Inside the Pentagon highlights

Some must-reads from this week's issue of Inside the Pentagon:

1. The Pentagon is eying increased investments in several leap-ahead technologies in fiscal year 2019, but the military's second-highest-ranking officer said the Defense Department would be "gambling" by submitting next year's budget request before Congress reaches an agreement on FY-18 spending levels.

Full story: Pentagon 'gambling' with FY-19 budget request submission

2. The Defense Department executed a ballistic missile defense flight test over Hawaii this week but will not disclose whether the interceptor hit the target.

Full story: Pentagon conducts major BMD intercept test, mum on salient details

3. The House, in a largely symbolic move by Republicans, voted 250-166 on Tuesday to pass a $659 billion fiscal year 2018 defense appropriations bill with no hope of passage in the Senate, where Democrats continue to oppose any spending measure that does not include a promise of immigration reform and also provide parity between defense and non-defense priorities.

Full story: House again passes FY-18 defense spending bill that can't clear Senate

4. Members of the House Armed Services Committee are raising concerns over the Pentagon cloud executive steering group's work to accelerate the U.S. military's adoption of commercial cloud computing.

Full story: Lawmakers concerned by 'lack of transparency' from Pentagon cloud group