The Insider

The Army is asking industry to manufacture antilock brake and stability control systems for the service's humvee fleet in a decade-long effort to reduce fatalities resulting from rollovers, according to a public notice.

Issued as a sources-sought notice, interested manufacturers are “to design, develop, manufacture, supply and install/troubleshoot an anti-lock brake system with electronic stability control retrofit kit onto the high mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicle that meets the requirements defined in the ABS/ESC Retrofit Kit Army Tank Purchase Description,” the Monday announcement reads.

The announcement is part of the Army’s effort to retrofit its humvee fleet with kits designed to prevent rollovers by 2035, which have resulted in nine deaths.

Retrofits take place at Red River Army Depot near Texarkana, TX and 15 other sites across the continental United States as well as locations in Hawaii, Japan, Korea and Puerto Rico, Col. Jonathan Meisel, the depot commander, wrote in an email to Inside Defense earlier this year.

Selected manufacturers “will be expected to install” the kits at 15 work sites as well as potential overseas locations, the announcement adds.

“Sources will also be expected to troubleshoot and resolve any mechanical and/or software faults experienced during installations of the referenced ABS/ESC kit on humvees, which may include understanding, addressing and clearing software fault codes as well as resolving mechanical or technical issues,” the announcement reads.

Last month, Senate authorizers included a provision in their final draft of the fiscal year 2025 defense authorization bill that requested the Army submit a plan to finish the retrofit program five years early.

In April 2023, the Army retrofitted 325 humvees per month while the rate in 2024 has fluctuated based on congressional funding, Inside Defense reported earlier this year.

While a common denominator in the rollovers is the failure to use restraints, the magazine adds that studies by the Army Combat Readiness Center identified other contributing factors, including a lack of route planning, failure to adhere to payload plans and excessive speed around corners, among others, according to the Army’s Risk Management magazine.

To increase the survivability, the Army trained soldiers on how to prevent rollovers and exit an overturned vehicle. The Army also developed a hydraulic simulator designed to mimic the motions of a rollover.

The Senate Armed Services Committee voted Tuesday to advance two key Pentagon cyber and intelligence nominees.

The committee voted to approve the nominations of Tonya Wilkerson to be under secretary of defense for intelligence and security and Michael Sulmeyer to be assistant secretary of defense for cyber policy. If confirmed, Sulmeyer will be the first ASD for cyber policy to ever serve at the Defense Department.

The nominees now advance to the full Senate for confirmation votes.

Like families often do, the Next Generation Air Dominance family of systems has recently found itself in turmoil, with the Air Force now reconsidering its original vision for the sixth-generation fighter to ensure it is well-suited against evolving threats in the Indo-Pacific.

“Before we make the commitment that we're close to making, we want to make sure we get the right design concept there,” Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said last week.

This story is now available to all.

The Defense Department announced a $1.7 billion military aid package for Ukraine that will immediately transfer some U.S. weapons to the battlefield.

A Presidential Drawdown Authority action valued at up to $200 million includes air defense interceptors, munitions for rocket systems and artillery as well as anti-tank weapons, according to DOD.

Meanwhile, $1.5 billion is being put on contract via the Ukraine Security Initiative to provide long-term military assistance to include:

• Munitions for National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS)
• Short- and medium-range air defense munitions;
• RIM-7 missiles for air defense;
• Electronic Warfare equipment;
• Ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS);
• 155mm and 105mm artillery rounds;
• 120mm mortar rounds;
• Precision aerial munitions;
• Tube-Launched, Optically Tracked, Wire-Guided (TOW) missiles;
• Javelin and AT-4 anti-armor systems;
• Small arms;
• Explosives material and demolitions equipment and munitions;
• Secure communications systems;
• Commercial satellite imagery services; and
• Spare parts, maintenance and sustainment support and other ancillary equipment.

“This is the Biden Administration's twentieth USAI package and sixty-second tranche of equipment to be provided from DOD inventories for Ukraine and since August 2021,” DOD said.

This Friday INSIDER Daily Digest has coverage of a congressional hearing on wasteful defense spending, the Army looking into setting up its own internal "space branch," the Air Force's B-52 engine replacement effort and more.

The House Oversight and Accountability national security, the border and foreign affairs subcommittee held a hearing this week on "Wasteful Spending and Inefficiencies: Examining DOD Platform Performance and Costs":

House lawmakers probe experts on DOD procurement dysfunction

House lawmakers questioned a panel of experts this week about the poor performance and ballooning costs of Pentagon weapons programs, focusing many of their comments on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, which has struggled for years with cost, schedule and performance issues.

Document: House hearing on wasteful DOD spending

Could the Army set up its own internal "space branch?" Only time will tell:

Army moving toward establishment of space MOS

A plan to create a new Army space-related military occupation specialty (MOS) is in the works, according to Army Space and Missile Defense Command Commander Lt. Gen. Sean Gainey. The creation of a space MOS could lead to the eventual establishment of a "space branch" of the service, Gainey said during two events this week in Washington.

