The Insider

By John Liang
February 14, 2025 at 1:33 PM

This Friday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on Air Force depots' surge capacity in the event of a war in the Indo-Pacific, the Marine Corps' Long-Range Unmanned Surface Vessel program as well as the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program and more.

We start off with a deep dive into Air Force depots' surge capacity in the event of a war in the Indo-Pacific: 

Air Force depots can support surge capacity in the Indo-Pacific for 30 days before things get 'interesting'

TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, OK -- Should a conflict between the U.S. and China break out, the Air Force Sustainment Center here could support a roughly 30-day surge before operations of the service's logistics arm get "really, really interesting," the commander said.

Lockheed Martin Chief Financial Officer Jay Malave spoke about the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program during TD Cowen's 46th Annual Aerospace & Defense Conference this week:

Lockheed Martin expects Pentagon to withhold some F-35 payments into 2026

Lockheed Martin and the F-35 Joint Program Office are still aiming to declare the Technology Refresh-3 software upgrade as combat-capable in this calendar year, but cash may continue to be withheld into 2026 as the company struggles to meet stated requirements.

The Pentagon's latest operational test and evaluation report looks at the Marine Corps' Long-Range Unmanned Surface Vessel program:

LRUSV transitioning to major capability acquisition pathway in FY-27 after pivot from rapid prototyping

The Marine Corps will transition its Long-Range Unmanned Surface Vessel program to the major capability acquisition pathway in fiscal year 2027 following a decision to terminate a middle tier acquisition rapid prototyping effort, according to the latest annual report from the Pentagon's director of operational test and evaluation.

(Read our complete DOT&E report coverage.)

The Army this week executed two PrSM Increment 1 engagements during a flight test at White Sands Missile Range, NM, demonstrating the system's effectiveness as part of ongoing efforts to enhance the service's long-range precision strike capability:

PrSM Increment 1 notches another success in production qualification test

The Army successfully completed a key production qualification test for its next-generation, long-range strike missile, marking an important advance in the Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) Increment 1 effort, the first part of a planned $8.4 billion acquisition.

Soldiers from the Army's 3rd Light Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division drove around in GM Defense's ISV and its Next Generation Tactical Vehicle prototype during a recent exercise in Germany:

Joint exercise in Germany yields potential ISV refinements for Army

The Army gleaned a few new ideas for its Infantry Squad Vehicle at a joint military exercise this past month, like mounting a winch, reconfiguring the windshield and perhaps adding doors, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George told reporters at a roundtable at the Pentagon Wednesday.

By Tony Bertuca
February 13, 2025 at 4:37 PM

President Trump said today he wants to schedule meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladmir Putin to reduce their nuclear arsenals and cut military spending "in half."

Trump, speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, said he would like the meeting to take place “in the not-too-distant future” when “things settle down.”

The United States, he said, spends far too much on its nearly $1 trillion military.

“One of the first meetings I want to have [is] with President Xi [of] China and with President Putin of Russia and I want to say, ‘let's cut our military budget in half,’” he said. “We're going to have them spend a lot less money and we're going to spend a lot less money and I know they are going to do it.”

Trump said he had discussed nuclear de-escalation with Putin and Xi in his first term before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and brought it up more recently in a phone call with Putin when they discussed beginning negotiations to end to the war in Ukraine.

“President Putin and I agreed that we are going to do it in a very big way,” Trump said. “There’s no reason for us to be building brand-new nuclear weapons. We already have so many you could destroy the world 50 times over, 100 times over and here we are building new nuclear weapons and they’re building nuclear weapons, and China is building nuclear weapons and China is trying to catch up. . . . We're all spending a lot of money that we could be spending on other things.”

Trump said the word “de-nuclearize” is a “beautiful term.”

Meanwhile, congressional Republicans are arguing that U.S. defense spending must dramatically increase, hitting between 4% and 5% of gross domestic product and the Trump administration is push NATO nations to also spend 5% of GDP on defense.

The GOP-led House and Senate have produced competing budget reconciliation proposals that would increase defense spending by an additional $100 billion to $150 billion over the next 10 years.

