Saturday, May 24, 2025
Saturday, May 24, 2025
This Tuesday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on Navy big-deck amphibious warships, the proposed Golden Dome missile defense program and more.
We start off with continuing coverage of this week's Sea-Air-Space symposium:
Navy piloting new amphib maintenance program with more prep time before availabilities
NATIONAL HARBOR, MD -- The Navy will pilot a new maintenance program for amphibious warships this year that will provide extended lead time for maintainers to plan and prepare for big-deck amphibious ship maintenance availabilities, senior officials said Monday at the Navy League's Sea-Air-Space conference.
Northrop executive urges Pentagon to clarify Golden Dome goals before industry can deliver
NATIONAL HARBOR, MD -- A top Northrop Grumman executive warned Monday that the Pentagon must deliver a clearer articulation of the problem it wants to solve with its "Golden Dome for America" missile defense initiative if it expects meaningful responses from industry.
Facing budget pressure, Navy may look to retire or reduce spending on cruisers and other aging platforms
NATIONAL HARBOR, MD -- As the Navy faces spending pressure from the full-year continuing resolution and a Pentagon-wide budget review, it may look to retire or scale back spending on aging platforms like cruisers as it prioritizes personnel, munitions and capacity for shipbuilding and unmanned systems, according to the sea service's top officer.
(Read our full Sea-Air-Space coverage.)
A request for proposals for the Army's Self-Propelled Howitzer Modernization (SPH-M) effort is yet to be seen, and while vendors have said they’ve received reassurance about the program, some are left to wonder:
After successful demos, industry still waiting on self-propelled howitzer solicitation
The Army has yet to put out its planned solicitation to kick off the second phase of its Self-Propelled Howitzer Modernization (SPH-M) program despite planning its release for the end of February, following what those in industry have described as successful demos last fall.
Could U.S. Northern and Southern commands be merged into a single combatant command? Some lawmakers aren't on board just yet:
Trump official sidesteps COCOM consolidation questions amid congressional pushback
A Trump administration official declined to provide clear answers last week on whether the U.S. military plans to consolidate its combatant command structure, amid intensifying concerns from lawmakers and warnings from senior commanders about the potential risks such changes could pose to national security.