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

General Dynamics to acquire CSRA in $9.6 billion deal

General Dynamics announced it plans to acquire CSRA in a deal valued at $9.6 billion.

Defense contracting executives insist companies will be able to retain boost from tax legislation

The new tax legislation passed late last year has been hailed by many business executives, who argue the changes will help them invest in their workers and new technology.

Lockheed CFO: Sikorsky's revenue 'probably a little lower than we had expected'

Bruce Tanner, Lockheed's chief financial officer, said Sikorsky's sales, particularly in commercial, are lower than expected.

Industry backs new rule on commercial item determinations

Industry groups are supporting a new rule intended to make commercial item determinations more consistent and bolster opportunities for nontraditional contractors.

CSRA reports increased sales

CSRA said sales during its most recent quarter reached $1.3 billion, up 7 percent from the same three-month period a year earlier.

Peraton taps Myers to head communications unit

Peraton said David Myers, formerly chief executive of DataPath, will serve as president of its communications sector, starting Feb. 20.

Forcepoint adds Trexler

Forcepoint, Raytheon's cybersecurity business, has named Eric Trexler vice president of sales for its global governments and critical infrastructure business.

The week ahead

The service vice chiefs are scheduled to testify on Capitol Hill this week on military readiness, and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis is traveling to Italy for a NATO ministerial.

DOD issues $950 million cloud services contract to Amazon reseller

The Defense Department has awarded a contract worth up to $950 million for cloud services to an Amazon Web Services partner, but says the award is unrelated to a high-level steering group's plans for accelerating cloud adoption across the department.

Pentagon cloud steering group's support contract under protest

The Pentagon's cloud executive steering group's award to an obscure company for "contractor support services" is under protest, raising more questions about the group's push for commercial cloud adoption across the Defense Department.

New Pentagon budget backed by planned increases of more than $1 trillion over the decade

The Trump administration is backing the new National Defense Strategy with a 10-year, $7.2 trillion spending forecast -- a boost of more than $1 trillion compared to the most recent Obama plan -- including a near-term drive to propel the Pentagon's annual budget above $700 billion beginning in FY-20, according to the Office of Management and Budget.