News of Trump’s remarks cause a slide in the defense market, with shares of Northrop Grumman dropping 3.3%, General Dynamics falling 2.1% and Lockheed Martin down 1.6%.

By John Liang
February 13, 2025 at 2:01 PM

This Thursday INSIDER Daily Digest has news from a hearing this morning that featured the head of U.S. Northern Command, plus the Space Force's acquisition strategy, the "Iron Dome for America" executive order and more.

Gen. Gregory Guillot, head of the bi-national Northern Aerospace and Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command, said during a hearing this morning that significant improvements in domestic air surveillance from orbiting assets are close to bolstering a top requirement to improve domain awareness:

'Single-sensing grid' for 'significant' domestic air surveillance possible within a year

U.S. military space sensors could be stitched together within a year to create a "single-sensing grid" to improve domestic airspace domain awareness in support of a next-generation missile defense system, according to the top U.S. military official responsible for protecting North America.

Document: Senate hearing on SOUTHCOM, NORTHCOM

The Space Force has been working on a shift in acquisition strategy that has been in the works for years, but some efforts remain unwieldy:

Space Force assessing programs for acquisition strategy changes

The Space Force is working to modify some of its development programs to lower costs and cut back risk while creating guidelines to prevent problematic contracts in the future, the service's acting acquisition chief said this week.

On Feb. 11, the Space Development Agency issued a "call for executive summaries . . . to perform 60-day studies on a U.S. 'Iron Dome' architecture and capability":

SDA seeks industry input for space capabilities to support U.S. 'Iron Dome'

The Space Development Agency is calling on industry to help shape the blueprint of a proposed national missile defense system as outlined in the recent "Iron Dome for America" executive order, announcing plans to issue 60-day studies to flesh out potential new dimensions of its Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA).

Document: SDA's request for executive summaries on U.S. 'Iron Dome' architecture

Since last summer, the 3rd Light Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division has been deployed to eastern Europe in support of NATO allies and partners:

Army zeroing in on improved battery technology after exercise in Germany

Following its latest exercise in which soldiers who were forward-deployed to Eastern Europe tested some of the Army's newest technologies in freezing cold temperatures, service leaders are eyeing improved battery technology as an area of focus when it comes to modernizing the force.

Dan Karbler, a retired lieutenant general and former head of Army Space and Missile Defense Command, argued Feb. 10 during a webcast hosted by the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance that the IRONDOME Act legislation lacks the necessary operational architecture, which he described as the foundation for any successful missile defense system:

Retired brass: IRONDOME Act 'a bunch of hardware' without a solid operational design

A retired senior official took aim at the $19.5 billion missile defense investment proposal advanced by Sens. Dan Sullivan (R-AK) and Kevin Cramer (R-ND), warning the bill risks creating an ineffective missile defense system without first establishing a coherent operational framework.

The House Armed Services Committee held a hearing this week on "Protecting American Interests in a Convergent Global Threat Environment":

House Armed Services Committee ready to focus on acquisition reform

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-AL) said this week that the panel's top priority in the coming year -- along with increasing defense spending -- will be reforming the Pentagon's notoriously slow and cumbersome acquisition system, a perennial concern on Capitol Hill.

Document: House hearing on global threat environment

By John Liang
February 12, 2025 at 3:32 PM

This Wednesday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on a House Budget Committee resolution that would increase defense spending by $100 billion as well as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth welcoming DOGE to find "billions" in wasteful Pentagon spending and more.

A new resolution released today, which the House Budget Committee will vote on tomorrow, would cut $2 trillion in spending, potentially adding $4.5 trillion in tax cuts and adding $100 billion to defense:

House releases budget resolution with $100 billion defense boost

The House Budget Committee has released a resolution that increases defense spending by $100 billion, a competing "blueprint" with one being crafted in the Senate that would boost the military topline by $150 billion.

