The Insider

By Dan Schere
August 22, 2023 at 11:22 AM

The Army has awarded Airbus a $27.8 million contract for upgrades to the National Guard’s mission equipment package for the security and support battalion. The upgrades will help “deliver critical technology and mission capabilities” in the areas of homeland security, reconnaissance and search and rescue, according to a Monday announcement from Airbus.

The upgrades involve retrofitting up to 50 UH-72A Lakota helicopters for the guard’s security and support battalion that are deployed throughout the United States, according to Airbus. The aircraft will receive capabilities such as an “advanced moving map,” enhanced digital interfaces, new monitors and an airborne mission management system.

The UH-72As typically operate missions that include domestic operations, counterdrug and border security, according to the announcement.

By Thomas Duffy
August 21, 2023 at 2:12 PM

Today’s INSIDER Daily Digest starts off with some F-16 news for Ukraine, the need for cyber protections for the Army, a new Marine Corps unit and a look at reforms for how the Pentagon puts together its budget.

It’s going to be a while before Ukraine is flying F-16 aircraft:

USAFE commander: Ukraine may need four to five years for F-16 proficiency

Ukraine's Air Force may not become proficient with F-16 fighter jets for four or five years, a top U.S. Air Force official said Friday morning, and the aircraft won't be a "silver bullet" for the country to gain air superiority as it fights off Russia's invasion.

The Army needs to tighten it’s cyber protections:

Army general stresses cybersecurity

The Army will need to prioritize security of its networks, according to a general from the Army’s Cyber Command.

The Marine Corps should have a new unit up and running in a few months:

Marine Corps' 3rd MLR on track to achieve IOC by October

The Marine Corps' 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment is on track to achieve initial operational capability by the end of fiscal year 2023, drawing on a series of large-scale training exercises to refine and advance its capabilities and capacity, a Marine Corps spokesman told Inside Defense.

A new commissions has come up with a few ideas for reforming Pentagon budgeting:

Budget reform commission chiefs say Congress needs more timely info from DOD

Senior leaders on the independent congressional commission aiming to reform the Defense Department's budget and planning system say Pentagon officials need more flexibility from lawmakers if the notoriously slow process is to become agile enough to capture technological innovation needed to compete with China, but they stress DOD must do more to build trust with Capitol Hill.

By Apurva Minchekar
August 21, 2023 at 2:00 PM

The Space Development Agency awarded $1.5 billion to Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman to build 72 Tranche 2 Transport Layer- Beta variant satellites scheduled to launch in September 2026, according to an announcement by SDA today.

“We are now solidly in the procurement phase for Tranche 2 of the [Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture] to support a 2026 delivery,” SDA Director Derek Tournear said.

“The Beta variant of the Tranche 2 Transport Layer vehicles are similar to Tranche 1 Transport Layer vehicles while also integrating advanced tactical communication technology demonstrated by the Tranche 1 Development and Experimentation System,” he said.

The agency awarded $816 million to Lockheed Martin, while Northrop received $733 million to build 36 data transport satellites each.

Lockheed is also scheduled to launch 10 Tranche 0 Transport Layer satellites in 2023 and 42 Tranche 1 satellites which are scheduled to launch in 2024, are in production and on track, according to Lockheed’s announcement.

Additionally, Northrop said that the company is progressing to launch its first Tranche 1 Transport Layer satellites in the fourth quarter of 2024.

A part of SDA’s PWSA, T2TL will be responsible “to provide global communication access and deliver persistent global encrypted connectivity to support missions like beyond line of sight targeting and missile warning and missile tracking of advance missile threats,” the agency said.

By Tony Bertuca
August 21, 2023 at 5:00 AM

Defense officials are slated to speak at conferences around the country this week.

Tuesday

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s in-person Electronic Resurgence Summit begins in Seattle, WA.

The Fed Supernova conference begins in Austin, TX.

Wednesday

The Center for Strategic and International Studies hosts a discussion on the Pentagon’s newly released biodefense posture review.

By John Liang
August 18, 2023 at 3:12 PM

This Friday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on Ukraine getting proficient in flying F-16s, Army cybersecurity, Marine Littoral Regiments and more.

U.S. Air Forces Europe and Air Forces Africa Commander Gen. James Hecker spoke to reporters during a Defense Writers Group event this morning:

USAFE commander: Ukraine may need four to five years for F-16 proficiency

Ukraine's Air Force may not become proficient with F-16 fighter jets for four or five years, a top U.S. Air Force official said Friday morning, and the aircraft won't be a "silver bullet" for the country to gain air superiority as it fights off Russia's invasion.

