The Insider

CSRA touts new cloud partnership with Google
By Justin Doubleday
March 22, 2018 at 10:54 AM

CSRA today announced it has joined the Google Cloud Partner Program, as the Defense Department prepares an enterprise-wide move into the cloud.

CSRA, which provides cloud services for DOD under the milCloud 2.0 contract, said the new partnership will allow government customers to access tools like Google Cloud Platform and G-Suite, according to a March 22 statement.

"We are excited to solidify our alliance with Google and expand next-generation solutions for our government customers," CSRA chief executive Larry Prior said in the statement. "Google Cloud Platform and G Suite applications represent a unique opportunity for CSRA. At the same time, our longstanding relationship with the federal government provides new ways for Google to enter this marketplace. By 'Thinking Next. Now,' this partnership with Google accelerates our commitment to providing the world's best solutions for our customers and their mission."

CSRA won the milCloud 2.0 award last June to provide the U.S. military with on-premise, commercial cloud infrastructure services. The indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity deal has a $498 million ceiling.

Earlier this month, the Defense Information Systems Agency granted CSRA approval to begin operating milCloud 2.0.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon is preparing to release a request for proposals for the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure program this May. DOD plans to make a single, potentially 10-year, multibillion-dollar award for commercial cloud services. The acquisition has raised questions about the future of other DOD cloud programs, like milCloud.  

Inside the Pentagon highlights
By Tony Bertuca
March 22, 2018 at 10:33 AM

Some must-reads from this week's edition of Inside the Pentagon:

1. The House's fiscal year 2018 omnibus appropriations bill will propose new flexibility for the Defense Department in how it spends operations and maintenance funds, according to a congressional staffer close to the matter.

Full story: Omnibus spending bill to grant Pentagon funding flexibility

2. The Pentagon is working on an artificial intelligence strategy aimed at aligning various efforts across the Defense Department and outpacing China.

Full story: Pentagon working on artificial intelligence strategy

3. The Pentagon is embarking on an era of new investments in key developmental technologies, including directed energy, to ensure continued military superiority over China and Russia, according to Mike Griffin, the under secretary of defense for research and development.

Full story: Griffin telegraphs new investments in directed energy

Congress crafts omnibus spending bill for final votes
By Tony Bertuca
March 21, 2018 at 9:13 PM

Congress has agreed to a final version of a $1.3 trillion fiscal year 2018 omnibus spending bill that would increase defense funding by $80 billion above statutory spending caps.

The bill will have to pass both the House and Senate before the federal government shuts down at midnight Friday.

The measure conforms to a two-year bipartisan budget agreement reached in February. The legislation sets defense spending at $700 billion and non-defense spending at $591 billion.

"The agreement provides the biggest year-over-year increase in defense funding in 15 years," according to a statement from the Senate Appropriations Committee.

"Combined with FY2018 funding previously approved by Congress for missile defense and disaster response, the Defense Department will receive more than $61 billion over the 2017 enacted level," according to the committee.

The House is expected to vote on the 2,232-page bill Thursday.

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-TX) said Congress' work is far from over in terms of defense spending.

"Congress' work does not end when we write a check," he said. "In the months ahead, we will ensure that the military uses these funds to begin to rebuild quickly and efficiently. We will pursue reforms to the Department of Defense that preserve and enhance our fighting edge. We will continue to take a hard look at Pentagon bureaucracy as we prioritize rebuilding strength on the front line and cutting fat in the back office."

AFRL to experiment with lasers for counter UAS
By Rachel Cohen
March 21, 2018 at 4:15 PM

The Air Force Research Laboratory will launch its first experiment to use directed energy to defend bases against small, unmanned aerial systems in October, a service official said Wednesday.

Bill Cooper, director of AFRL's Hybrid Defense of Restricted Airspace (HyDRA) study, said at a March 21 Booz Allen Hamilton conference on laser weapons the Air Force will bring commercial systems to White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico for October's experiment.

