The Insider

The Pentagon today released a specific list of the number of general and flag officer promotions being held up due to Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL).

The number of holds by military service include:

• Army: 91 (61 active-duty; 15 Army Reserve; 15 Army National Guard)
• Air Force: 98 (73 active-duty; 25 Air Force Reserve)
• Navy: 86 (72 active-duty; 14 Naval Reserve)
• Marine Corps: 18
• Space Force: 8

Additionally, the number of holds tied to positions in the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command area of responsibility is 22, according to DOD.

Tuberville is protesting the Pentagon's leave and travel reimbursement policies for servicemembers seeking abortion services.

The Defense Department today announced a $175 million weapons package for Ukraine that will be drawn directly from U.S. stocks, including depleted uranium ammunition for Abrams tanks that is slated to arrive on the battlefield this fall.

The package includes:

• Equipment to support Ukraine's air defense systems;

• Additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS);

• 155mm and 105mm artillery rounds;

• 81mm mortars systems and rounds;

• 120mm depleted uranium tank ammunition for Abrams tanks;

• Tube-Launched, Optically Tracked, Wire-Guided (TOW) missiles;

• Javelin and AT-4 anti-armor systems;

• Over 3 million rounds of small arms ammunition;

• Tactical air navigation systems;

• Tactical secure communications systems and support equipment;

• Demolitions munitions for obstacle clearing; and

• Spare parts, maintenance, and other field equipment.

The Pentagon says the United States has committed more than $43 billion in military aid to Ukraine since the start of an ongoing Russian invasion that began in February 2022.

This post-Labor Day INSIDER Daily Digest has an exclusive deep dive into a new cruise missile defense initiative, plus Naval Sea Systems Command working on an unmanned maritime minelaying system and more.

We start off with an exclusive deep dive into a new cruise missile defense initiative:

DOD launches domestic cruise missile defense program to protect U.S. cities, 'critical' sites

The United States -- which since the advent of flight more than a century ago has relied on two vast oceans as a buffer against adversaries attacking U.S. citizens and soil with low-flying aircraft and missiles -- this summer began designing a next-generation domestic air defense system to protect cities and critical infrastructure from Russian and Chinese cruise missiles.

NAVSEA has announced plans to design, fabricate and test the “mining expendable delivery unmanned submarine asset,” also known as MEDUSA UUV:

Unmanned minelaying MEDUSA advances

Naval Sea Systems Command has issued a draft request for proposals to develop and evaluate MEDUSA -- an unmanned maritime minelaying system.

The Air Force is aiming to close the gap between the end of KC-46 tanker aircraft production and the delivery of the next-generation refueling system by recapitalizing the current tanker fleet:

Air Force plans to collaborate with industry on tanker recapitalization program

The Air Force is planning to release a "draft system requirements document for the KC-135 replacement aircraft system" later this month, according to a notice posted Friday.

A recent Defense Department inspector general's office report "determined whether the Air Force effectively used the middle tier of acquisition (MTA) pathway for the prototyping and fielding of the Three‑Dimensional Expeditionary Long‑Range Radar (3DELRR) program":

IG: Air Force misused MTA pathway for 3DELRR

The Air Force misused the middle tier of acquisition pathway for its Three-Dimensional Expeditionary Long-Range Radar program because it misinterpreted the stage at which procurement funds could be used, according to a Defense Department inspector general report released this week.

Document: DOD IG report on the 3DELRR program

Boron nitride nanotubes (BNNT) perform well under extreme heat with potential applications for aerospace, electronics and energy:

Nanotubes project closes research-prototype gap

Military applications for boron nitride nanotubes -- which hold promise for their strength and radiation-shielding properties -- are expected to move more quickly from the laboratory to prototype under the inaugural S²MARTS Research OTA project.

This Friday INSIDER Daily Digest has the Pentagon's thoughts on the upcoming continuing resolution needed to keep the government funded past Sept. 30, the Missile Defense Agency's Long Range Discrimination Radar program suffering another setback, the Army's Precision Strike Missile and more.

The White House Office of Management and Budget has submitted to lawmakers a list of requested continuing resolution "anomalies":

Columbia-class sub included in White House's CR 'anomalies' request

The White House is asking Congress to avert a looming government shutdown by passing a stopgap continuing resolution that, among other things, would include authority for the Defense Department to spend money on the Columbia-class submarine program to avoid a 20-month delay, according to the Office of Management and Budget.

The Missile Defense Agency's Long Range Discrimination Radar program suffered another setback this week:

Target malfunction trips up LRDR; DOD at risk of taking ownership before validating utility

A ballistic missile target malfunctioned during a key test required to make an operational assessment of the Long Range Discrimination Radar, dealing the new sensor project another schedule setback and putting the Pentagon in the position of taking ownership of a new weapon before validating it works as promised.

Operational testing for the Army's Precision Strike Missile is scheduled to start in 2024 with low-rate production, full-rate production and initial capability testing scheduled for 2025:

Army Precision Strike Missile development on track and meeting benchmarks

In the midst of early capability testing, development of the Army's next-generation ballistic missile is on track and meeting benchmarks, according to the service.