Army Lt. Gen. Maria Barrett spoke about cybersecurity at this week's annual TechNet conference:

Army general stresses cybersecurity

The Army will need to prioritize security of its networks, according to a general from the Army’s Cyber Command.

Marine Littoral Regiments are an important piece of the Marine Corps' Force Design 2030 initiative, designed as stand-in forces operating in the littorals with heightened mobility, sustainability and lethality:

Marine Corps' 3rd MLR on track to achieve IOC by October

The Marine Corps' 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment is on track to achieve initial operational capability by the end of fiscal year 2023, drawing on a series of large-scale training exercises to refine and advance its capabilities and capacity, a Marine Corps spokesman told Inside Defense.

Our colleagues at Inside Cybersecurity have the latest on the National Institute of Standards and Technology's work on handling controlled unclassified information:

NIST plans to reduce number of tailoring parameters in foundational CUI publication

The National Institute of Standards and Technology will reduce the number of "organizational-defined parameters" in the next draft update to its foundational guide on the handling of controlled unclassified information on nonfederal systems, in response to stakeholder feedback.

JetZero has nabbed a contract for the Air Force's blended-wing body prototype aircraft:

Air Force awards $235M to JetZero to build blended-wing body prototype

The Air Force has awarded a $235 million contract to JetZero to build the next phase of a blended-wing body prototype aircraft by 2027, according to an announcement yesterday.

An upcoming assessment of the Army's Integrated Visual Augmentation System will measure "system performance to ensure engineering efforts are on schedule and meeting design objectives":

Newest version of IVAS will undergo user assessment this month

The latest variant of the Army's Integrated Visual Augmentation System is set to undergo a user assessment this month, which is the beginning of a series of assessments for the night vision system.

By Linda Hersey
August 18, 2023 at 2:29 PM

(Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include additional information on Adm. Lisa Franchetti’s nomination.)

Acting Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti pledged to continue Navy operations "undisrupted and unabated," in remarks after taking over the service's top uniformed post.

Franchetti, serving as vice chief of naval operations, took over Monday as acting CNO. She becomes the first woman to lead the Navy.

Although President Biden stated his intent to nominate Franchetti on July 21 to lead the Navy, Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) effectively froze her Senate confirmation, along with two other military leaders, over an unrelated dispute about abortion policy. The Senate Armed Services Committee received Franchetti's official nomination on July 26.

Franchetti now assumes the top job because of her position as second in command under the CNO. According to Title 10 of U.S. Code, the vice chief of naval operations takes over CNO duties until a successor is formally appointed.

Title 10 of U.S. Code 8035 states: “When there is a vacancy in the office of Chief of Naval Operations or during the absence or disability of the Chief of Naval Operations, the Vice Chief of Naval Operations shall perform the duties of the Chief of Naval Operations until a successor is appointed.”

Franchetti assumed the acting CNO post Monday when Adm. Michael Gilday formally ended his four-year term as 32nd CNO during a relinquishment-of-office ceremony at the U.S. Naval Academy.

In her first message to the fleet, Franchetti promised to act with “urgency” to ensure sailors keep their “warfighting edge.”

Franchetti also said: “The work of our Navy continues undisrupted and unabated. We continue to operate our ships, submarines, and aircraft at the point of friction with our competitors, and at the point of friendship with our allies and partners. Our Navy is deployed around the world and around the clock, providing options to our Nation's decision makers in competition, crisis, and conflict.”

Acting Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George and Acting Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Eric Smith also await Senate confirmation.

By Charlie Mitchell
August 18, 2023 at 11:55 AM

Security firm Mandiant sees growing use of artificial intelligence tools by cyber threat actors in areas like disinformation and slower adoption in "intrusion campaigns," but cautions that generative AI is poised to accelerate uses in both areas.

“Based on our own observations and open-source accounts, adoption of AI in intrusion operations remains limited and primarily related to social engineering,” according to the report, “Threat Actors Are Interested in Generative AI, but Use Remains Limited,” released Thursday.

“In contrast,” Mandiant says, “information operations actors of diverse motivations and capabilities have increasingly leveraged AI-generated content, particularly imagery and video, in their campaigns, likely due at least in part to the readily apparent applications of such fabrications in disinformation. Additionally, the release of multiple generative AI tools in the last year has led to a renewed interest in the impact of these capabilities.”

The report says, “We anticipate that generative AI tools will accelerate threat actor incorporation of AI into information operations and intrusion activity.”