Document: House budget committee's budget resolution

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth spoke to reporters this week outside U.S. Africa Command headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany:

Hegseth welcomes 'keen eye of DOGE' to cut billions at DOD

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said today he is ready to welcome Elon Musk's team of government cost-cutters to the Pentagon, anticipating they will identify "billions" in wasteful spending that can be redirected toward military readiness.

Acting Space Force acquisition chief Maj. Gen. Stephen Purdy spoke this week at the Defense and Intelligence Space Conference:

OCX operational acceptance expected in January

The Next Generation Operational Control System (OCX) will be delivered to operators in June, according to a letter from acting Air Force Secretary Gary Ashworth to the Pentagon's chief tester, with acceptance of the long-delayed program expected in January.

Missile defense news:

LTAMDS detects cruise missile target, PAC-2 GEM-T intercepts in key test

The Army's next-generation air and missile defense radar successfully demonstrated its ability to counter cruise missile threats using a legacy interceptor during a flight test last week at White Sands Missile Range, NM, marking an important step forward in the program's development and march toward a production review.

Former MDA chief envisions Uber-like space-based interceptor fleet

The former head of the Missile Defense Agency who two decades ago oversaw the launch of the current system that provides limited national missile defense against North Korean and Iranian threats says the United States must embrace a space-based missile defense system to keep pace with evolving threats from Russia and China.

Increased domestic refining, recycling and manufacturing should join domestic mining activity as vital components to securing U.S. mineral -- and therefore national -- security, while partnerships with international allies would also create a more resilient supply chain, witnesses and lawmakers said during a recent House Natural Resources energy and mineral resources subcommittee hearing:

House panel: Domestic mining not sole solution to ensuring critical mineral supply

Reducing reliance on imports from adversary nations for critical minerals powering the defense sector's supply chain will require a more comprehensive approach than just ramping up domestic mining activity, lawmakers and experts said during a House hearing last week.

By Dominic Minadeo
February 12, 2025 at 3:01 PM

The Army revealed today it will be inviting industry to join its fiscal year 2026 self-propelled howitzer competition by the end of February, according to a notice posted this afternoon.

The solicitation will be uploaded “on or about” Feb. 27, the notice says, and it will be for firm-fixed-price contracts related to wheeled or tracked 155mm self-propelled howitzer systems.

This marks the next step of the Army’s Self-Propelled Howitzer Modernization program: The “get to test” phase, as Ashley John, a spokesperson for Ground Combat Systems, coined it in an email to Inside Defense Jan. 31.

The phase will involve “further testing of mature platforms, and it will not be a vendor downselect,” John said. “Competition in this phase remains critical.”

The goal is to award contracts in the fourth quarter of FY-25, with the competitive evaluation at Yuma Proving Ground, AZ, planned for FY-26, John said. That will then kick off downselects in early FY-27, the second phase of the “two-phase competitive strategy.”

The upcoming solicitation will be informed by the Army’s monthslong “road show,” which spanned this past November to December, where the service handed out contracts to five vendors for a series of demos across the globe in search of readily available systems.

Cancellation of the Army’s Extended Range Cannon Artillery program, designed to boost 155mm self-propelled howitzer range from 30 to 70 kilometers, in October 2023 catalyzed the service’s pivot toward off-the-shelf technologies.

That range boost is still an Army requirement, John said in December. But in the meantime, the service needs to find a “non-developmental” system “that will provide parity with near-peer competitors while still pursuing its long-range goals.”

The upcoming solicitation will close “on or around” April 14, the Feb. 12 notice says.

By Tony Bertuca
February 12, 2025 at 2:56 PM

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said today Ukraine should recognize that returning to its pre-2014 borders with land currently occupied by Russia is an "unrealistic objective," noting that adding the country to NATO is also off the table.

“Chasing this illusionary goal will only prolong the war and cause more suffering,” he said during a meeting of the 50-nation Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Brussels, which was chaired for the first time by the United Kingdom and not the United States.

Russia currently controls about 20% of Ukraine, with land taken mostly in the east and south in an invasion that began three years ago, and Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014.

The way forward, Hegseth said, is to guarantee Ukrainians security with European and non-European troops, though not from the United States and not under the protection of NATO.

