The INSIDER daily digest

The Sea-Air-Space expo and the House version of the FY-17 defense policy bill are among the highlights in this Thursday INSIDER Daily Digest.

Continued coverage from this week's Sea-Air-Space expo:

Downselect decision gives shipbuilders more 'trade space' on frigate design

The Pentagon's decision to choose between Austal USA and Lockheed Martin to build the future frigate, rather than having both contractors build the ships, has forced the Navy to give the shipbuilders more "trade space" in designing the vessel, according to a program official.

That OCO provision in the House version of the FY-17 defense policy bill won't be easy to get passed:

Thornberry hopes to convince Senate on $18B OCO-to-base funding shift

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-TX) hopes to convince his Senate counterparts to support a fiscal maneuver in the lower chamber's version of the defense authorization bill that shifts $18 billion from the Pentagon's overseas contingency operations account to its base budget.

Looks like the Pentagon is on track to meet its audit-ready deadline:

DOD on track to be audit-ready by September 2017 deadline

The Pentagon is on track to be audit-ready by its deadline next fall, according to a recent report signed by Defense Department Comptroller Mike McCord and Assistant Deputy Chief Management Office David Tillotson.

House lawmakers want more info from DOD on cloud computing:

House panel seeks details on DOD's plans to define cloud computing

Expressing concern over recent findings that the Pentagon failed to establish a standard cloud computing definition and an integrated repository for cloud computing contracts, House appropriators are calling for the Pentagon's chief information officer to provide details on how these efforts are going.

House appropriators want to bump up DOD's ISR funding:

House appropriators provide $500M for ISR fund

The House Appropriations Committee seeks to provide $500 million to an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance fund to help the combatant commands enhance their ISR needs.

Keep an eye out for a DARPA RFP for a robotic on-orbit satellite:

DARPA to release robotic on-orbit satellite servicing RFP within weeks

The Defense Department's advanced research wing plans to release a solicitation in the next few weeks seeking industry partners in an effort to develop an autonomous, robotic space vehicle capable of servicing on-orbit satellites.

Textron could get more Navy orders for the Common Unmanned Surface Vehicle:

Textron, Navy discussing additional orders for unmanned surface vehicle

The Navy and Textron Systems are discussing additional orders of the company's Common Unmanned Surface Vehicle after the service decided earlier this year the unmanned boat would play a larger role in the Littoral Combat Ship's mine countermeasures mission package, according to a Textron executive.

The Army could be getting a vehicle-mounted weapon meant to shoot down aerial drones:

Army wants vehicle-mounted weapon for hunting aerial drones

The Army plans to develop a mobile weapon system designed to destroy low-flying enemy drones and -- later -- people, rockets and bullets, according to a newly published solicitation for industry.