John Hultquist, chief analyst at Mandiant Intelligence and Google Cloud, commented, “While we expect the adversary to make use of generative AI, and there are already adversaries doing so, adoption is still limited and primarily focused on social engineering. There’s no doubt that criminals and state actors will find value in this technology, but many estimates of how this tool will be used are speculative and not grounded in observation.”

Mandiant is a Google subsidiary.

According to Mandiant, “Generative AI will enable information operations actors with limited resources and capabilities to produce higher quality content at scale. … Hyper-realistic AI-generated content may have a stronger persuasive effect on target audiences than content previously fabricated without the benefit of AI technology.”

The report provides a detailed look at AI-generated images, video and text, and explains the evolving uses of AI in social engineering and areas like voice impersonation.

Mandiant also “anticipates that threat actors will increase their use of [large language models] to support malware development. LLMs can help threat actors write new malware and improve existing malware, regardless of an attacker's technical proficiency or language fluency.”

But it notes, “LLMs possess shortcomings in their malware generation that may require human intervention for correction, [although] the ability of these tools to significantly assist in malware creation can still augment proficient malware developers, and enable those who might lack technical sophistication.”

By Nick Wilson
August 18, 2023 at 10:52 AM

The Navy is initiating a contract competition for the design and construction of a new class of submarine tenders intended to support Virginia-class, Columbia-class and future-generation vessels, according to a recent solicitation notice.

The notice, which indicates the Navy’s intent to procure two of the new AS(X) tenders, follows an April industry day that provided prospective builders with draft requirements for the vessels. The solicitation excludes detailed information on program requirements, citing Controlled Unclassified Information status.

“AS(X) will conduct steady state and wartime sustained, forward-based tending, resupply and I-level repair operations on deployed submarines while at anchor or moored at a pier,” the notice states.

“In steady state, the AS(X) provides pier-side support in a forward deployed submarine homeport, providing sustained repair, supply, weapons handling/rearming, and tending operations for home ported or visiting submarines and ships, and fly-away emergent voyage repair services for other deployed submarines and ships,” it continues.

The Navy’s fiscal year 2024 budget request includes $1.7 billion for the first tender in this new-start program and anticipates the procurement of a second vessel in FY-26 for $1.1 billion, resulting in a total of two vessels across the five-year future years defense program.

The service plans to award a contract for the first vessel in May 2024, targeting delivery in June 2031, budget justification books indicate. A contract award for the second vessel is planned for May 2026 with delivery in September 2032.

Lawmakers have supported this plan with their FY-24 defense authorization and appropriations legislation, which awaits further action and final passage when Congress reconvenes in September.

Although the House Armed Services Committee initially excluded the submarine tender from its defense policy bill, the committee later approved an amendment adding FY-24 advance procurement authority for AS(X) to the legislation.

Presently, the Navy has two active tenders -- Emory S. Land (AS-39) and Frank Cable (AS-40) -- which are based in Guam and perform maintenance in the Pacific. The new AS(X) tenders will eventually replace these aging vessels, which have each been in service for more than 40 years.

By John Liang
August 17, 2023 at 2:53 PM

This Thursday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on the Army's Integrated Visual Augmentation System, the rollout of an interim report from the Planning, Programming, Budget and Execution Reform Commission, the Marine Corps' proposed lightweight organic precision fires technology effort and more.

An upcoming assessment of the Army's Integrated Visual Augmentation System will measure "system performance to ensure engineering efforts are on schedule and meeting design objectives":

Newest version of IVAS will undergo user assessment this month

The latest variant of the Army's Integrated Visual Augmentation System is set to undergo a user assessment this month, which is the beginning of a series of assessments for the night vision system.

Former DOD Comptroller Bob Hale, chair of the Planning, Programming, Budget and Execution Reform Commission, and vice chair and former DOD acquisition chief Ellen Lord, spoke publicly this week during the rollout of an interim report that outlines several recommendations the panel is considering:

Budget reform commission chiefs say Congress needs more timely info from DOD

Senior leaders on the independent congressional commission aiming to reform the Defense Department's budget and planning system say Pentagon officials need more flexibility from lawmakers if the notoriously slow process is to become agile enough to capture technological innovation needed to compete with China, but they stress DOD must do more to build trust with Capitol Hill.

Document: PPBE reform commission's interim report

The Marine Corps plans to release a formal solicitation in September for Organic Precision Fires-Light -- a new system intended to provide infantry rifle squads with a man-packable "organic, loitering, precision strike capability to engage the enemy beyond the line of sight":

Marine Corps eyes lightweight organic precision fires technology

The Marine Corps is preparing to solicit industry for a commercially available, lightweight, organic precision-fires system, according to a recent presolicitation notice, marking the latest step in the service's effort to accelerate the development and fielding of OPF capabilities.