“If these troops are deployed as peacekeepers to Ukraine at any point, they should be deployed as part of a non-NATO mission,” he said. “To be clear, as part of any security guarantee, there will not be U.S. troops deployed to Ukraine.”

Hegseth also said Europe must do more to provide the lion’s share of Ukraine’s security going forward as the United States focuses its attention on China in the Indo-Pacific and southern border security.

“Europe must provide the overwhelming share of future lethal and nonlethal aid to Ukraine,” he said. “Members of this contact group must meet the moment. This means: Donating more ammunition and equipment. Leveraging comparative advantages. Expanding your defense industrial base. And importantly, leveling with your citizens about the threat facing Europe.”

For the past three years, the 50-nation UDCG has provided Ukraine with more than $126 billion in military aid, with $66.5 billion coming from the United States.

Hegseth said the United States will remain committed to NATO but expects European nations to spend more on their own defense.

“The United States will no longer tolerate an imbalanced relationship which encourages dependency,” he said. “Rather, our relationship will prioritize empowering Europe to own responsibility for its own security.”

The Trump administration, Hegseth said, is pushing all NATO members to begin spending 5% of their gross domestic product on national defense, which is above the 2% that members have agreed to, and many have not yet reached, including the United States, which spends around 3.4% on the military.

“Together, we can establish a division of labor that maximizes our comparative advantages in Europe and Pacific respectively,” Hegseth said.

Meanwhile, President Trump posted on Truth Social today that he has begun negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine.

“We each talked about the strengths of our respective Nations, and the great benefit that we will someday have in working together,” Trump wrote. “But first, as we both agreed, we want to stop the millions of deaths taking place in the War with Russia/Ukraine.”

Trump said he and Putin have also agreed to visit each other’s nations and that he intended to contact Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to “to inform him of the conversation.”

By Dominic Minadeo
February 11, 2025 at 3:23 PM

The Senate Armed Services Committee voted today to move Dan Driscoll's Army secretary nomination forward, according to a committee release.

That comes after a relatively amicable nomination hearing for the Iraq War veteran and former Yale Law School classmate of Vice President JD Vance on Jan. 30, where Driscoll pledged to bolster the organic industrial base and invest in directed energy for countering unmanned systems.

He also promised to look into the fatal crash between an inbound American Airlines flight and a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter conducting a training exercise near Reagan National Airport, which happened the night before his hearing, Jan. 29, saying he would work to “make sure that never occurs again.”

Driscoll didn’t make it through the hearing entirely unscathed, as one particular testy moment took place when Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) informed him that in their one-on-one meeting prior to his hearing, he “performed very poorly.”

Duckworth quizzed him on the number of personnel in an average brigade combat team, accused him of filibustering and demanded him to share what FM 3-0, the Army’s field manual, is for.

“See this is working, cause you’re doing your homework,” she said, when he answered correctly. “Which you did not do [before] because you couldn’t name a country in Africa where we have troops when I asked you.”

Driscoll’s “nomination was immediately reported to the floor following the Committee’s action,” the release says.

By John Liang
February 11, 2025 at 2:03 PM

This Tuesday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on the U.S.-U.K.-Australia submarine agreement, the Army's Integrated Visual Augmentation System, possible dates for when the next defense spending bill could be marked up and more.

We start off with some AUKUS news:

Lawmakers request DOD spending plan after Australia delivers $500 million in AUKUS assistance

The chairman and ranking member of the House Armed Services seapower and projection forces subcommittee are calling on the Defense Department to deliver a legally mandated spending plan for $500 million in submarine industrial base aid contributed by Australia.

Document: House lawmakers' letter on AUKUS funding

The Army's Integrated Visual Augmentation System could be getting a new corporate partnership:

Through partnership, Anduril could become prime contractor for IVAS

Microsoft and Anduril have announced the two companies intend to partner on future development and production of the Army's Integrated Visual Augmentation System, pending Defense Department approval.

