The Insider

This Friday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on the Pentagon's Office of Net Assessment, plus the looming continuing resolution that's due for a vote in the Senate sometime this afternoon or evening and more.

We start off with news on the Defense Department's Office of Net Assessment, which was created by President Richard Nixon in 1973 to serve as an internal think tank for the Pentagon:

Hegseth to restructure Office of Net Assessment

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the disestablishment of the Pentagon's storied Office of Net Assessment with the intent to "rebuild it."

The stopgap continuing resolution is now before the Senate, where it needs 60 votes to pass to avert a partial government shutdown starting just after midnight tonight. Here's our coverage so far:

Smith: Marine Corps modernization continues to be undercut by CRs

The lack of fiscal year 2025 spending legislation continues to undercut Marine Corps modernization efforts, according to Commandant Gen. Eric Smith, who listed aviation modernization efforts and the procurement of ship-killing missiles as priority areas at risk under Congress' current string of stopgap funding patches.

Republican CR would cut Pentagon buying power; lawmakers eye reconciliation for more

The GOP's yearlong continuing resolution that narrowly passed the House this week includes a variety of features -- like the authority to start some new programs and reallocate a greater amount of money during the fiscal year than previously allowed -- that were enough to win the support of defense advocates, though it amounts to a multibillion-dollar cut in military spending because it doesn't keep pace with inflation.

A new Defense Department inspector general's report determines "whether the Army effectively transitioned the Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor (LTAMDS) program from the rapid prototyping pathway to the major capability acquisition pathway":

IG flags oversight gaps in middle-tier acquisition policy after LTAMDS goes off track

The Defense Department's inspector general has identified significant gaps in oversight for some weapon system acquisition programs, warning these shortfalls could lead to cost overruns and delays beyond the purview of Congress and Pentagon leaders with oversight responsibilities.

Document: DOD IG report on LTAMDS

House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green (R-TN) as well as Reps. Jen Kiggans (R-VA) and Don Davis (D-NC) this week introduced legislation that would create a commission to investigate the current condition of the U.S. maritime industry:

New bill would create commission to study maritime industrial base

A new bill introduced by a bipartisan group of lawmakers would establish a national commission on the maritime industrial base, following previous congressional and executive moves to bolster national shipbuilding efforts.

Document: Save Our Shipyards Act of 2025

The Army is turning to industry for prototype proposals for an autonomous system to integrate into its Robotic Combat Vehicle, according to a special notice the service put out today.

The intent is to survey companies for an “Autonomous Mobility Solution” for the RCV and potentially other future robotic vehicles. The request comes out of the office for Future Battle Platforms within the Ground Combat Systems program executive office.

The RCV “is a groundbreaking advancement in the field of ground maneuver warfare,” the release says. “To align with Army requirements, an autonomous solution for ground mobility is required.”

The service defines ground mobility autonomy as a vehicle that can move around without a human directly operating it; the capability is needed to lighten the “cognitive load” for soldiers who are carrying out missions with RCVs -- and drive down the amount of “human interventions.”

But right now the Army has to contend with the fact that autonomous technology is “not that great,” Maj. Gen. Glenn Dean, GCS program executive officer, said last fall, because it still requires a lot of human involvement.

The service will release the request for prototype proposals under the Detroit Arsenal Innovation Other Transaction Agreement, an OTA that launched in September 2023 between Army Contracting Command and the National Advanced Mobility Consortium. Its purpose is to research and develop ground vehicle prototyping projects.

ACC at Detroit Arsenal in Warren, MI, has an active request for information with NAMC, with responses due April 14.

The prototyping project should last exactly one year, according to the release, but it’s not clear when it will begin. The Army is aiming for a follow-on production effort after the prototyping wraps up.

A Biden-era plan to test electric Infantry Squad Vehicles is in jeopardy as Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George contends the capability is not suitable for battle, while new political opposition has emerged in the White House and Pentagon to initiatives adjacent to clean energy or climate change.

“We are working to try to change this expenditure to deliver hybrid ISVs instead -- which have already proven capable and effective in training,” Col. Dave Butler, communications advisor to George, told Inside Defense.

Read the full story, now available to all.

The Army has chosen Boeing to advance to the next phase of the Indirect Fires Protection Capability Increment 2 second interceptor competition, the company announced Wednesday.

The medium-range interceptor is meant to “better protect fixed and forward operating bases against emergent aerial threats,” according to a company press release.

IFPC Increment 2 is meant to defend against cruise missiles and uncrewed aircraft systems. One interceptor variant can employ the AIM-9X Sidewinder missile and the AGM-114L Longbow variant of the Hellfire missile, according to a recent Congressional Research Service report. The AIM-9X guided-missile interceptor was launched during a test of IFPC 2 by the Army last summer, Inside Defense reported.