JetZero has nabbed a contract for the Air Force's blended-wing body prototype aircraft:

Air Force awards $235M to JetZero to build blended-wing body prototype

The Air Force has awarded a $235 million contract to JetZero to build the next phase of a blended-wing body prototype aircraft by 2027, according to an announcement yesterday.

The Navy and Marine Corps are fielding 3D printing systems on ships at sea:

Naval forces turn to 3D printing for production at 'the point of need'

The Marine Corps is fielding 3D printing systems across the fleet, while the Navy has been testing additive manufacturing (AM) capabilities aboard ships and submarines at sea.

By Dan Schere
August 17, 2023 at 2:44 PM

Acting Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George, who awaits Senate confirmation for the permanent position, says warfighting, combat readiness, transformation and discipline are his key priorities.

In a memo circulated to the service, George wrote the ability to “deliver and sustain ready combat power” will be a “critical element of warfighting.”

“This means ensuring that we have the right infrastructure, industrial base, sustainment framework, and Soldier and Family support to project the force and ensure that it is resilient,” he wrote in the memo.

George also emphasized the need to continuously transform the Army when it comes to fighting, equipping and organizing.

“We will learn and evolve so that we can build a force that is leaner, more mobile and more lethal across every domain,” he wrote.

George was nominated by the Biden administration in April to be the next chief, and assumed the role in an acting capacity following the retirement of former Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville this month. George’s confirmation in the Senate remains on hold due to Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s (R-AL) blockade of more than 300 military nominees due to his objection to the Pentagon’s leave and travel reimbursement policies for servicemembers seeking abortion services.

By Apurva Minchekar
August 17, 2023 at 11:43 AM

The Space Force is looking for solutions that will help the service integrate military payloads onto a mature space vehicle with minimal modifications, according to a notice posted today.

The service wants to address two separate missions using two separate space vehicles that can provide redundant altitude control and orbit maintenance, according to the request for information.

“Both variants may share a launch vehicle and be required to achieve their respective operational orbits post separation independently,” the Space and Missile Command said.

Variant 1 main propulsion system may be either chemical or electric for the purposes of station keeping and adjusting the orbit from separation, while variant 2 must be chemical, the command noted.

The command’s requirement for variant 1 includes a payload power of more than 300 watts and 100 kg mass, while the payload power of variant 2 must be greater than 500 watts with a mass between 300-500 kg. Both variants are expected to have a lifeline of three to five years.

Adding more to the information the service is seeking, the Defense Department has asked potential contractors to describe their capability of developing and delivering the fully integrated SV in 18-24 months following an authority to proceed with an end goal to launch SV by fiscal year 2027 in their responses.

By John Liang
August 17, 2023 at 9:55 AM

BAE Systems announced this morning it has agreed to acquire the Ball Aerospace business from Ball Corp. for $5.55 billion.

"The proposed acquisition represents an exceptional opportunity to strengthen our portfolio with significant scale and high-end technology capabilities," a BAE statement reads. "Ball Aerospace will add more than $2 billion in annual revenues in the growing space domain, C4ISR and missile and munitions markets. The acquisition will provide our U.S. business with a position in some of the fastest growing segments of the defense market and further increases our alignment to enduring customer priorities embodied in the U.S. National Defense Strategy."

BAE Systems CEO Charles Woodburn said the proposed acquisition "is a unique opportunity to add a high-quality, fast-growing, technology-focused business with significant capabilities to our core business that is performing strongly and well positioned for sustained growth. It's rare that a business of this quality, scale and complementary capabilities, with strong growth prospects and a close fit to our strategy, becomes available."

BAE said it expects to close the transaction "in the first half of 2024. The Agreement includes a termination fee of US$100 million payable by BAE Systems, Inc. to Ball Aerospace’s parent company in the event the transaction is terminated because certain required regulatory conditions are not met within the agreed timeframe."

By Nickolai Sukharev
August 16, 2023 at 2:33 PM

The Army awarded RTX a $322.5 million contract to procure TOW B2 missiles, according to an Aug. 15 Defense Department announcement.

RTX will manufacture the missiles in Tucson, AZ with an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2026, on a fixed-price-incentive contract, the announcement states.

Consisting of a launcher and a missile, the TOW can be fired from the Army’s Humvee, Bradley and Stryker vehicles, according to the Army’s Acquisition Support Center.

