Inside the Pentagon highlights

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

1. The Pentagon is seeking congressional permission to shift $4.3 billion between budget accounts as part of an annual reallocation of funds the U.S. military has in hand, revealing new details about Defense Department plans to develop and field hypersonic strike weapons and launching 10 new-start projects -- including a new deep-strike cannon for the Army.

Full story: Defense Department seeks congressional OK to shift $4.3 billion

2. Defense Department Chief Management Officer Jay Gibson said the Pentagon is on track to exceed a savings of $4 billion in fiscal year 2018 that can be redirected to other military priorities thanks to an efficiency strategy that began in earnest shortly after he was confirmed by the Senate in February.

Full story: DOD CMO eyes in-sourcing, services contract reductions to exceed $4B in efficiencies

3. The Defense Department wants to shift $75 million in its budget to establish the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center, a new organization which the department forecasts will require $1.7 billion over the next six years, according to DOD's June omnibus reprogramming request.

Full story: DOD wants $75M to establish Joint AI Center, forecasts $1.7B over six years

4. The Defense Department has launched a prototype project that aims to dramatically increase the speed and range of the Navy's Standard Missile-6 by adding a larger rocket motor to the ship-launched weapon, a move that aims to improve both the offensive and defensive reach of the Raytheon-built system.

Full story: Navy looking to increase range, speed of SM-6 with larger rocket motor