Another experimentation round focused on subsystems will follow in June 2019, Cooper said. He noted the Air Force is preparing four experiments in the next three years to explore DE applications to counter UAS and cruise missiles and to improve precision strike capabilities.

Inside Defense reported last year the Air Force wants battle command and sensor systems that quickly detect, track and target single or multiple UAS, as well as systems that identify and classify aircraft while intervening with, defeating or denying their flight using military-operated high-power microwave and laser weapons. The service hosted an industry day earlier this year to better understand what companies can offer, but AFRL officials said this week the larger challenge lies in integrating those systems.

Cooper told Inside Defense the Air Force hopes to buy a directed-energy base defense system in a few years. 

U.S., South Korean military officials hold latest 'integrated defense dialogue'
By John Liang
March 21, 2018 at 3:00 PM

U.S. and South Korean military officials this week held the latest in a series of "Integrated Defense Dialogues" in Washington.

Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Affairs Randall Schriver and South Korean Deputy Minister for National Defense Policy Yeo Suk-joo co-led the March 19-20 talks, according to a joint statement issued by the Pentagon.

Additional officials at the meeting included acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for East Asia Brig. Gen. Roberta Shea, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear and Missile Defense Policy Robert Soofer, acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Korea Mark Lambert, and South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs Director General for North American Affairs Kim Tae-jin.

The two delegations celebrated their cooperation during last month's Winter Olympic Games in PyeongChang, which helped "set the conditions for inter-Korean and U.S.-North Korea dialogues at the appropriate time. They committed to strengthen cooperation to ensure the complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization (CVID) of the Korean Peninsula," according to the statement.

Additionally, U.S. and South Korean officials "concurred that North Korea's nuclear tests, ballistic missile launches and development, as well as other destabilizing actions, are a serious threat to the East Asia region and the world. Both sides reaffirmed the mutual objective of peaceful denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, and shared the understanding that it is necessary to strengthen dialogue to draw sincere change in North Korea’s behavior, while maintaining sanctions and pressure with the international community," the statement reads.

Both parties agreed to hold the next meeting in Seoul, "at a mutually appropriate time in the second half of 2018."

The INSIDER daily digest -- March 21, 2018
By John Liang
March 21, 2018 at 2:00 PM

The omnibus spending bill that needs to be passed before the end of the week to avoid another government shutdown leads off this Wednesday INSIDER Daily Digest.

The Pentagon could get new flexibility in how it spends O&M money under the pending omnibus appropriations bill:

Omnibus spending bill to grant Pentagon funding flexibility

The House's fiscal year 2018 omnibus appropriations bill will propose new flexibility for the Defense Department in how it spends operations and maintenance funds, according to a congressional staffer close to the matter.

The Pentagon's head of research and development spoke at an industry event this morning:

Griffin telegraphs new investments in directed energy

The Pentagon is embarking on an era of new investments in key developmental technologies, including directed energy, to ensure continued military superiority over China and Russia, according to Mike Griffin, the under secretary of defense for research and development.

The head of STRATCOM is comfortable with Air Force Global Strike Command's move to install M-240 machine guns onto the Huey helicopter fleet, as well as avionics updates and other changes:

Hyten no longer concerned about UH-1N's near-term viability due to upgrades

The head of U.S. Strategic Command told the Senate Armed Services Committee this week he's no longer concerned about the legacy UH-1N Huey fleet's ability to last until replacements are ready because the Air Force upgraded the helicopters over the past year.

The Army's program executive office for command, control and communications-tactical has received authorization to proceed to low-rate initial production for the Manpack radio:

Army receives LRIP approval for Manpack radio

The Army's program executive office for command, control and communications-tactical has received authorization to proceed to the next production phase for its Manpack radio.

