The Insider

The Army’s mine-clearing assault vehicle needs a new set of eyes, according to a notice posted this morning.

The hulking M1150 Assault Breacher Vehicle, mounted to the M1A1 Abrams chassis, braves explosives littering the battlefield for Armored Brigade Combat Teams with a mine plow fixed to its front and three spindly prongs that creep over the battlefield like spider legs.

It also boasts a turret from Anniston Army Depot, AL, with demolition explosive launchers, a dozer blade and a lane marking system that draws a safe path as it clears the way forward.

The product manager for bridging is surveying the market for companies that can fulfill its requirement for a new Integrated Vision System, one of the critical components of the ABV that lets crews see clearly without exposing themselves outside the armored shell.

The IVS hosts a gimbal with three cameras -- an image intensifier, night vision and infrared -- a driver vision enhancement system, which includes thermal cameras on the back and front, five closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras as well as a control panel and display module for commanders, according to the release.

Leonardo DRS supplied the ABV with vision systems for the Army and Marine Corps from 2007 to 2022, amounting to 220 total provided to the military.

Companies that submit will answer questions about their experience as a prime contractor, technological maturity of their system, ability to retrofit it to an ABV and cost factors. They have until May 23 to reply.

The Defense Innovation Unit awarded Somewear Labs a contract to field a software-defined technical network for the Marine Corps across U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, the company announced today.

The Advanced Tactical Communication contract with DIU prioritize fielding across INDOPACOM.

“Years of rigorous development and prototyping across military services produced a resilient, secure, and scalable communications solution,” the company said. “Through this effort, Somewear’s software-defined network supported joint and partner force operations, providing critical data management and transmission capabilities that bridge the gap between strategic command and the tactical edge.”

The initiative with Marine Corps will expand on its existing capabilities to automate data movement across various multiple line-of-sight (LOS) and beyond-line-of-sight (BLOS) networks. The company’s Somewear Grid platform is meant to be used to enable advanced network management and configuration, ensuring that critical information is securely and rapidly distributed, even in contested environments.

“This contract not only reinforces our role in supporting the DOD’s network modernization efforts,” James Kubik, Somewear Labs CEO said, “but also marks a significant transition for Somewear and DIU. Together, we are transitioning from supporting tactical units to enterprise level field deployments, bringing robust, secure and efficient communication tools to the hands of USMC operators.”

This Tuesday INSIDER Daily Digest begins with an industry pitch to do more with a robotic vehicle for the Marine Corps, he Pentagon’s Replicator UAV program is headed toward a big milestone, the Marine Corps gets new counter-drone capability, and Anduril has a big announcement on an electronic warfare program.

Oshkosh says its ROGUE-Fires vehicle can do more:

Oshkosh pitches additional missions for ROGUE-Fires; first LRIP batch slated for June

Oshkosh Defense expects to deliver its first six low-rate initial production units of a robotically controlled ship-killing vehicle to the Marine Corps in June, according to company executives, who said a full-rate production decision could come as soon as late 2026 or early 2027.

By August the Pentagon’s Replicator effort should start producing drones:

DIU policy chief: Replicator on track to reach operational goal thanks to flex funding

The Replicator initiative is on track to procure thousands of production-level all-domain, autonomous and “attritable” drones by August, according to a senior Defense Innovation Unit official.

The Marine Corps is getting some counter-drone help:

Epirus delivers new counter-drone capability to support Marines

Defense start-up Epirus announced the delivery of a new counter-drone capability to Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren today -- a system meant to support the Marine Corps.

Anduril made a big announcement this week:

Anduril announces new lightweight EW system, already fielded with undisclosed customers

Anduril Industries is offering a new electronic warfare capability dubbed Pulsar-Lite intended to deliver a compact and flexible EW capability that can operate autonomously to defend forward-forces from unmanned threats, company executives announced today.

Defense start-up Epirus announced the delivery of a new counter-drone capability to Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren today -- a system meant to support the Marine Corps.

The Expeditionary Directed Energy Counter-Swarm (ExDECS) system is a derivative of Epirus’s Leonidas Expeditionary system and uses high-power microwaves (HPM) to counter drones.

ExDECS will allow the Marine Corps to “evaluate the benefits of HPM to the Low Altitude Air Defense (LAAD) mission and enhance Ground Based Air Defense (GBAD) capabilities,” according to a company news release.

The system uses the HPM technology platform, which is scalable, and is designed to be able to integrate with light tactical vehicles to bolster air defense capabilities for the expeditionary short range, according to Epirus.

Compared to other counter-drone methods, the technology from Epirus doesn’t hurt the drone, CEO Andy Lowery told Inside Defense. Rather, it “puts such a loud, noisy electromagnetic environment in the atmosphere that the circuits start picking up all of that energy, and they are unable to kind of connect with each other and talk to each other,” he said.

Lowery compared the Epirus technology to the Phalanx Close-In Weapon System -- which detects and destroys incoming missiles and aircraft -- calling it an electromagnetic version with an unlimited magazine.

With one system already delivered to the Office of Naval Research and the Marine Corps, Lowery said Epirus is looking ahead to the next year and the potential purchase of a second system. This system would contain “generation two technology,” which provides about two and a half times the current range for the same package size, he said.

Lowery said ExDECS and other developments from Epirus mark a shift in warfare.

