The INSIDER daily digest -- Aug. 18, 2021

By John Liang / August 18, 2021 at 1:37 PM

This Wednesday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on the U.S. budgetary impact of the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan and more.

We start off with a deep dive into the budgetary implications of the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan:

Fall of Kabul puts spotlight on billions sought to prop up Afghan military

The Pentagon, according to its spring budget request, anticipated spending $3.3 billion in fiscal year 2022 to bolster the Afghan military, but that force has since surrendered in the face of a swift and stunning onslaught by Taliban militants who recently seized control of the capital city of Kabul.

Inside Defense recently interviewed Army Brig. Gen. John Rafferty about the Extended Range Cannon Artillery program:

Army considering alternatives to autoloader for ERCA

The Army could use robotic technology from the Fire Faster initiative in the Extended Range Cannon Artillery in place of the government-designed autoloader, according to the director of the Long-Range Precision Fires Cross-Functional Team.

The Pentagon announced this week that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Canadian Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan had agreed to a joint statement on NORAD modernization:

U.S., Canada set new framework for NORAD modernization, guide for future investments

The United States and Canada have adopted a new joint framework for modernizing North American Aerospace Defense Command capabilities to defend against advanced Russian and Chinese air- and sea-launched cruise missile threats, a policy step that lays the groundwork for future collaborative investments in new technologies across three broad areas: sensors, command and control, and interceptors.

The Navy has issued a new Intelligent Autonomous Systems strategy:

Navy's autonomous systems strategy details plan for investment

The Office of Naval Research has released a 20-page document detailing how the Navy will invest in Intelligent Autonomous Systems, noting investments must be focused because the commercial world is not investing in technologies that most benefit the Navy.

Document: Navy's IAS strategy

The Robotic Combat Vehicle will have a "symbiotic" relationship with the Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle, Maj. Gen. Ross Coffman told Inside Defense in a recent interview:

RCV and OMFV could share components

The Robotic Combat Vehicle could use some of the same components as the Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle, including the software that powers autonomous features, according to the director of the Next Generation Combat Vehicle Cross-Functional Team.

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