Navy Secretary Richard Spencer told Inside Defense this week that his service would reinstate plans to shock test the aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) as soon as 2019 or 2020:

Navy reverts to earlier plan, will conduct full ship shock trials of CVN-78 in '19 or '20

The Navy is reverting to an earlier plan and will shock test the lead ship of its new aircraft carrier class, the Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), an apparent reversal after the service appealed to Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.

The White House recently received an interagency report on deterring adversaries like Russia and China in cyberspace:

White House reviewing agency recommendations on cyber deterrence

The White House is reviewing an interagency report offering recommendations on how the United States can deter adversaries like Russia and China in cyberspace, as lawmakers demand a national cyber strategy from President Trump.

The Navy anticipates work on repairing Trident missile components will begin this September and conclude one year later:

Navy asks industry to modify, repair Trident II D5 launcher

The Navy is gauging whether there are eligible vendors to modify, repair and recertify 100 components of the Trident II D5 launcher subsystem.

The Navy is seeking information on commercial, commercially modified, military or conceptual air vehicle technologies that are available and their related cost:

NAVAIR requests information from industry to inform MUX analysis

The Navy's multimission tactical unmanned air systems program office is seeking information from industry to inform an analysis of alternatives for the Marine Air-Ground Task Force Unmanned Aircraft System Expeditionary (MUX) program.

Document: NAVAIR RFI for MUX expeditionary program

Stefanik aims to establish military-focused AI commission
By Justin Doubleday
March 21, 2018 at 12:38 PM

A House lawmaker has proposed legislation to establish a yearlong, independent commission focused on the implications and opportunities posed by artificial intelligence for the Defense Department.

The "National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence Act of 2018" was introduced by House Armed Services Emerging Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee Chairwoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY) March 20. The panel would be charged with reviewing "the methods and means necessary to advance the development of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and associated technologies by the United States to comprehensively address the national security needs of the nation, including economic risk, and any other needs of the Department of Defense or the common defense of the nation," the legislation states.

"Artificial intelligence is a constantly developing technology that will likely touch every aspect of our lives," Stefanik said in a March 21 statement. "AI has already produced many things in use today, including web search, object recognition in photos or videos, prediction models, self-driving cars, and automated robotics. It is critical to our national security but also to the development of our broader economy that the United States becomes the global leader in further developing this cutting edge technology."

The panel would have 11 members, with the defense secretary able to appoint three commissioners, while the top four defense lawmakers -- the House and Senate Armed Services committee chairs and ranking members -- would each appoint two members, according to the bill. It states the panel can receive up to $10 million of DOD funding in fiscal year 2019.

The commission would be tasked with reviewing the competitiveness of the United States in AI technologies and the ways it can retain an edge over other countries, including the consideration of high performance and quantum computing, according to the bill. The commission would look at "means to establish data standards and provide incentives for the sharing of open training data within related data-driven industries."

The panel would also review "developments and trends in international cooperation and competitiveness," according to the bill. It would also look at ways to foster more basic and advanced research on AI, as well as workforce and education incentives "to recruit and attract leading talent" in the area.

The review would also include the risks and ethical considerations of the United States and foreign nations employing AI for military purposes, according to the bill.

An initial report on the commission's review would be due to the president and Congress within 180 days of the legislation's enactment, according to the bill, with a "comprehensive report" required within one year. The commission would be terminated at the start of FY-20.

The proposal comes as the Pentagon has begun developing an AI strategy, Inside Defense reported last week. Some fear the United States will fall behind China in the AI arena over the next decade, as Beijing has set a national goal of dominating the industry by 2030.

Navy is open to MYP contract with options for more than 10 submarines
By Justin Katz
March 21, 2018 at 11:54 AM

While testifying before Congress yesterday, two top Navy officials signaled they are open to structuring the upcoming Virginia-class block V submarine multiyear procurement contract to allow for options that would increase the total buy above the expected 10 submarines.

Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT), whose home state houses General Dynamics Electric Boat, the prime contractor for the Virginia- and Columbia-class submarines, told Navy Secretary Richard Spencer the service was sending "mixed signals" to Congress.

On one hand, the service's 30-year shipbuilding plan indicates a capacity for building three submarines per year in future fiscal years. However, the Navy's fiscal year 2019 budget request shows the Navy pursuing only two submarines per year from FY-19 to FY-23, Courtney noted.

Spencer acknowledged the option is available and the Navy is discussing it with industry, but said the possibility hinges on money.

The option is available if "the resources are there. It is the managing of the resources. If in fact through reformation I can find another $2 billion within the Navy and I can reapply those funds internally to that program, or any other of the programs, [then the option is] totally available," Spencer said.

Spencer was testifying to the House Armed Services Committee alongside his Army and Air Force counterparts about the fiscal year 2019 budget request.

Courtney also pressed Navy acquisition executive Hondo Geurts on the same subject later that day during a seapower and projection forces subcommittee hearing about the submarine industrial base.

Geurts reiterated the Navy's position that there is capacity for three submarines in the future and that the service received Electric Boat's proposal for the contract last week.

"As we negotiate this upcoming multiyear, we will look at putting the options in for submarines," he said.

During both hearings, Courtney cited the Navy's $17.6 billion contract in 2014 that effectively purchased 10 vessels for the price of nine as proof an options-based contract should be considered.

Navy will extend life on one Los Angeles-class submarine, assess four others later
By Justin Katz
March 21, 2018 at 10:18 AM

The Navy plans to extend the service life of one Los Angeles-class submarine by 10 years and will consider doing the same for four others based on how successfully it refuels the first vessel, according to senior Navy officials.

Rear Adm. Michael Jabaley, program executive officer for submarines, testified yesterday to the House Armed Services seapower and projection forces subcommittee that Los Angeles-class nuclear-powered submarines are not designed for "ease of refueling." But the Navy has become more confident in its ability to refuel the Los Angeles class based on its work with the Ohio class submarines, he said.

"The biggest technical risks are taking a ship that was going to serve to 33 years and extending it for an additional 10 years," Jabaley said.

He also said the service decided to reassess its assumptions about refueling the vessels because the Navy already has the necessary materials to do so.

Navy acquisition executive Hondo Geurts told the subcommittee the service would consider refueling four more Los Angeles-class submarines depending on its success with the first vessel.

Geurts and Jabaley testified alongside Rear Adm. John Tammen, director of undersea warfare in the office of the chief of naval operations (N97), about the submarine industrial base.

SECAF: Trump's 'Space Force' comments have not altered Pentagon's course
By Courtney Albon
March 20, 2018 at 3:37 PM

Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson said today President Trump's recent endorsement of a separate "Space Force" has not changed the scope or content of an ongoing, congressionally directed Pentagon study of options for changing the way the service organizes and manages its space capabilities and personnel.

Trump's comments came during a March 13 speech at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, CA, during which he stressed the importance of space as a warfighting domain and added, "We may even have a Space Force. . . . We have the Air Force, we'll have the Space Force."

House Armed Services strategic forces subcommittee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-AL) and Ranking Member Jim Cooper (D-TN) have led efforts in Congress to reform space management and acquisition within DOD. The Fiscal Year 2018 National Defense Authorization Act directed the department to develop a plan to move toward the creation of a Space Corps and to hire an independent research organization to conduct a similar study.

The department is moving forward with its plan, but officials, including Wilson, have said they don't support the creation of a separate space service or organization.

Wilson told lawmakers during a March 20 House Armed Services committee hearing the Pentagon is working with the White House to explore options for improving space acquisition and management. She confirmed to Inside Defense following the hearing that Trump's comments have not driven any changes to the scope or structure of the ongoing review.

Following a separate March 20 Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, U.S. Strategic Command chief Gen. John Hyten told reporters he thinks a separate space corps or force could be required "someday in the future," but today's space cadre is still too small to warrant an organizational split.

