Thursday, September 12, 2024
Thursday, September 12, 2024
This Monday INSIDER Daily Digest has continuing coverage of the Senate Appropriations Committee's fiscal year 2025 defense spending bill, plus the Army's Future Long Range Assault Aircraft program reaching a new milestone and more.
The U.S. defense industrial base has had to adjust to the Pentagon's new munitions production requirements following a major increase in U.S. military aid to Ukraine following the ongoing Russian invasion, something that has caught the eye of congressional appropriators:
Lawmakers seek munitions 'surge capacity' requirements -- and costs -- from DOD
The Senate Appropriations Committee wants the Pentagon to provide Congress with future "surge capacity" costs for critical munitions as well as estimate how much industry cost-sharing or co-investment can be expected to support potential increases in production.
It has come to Senate appropriators' attention that DARPA has "routinely under-budgeted for indirect costs and anticipated program initiation cost":
DARPA under fire from Senate appropriators over alleged financial misrepresentation
Senate appropriators are calling for a quarterly audit of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency for its attempts at flexible budgeting, which lawmakers allege the agency has undertaken without congressional approval.
The Senate Appropriations Committee wants Congress' top auditor to investigate and provide a written finding as to whether the Defense Department skirted the law regarding rejiggering the Homeland Defense Radar-Hawaii for use on Guam:
Congress directs inquiry into whether DOD broke law by moving Hawaii radar to Guam
Congress is directing an investigation into whether the Pentagon broke the law by repurposing the Homeland Defense Radar-Hawaii for use on Guam, the latest twist in an ongoing battle of wills -- and funding -- between the executive and legislative branches over the sensor project.
Senate appropriators want to add $14 million to the Defense Innovation Unit:
Defense spending bill adds fund for DIU OnRamp hub expansion
Senate appropriators want to add money to the Defense Innovation Unit's fiscal year 2025 budget request, pushing DIU to sustain its engagements with "non-traditional" contractors, according to a report accompanying the upper chamber's version of the defense spending bill.
The Air Force has released a report into an investigation of a fatal CV-22 Osprey crash:
Gearbox failure caused fatal CV-22 crash, Air Force investigation finds
A CV-22 Osprey crash last year off the coast of Japan is linked to a severe failure of one of the aircraft's gearboxes as the crew was preparing for an emergency landing, killing the eight airmen on board, according to an Air Force investigation released Aug. 1.
The eventual replacement aircraft for the Black Hawk helicopter went through a successful preliminary design review in April, according to a service announcement:
Army's FLRAA moves to milestone B
The Army's Future Long Range Assault Aircraft program has been approved for entering the engineering and manufacturing development stage, or milestone B, according to the service.
While the Navy completed its first land-based demonstration of the Transportable Re-Arming Mechanism (TRAM) last month, the service has yet to set a date, pick a location or select the ships that will participate in an at-sea test:
SECNAV requesting $80 million for TRAM development, though planned at-sea demonstration has yet to occur
Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro is asking for an $80 million "congressional add" to fund a developing at-sea re-arming capability, though the system has yet to complete an at-sea demonstration scheduled for this summer, a Navy spokesperson told Inside Defense.