The Insider

This Thursday INSIDER Daily Digest has coverage of the Pentagon's Golden Dome missile defense system, the Navy working to attract private capital and more.

We start off with some exclusive, previously unreported news about the Golden Dome missile defense program:

Pentagon finalizes Golden Dome architecture as implementation plan under review

The Pentagon has completed the baseline architecture for the Golden Dome for America initiative and is shifting its focus to reviewing an implementation plan, marking a major milestone for one of the most ambitious missile defense efforts in decades, according to officials and a statement provided to Inside Defense.

A commercial adoption bootcamp for the acquisition workforce is in the works and an impending announcement on the Navy's relationship with private capital could be a substantial change for the service:

Ex-DOGE employee promises new Navy initiatives to attract private capital and address underperformance

Historically, the Navy has not been a good partner to venture capital and private equity, a Navy official said this week. This could soon change, with the rollout of new initiatives that coincide with the Pentagon's wide-ranging overhaul of its defense acquisition system.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a memo on Aug. 27 which created JIATF 401 and dissolved its predecessor, the Joint Counter-small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Office. The new task force, unlike the JCO, will have acquisition and procurement authorities:

JIATF 401 spending in FY-26 will emphasize procurement, director says

The Pentagon's newly stood up Joint Interagency Task Force 401, established this summer to focus on the counter-drone threat, will put an emphasis on procurement spending in fiscal year 2026, JIATF 401 Director and Army Brig. Gen. Matt Ross told reporters last week.

Coverage of the ramifications of the Pentagon's new "Acquisition Transformation Strategy":

DOD's push for spending control to test Congress as lawmakers seek transparency

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has unveiled a new acquisition reform plan that would let Pentagon officials reprogram funds "without congressional approval," raising questions about the role of appropriators -- some of Washington's most powerful lawmakers -- while they demand increased transparency from the department.

White tapped to lead new Air Force critical major weapon systems portfolio

President Trump has nominated Lt. Gen. Dale White to receive a fourth star and to become the first-ever Direct Reporting Portfolio Manager for Critical Major Weapon Systems, an Air Force official told Inside Defense.

Naval Air Systems Command is seeking intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance services for land and sea-based unmanned aircraft systems, according to an announcement today.

The Navy plans to issue delivery orders under four basic ordering agreements -- a written statement of understanding for future contracts -- for UAS ISR services to AeroVironment, Insitu Inc., Shield AI and Textron Systems. Each company will compete for each of the four basic ordering agreements.

The Navy and Marine Corps Small Tactical Unmanned Aircraft Systems Program Office (PMA-263) is required to provide these ISR services for multiple combatant commands, according to the government notice.

“Contractors will be responsible for resources to produce sensor data, such as trained personnel, non-developmental UAS equipment, certifications, operation and maintenance, spares and product support,” the notice states. “Contracted services would be in direct support of ISR missions requiring around the clock imagery and other sensor capability in support of those missions.”

This Wednesday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on Anduril Industries partnering with a South Korean shipbuilder, an artificial intelligence provision lawmakers are trying to include in the defense policy bill, the Navy's implementation of certain acquisition reforms and more.

Anduril has partnered with many companies and still has a desire to be a major defense prime, President and Chief Business Officer Matthew Steckman said at this week's State of Defense Business Acquisition Summit:

Anduril's partnership with South Korean shipbuilder part of pattern for company, executive says

Anduril Industries' recently announced partnership with South Korean shipbuilder HD Hyundai Heavy Industries is part of a pattern for the defense startup, a company executive said this week.

Our colleagues at Inside AI Policy have news on an artificial intelligence provision lawmakers are trying to get into the defense policy bill:

Moratorium on state AI regulation reemerges as defense policy bill moves to endgame

Backers of imposing a moratorium on state regulation of artificial intelligence are eyeing the annual national defense policy bill -- now the subject of endgame negotiations between the House and Senate -- as a vehicle, sending opponents scrambling to the barricades to block such a proposal for the second time this year.

A new Navy memo provides an early glimpse of the service's first steps to implement the Pentagon's acquisition overhaul agenda:

Draft memo: Navy's RAS office to absorb 66 programs spanning all domains

The Navy is developing plans to sweep 66 different programs spanning air, sea and land into its new Portfolio Acquisition Executive Robotic Autonomous System (PAE RAS) office, according to a draft memo obtained by Inside Defense.

A commercial solutions opening -- accompanied by an Area of Interest notice -- comes just over a month after the Army launched is Janus initiative and tasked DIU with building commercial microreactors using a "nimble, milestone-based contracting model":

DIU releases CSO for Army 'Janus' initiative

The Defense Innovation Unit today issued the anticipated call to industry for the Army's Janus program aimed at developing commercially owned and operated nuclear microreactors for the military.

Army Maj. Gen. John Rafferty, currently serving as chief of staff at U.S. European Command, is slated to receive a third star and take over the Huntsville-based command responsible for missile defense operations and Army space capabilities:

Artillery leader pick for SMDC raises Golden Dome expertise concerns

The decision to nominate Maj. Gen. John Rafferty to lead U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command comes as service leaders work to more closely integrate offensive and defensive fires, a move that is stirring concern among air defenders who argue that an artillery background doesn't provide expertise needed for Golden Dome.

The Army's Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) is undertaking an effort to equip the MK19 grenade launcher with the capability to counter small unmanned systems through "programmable air burst cartridges," according to a solicitation posted Tuesday.