Hyten compared the size of the current space operator force to that of the Marine Corps, which is what some have pointed to as a possible model for reorganization. DOD has about 5,000 space operators compared to 184,000 active-duty Marines.

"Maybe if you add all the support infrastructure it's 10,000 or 15,000," he told reporters. "It's still so small. It looks more like the submarine force to me right now."

Navy forms chief management officer position
By John Liang
March 20, 2018 at 3:17 PM

The Navy has established a new chief management officer position, according to a recent memo.

In a March 16 memo, Navy Under Secretary Thomas Modly disestablishes the deputy under secretary for management position, setting up in its place a new chief management officer shop.

"A more agile, accountable, and lethal force must be matched by business operations that reflect the same qualities," Modly's memo states. "We must build a business operations culture that employs faster access to accurate information, reduces overhead and bureaucracy, and streamlines process that impeded rapid decision making. This culture must demonstrate the relentless pursuit of operational improvements in order to stay ahead of our adversaries and make the best use of the resources we are provided by the American people."

The purpose of the new office is to "rapidly prioritize and accelerate business transformation initiatives and it will initially focus on improvement of naval audit outcomes and financial accountability; business systems rationalization and modernization; data strategy for improved business operations; and business reform across the Navy and Marine Corps," according to a service statement.

The Navy under secretary will also assume the responsibilities and authorities of the service's chief information officer. While a small office of the CIO will remain for statutory compliance, "the remaining CIO functions will be divested to the DON CIO Deputies which are the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Information Warfare/Director of Naval Intelligence (N2N6) and the Director Marine Corps Command, Control, Communications, and Computers (C4/CIO)," the Navy statement reads.

SECNAV: Navy assessing options to support Littoral Combat Ship industrial base
By Lee Hudson
March 20, 2018 at 2:10 PM

The Navy is assessing options for supporting the Littoral Combat Ship industrial base before the new guided missile frigate replacement program begins production.

Navy Secretary Richard Spencer said today during a House Armed Services Committee hearing that within the last year, the service has found roughly $600 million in deobligated funds. The Navy could potentially use those monies to purchase a second LCS in fiscal year 2019.

Industry, lawmakers and service officials have all recently stated the importance of a two-ship per year build rate as optimal for the LCS program.

Spencer told Inside Defense after the hearing that another option the service is considering to support the LCS industrial base is accelerating Saudi Arabia’s Multi-Mission Surface Combatant program. The MMSC is a derivative of Lockheed Martin’s LCS Freedom-class variant.

Ultimately, the decision to accelerate the MMSC program is up to Saudi Arabia but Spencer said the Navy could propose the option.

Earlier this month, the Navy awarded a $481 million contract to Lockheed for MMSC long-lead materials.

"The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's selection of the MMSC represents a major endorsement of the United States Navy and Lockheed Martin's Freedom-variant surface combatant and COMBATSS 21, its Aegis-derived combat system," according to a Lockheed Martin statement. "With fully interoperable systems, it will help strengthen global and regional security, while also supporting the Kingdom's Vision 2030."

Saudia Arabia is on contract to purchase four frigates at a cost of about $6 billion, and has a requirement for a total of eight frigates.

Last November, the Pentagon awarded a $22 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract modification to Lockheed Martin "for class services in support of foreign military sales for the Littoral Combat Ship program," according to the announcement.

The State Department approved the Saudi Arabia FMS case in October 2015. The sale includes program office support, study, design and construction of operations, according to the 2015 statement.

The INSIDER daily digest -- March 20, 2018
By John Liang
March 20, 2018 at 2:00 PM

The Navy's use of other transaction authority, a new Army unmanned aerial system and more highlight this Tuesday INSIDER Daily Digest.