In a series of letters sent to fellow committee chairs, House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole (R-OK) urged coordination and a review of legislative priorities for the 119th Congress with a goal of marking up the fiscal year 2026 spending bills in "late April" and completing those bills "prior to October 1, 2025":

House aims to craft FY-26 defense spending bill in 'late April'

House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole (R-OK) said he "anticipates" the fiscal year 2026 defense spending bill will be marked up in "late April," according to a letter sent to House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-AL).

Document: Rep. Cole's letters to lawmakers on appropriations bills

An Air Force reoptimization plan has been put on hold until lawmakers confirm a service secretary and under secretary:

Hegseth temporarily pauses all Air Force 'reoptimization' planning

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Feb. 6 put a hold on all planning actions regarding the Air Force's one-year-old "Reoptimization for Great Power Competition," a service spokesperson confirmed to Inside Defense.

The JLTV A2, supplied by AM General after winning a 2023 follow-on contract over Oshkosh Defense, is phasing out humvees in place of a lighter, more mobile vehicle for the joint force:

Delayed JLTV A2 deliveries underway, but funding challenges persist

Initial deliveries of the newest Joint Light Tactical Vehicle variant kicked off early this year after a six-month delay, an Army spokesperson confirmed Friday.

By Abby Shepherd
February 11, 2025 at 1:12 PM

The Marine Corps is conducting research to fulfill the second block of its navigation program, which aims to modernize positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) and global positioning system (GPS) capabilities, according to a request for information issued today.

The RFI follows previous ones issued by the Marine Corps meant to further develop PNT requirements. According to today's notice, the Tactical Communication and Electromagnetic Warfare Systems program manager is looking for vendors to participate in demonstrations held between February and May of this year -- demonstrations that will showcase “currently available, direct, drop-in, M-code capable replacements for the Defense Advanced GPS Receiver.”

Demonstrations will take place at Naval Information Warfare Center Atlantic, and those interested must submit a request by May 15. Once a vendor is granted the award, they may enter the engineering and manufacturing development phase of the program.

This notice is for the second block of the Marine Corps’ Mounted Assured Resilient Navigation (MARNAV) program. Block I requirements are met by the Army’s Mounted Assured PNT System (MAPS) Gen II.

The outfitting of Army units with MAPS Gen I began in 2020 and allows many users to access GPS signals from one central point, eliminating the need for multiple GPS devices used between multiple systems.

All these modernization efforts will allow “warfighters to benefit from enhanced PNT capabilities offered using Military Code (M-Code) GPS satellite signals, other signals of opportunity, and a variety of non-GPS sensors,” the notice states.

By John Liang
February 11, 2025 at 10:09 AM

Autonomous aircraft systems company Reliable Robotics announced today that retired Army Gen. Richard Clarke and retired Air Force Gen. Mike Minihan have joined the company "in advisory roles."

Clarke and Minihan will also serve on Reliable's Defense Advisory Board, which focuses on bringing dual-use aircraft autonomy to the U.S. military as quickly as possible, according to a company statement.

Clarke served as the commander of U.S. Special Operations Command and Minihan is the former head of the Air Force's Air Mobility Command.

By John Liang
February 10, 2025 at 1:32 PM

This Monday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on software for multidomain autonomous system swarms, the Marine Corps' Amphibious Combat Vehicle program and more.

We start off with some unmanned systems news:

L3Harris unveils scalable, multidomain 'smart swarm' drone technology

L3Harris Technologies has rolled out its latest software solution for multidomain autonomous system swarms -- called "AMORPHOUS."

The Marine Corps' Amphibious Combat Vehicle program is showing signs of progress:

ACV fielding expands as Marine Corps draws on lessons from testing and deployment

The Marine Corps has begun fielding its Amphibious Combat Vehicle to the East Coast, completed the ACV's first overseas deployment and wrapped up contract negotiations over the program's upcoming 30mm cannon variant -- signs of progress in the service's effort to expand fielding of the critical amphibious platform.