Earlier this summer, the Air Force cleared for publication a Modernized Selected Acquisition Report on the B-52 CERP program, shedding new light on cost estimates for the program, that are now pegged to be $12.9 billion, including $4.3 billion for research and development and $8.3 billion for procurement:

Air Force eyes $13B B-52J price tag, formal cost estimate to be locked in September

The latest preview of the B-52 Commercial Engine Replacement Program indicates the project will carry a nearly $13 billion price tag when the Air Force this fall establishes a formal cost and schedule for the effort to extend the service life of the Cold War-era bombers by giving the fleet a new power plant.

Earlier this month, Military Sealift Command published a sources-sought notice signaling the Marine Corps' intent to charter a new Jones Act-compliant stern landing vessel for one 12-month base period beginning in August 2024, with options for two additional 12-month extensions:

Marine Corps plans to charter new stern landing vessel from Australian shipbuilder Sea Transport Solutions

The Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory is preparing to lease a new stern landing vessel that will be "purpose-built from the ground up" by Australian shipbuilder Sea Transport Solutions (STS), a service spokesperson told Inside Defense.

Last but by no means least, the latest cyber defense news from our colleagues at Inside Cybersecurity:

Defense groups encourage CISA to work with DOD in establishing mandatory reporting requirements for covered entities

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency should consider current reporting requirements for defense contractors as it continues work to implement a mandatory incident reporting regime that goes across critical infrastructure sectors, according to defense groups who filed comments on CISA's upcoming regulation.

This Thursday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on the Air Force's Next Generation Air Dominance effort, the Navy's nuclear-armed, sea-launched cruise missile program, the Sentinel nuclear missile program and more.

We start off with a deep dive on the Air Force's Next Generation Air Dominance effort:

Are CCA and the sixth-generation fighter in a perfect marriage? Time will tell

Like families often do, the Next Generation Air Dominance family of systems has recently found itself in turmoil, with the Air Force now reconsidering its original vision for the sixth-generation fighter to ensure it is well-suited against evolving threats in the Indo-Pacific.

Coverage of the Navy's nuclear-armed, sea-launched cruise missile:

Navy aims to reach critical SLCM-N milestone by FY-26

The Navy has a goal of reaching milestone A for its nuclear-armed sea-launched missile program by fiscal year 2026, according to a recent contract announcement.

Northrop Grumman's CEO spoke on his company's quarterly earnings this morning:

Northrop CEO: Sentinel cost growth not related to company's performance

As the Sentinel nuclear missile program faces ballooning total costs, Northrop Grumman executives stressed during their second-quarter earnings call today that those increases won’t be realized yet for several years, past the current contract.

In April, Ursa Major signed a contract with the Naval Energetics Systems and Technologies Program in which it agreed to develop and hot-fire test a solid-rocket motor prototype for the service's Standard Missile program:

Ursa Major's Draper moved onto duration testing phase

Ursa Major's developmental liquid hypersonic engine known as "Draper" has made it out of the startup period and is currently in duration testing to ensure engine survivability through stress tests, a senior company official told Inside Defense.

The Senate Armed Services Committee, in the report accompanying its fiscal year 2025 defense policy bill, directs senior Pentagon acquisition officials to prepare a report on maximizing the use of rapid prototyping and non-traditional acquisition authorities to speed the Guam missile defense project as well as action to improve integration efforts:

Guam air and missile defense project suffering 'apparent lack of progress,' lawmakers say

Pentagon efforts to rapidly field a 360-degree, air-and-missile defense system to Guam are hampered by an "apparent lack of progress . . . to effectively integrate" nearly two-dozen components that comprise a hybrid architecture of new and existing technologies, according to lawmakers who want a more nimble acquisition effort for the project.

Some counter-drone news:

DOD officials: Counter UAS swarm demonstration last month presented necessary 'challenge'

A demonstration conducted by the Pentagon's Joint Counter-small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Office that focused on defeating large swarms of up to 50 drones was challenging but necessary in order to keep pace with global threats, officials from the office and the Army said this week.

News on the next-generation AWACS aircraft:

Air Force, Boeing reach 'affordable cost agreement' on E-7A Wedgetail

While still waiting to finalize the contract for the E-7A Wedgetail, the Air Force and Boeing have agreed on an "affordable price" for the warning and control contract, service officials said this week.

The Senate Appropriations Committee will meet next Thursday to mark up its version of the fiscal year 2025 defense spending bill that could add billions of dollars to the Pentagon’s budget request.

Committee Democrats and Republicans have agreed to add $21 billion in “emergency funding” to the bill that would bring the total level of FY-24 spending beyond the cap mandated by the Fiscal Responsibility Act. Appropriators have also agreed to boost non-defense spending by $13.5 billion for FY-24.

Meanwhile, the House, which has left for August recess, has approved a defense appropriations bill that sticks to the FRA cap of $895 billion for national defense, with $850 billion specifically for the Defense Department.

The Senate Armed Services Committee has also filed a defense authorization bill that would break the defense cap by $25 billion.