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

Pentagon's intellectual property debate with industry poised to continue

The Defense Department has received final recommendations from a special advisory panel on intellectual property rights indicating the struggle between defense contractors and the Pentagon over ownership and access to technical data is far from over.

HII to acquire Fulcrum IT Services

Huntington Ingalls Industries said it has agreed to buy Fulcrum IT Services, an information technology and government consulting company headquartered in Centreville, VA.

Following close of Engility deal, SAIC now able to 'go into detail on the pipeline'

Following the recent close of the Science Applications International Corp.-Engility deal, SAIC has "been very active this week going through really understanding the pipeline" of business opportunities, according to a top executive.

After ACV, MPF losses, SAIC will continue to pursue integration work and will 'refine' strategy

Though Science Applications International Corp. fell short in pursuing two major military vehicle programs, the company's chief executive told Inside Defense he would not have changed the company's technical approach.

NAVSEA to issue RFIs for large surface combatant in coming days

Naval Sea Systems Command plans to issue requests for information to industry for a large surface combatant in the coming days.

Lockheed Martin executive: Reported Navy hack did not impact Aegis Common Source Library

A recently reported hack of Navy contractors did not affect Lockheed Martin's Aegis Common Source Library, according to a company executive.

Former Google CEO selected to lead National Security Commission on AI

Former Google chief executive and current chairman of the Defense Innovation Board Eric Schmidt has been selected to chair a new commission studying how artificial intelligence will affect national security, with former Deputy Defense Secretary Bob Work tapped to serve as the vice chair.

The week ahead

A partial government shutdown -- the longest in history -- enters its fifth week, senior DOD officials speak on the 2019 Missile Defense Review and two defense contractors' quarterly earnings calls take place.

DARPA narrows pool for launch challenge, discusses future applications with DOD

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has narrowed a pool of potential competitors in its responsive launch challenge from 55 to 18 and plans to announce those companies by the end of February.

Acquisition reform panel urges Pentagon buyers to implement changes and adopt 'war footing'

An acquisition reform panel has finished its work with a series of "bold" recommendations its members say is needed for the Pentagon to adopt a "war footing" in the technological competition with China and Russia, but the path forward for implementing the suggested changes is unclear.