The INSIDER daily digest -- April 10, 2024

This Wednesday INSIDER Daily Digest has news from the Sea-Air-Space symposium, senior defense officials lobbying lawmakers to pass the supplemental spending bill and more.

We start off with continuing coverage of this year's Sea-Air-Space conference:

Navy has a plan to tackle shipbuilding delays, SECNAV says, though details remain scant

NATIONAL HARBOR, MD -- The Navy does indeed have a plan to remedy shipbuilding challenges, the service's top official said today, providing the first public indication that there is a strategy to tamp down widespread delays identified across its most critical ship and submarine programs.

DARPA's 'No Manning Required, Ship' to transfer to Navy in 2025

NATIONAL HARBOR, MD -- A long-endurance autonomous vessel currently under development with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is slated to transition to the Navy in 2025 following an initial round of testing, according to Capt. Scot Searles, program manager for unmanned maritime systems.

The Pentagon's top civilian told the Senate Armed Services Committee this week that trying to get the supplemental passed is the Defense Department's "most pressing priority":

DOD looks to rally support for supplemental spending amid partisan debate over capped budget

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. C.Q. Brown told senators Tuesday that the U.S. defense industrial base would benefit to the tune of $50 billion if Congress would pass a supplemental security spending package that would, among other things, provide weapons to Ukraine and replenish U.S. stocks, further surging domestic weapons production.

There's not much support in the Air Force for setting up a Space National Guard:

Kendall, Saltzman oppose standing up Space National Guard

The Air Force is "definitely not interested" in creating a separate Space National Guard, service Secretary Frank Kendall told lawmakers Tuesday. His remarks follow pushback from the National Guard Bureau over the proposed transfer of Air National Guard space units into the Space Force.

The Pony Express 2 demonstration, which consists of four payloads on two satellites launched in early March, are in final check-out before beginning operations that will be able to connect systems and direct communications:

Lockheed Martin launches Pony Express 2 demo satellites

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO -- Lockheed Martin launched two satellites to demonstrate an autonomous mission testing system intended to fit into the Defense Department's Joint All-Domain Command and Control effort, the company told reporters this week.

U.S. Africa Command recently submitted its latest unfunded priorities list to Congress:

AFRICOM sends Congress $500M unfunded list seeking more counter-drone systems

U.S. Africa Command has sent Congress an unfunded priorities list totaling more than $500 million, highlighting the need to counter armed drones in the region as -- according to a document obtained by Inside Defense -- it is “only a matter of time before U.S. forces in East Africa are attacked” by enemy drones or missiles.

Document: AFRICOM's FY-25 unfunded priorities list

The Defense Writers Group hosted an event this week with officials from the Energy Department's Center for AI Security Research:

AI experts' main security goals are stopping data poisoning and targeting existing vulnerabilities

Leading experts from the Energy Department's artificial intelligence research center believe the most pressing risk areas revolving around AI today are possible data poisoning of Large Language Models and the possibility of adversaries exploiting existing vulnerabilities in systems.

To be held over a four-month period starting this summer at the Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona, a scheduled demonstration follows an April 3 industry day that provided an overview of the self-propelled howitzer performance demonstration:

Army to host howitzer demonstrations this summer following ERCA cancellation

The Army is inviting industry manufacturers to demonstrate the capabilities of existing 155mm howitzer systems, pivoting in its acquisition approach after the cancellation of the Extended Range Cannon Artillery program.