Thursday, April 25, 2024
Thursday, April 25, 2024
This Tuesday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on tomorrow's mark-up of the House defense policy bill and more.
The House Armed Services Committee's top Democrat spoke this morning at a Brookings Institute event on the defense budget:
Smith defends Pentagon spending in advance of marathon mark-up
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smtih (D-WA) today sounded like a lawmaker who knows the defense budget is going up, offering arguments against progressives in his own party who seek to cut Pentagon spending, rather than vocalizing his oft-stated opposition to GOP-backed efforts to boost the defense topline.
More on the House version of the defense bill, which is slated for mark-up tomorrow:
House panel to consider $34 million FY-22 add to authorize pair of MDA laser projects
The House Armed Services Committee this week will take up a proposal to authorize $34 million to reinstate the Missile Defense Agency's role in laser technology development, a provision that, if agreed to, would approve spending on a pair of directed-energy projects that proponents believe have potential to counter ballistic and hypersonic threats.
House authorizers want to add six MQ-9 Reapers to Air Force, though service sought none
While the Air Force is seeking to halt the procurement of MQ-9 Reapers in its fiscal year 2022 budget request, the House Armed Services Committee's chairman's mark instead aims to direct the service to add six of the drones to its inventory.
JLTV cuts not due to any concerns with program, House aide says
Cuts to the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle in the House Armed Services Committee's chairman's mark of the fiscal year 2022 defense policy bill were not made because of any congressional concerns with the program, a Democratic committee aide said Aug. 27.
Navy Capt. Pete Small, program manager of unmanned maritime systems, spoke on a recent episode of the Midrats podcast, which discusses issues and developments for the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard:
Navy: Seven unmanned prototypes to be in heavy rotation by 2023
The Navy will have seven unmanned surface vessel prototypes delivered and in heavy rotation by 2023, according to a service official.