Some nanotube news:

Nanotubes project closes research-prototype gap

Military applications for boron nitride nanotubes -- which hold promise for their strength and radiation-shielding properties -- are expected to move more quickly from the laboratory to prototype under the inaugural S²MARTS Research OTA project.

Todd Serres, the Air Force's associate chief of command and control and integrated air and missile defense, spoke about the service's Agile Combat Employment concept this week:

Air base defense for Agile Combat Employment will need large upfront investment, official says

Fully implementing the Air Force's Agile Combat Employment concept in the Indo-Pacific will require large upfront investments to better defend proliferated bases, an Air Force official said this week at the Mitchell Institute.

Retired Vice Adm. Jon Hill, the former Missile Defense Agency director, has joined the Center for Strategic and International Studies as a senior adviser with the international security program's missile defense project, CSIS announced Thursday.

Hill, whose Navy career spanned more than 30 years, also will serve as a member of the missile defense project’s advisory board.

Hill was the 11th MDA director, heading the agency from May 2019 to July 2023.

As MDA director, he executed the agency’s mission to “develop, deliver and sustain global layered capabilities” for defending deployed forces, the U.S. and allies and partners from missile attacks, according to CSIS.

As a Navy leader, he served as program executive officer for integrated warfare systems from 2014-2016; director of cruiser and destroyer combat systems, 2013-2014; and major program manager, Aegis combat systems, 2010-2013.

Hill currently is vice president and chief engineer for training and logistics solutions at Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems.

“The coming years will be a pivotal time for missile defense, and it is a privilege to be part of an organization shaping the conversation on the future of national security,” he said in a prepared statement about his role as senior advisor at CSIS.

The CSIS missile defense project conducts research and analysis and holds events on missile defense policy, budgets, legislation and programs.

The project runs a “Missile Threat” website, which offers a look at policy, news and strategy on missile defense.

This Thursday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on the Air Force's Agile Combat Employment concept, the Conventional Prompt Strike weapon system being integrated onto the first Zumwalt-class destroyer and more.

Todd Serres, the Air Force's associate chief of command and control and integrated air and missile defense, spoke about the service's Agile Combat Employment concept this week:

Air base defense for Agile Combat Employment will need large upfront investment, official says

Fully implementing the Air Force's Agile Combat Employment concept in the Indo-Pacific will require large upfront investments to better defend proliferated bases, an Air Force official said this week at the Mitchell Institute.

The Navy's lead Zumwalt-class destroyer will be the first of the service's surface ships equipped with the Lockheed Martin-made Conventional Prompt Strike -- a hypersonic boost-glide weapon system for long-range missile flight:

HII awarded $155 million for DDG-1000 modernization and CPS integration

HII's Ingalls Shipbuilding division has received a $154.8 million contract modification for the modernization of the Navy's lead Zumwalt-class destroyer, beginning the integration of the hypersonic Conventional Prompt Strike weapon system onto the ship, according to a Tuesday contract announcement.

Thirteen Tranche 0 satellites are scheduled for launch today:

SDA set for second of three Tranche 0 launches

The Space Development Agency on Thursday will launch the second round of Tranche 0 satellites for its Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture, though another launch will be needed for the final few satellites.

In a request for information issued this week, the Army Program Executive Office for Ground Combat Systems announces its intent to "collect data and information on existing" soft kill and active protection systems:

Army looking for existing 'soft kill' EW vehicle protection system

The Army is seeking information from industrial manufacturers to develop a soft kill, electronic warfare system to protect tactical vehicles from incoming projectiles, according to a public announcement.

Defense Department acquisition chief Bill LaPlante said this week that "scale" is the most important aspect of the Replicator program and one the Pentagon has long chased concerning emerging technologies:

Pentagon officials 'cagey' but still talking up Replicator as the next 'big bet'

The Pentagon this week revealed what some drone manufacturers hope is a game-changing moment with the announcement of the new "Replicator" program and top defense officials, though reluctant to provide details, say the decision to award contracts in the next 18 to 24 months for thousands of small, autonomous weapon systems signals a major milestone in the mission to counter China's massive military.

IFS today announced it has agreed to acquire Falkonry, a California-based artificial intelligence software company that provides automated, high-speed data analysis to the manufacturing and defense industries.

"The addition of the Falkonry self-learning anomaly detection solution to existing IFS enterprise simulation and AI-based scheduling and optimization capabilities further evidences the company’s strategy to use AI pervasively to provide end-to-end intelligent insights in EAM (Enterprise Asset Management), across ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning), MES (Manufacturing Execution System), PSO (Planning, Scheduling, Optimization), FSM (Field Service Management) and ESM (Enterprise Service Management) technology to increase people and asset productivity," an IFS statement reads.

IFS CEO Darren Roos said Falkonry "is unique in the market because its technology is agnostic and also it does not require data scientists. These are great differentiators for Falkonry that means the solution is both scalable and low-cost to implement -- two fundamental attributes that very much align to our own values.”

While it didn't disclose financial details, IFS said it expects the Falkonry acquisition to complete in the fourth quarter of 2023.