The INSIDER daily digest -- August 11, 2022

This Thursday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on analysts' takes on the recent Taiwan Strait crisis, plus Army high-energy lasers and more.

We start off with a deep dive into the Navy's options for defending Taiwan against a belligerent mainland China:

Analysts weigh scenarios for Chinese blockade of Taiwan and impact on U.S. Navy

As China flexes its military muscle around Taiwan and the U.S. Navy continues its freedom-of-navigation operations, analysts say a potential blockade or quarantine of Taiwan is more likely than an invasion of the island, a scenario that will weigh heavily on U.S. policy decisions.

Army Lt. Gen. Neil Thurgood, director of the Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office, spoke about high-energy lasers this week at the Space and Missile Defense Symposium in Huntsville, AL:

Army set to deliver first 50-kilowatt lasers

The Army will deliver its first battery of high-energy lasers to Ft. Sill, OK by the end of next month, the head of the service's rapid capability development department said Wednesday.

Air Force Materiel Command's Digital Directorate Program Executive Officer Steven Wert spoke this week at the Life Cycle Industry Days in Dayton, OH:

Continuing resolution could impact contract for Air Force's E-7 Wedgetail

DAYTON, OH -- The Air Force's replacement for the E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft would be one of the more significant new starts impacted by a failure of Congress to pass a budget for fiscal year 2023, but the service has taken steps to mitigate delays in that instance.

News on the Air Force's Advanced Battle Management System program:

Air Force to bolster feedback process for ABMS contracts with small businesses

DAYTON, OH -- The Air Force can improve its relationships with small businesses competing for Advanced Battle Management System contracts by bolstering its process when the service decides not to award a contract, Gen. Duke Richardson said.

(Read continuing coverage of the Dayton industry days.)

The Defense Department inspector general's office has begun an assessment this month on hypersonic weapon systems:

DOD IG auditing U.S. military hypersonic fielding plans; are 2023, 2025 targets achievable?

The Pentagon's inspector general is beginning an audit of the U.S. military's marquee hypersonic strike project that will focus on one of the most salient aspects of the program: scheduled plans to begin fielding a new class of ultra-fast weapons by the Army in 2023 and the Navy in 2025.

Document: DOD IG memo on Army, Navy hypersonic weapon system program offices