The INSIDER daily digest

We start off this Monday INSIDER Daily Digest with continuing coverage of a probe into a defunct stability operations task force for Afghanistan:

Grassley widens TFBSO investigation to include possible whistleblower retribution

The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee has expanded his probe of the Pentagon's defunct Task Force for Business and Stability Operations to include potential retaliation against a whistleblower.

Document: Sen. Grassley's letter to DOD on TFBSO ops director

A Monday Daily Digest wouldn't be the same without the front page from Inside the Army:

Number of Army brigades still up in the air as new chief studies options

The final number of Army brigade combat teams the service can assemble at an end strength of 450,000 active-duty soldiers remains in flux as senior leaders weigh their options, according to officials and documents.

Army CIO says new focus on 'reachback' will require network upgrades

Army Chief Information Officer Lt. Gen. Robert Ferrell said the newly articulated idea of connecting deployed soldiers with headquarters elements left in the United States is prompting an upgrade of main information highways.

New Army Lakota contract could reignite vendor-competition questions

The Army is planning to draw up a new contract with Airbus to buy 16 LUH-72A Lakota helicopters remaining in the service's fiscal year 2016 budget plans, a move that may rekindle discussions about whether the service is allowed to sole-source the choppers, leaving competitor AgustaWestland in the dust.

A helping of geopolitics meets U.S. Army soldiers aiding African forces

American soldiers deployed to train local African forces can sometimes find themselves exposed to the grand power struggle playing out on the continent between the West and China, reports a colonel with recent experience in the region.

. . . As well as the front page from Inside the Navy:

Pentagon approves Navy plans to release JPALS solicitation

Pentagon acquisition chief Frank Kendall approved Navy plans to release a request for proposals for the next phase of the Joint Precision Approach and Landing System Increment 1A program, clearing the way for the service to award the contract to system developer Raytheon next year.

Marines on track to declare Blackjack operational as early as December

The Marine Corps is on track to declare the RQ-21A Blackjack operational in either December or January, according to a service official.

Lockheed looking at additional armor for future Littoral Combat Ships

The Navy has directed Lockheed Martin to examine up-armoring its version of the Littoral Combat Ship, according to a company executive, as the service mulls which of the future frigate's capabilities will be added onto yet-to-be constructed LCS platforms.

Pentagon review board approved Marines' ACV for early production phase

A senior Pentagon review board last week approved the Marine Corps' next-generation amphibious vehicle program for an early production phase and the service expects to award contracts within a week, according to a Defense Department source and a notification sent to Congress.

Raytheon is doing more demos of new close-air-support capabilities:

Raytheon continues advanced CAS demos following end of DARPA effort

After completing the flight-test phase this summer of a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency program to demonstrate advanced close-air-support capabilities, Raytheon is conducting additional demonstrations this fall and winter and expects to integrate the system with its first customer following those demonstrations.

DOD needs to do more to improve its setting of fuel prices, according to a new GAO report:

GAO wants Pentagon to improve figuring of fuel prices

The Government Accountability Office contends that the Defense Department needs to take further steps to improve its method of setting the standard price of fuel for purchase by the services ahead of the fiscal year 2017 budget submission.

Document: GAO report on DOD's bulk fuel pricing