The INSIDER daily digest -- April 26, 2023

This Wednesday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on a Defense Department report that covers the U.S. military's aircraft inventory plans, plus the Government Accountability Office's analysis of space situational awareness and more.

We start off with coverage of a previously unreported Defense Department report on its long-range plans for military aircraft inventory:

DOD 15-year plan shrinks overall aircraft inventory; grows bomber, refueling, SOF fleets

The U.S. military plans to steadily shrink the total number of aircraft it operates over the next 15 years from 13,749 to 12,721 -- a 7% reduction -- with the bomber force, aerial refueling and Special Operations Forces slated for growth, according to the most detailed public forecast of the Defense Department's aircraft inventory to date.

DOD sets goal to grow Air Force long-range strike force by 20%, 173 bombers by 2037

The Pentagon has set a goal to increase the size of the Air Force bomber force by 20% -- growing the fleet from 143 today to 173 by 2037, according to the first major recalibration of the U.S. military's long-term aviation inventory in five years, a previously unreported expansion that reflects the importance of long-range strike in war plans for a potential fight against China.

Document: DOD's annual aviation inventory and funding plan summary report

Related bomber news:

Air Force would consider new bomber if B-21 can't counter new threats, official says

Though currently not planned, the Air Force is open to adding new aircraft to its bomber fleet in future years if it finds the B-21 Raider is unable to counter an emerging capability, Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans and Programs Lt. Gen. Richard Moore told lawmakers last week.

The Space Force is facing challenges due to the increase of objects in space, which include gaps in the geographical distribution of global sensors that collect data and limited sensor capability for objects in deep space, the Government Accountability Office noted in a report released Monday:

Air Force, Space Force expect to complete by June new strategy looking at use of commercial data

The Air Force and Space Force are collaborating on a new space strategy that will look at using commercial data to bolster the Defense Department's space situation awareness capabilities. The strategy is expected to be completed by June.

Document: GAO report on space situational awareness

More coverage of the Navy's latest 30-year shipbuilding plan:

Navy marks 62 ships for decommissioning across FYDP

The Navy intends to decommission 62 ships over the next five years, pursuing a "divest to invest" strategy that calls for the retirement of ageing carriers and ballistic missile submarines, the decommissioning of more amphibious warships than are procured, and further divestment from the troubled class of Littoral Combat Ships.

Document: Navy's FY-24 shipbuilding plan

Last but by no means least, our colleagues at Inside Cybersecurity are at the RSA conference in San Francisco this week:

Boyens: Work continues to set up Federal Acquisition Security Council ahead of issuing removal and exclusion orders

SAN FRANCISCO -- The Federal Acquisition Security Council completed a lot of work to make sure the process for issuing removal and exclusion orders for untrustworthy equipment on federal systems is deliberate and risk-based, according to National Institute of Standards and Technology supply chain leader Jon Boyens, who participated in a panel with leaders behind the Defense Department's cyber certification program.