The INSIDER daily digest -- April 29, 2021

By John Liang / April 29, 2021 at 2:16 PM

This Thursday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, missile defense and a lot more.

We start off with news on the Pentagon's multibillion-dollar F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program:

F-35 long-term sustainment business case analysis expected this summer

The Defense Department is conducting a business case assessment to better understand its options for long-term sustainment of the F-35 and plans to release its findings this summer.

Followed by some missile defense news:

MDA dangles cash incentives to accelerate NGI fielding

The Missile Defense Agency is dangling award fees to speed delivery of a Next Generation Interceptor, giving Lockheed Martin and a Northrop Grumman-Raytheon team opportunities to pocket additional cash if they can beat a 2028 contractual commitment to emplace new guided missiles in Alaska in a race to improve the Ground-based Midcourse homeland defense system against forecasted improvements in North Korean intercontinental ballistic missiles.

GAO: MDA spiked all planned cybersecurity testing in 2020; third consecutive year testing goals missed

The Missile Defense Agency punted all planned 2020 operational cybersecurity assessments, tests required to determine vulnerabilities, according to congressional investigators who note these failures are accompanied by agency rationales but nevertheless marks a third consecutive year of shortcomings that point to "a broader MDA cybersecurity development issue.

The Air Force is looking into the presidential aircraft replacement program's costs and schedule:

Air Force reviewing VC-25B schedule after Boeing reports $318 million charge

The Air Force One recapitalization program is undergoing a schedule review after prime contractor Boeing reported a pre-tax charge of $318 million -- the second unexpected cost increase since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

A leading defense industry group has established a new research organization:

NDIA launches Emerging Technologies Institute to provide analysis on innovation

The National Defense Industrial Association is unveiling its Emerging Technologies Institute, a new organization that will offer research and analysis to help Capitol Hill, the Pentagon and industry consider how to best incorporate cutting-edge advancements.

Space news:

NTS-3 satellite launch pushed from 2022 to 2023 due to rideshare manifest change

The projected launch timeline for the Air Force Research Laboratory's Navigation Technology Satellite-3 has been pushed from 2022 to 2023 due to a schedule change from the program's rideshare partner.

AFRL convenes cislunar stakeholders to coordinate capability roadmaps

The Air Force Research Laboratory's Space Vehicles Directorate recently convened a cislunar stakeholders meeting, aimed at bringing government space agencies together to coordinate activities centered on cislunar space capabilities.

Major defense acquisition program costs have gone up in recent years:

GAO finds price tags for Pentagon's biggest programs swelled 52% since initiation

The Government Accountability Office has found the Pentagon's major acquisition programs have accumulated $615 billion in total cost growth since they began, a 52% increase, with about 60% of that growth being unrelated to increases in quantities purchased.

In related news, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee is looking for weapons programs to cut:

Smith wants to cut legacy programs and reinvest in information technology

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith (D-WA) said this week he wants to identify legacy Pentagon programs that can be eliminated or reduced so new investments can be made in information systems, like the financial management technology required to audit the Defense Department.

News on the Air Force's Combat Rescue Helicopter program:

Sierra Nevada alleges USAF violated competition rules for $1B HH-60W contract

Sierra Nevada Corp. has filed a lawsuit against the Air Force in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, alleging the service violated competition rules when deciding to award Sikorsky a nearly $1 billion sole-source contract to upgrade the HH-60W Combat Rescue Helicopter.

Our colleagues at Inside Cybersecurity have the latest on the the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program:

DOD official: Delays in certifying assessment organizations to shift expected CMMC timeline

The Pentagon is making changes to its rollout schedule for the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program, due to issues with getting assessment organizations that will conduct audits for contractors fully credentialed by the Defense Department, according to a DOD official overseeing the pilots.

Some lawmakers want to plus up shipyard funding:

Bipartisan group proposes $25 billion in shipyard improvements

A bipartisan congressional group has introduced a $25 billion shipyard improvement bill that will provide $21 billion for the Navy's four public shipyards.

The Pentagon's workforce will soon be able to work remotely with additional security:

DOD IT chief eyes 'bulk of workforce' moving to new Office 365 environment by June

By early June, the majority of the Defense Department's workforce will have access to a new cloud-based productivity suite that allows for remote work, according to acting DOD Chief Information Officer John Sherman.

The Army's top civilian is warning against future budget cuts:

Acting Army secretary warns service faces 'tremendous' amount of risk with further cuts

The Army faces a challenging year ahead with the next defense budget, where it will have to balance readiness and modernization against what is speculated to be a flat budget, according to the acting Army secretary.

Last but certainly not least, some news on the Navy's Ship-to-Shore Connector program:

Navy: SSC program production is now 'stable' following delays, contractor issues

The Ship-to-Shore Connector program is "stable" and in "serial production" after a number of challenges have been resolved, including a redesigned gearbox, Navy spokeswoman Kathryn Bienfang told Inside Defense.

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