ongoing coronavirus pandemic will create lasting changes in the workplace.

CSIS report finds decline in ratio of procurement spending to R&D spending

A new report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies finds the ratio of spending on procurement compared to research and development is on the decline, a discovery it notes could have "business-altering dynamics."

CACI chief says company is working to eliminate its need for Section 3610

CACI International has reduced its reliance on legislation reimbursing contractors to remain in a ready state during the ongoing pandemic, according to the company's chief executive.

Huntington Ingalls to establish unmanned systems center of excellence

Huntington Ingalls Industries has broken ground on a new unmanned systems center of excellence in Hampton, VA, the company said.

Appointments & promotions

Baum joins Elbit Systems

Elbit Systems of America said it has hired former DOD official Scott Baum as vice president of strategy and growth.

What's happening

The week ahead

The Senate must pass the House's stopgap continuing resolution by Thursday, or the federal government will shut down. Meanwhile, senior Pentagon officials are scheduled to speak at several different events this week.

For Inside Defense subscribers

Industry groups oppose several defense policy bill provisions related to supply chain security

A group representing a range of U.S. companies and industry associations opposes a variety of measures in the House and Senate defense authorization bills, including several provisions that would demand domestic sourcing for U.S. weapons programs and force companies to cut ties with Chinese suppliers.

Defense industry, telecom giants form 'Spectrum Working Group' to discuss valuable Pentagon airwaves

Defense contractors and telecommunications giants have been quietly meeting over the last several months to discuss how military systems and commercial wireless networks can co-exist in the electromagnetic spectrum, as the United States increasingly takes a sharing approach to making airwaves available for fifth-generation wireless networks.