Inside the Pentagon highlights

Here are the top four stories from this week's issue of Inside the Pentagon:

1. The Pentagon will name Fred Kennedy the director of the Space Development Agency, according to a March 12 memo from acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan.

Full story: New memo names DARPA's Fred Kennedy as SDA director, outlines agency mission

2. Acting Defense Secretary Pat Shanahan is angling to become permanent Pentagon chief, with his closest supporters highlighting his role in key areas, like navigating internal politics to deliver a final Space Force proposal, helping to engineer billions in budget increases and working to pivot President Trump away from planned troop withdrawals in the Middle East that had initially alarmed military leaders.

Full story: Key policy moves put spotlight on Shanahan as potential SECDEF

3. The Pentagon wants to pour nearly $1 billion into artificial intelligence and machine learning efforts next year, including $268 million for the new Joint Artificial Intelligence Center to pursue AI tools that can be used across the department, as well as helping the military services fund their own developments.

Full story: Pentagon seeks nearly $1 billion for AI, machine learning

4. The Pentagon's fiscal year 2020 budget request includes a $9.2 billion "emergency fund" for military construction -- most of which is for a new wall on the southern border -- as well as funds to "backfill" projects being deferred to build the wall and funds for hurricane recovery.

Full story: DOD breaks down $9B 'emergency fund' that includes border wall