More coverage of the Pentagon's latest operational test and evaluation report:

DOT&E warns of key missile defense assessment gap as MDA pulls funding for M&S project

The Pentagon's top weapons tester is raising alarms over gaps in critical modeling and simulation (M&S) tools needed to assess the effectiveness of new missile defense systems -- including the Next Generation Interceptor and Glide Phase Interceptor -- against evolving threats.

DOT&E: Funding not available to execute key Sentinel A4 testing

The Army's Sentinel A4 program office is currently unable to provide the funding and "test resources" needed to execute its plans for initial operational test and evaluation, according to the Pentagon’s top weapons tester.

(Read our full DOT&E coverage.)

A new budget resolution introduced last week instructs the Senate Armed Services Committee to add $150 billion to the U.S. deficit for the defense portion of an upcoming budget reconciliation bill between fiscal years 2025 and 2034:

Graham unveils blueprint for $150B defense increase

Senate Budget Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC) released a resolution today that would pump an additional $150 billion into the U.S. defense budget over the next several years to cover integrated air and missile defense, Navy shipbuilding and military readiness.

Document: Graham's FY-25/34 budget resolution

By Tony Bertuca
February 10, 2025 at 5:00 AM

Several Washington think tanks are hosting events this week related to defense and national security. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is set to embark on a week-long trip to Germany, Belgium and Poland for meetings with NATO nations.

Tuesday

The Center for Strategic and International Studies hosts a discussion on the “Iron Dome for America” proposal.

Wednesday

The House Armed Services Committee holds a hearing to discuss the “protecting American interests in a convergent global threat environment.”

Thursday

The Senate Armed Services Committee holds a hearing with the chiefs of U.S. Northern Command and U.S. Southern Command to discuss the fiscal year 2026 budget request.

By John Liang
February 7, 2025 at 2:01 PM

This Friday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth holding a "town hall" meeting with service members at the Pentagon this morning, plus the Air Force's B-52 Radar Modernization Program being delayed and more.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, in a "town hall" speech with Pentagon personnel that was broadcast virtually, said the department will evaluate "how we match what we fund to capabilities and effects":

Hegseth calls out Pentagon's pricey legacy weapons in town hall speech

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said today the Pentagon will work to rapidly fund and field emerging military technologies, while also reviewing legacy systems that cost billions and may not be suitable for deterring or prevailing against potential U.S. adversaries like China.

The two-part milestone C decision for the B-52 Radar Modernization Program to enter production and deployment is now scheduled for the second and fourth quarters of fiscal year 2026, according to the annual report from the Office of the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation released last week:

Air Force to review B-52 RMP amid delays

The Air Force will review the B-52 Radar Modernization Program, a service spokeswoman told Inside Defense today, following the one-year milestone C decision delay noted in the chief Pentagon tester's annual report.

On Feb. 5, Sens. Dan Sullivan (R-AK) and Kevin Cramer (R-ND) introduced the "Increasing Response Options and Deterrence of Missile Engagements Act of 2025" or the "IRONDOME Act" designed to fit President Trump's week-old executive order that borrows branding from the Israeli system the U.S. Army has rejected:

GOP lawmakers stake out $19.5B investment plan in FY-26 for expanding domestic air defense

Republican lawmakers are proposing a $19.5 billion down payment in fiscal year 2026 on a new domestic air defense capability that would mark a massive expansion of national missile defense capabilities, including a sweeping new array of radars, increased guided interceptor inventory and explore new capabilities such as autonomous agents to intercept missiles.

The CEO of shipbuilding company HII discussed his company's quarterly earnings this week:

HII to focus more on outsourcing in next year; welcomes 'reduced regulation' DOGE may bring

Shipbuilder HII will focus on developing outsource partners for labor and production in the next year rather than acquiring more shipyards.

Peter Ludwig, co-founder and chief technology officer for Applied Intuition, talked about his company's acquisition of EpiSys Science:

Applied Intuition acquires EpiSci, expanding autonomy business

Ground vehicle autonomy software supplier Applied Intuition announced Thursday its acquisition of autonomy software vendor EpiSys Science (EpiSci), expanding its portfolio across all military domains.

