The INSIDER daily digest

We kick off this post-holiday INSIDER Daily Digest with news on DOD's acquisition of services, the FYDP and more.

Keep an eye out for an upcoming GAO report on services acquisition:

Pentagon tries to better manage $145B in services contracts as GAO preps report

The Defense Department is focusing on how to better manage the $145 billion it spent on the acquisition of services in fiscal year 2015, while the Government Accountability Office is in the final stages of crafting a report on the matter, according to a top Pentagon official.

An early look at the challenges facing DOD in its upcoming five-year spending plan:

CBO: FY-17 FYDP carries $13B modernization spike, $41B sequester threat in FY-21

The U.S. military's spending needs in its forthcoming five-year plan -- fiscal years 2017 to 2021 -- present Pentagon leaders, congressional policy makers, and the next administration a double conundrum: how to finance the leading edge of a modernization "bow wave" requiring a sharp, $13 billion increase in FY-21, a year where DOD also faces a potential $41 billion sequester cut.

Document: CBO report on the long-term implications of the 2016 FYDP

Expect to see an audit of a now-defunct DOD task force in Afghanistan:

Grassley seeks 'top-to-bottom audit' of former DOD task force

The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee is seeking "congressional and administration oversight and scrutiny" of a former Pentagon task force in Afghanistan, which is the subject of an upcoming congressional hearing.

Document: Sen. Grassley's letter on SIGAR TFBSO audit

The Army is thinking about a pilot program for armored ground vehicles with commercially available parts:

Renewed interest brewing in piloting field-grade vehicle protection systems

Defense Department officials are considering kicking off a pilot program to equip some armored ground vehicles with already developed active protection systems, as an Army program toward that end is still in the nascent stages, according to sources on Capitol Hill and within industry.

The RFP for the Army's Chinook upgrade effort has been approved:

Army moves ahead in Chinook upgrade effort; RFP approved

The Army's top acquisition official has approved the release of the solicitation document for the CH-47F Chinook helicopter's Block II upgrade program, according to the official heading the program.

A JTRS vehicular radio milestone decision has been made:

Army bumps milestone for JTRS radio, network assessment needed

The Army has postponed a milestone decision for the Joint Tactical Radio System's vehicular radio until after an assessment of the total mid-tier network this spring, according to a service official.