The INSIDER daily digest -- April 24, 2025

This Thursday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on the effect of the proposed 8% cuts on the Air Force, plus an upcoming hypersonic flight test and more.

Air Force Maj. Gen. Joseph Kunkel spoke at an Air and Space Forces Association event this morning:

DOD budget reprioritization will be 'good for the Air Force,' two-star general says

While the Air Force submitted its proposed 8% of cuts for the Defense Department to reprioritize, the service's director of force design, integration and wargaming today said that funding shifts would likely benefit the Air Force.

Keep an eye out for an upcoming hypersonic flight test sometime in the next eight months:

Rocket Lab tapped for project to accelerate pace of hypersonic flight testing

Rocket Lab will launch the first full-scale hypersonic flight test under the Pentagon's $1.45 billion program to upgrade test infrastructure, a major move to expand the Defense Department's limited hypersonic testing capacity.

Instead of working on electric variants of the Infantry Squad Vehicle, the Army is trying to broker a deal with GM Defense for the company's Next Generation Tactical Vehicle:

Army cancels eISV contract, pushes for more hybrid testing

The Army has officially backed out of its contract with GM Defense to run tests on electric variants of its Infantry Squad Vehicle following condemnation from Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George, who has railed against their utility on the battlefield.

The Air Force's No. 1 uniformed officer said this week that his service has "too much infrastructure":

Minimum investment for facilities sustainment again draws ire from top Air Force officer

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin is doubling down on his opposition to a new law that increases the amount military services invest annually in infrastructure restoration and sustainment accounts, telling an audience of industry and service members: "We got to fight that."

U.S. Indo-Pacific Command's top officer was on Capitol Hill recently:

Paparo: Space comms needed to hedge against Taiwan's undersea cable vulnerability

Taiwan must develop redundant communications networks and expand satellite capabilities across multiple orbits to hedge against China's deliberate sabotage of the island's undersea internet cables, according to Adm. Sam Paparo, the head of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.

Some cyber defense news from our colleagues at Inside Cybersecurity:

Industry groups highlight aspects of acquisition reform to come from Trump directives to agencies

The Trump administration’s actions to reshape government acquisition efforts in the spirit of creating efficiencies have received positive reviews from industry groups who see an opportunity to improve security through buying commercial solutions.

DOD publishes guidance on using updated NIST CUI publication for contracting officials

The Pentagon is providing instructions to contracting officials on tailoring the latest version of the National Institute of Standards and Technology's foundational publication on controlled unclassified information, in a recent memorandum on organization-defined parameters critical to the next iteration of the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program.