The INSIDER daily digest -- Aug. 1, 2019

This Thursday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on Army strategic fires, Air Force aircraft simulators, the proposed U.S. Space Command and more.

Army Col. John Rafferty, director of the long-range precision fires cross-functional team, spoke with Inside Defense this week:

Army conducting strategic fires study for new projects

The Center for Army Analysis in the next couple of weeks will begin a study of the service's strategic fires portfolio at the direction of the long-range precision fires cross-functional team.

Inside Defense got a chance to chat this week with Col. Philip Carpenter, senior materiel leader for the simulators program office at the Air Force Life-Cycle Management Center:

Air Force laying foundation for more networked, common simulator architecture

The Air Force is in the midst of source selection for an effort aimed at developing a common, open architecture of aircraft simulators that could set the foundation for a future common simulation environment.

Speaking at the Brookings Institution this week, defense experts said regardless of how the final plan takes shape in conference, the success of any new space organization will be determined by how the congressional direction is implemented:

Experts: Signs of turf wars surface as Space Force plans move forward

While Congress appears poised to authorize some version of a Space Force or Space Corps, experts say the key to that new organization’s impact is in how the plan is implemented -- and one of the biggest challenges will be aligning capabilities owned by separate services under one organizing element.

More space news:

Pentagon 'about weeks' away from SPACECOM standup

The Defense Department expects to stand up U.S. Space Command within the next few weeks, according to the deputy commander of U.S. Strategic Command.

Inside Defense briefly interviewed Chris Michienzi, industrial assessments director in the Office of the Secretary of Defense's industrial policy shop, who earlier addressed a hypersonics technology conference at Purdue University:

Pair of DOD assessments to produce hypersonic industrial base strategy this fall

WEST LAFAYETTE, IN -- The Defense Department is conducting a pair of assessments of the U.S. industrial base to identify potential weak links in its ability to ramp up hypersonic weapons production -- findings expected to help guide targeted government investment in manufacturing tools and space to ensure timely delivery of these new ultra-fast missiles.

The Senate Armed Services Committee announced today it had approved Vice Adm. Michael Gilday's nomination to serve as the Navy's top officer. Gilday yesterday appeared in front of the panel, which questioned the three-star admiral about issues plaguing the Navy's new Ford-class aircraft carriers:

Senators press CNO nominee on Navy's failures with the Ford

The Navy's decision to not conduct ashore testing for a critical new technology bound for aircraft carriers was driven by engineers deeming the design not to be "high risk," according to the senior officer nominated to become the next chief of naval operations.

Document: Senate hearing on Gilday's CNO nomination