The INSIDER daily digest -- April 8, 2019

This Monday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on DOD life-cycle and sustainment costs, the Army's Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft, The ANTX West exercise and more.

Pentagon acquisition chief Ellen Lord recently sent a memo about life-cycle and sustainment costs. Inside Defense has details:

Lord makes sustainment cost a key consideration for rapid fielding

Pentagon acquisition chief Ellen Lord wants life-cycle and sustainment costs to be key considerations for any middle-tier acquisition program seeking the use of rapid fielding authority, according to a recent memo from her office.

MD Helicopters has lost a protest for an other transaction agreement to develop Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft competitive prototypes:

GAO rejects MD Helicopters' protest of FARA loss

The Government Accountability Office has rejected a protest from MD Helicopters of Army Futures Command's decision regarding development of the Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft.

Document: GAO decision on Army helicopter protest

The 21st Century Combined Arms Advanced Naval Technology Exercise, or ANTX West 2019, will be concluding this week:

Navy, Marine Corps assessing more than 80 emerging technologies in ANTX West 2019

The Navy and Marine Corps are assessing more than 80 emerging technologies along with new concepts of operation in a 10-day exercise across numerous locations that aims to vet potential combat capabilities as part of the services' effort to expedite fielding of new weapons and ways to fight, according to the services.

The Navy has a new "Offensive Missile Strategy":

Navy expands cruise missile strategy, finishes NGLAW AOA

The Navy has expanded its cruise missile strategy to include "all non-nuclear offensive strike missiles" at around the same time it has completed an analysis of alternatives that will inform the service's next generation of strike capabilities.

The Marine Corps' new heavy-lift helicopter program will be getting more money:

Congress approves $79 million reprogramming for delayed CH-53K

Congressional defense committees have approved $79 million in reprogramming funds for the Marine Corps' new heavy-lift helicopter, which is facing schedule delays due to technical problems.

We now know how much the Army spent for a second test of Northrop Grumman's Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System:

Army discloses $354M bill for IBCS remedial work, test

The Army's second operational test of Northrop Grumman's Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System, or IBCS, came with a price tag of $354 million, according to a report the service just made public on a decision made a year and a half ago.

Document: Army J&A on IBCS testing extension