By Dominic Minadeo
February 7, 2025 at 12:39 PM

The Army will host an industry day March 20 to refine its requirements and plans for boosting 155mm munitions, according to a public notice posted Feb. 7.

Notable topics at the event, hosted by the Combat Ammunition Systems Project Management Office in Parsippany, NJ, will focus around speeding up and increasing capacity of artillery propellant charge systems, material investments in the industrial base and innovation at the round, among others, according to the notice.

“The purpose of the event is to provide an update to technical requirements and program planning on 155mm Munition acceleration and expansion, including 155mm Projectile Load/Assemble/Pack (LAP), Metal Parts, Fuzes, Propellants, Primers, and associated materials,” the notice says.

This comes as former Army acquisition czar Doug Bush told Inside Defense last month that munition demand isn’t going away, with the service hitting production capacity of 55,000 155mm rounds by the end of January and a goal to hit 100,000 per month by the second quarter of fiscal year 2026.

Attending vendors will also get the chance for one-on-one sessions with the Army to follow up after the general session. Individual sessions that carry over will take place March 21 at Picatinny Arsenal, NJ.

Interested vendors have until Feb. 18 to reply.

By John Liang
February 6, 2025 at 2:11 PM

This Thursday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on HII's quarterly earnings, the Air Force's ongoing infrastructure challenges, the Navy having insufficient amphibious warships ready to deploy and more.

The CEO of shipbuilding company HII discussed his company's quarterly earnings this morning:

HII to focus more on outsourcing in next year; welcomes 'reduced regulation' DOGE may bring

Shipbuilder HII will focus on developing outsource partners for labor and production in the next year rather than acquiring more shipyards.

Inside Defense recently interviewed Ravi Chaudhary, the previous Air Force assistant secretary for energy, installations and environment:

Air Force often undersold infrastructure needs to lay down new projects

Faced with massive modernization demands and a hefty sustainment backlog, the Air Force has sought to balance its budget books by underreporting needed infrastructure upgrades when setting up new programs, a former service official told Inside Defense.

Starting in January 2024, the 15th MEU spent 11 months patrolling and training in the Pacific. But instead of deploying with the standard three-ship amphibious ready group (ARG), the MEU was forced to use a "staggered" deployment model largely due to vessel maintenance issues:

Marine Expeditionary Units challenged by amphib readiness during Indo-Pacific, Mediterranean deployments

Two recent Marine Expeditionary Unit deployments were both marked by amphibious warship readiness problems that, according to the units' commanders, challenged and complicated their missions in the increasingly tense Indo-Pacific and Eastern Mediterranean operating areas.

Peter Ludwig, co-founder and chief technology officer for Applied Intuition, talked about his company's acquisition of EpiSys Science:

Applied Intuition acquires EpiSci, expanding autonomy business

Ground vehicle autonomy software supplier Applied Intuition announced Thursday its acquisition of autonomy software vendor EpiSys Science (EpiSci), expanding its portfolio across all military domains.

On Jan. 31, the Missile Defense Agency announced terms of an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity deal to extend work on a previous THAAD long-term Advanced Capabilities Development contract that expired at the end of January:

MDA awards Lockheed $2.8B to extend THAAD improvements; upgrade 6.0 due in 2027

The Defense Department has awarded Lockheed Martin a potential $2.8 billion, 10-year-long contract to continue adding advanced capabilities to the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, including development of the next iteration of improvements -- THAAD System Build 6.0 -- slated for completion in 2027 as well as yet-to-be-defined follow-on enhancements.

The Navy's current supersonic aerial target, the GQM-163, cannot match the "evasive maneuver flight trajectories" of supersonic anti-ship cruise missiles that potential adversaries possess, nor can it match diving profiles, according to the Pentagon's latest test and evaluation report:

DOT&E: Navy must improve on several aspects of hypersonic threat testing

As hypersonic missile threats become more sophisticated, the importance of adequate testing grows, yet the Navy finds itself in a capability gap, according to the Pentagon chief weapons tester's annual report released last week.