The INSIDER daily digest -- April 27, 2018

The defense budget, DOD's cloud strategy and much more highlight this Friday INSIDER Daily Digest.

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis was on Capitol Hill this week:

Budget battle lines redrawn as Mattis seeks FY-20 stability

A two-year, bipartisan spending deal brokered in February has granted the Pentagon a period of fiscal stability, but that window is quickly closing as Congress eyes 2018 midterm elections and the return of mandatory budget caps.

Defense Department Comptroller David Norquist has pledged DOD will deliver two reports on the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure program to Congress next month:

Pentagon to deliver cloud strategy, justification to Congress by May 7

The Pentagon plans to deliver to lawmakers two congressionally mandated reports on its controversial cloud program, including a justification of its single-award strategy, by early May, according to a top official.

Testing has begun for a prototype of the Navy's ship-to-shore connector:

Textron's SSC begins on-water testing, preparing for builder's trials

Textron Marine Systems began on-water testing for the ship-to-shore connector earlier this month and is preparing for builder's trials at the end of this month, according to a company official.

Check out Inside the Army's coverage so far of this year's Quad-A conference:

ITEP competitors complete preliminary design review, prepare for Phase 2 submission

NASHVILLE, TN -- The two companies vying to replace the engine in the Army's AH-64 and H-60 aircraft are awaiting direction from the service to proceed to the next phase of the competition.

PM FVL: Army will require 'aggressive' time lines, employ 'incremental strategy'

NASHVILLE, TN -- The Army's new project manager for Future Vertical Lift anticipates greater engagement with industry as the program progresses "as an industry-government partnership."

McConville: Cost, not just capability, will be a driver for Future Vertical Lift

NASHVILLE, TN -- The Army's existing aircraft are "the best in the world," but technological advances and a more complex future operational environment necessitate drastic changes, according to the service's vice chief of staff.

More vertical lift news:

House subcommittee in favor of accelerating FVL, adding UAS to Guard

The Army's Future Vertical Lift effort has drawn lawmakers' attention as an immediate aid to providing aviation overmatch and a solution to combating "more dangerous" mid-term threats.

News from this week's issue of Inside the Air Force:

National Defense Strategy driving space resiliency requirements, planning

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO -- For the first time, the Pentagon's top strategy documents include language about space as a warfighting domain -- a change that Defense Department officials say is driving changes to the way the military thinks about protecting its on-orbit assets.

Nuclear missile programs could move faster under new policy language

As military officials repeatedly argue the United States needs to field new nuclear weapons as soon as possible, the House Armed Services strategic forces subcommittee is asking the Air Force to work with the Pentagon's acquisition chief on plans to speed up the Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent and Long-Range Standoff Weapon programs.

DARPA's manned-unmanned teaming project to demo air-to-ground mission

The Air Force Research Laboratory and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency plan to demonstrate whether teams of manned and unmanned aircraft can work together in an air-to-ground combat mission, following a series of flight tests last fall.

House authorizers propose greater adoption of reusable, rapid launch

House lawmakers want the Defense Department to give greater consideration to responsive and reusable launch capabilities as they pursue future launch services and may require DOD to solicit reusable spacelift services beginning in March 2019.

Lawmakers concerned about cancellation of B-2 communications upgrade

After the Air Force canceled a B-2 satellite communications upgrade in its fiscal year 2019 budget request, lawmakers are working to assure the service has a plan to keep the bomber's communication system up to date.

Lawmakers propose new competition for F-35 cockpit canopy transparency

House lawmakers want the Air Force to consider the implications of recompeting a contract for F-35 cockpit canopy transparencies in order to drive down cost and secure the supply chain.

Steven Aftergood, Federation of American Scientists Project on Government Secrecy director, is happy about this:

House panel calls for MDA to make public missile defense flight test plans

House lawmakers are proposing legislation to restore transparency to the Pentagon's ballistic missile defense test plans by requiring the Missile Defense Agency to reinstate advance public disclosure of major flight tests, brushing back claims by MDA that such information should be withheld.

No-notice inspections of Navy surface vessels is a popular idea among House lawmakers:

House lawmakers propose Navy conduct no-notice inspections of surface ship fleet

Following four collisions last year in the Pacific, House members are proposing the Navy conduct material inspections of its surface ships without notice to give sailors more time to train, instead of every three years as is now done.

Army vehicle news:

House authorizers direct Army to re-examine ABCT multiyear contracts

New legislation being considered by the House Armed Services Committee could result in the Army altering its multiyear procurement contracts for the combat vehicle platforms that make up armored brigade combat teams, including the Abrams, Bradley, Stryker and Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle.

Legislators want more details on Army vehicle technology programs

The House Armed Services tactical air and land forces subcommittee's mark of the fiscal year 2019 defense authorization bill contains a handful of provisions for current and future vehicle technologies, as well as Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle sustainment.