The TOW 2B Aero RF can be used against a variety of armored targets, has a maximum range to 4,500 meters and incorporates an advanced counteractive protection system capability.

The TOW Bunker Buster (BB) is designed to counter urban structures, earthen and timbered bunkers, field fortifications, and light-skinned armor threats as well as double reinforced concrete walls.

The Army first deployed the TOW in 1970 during the Vietnam War and 43 allied nations have since purchased the system.

The U.S. transferred 7,000 TOW missiles to Ukraine as part of the latest aid package in its conflict with Russia, according to the State Department.

By Dan Schere
August 16, 2023 at 1:49 PM

Young Bang, the Army's principal deputy secretary for acquisition, logistics and technology, said Tuesday that the service's digital transformation strategy must incorporate low signature, particularly when it comes to a potential conflict with China.

“We have a lot of capabilities, but a lot of these capabilities have now gotten exponentially bigger, require more power, have different signatures and we are literally a Christmas tree when we light up,” Bang told attendees of the AFCEA TechNet conference in Augusta, GA.

China, Bang said, is ahead of the game when it comes to having equipment that is “digitally native,” compared with the U.S. Army. He said the need for low-signature capabilities is among the lessons that should be taken from the conflict in Ukraine with Russia.

The Army’s digital transformation should be guided by the principles of traceability, observability, replaceability and automated consumption, he added.

“We’re trying to get to agile, and we’re trying to get to [continuous integration/continuous delivery] and we’re trying to break down the obstacles at the enterprise level to get there . . . to constantly iterate. To get more things out there faster, in smaller increments. But more importantly, get the users feedback as we’re doing it,” Bang said.

Earlier on Tuesday, Deputy Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. John Morrison said when it comes to drawing lessons from the Ukraine conflict, the Army is in the process of working through which operational capabilities are needed at each echelon to support maneuver.

“That is a very different way of thinking than how we’ve been in the last 20 years in a counterinsurgency fight," Morrison said. "Very brigade-centric, brigades tailored to be completely self-contained and really do wide-area security operations. Not necessarily largescale ground combat operations."

Morrison added the service is in the process of expanding soldiers’ ability to securely connect to the network around the world. Servicemembers will be able to plug into the unclassified network globally by the end of the calendar year, and by next summer the classified network will be available globally, he said.

By John Liang
August 16, 2023 at 1:34 PM

This Wednesday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on the Navy and Marine Corps fielding 3D printing systems across the fleet. Additionally, a congressional commission has made recommendations to provide the Pentagon with greater spending flexibility.

We start off with the Navy and Marine Corps fielding 3D printing systems on ships at sea:

Naval forces turn to 3D printing for production at 'the point of need'

The Marine Corps is fielding 3D printing systems across the fleet, while the Navy has been testing additive manufacturing (AM) capabilities aboard ships and submarines at sea.

An interim report from the Planning, Programming, Budget and Execution Reform Commission comes as Congress -- though recessed -- appears poised to return to Washington next month for a possible government shutdown or at least the passage of one of the stopgap continuing resolutions that have become hallmarks of the annual appropriations process:

Possible calls for new spending flexibility headline DOD budget commission's interim report

The congressional commission tasked with reforming the Defense Department's 1960s-era budget planning and programming system is considering making recommendations to lawmakers that would provide the Pentagon with greater spending flexibility amid an appropriations process that has become mired in political dysfunction.

Document: PPBE reform commission's interim report

A Government Accountability Office review, the first in a series of semiannual reviews required by Congress in the Fiscal Year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act, found that DOD provided the watchdog agency with 42 reports between Dec. 23, 2022 to May 15, 2023:

Watchdog agency finds DOD 'generally' tardy when responding to audits and reviews

The Defense Department "generally did not meet" deadlines for responding to reviews conducted by the Government Accountability Office, submitting about half of its agency comments late, according to a new congressionally mandated GAO report.

Document: GAO report on Defense Department reviews and responses

A new trans-regional missile defense concept is a recently approved update by President Biden in the existing Pentagon's Unified Command Plan, that aims to provide attack operations, active and passive defense and battle management support to regional combatant commands:

SPACECOM benefitting from trans-regional missile defense concept

U.S. Space Command implementing a trans-regional missile defense concept is keeping the command in a position of advantage over strategic competitors, according to a senior space official.

The Army's new LASSO program is in response to a lethal unmanned systems directed requirement:

Army will hold industry days next month on LASSO

The Army will hold industry days next month to discuss the potential fielding of the service's new-start Low Altitude Stalking and Strike Ordnance (LASSO) program.