The Army announced in January 2024 that it would be holding a competition for a second interceptor for IFPC Increment 2, with the plan to make an award in fiscal year 2025. This second interceptor will address “subsonic and supersonic” cruise missile threats, according to the Army. The vendors that are ultimately selected will participate in a technology demonstration during the FY-26 to FY-27 timeframe, the Army said at the time.

Jim Leary, Boeing’s executive director of business development for precision engagement systems said Wednesday that “Our design offers increased magazine depth with a missile that provides enhanced speed to target, greater range and maneuverability for sustained engagement against an evolving threat.”

The Army plans to select companies to advance to the prototype development phase of the competition next year, Boeing stated Wednesday.

This Wednesday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on the possible government shutdown, Navy shipbuilding and more.

With a government shutdown looming, all eyes are on the Senate to see whether a full-year continuing resolution can be passed before midnight Friday:

House passes yearlong CR that favors defense, teeing up Senate debate

The House voted 217-213 today to pass a yearlong continuing resolution that faces an uncertain future in the Senate in advance of Friday night's shutdown deadline.

More coverage from last week's AFA Warfare symposium in Colorado:

Lockheed Martin's tech demo satellite bus ready for launch

DENVER -- Lockheed Martin's self-funded, multimission satellite bus is ready for launch this week, the company said.

(Read our full AFA coverage.)

The House Armed Services seapower and projection forces subcommittee held a hearing this week on the state of U.S. shipbuilding:

Labor is key to resolving shipbuilding woes, experts tell lawmakers

To remedy the state of shipbuilding in the United States, no factor is more important than addressing labor shortages and boosting wages, a naval analyst told lawmakers yesterday.

Document: House hearing on the state of U.S. shipbuilding

The Missile Defense Agency this week published a solicitation that departs from a December 2022 plan that aimed for an exclusive deal with Raytheon for the production and integration of SM-3 Block IB and Block IIA missiles:

MDA exploring options to inject competition into SM-3 production

The Missile Defense Agency is revising its acquisition strategy for the Standard Missile-3 program, replacing a planned seven-year, sole-source procurement deal with a new approach that introduces competitive elements and shifts program priorities.

The Army's Integrated Visual Augmentation System is now called Soldier Borne Mission Command:

Prototyping for now-rebranded future IVAS variant will occur in two phases

The Army plans to prototype its next phase of the Integrated Visual Augmentation System in two phases, according to a new request for information posted to sam.gov last week.

The Senate Armed Services Committee has voted to advance the nominations of Stephen Feinberg, whom President Trump has picked to be deputy defense secretary, and John Phelan, who has been tapped to serve as Navy secretary.

The committee released a statement saying the nominations will be reported to the Senate floor for confirmation votes.

This Tuesday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on the Army's now-rebranded future Integrated Visual Augmentation System, Japan's Hyper Velocity Gliding Projectile program and more.

The Army's Integrated Visual Augmentation System is now called Soldier Borne Mission Command:

Prototyping for now-rebranded future IVAS variant will occur in two phases

The Army plans to prototype its next phase of the Integrated Visual Augmentation System in two phases, according to a new request for information posted to sam.gov last week.

The Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency announced this week it had notified Congress of a potential Hyper Velocity Gliding Projectile support services sale, which includes test preparation, transportation and coordination meetings in the U.S. and Japan:

Japan eyes Pentagon assistance with developing advanced long-range strike capability

The State Department has approved a potential $200 million foreign military sale to Japan for support services related to the country's Hyper Velocity Gliding Projectile (HVGP) program, a move that strengthens U.S.-Japan defense ties as Tokyo pushes forward with its next-generation, precision-strike capability.

Coverage of the Army's Tactical Intelligence Targeting Access Node:

Army expects second TITAN delivery this month

The Army will receive its second shipment of the Tactical Intelligence Targeting Access Node before the end of March, according to an email a service spokesperson sent Inside Defense last Friday.

Some Joint Strike Fighter news:

F-35 pilots at Nellis Air Force Base could train on JSE as soon as this month

DENVER -- The Joint Integrated Test and Training Center at Nellis Air Force Base, NV could soon receive a final assessment of its Joint Simulation Environment before the synthetic test system can be officially stood up in the next few weeks, according to a senior Air Force materiel leader.

Tranche 1 Transport Layer satellites will be on the first launch later this year, with launches taking place each month until all 126 Transport Layer, 28 Tracking Layer and four missile defense demonstration satellites are on orbit:

SDA Tranche 1 satellites to begin launching in late summer

The Space Development Agency is now expecting its first operational satellites for the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture to launch late this summer, the agency announced, about a year after initially scheduled.