The effort will involve integrating “advanced proximity sensing fuze technology” into the cartridges, which will enable the development of a fully integrated system that has detection, tracking, targeting and defeat capabilities, according to the Army. The system will be able to integrate with existing weapon platforms, fire-control systems and remote weapon stations.

The Army will issue a cornerstone initiative request (CIR) for 40mm CUAS on or after Nov. 25, with the CIR remaining open for 30 days.

The Cornerstone Other Transaction Agreement is a consortium that was established in 2018 through a partnership between the deputy assistant defense secretary for industrial policy, DEVCOM’s Chemical Biological Center and Army Contracting Command Rock Island. This OTA supports multiple DOD technology areas aimed at strengthening the force posture of the defense industrial base.

Once the CIR is released, only consortium members will be allowed to submit white papers for the OTA. The selected offerors will then be required to orally brief a government panel, which will be followed by a 48-month period of performance, according to the notice. A non-competitive award may be issued following a successful prototype.

The Army expects to have an extra fleet of Stryker vehicles as it transforms its 81st Stryker Brigade Combat Team into a Mobile Brigade Combat Team as part of the service's Transformation Initiative.

The 81st SBCT, part of the Washington State Army National Guard, was tapped in September to swap its Strykers out for Infantry Squad Vehicles in a move to make the Army lighter and more mobile under its modernization effort.

The move will leave the Army with excess Strykers that it plans to offer up to partner nations -- as soon as it figures out how many it will need to replenish its own active units, according to a service spokesperson.

“Everything that we’re doing right now is all about readiness,” the spokesperson told Inside Defense. “So, if our Stryker units are needing those, then that’s where they’ll go.”

It’s not clear just how many vehicles will go to partners and how many will slide into other Army units, because that depends on how many the Army needs to replace -- but what is clear is that the Stryker hasn’t met the service’s mission-capable rate in any of the past 10 years, according to a Government Accountability Office report.

“I’m sure we’ll fill ourselves up first for the readiness factor,” the spokesperson said.

That comes after the Army decided to stop procurement under its Stryker Upgrade program in its fiscal year 2026 budget request, chalking up the purchasing halt to force-structure changes and the ATI, Inside Defense reported in August.

As the 81st SBCT transitions, it will leave the Army with eight SBCTs instead of nine, with seven in the active force and one in the National Guard.

None of the Army’s active SBCTs will turn to MBCTs, the Army spokesperson said.

The 81st SBCT started turning in its Strykers in October in a process that’s expected to take months.

The annual defense authorization bill should reach the floor for a vote by the beginning of the second week in December, House Armed Services Committee Vice Chairman Rob Wittman (R-VA) said today.

The joint version of the policy bill is “making great progress,” Wittman said at today’s State of Defense Business Acquisition Summit, sponsored by Defense One.

“The other issues remaining to be resolved are issues having to do with other committee jurisdictions, and those mostly are relegated to the Senate bill, so they're trying to work through those particular issues,” he added. “I think that those will hopefully be done by the end of the week, and then the bill will be in its final form.”

Wittman compared components of the bill to the Pentagon’s memo laying out a new plan to overhaul its acquisition system, calling it the “farthest reaching effort and acquisition reform in the history of the DOD.”

The memo -- announced by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth earlier this month -- instructs the military services to use a modular open systems architecture in all acquisition strategies and would rename Program Executive Offices to Portfolio Acquisition Executives who would be capable of moving funding to programs based on performance.

“A lot of what the House and Senate are doing, which will come to the floor in the [defense authorization bill] in the next several weeks, is reflected in some of the things that the Pentagon is doing,” Wittman said. “So, there is an awful lot of alignment there.”

More specifically, Wittman compared aspects of Hegseth’s memo to the Streamlining Procurement for Effective Execution and Delivery Act, or SPEED Act, and the Senate’s Fostering Reform and Government Efficiency in Defense (FORGED) Act.

“If you look at the mix there, the House’s version really focused on achieving mission outcomes,” he said today. “It’s much more outcome based. The Senate version was more about governance. How do we change the issues there of governance? Some of the things that we saw there that I think are really transformational in time frames. You know, the average acquisition process in the Pentagon is 800 days. This is going to change it to 90-100 days. Things are going to happen really fast.”

Earlier this month, House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Adam Smith (D-WA) praised Chairman Mike Rogers (R-AL) for his leadership on acquisition reform.

“For two years, it has been the central focus of our committee,” Smith said at an Atlantic Council panel. “We've held hearings, we've brought in contractors, traditional, non-traditional. We've done field hearings out in Silicon Valley to really try to get that right. And I think we're in a good place on that, and I think we'll get there.”

General Dynamics Electric Boat has received a nearly $2.3 billion Navy award for work on the Columbia-class submarine program, according to a Monday contract announcement.

The contract modification funds advance procurement and advance construction for five build II ballistic missile submarines, from the third vessel Groton (SSBN-828) through the unnamed seventh vessel, SSBN-832. Work is expected to conclude in December 2031, the notice states.

The Navy has been engaged in long-running contract negotiations with its builders over these five vessels, which are expected to be purchased via a multiyear procurement deal. The negotiations also involve 10 Block VI Virginia-class attack boats.

Executives from shipbuilder HII -- which collaborates with Electric Boat on the program -- recently said they could reach an agreement by the end of the calendar year.

Last week, some lawmakers raised concern when Congress’ latest continuing resolution omitted $3.9 billion in Columbia anomaly funding that was previously requested by the White House to avoid further program delays.