Navy acquisition executive Hondo Geurts recently hosted a small-business roundtable with the chief of naval operations where they discussed the use of other transaction authority and how it offers flexibility when working with non-traditional suppliers:

Navy reinvigorates use of OTA to meet National Defense Strategy needs

The Navy is reinvigorating the use of other transaction authority to meet the needs of the National Defense Strategy by actively encouraging small and non-traditional companies to conduct business with the service.

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An industry workshop in May will help inform a model performance specification leading into the second phase of its plan for a new unmanned aircraft system:

Army official: New generation of UAS will not be fixed-wing

The Army is close to finishing the first phase of its plan for a new unmanned aircraft system, called Next-Generation Tactical UAS Technology Demonstrator (NGTUAS-TD), which is expected to be runway-independent and perform better than currently fielded UASs.

The latest Nuclear Posture Review says the Navy will begin studies in 2020 to define a "cost-effective, credible, and effective SLBM" that can be deployed through 2084, the end of the planned service life of the new Columbia-class submarine fleet:

Navy, STRATCOM reviewing requirement for new submarine-launched ballistic missile

The Navy and U.S. Strategic Command have begun reviewing the requirement for a new submarine-launched ballistic missile, a prelude to commencing a major acquisition to develop and field a follow-on to the Trident II (D5) missile.

A more fast-paced and lethal battlefield calls for fewer infantrymen with more capabilities:

Soldier lethality CFT lead details key systems coming soon

The Army's cross-functional team for soldier lethality is focused on reducing the amount of weight a soldier carries and distributing more power across weapons while remaining compatible with all other battle elements. Key projects for the team are the Next Generation Squad Weapon and Enhanced Night Vision Goggle-Binocular.

While the cross-functional team shares a name with a program of record that falls under its purview, the planned successor to the Army Tactical Missile System is not its sole focus:

ATACMS replacement poised for name change, acceleration

The Army is working to accelerate the modernization of its fires capabilities, providing phased improvements and building in room for future technologies, according to the director of its long-range precision fires cross-functional team.

Thornberry wants results on acquisition reform
By Tony Bertuca
March 20, 2018 at 10:17 AM

Congress is set to boost the Defense Department's budget by $165 billion over the next two fiscal years, but the military has to show it is wisely spending taxpayer dollars when it acquires new weapon systems, according to House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-TX).

"We have begun to reverse the decline in funding -- now DOD and the services have to deliver results," he said today at the opening of an acquisition reform hearing featuring all three service secretaries.

Thornberry noted that Congress has passed legislation in recent years to give the military services more direct oversight of their acquisition programs.

"We must reform as we rebuild," he said. "We must be prepared across the full spectrum of modern warfare -- from nuclear deterrence to the kind of political and information campaigns we will discuss at greater length in our hearing tomorrow. And we must measure success by output and results rather than inputs and process."

Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), the committee's ranking Democrat, told the secretaries they need to ensure DOD's money was spent wisely because it is unlikely the defense budget will continue grow at the current rate given the national debt and continued existence of the 2011 Budget Control Act.

"That money is very quickly going to be gone," he said. "You never know, but the odds are this is the largest the defense budget is going to be for probably about the next decade."

Meanwhile, Congress is in the midst of final negotiations over an FY-18 omnibus spending bill that must be passed before the government shuts down Friday at midnight.

Navy renames PEO LCS to PEO unmanned and small combatants
By Justin Katz
March 20, 2018 at 9:27 AM

The Navy's top acquisition official has renamed the program executive office for littoral combat ships to PEO unmanned and small combatants, according to a March 13 Navy memorandum. 

Navy acquisition executive Hondo Geurts made the change because the organization's portfolio has grown beyond just the LCS and associated systems.

"Today, PEO LCS oversees the acquisition of the littoral combat ship and its associated mission modules, as well as mine warfare systems, unmanned maritime systems, the future frigate, and the multimission surface combatant, an LCS variant for international customers," Geurts wrote. 

The memorandum noted the name change does not have an associated cost.