The INSIDER daily digest -- April 5, 2021

By John Liang / April 5, 2021 at 2:13 PM

This Monday INSIDER Daily Digest features a deep dive into how the Defense Department buys computer chips.

We start off with a deep dive into the Pentagon's challenges in buying up-to-date microelectronics:

'Long, complicated and painful': Washington wrestles with strategy to boost computer chip production

When Mark Lewis walked into the Pentagon in late 2019, he thought his most important job as a leading research official would be overseeing the development of new, high-speed missiles.

Austal is building a steel line as it hopes to win Light Amphibious Warship and Future Frigate follow-on contracts:

Austal building steel line as it readies to compete for key contracts

Austal is building a steel production line at its Mobile, AL shipyard as the company positions itself to compete for the Marine Corps' Light Amphibious Warship and Navy's follow-on contract for the FFG(X) Future Frigate program.

The Navy's MQ-25 program has been facing the prospect of delays for over a year:

Navy officials won't commit to a timeline for MQ-25 control center installations

The schedule for installing the MQ-25 control system on Navy aircraft carriers is "under review" due to recent changes in the ground control station, a Navy spokeswoman tells Inside Defense.

A recent Global Information Dominance Exercise brought together all 11 combatant commands:

NORTHCOM exercise demonstrates ready-to-field JADC2 capabilities

A recent U.S. Northern Command Joint All-Domain Command-and-Control exercise demonstrated several capabilities available today to improve domain awareness, information dominance and decision superiority -- and the NORTHCOM commander told reporters this week he wants to move quickly to acquire and field those technologies.

An upgrade to the Sentinel A4 radar variant will help better detect unmanned aerial vehicles and other small, low-flying threats:

Sentinel A4 passes critical design review

The Army completed a critical design review of Lockheed Martin's Sentinel A4 radar system in February, five months ahead of schedule, the company announced April 1.

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