“We have entered into a kind of new phase of warfare, and we have new phases of technology that are emerging, and this is one of them,” he said. “This is truly like a consumer electronic force field, where all kinds of critical assets could be kind of applied to this type of defense that, again, will be known to be one to many.”

We start this Monday INSIDER Daily Digest with a congressional move to inject another $150 billion into Pentagon spending, budget questions are holding up a Space Development Agency program, there’s new missile defense guidance out, and the cost of the U.S. nuclear effort has increased by $190 billion.

Republicans are rolling out a multibillion-dollar budget reconciliation package:

Republicans unveil bill to lift defense by $150B

Congressional Republicans have released a budget reconciliation bill that would increase defense spending in the coming years by $150 billion, updating a previous draft proposal with new investment amounts.

The bill, which will be considered by the House Armed Services Committee, would provide:

• $33.7 billion for shipbuilding
• 24.7B for the Golden Dome missile defense system
• $20.4 billion for munitions
• $13.5 billion for “innovation”
• $12.9 billion for nuclear deterrence
• $11.5 billion for military readiness
• $11.1 billion for Pacific deterrence
• $8.5 billion for military quality of life
• $7.2 billion for aircraft
• $5 billion for border security
• $2 billion for military intelligence
• $380 million for the Pentagon audit

Uncertainty over budget guidance has paused an SDA project:

SDA pauses Tranche 3 solicitation amid budget uncertainty

The Space Development Agency won’t release the solicitation for its Tranche 3 Transport Layer Upsilon variant this month as planned, the agency announced Friday, delaying the program “until SDA receives further budgetary guidance.”

The Missile Defense Agency has been given new guidance:

New missile defense directive rolls back 2020 guidance, introduces tech 'off ramps'

The Pentagon has issued a sweeping update to its missile defense acquisition governance, restoring core authorities to the Missile Defense Agency and formally rescinding a 2020 policy that many criticized as slowing innovation.

The Congressional Budget Office takes a look at nuclear program spending:

CBO: 10-year nuclear enterprise costs grow to nearly $950 billion -- up 25% from last report

The U.S. nuclear enterprise will cost $946 billion over the next 10 years, according to a Congressional Budget Office estimate released yesterday, an increase of 25% or $190 billion over the previous report issued two years ago.

Congressional Republicans have released a budget reconciliation bill that would increase defense spending in the coming years by $150 billion, updating a previous draft proposal with new investment amounts.

The bill, which will be considered by the House Armed Services Committee, would provide:

• $33.7 billion for shipbuilding
• $24.7 billion for the Golden Dome missile defense system
• $20.4 billion for munitions
• $13.5 billion for “innovation”
• $12.9 billion for nuclear deterrence
• $11.5 billion for military readiness
• $11.1 billion for Pacific deterrence
• $8.5 billion for military quality of life
• $7.2 billion for aircraft
• $5 billion for border security
• $2 billion for military intelligence
• $380 million for the Pentagon audit

The numbers differ from a draft version of the bill shared with reporters last week, with the most significant changes coming to shipbuilding, with a $4.7 billion increase, and Golden Dome, seeing a $2.3 billion decrease.

Republican chairmen of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees praised the defense portion of the reconciliation bill, which will be incorporated into a larger legislative package that does not need Democratic votes to pass.

“This legislation is a historic investment of $150 billion to restore America’s military capabilities and strengthen our national defense,” House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-AL) said.

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker (R-MS) said the bill is a “generational upgrade” in military capability.

“This is about building the future of American defense, achieving peace through strength, and ultimately deterring war,” he said.

Meanwhile, Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), said he does not support the bill -- despite many areas of bipartisan agreement -- because the GOP’s overall reconciliation package will attempt to pay for tax cuts and defense investments by cutting important social programs.

“This legislation would increase defense spending by $150 billion through a partisan budget reconciliation gimmick," he said. "It will be paid for by devastating cuts that can only come from critical programs like Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and student loan and grant programs at the Department of Education. And to add insult to injury, this will all be part of a legislative package that provides $4.5 trillion in tax cuts for the wealthy but does nothing to lower costs for American families.”

The House committee is scheduled to convene Tuesday morning to consider the bill.

Meanwhile, shipbuilding highlights include:

• $5.4 billion for two DDG-51 destroyers
• $4.6 billion for a second Virginia-class submarine in fiscal year 2027
• $3.7 billion for the Landing Helicopter Assault (LHA) type amphibious assault ship program
• $2.7 billion for the T-AO oiler
• $2.1 billion for the the San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock program.

Key aircraft program investments include:

• $3.15 billion for the F-15EX
• $678 million for Collaborative Combat Aircraft
• $500 million to accelerate the F/A-XX
• $474 million for EA-37Bs
• $400 million for C-130Js
• $400 million for the F-47
• $100 million got the MQ-25.

Golden Dome investments include:

• $7.2 billion for space-based sensors
• $5.6 billion for space-based intercept technology
• $2.4 billion for “non-kinetic” missile defense
• $2.2 billion for hypersonic missile defense
• $2 billion for air moving target indicator satellites
• $1.9 billion for ground-based
• $800 million for next-generation ICBM defense.

Other key investments include:

• $11.1 billion for the unfunded priorities list of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command
• $4.5 billion for the B-21 bomber
• $2 billion for the Defense Innovation Unit to scale commercial technology for military use
• $2 billion for a nuclear sea-launched cruise missile
• $1.5 billion for the Sentinel ICBM replacement program.