Inside the Pentagon highlights

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

1. The Defense Department wants to spend $1.2 trillion in the coming decades to modernize the U.S. nuclear triad, a sum that senior Pentagon officials behind the recent Nuclear Posture Review argue is both necessary and affordable, despite concerns on Capitol Hill that the plan will prove unrealistic amid mounting deficits.

Full story: Nuclear spending stands out in debate among competing defense priorities

2. An influential advisory panel says the Defense Department should have access to the source code for software running on custom-built systems if officials want to improve security, performance and the speed at which DOD fields software updates.

Full story: Innovation board: DOD should have source code for custom-built software

3. A pair of Defense Department offices has informed Congress that the Army's strategy to transform and modernize its tactical network has merit, but cautions it is too early to predict success and urges the service to further develop its implementation approach.

Full story: CAPE, DOT&E deem Army's network strategy 'suitable,' raise concerns

4. A two-year, bipartisan spending deal brokered in February has granted the Pentagon a period of fiscal stability, but that window is quickly closing as Congress eyes 2018 midterm elections and the return of mandatory budget caps.

Full story: Budget battle lines redrawn as Mattis seeks FY-20 stability