The INSIDER daily digest -- April 27, 2020

By John Liang / April 27, 2020 at 2:12 PM

This Monday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on COVID-19's effect on the military industrial base and more.

The Defense Department continues to "carefully and methodically track the state of the defense industrial base," according to senior DOD officials:

DOD monitors industrial base as Congress eyes another massive COVID-19 aid package

The Pentagon is bracing for a possible three-month delay across its major acquisition programs because of the COVID-19 outbreak, while Congress is eying another massive economic rescue package that could push billions in new funding to defense contractors.

(For complete coverage of DOD's response to COVID-19, click here.)

Some missile defense news, from the Next-Generation Interceptor to Iron Dome:

DOD launches NGI, most significant overhaul of homeland missile defense to date

The Pentagon has formally launched a competition for a Next-Generation Interceptor, the most significant overhaul of the nation's missile defense system since 2004, setting in motion a high-stakes acquisition that could leave the United States vulnerable to North Korean threats if the project is delayed and promising, but unproven, back-up capabilities don't materialize as planned.

Lawmakers seek SECDEF's assistance in getting Army to re-look Iron Dome plans

Supporters of the Iron Dome air defense system have rounded up nearly two-dozen congressional signatures on a letter to Defense Secretary Mark Esper, requesting a deployment plan for the Israeli-built system after the Army scrapped plans to incorporate the weapon system into its wide air and missile defense architecture.

Document: Lawmakers' letter on Iron Dome

Inside Defense recently interviewed House Armed Services seapower and projection forces subcommittee Chairman Joe Courtney (D-CT) as well as Ranking Member Rob Wittman (R-VA) on the Navy's auxiliary sealift fleet:

Courtney, Wittman to ramp up sealift recap pressure on Navy in NDAA

Lawmakers this year plan to increase pressure on the Navy to recapitalize its auxiliary fleet after the service's lack of action since presenting its three-pronged approach two years ago.

A recent Government Accountability Office report on federal management examined several reform efforts, top among them the transfer of the background investigations mission from the Office of Personnel Management to the Defense Department:

GAO finds feds are making progress in reforming 'high-risk' security clearance process

Federal agencies have mostly followed key practices as they reform the "high-risk" security clearance process, according to a new Government Accountability Office report.

Document: GAO report on government reforms

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