The INSIDER daily digest -- August 21, 2023

Today’s INSIDER Daily Digest starts off with some F-16 news for Ukraine, the need for cyber protections for the Army, a new Marine Corps unit and a look at reforms for how the Pentagon puts together its budget.

It’s going to be a while before Ukraine is flying F-16 aircraft:

USAFE commander: Ukraine may need four to five years for F-16 proficiency

Ukraine's Air Force may not become proficient with F-16 fighter jets for four or five years, a top U.S. Air Force official said Friday morning, and the aircraft won't be a "silver bullet" for the country to gain air superiority as it fights off Russia's invasion.

The Army needs to tighten it’s cyber protections:

Army general stresses cybersecurity

The Army will need to prioritize security of its networks, according to a general from the Army’s Cyber Command.

The Marine Corps should have a new unit up and running in a few months:

Marine Corps' 3rd MLR on track to achieve IOC by October

The Marine Corps' 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment is on track to achieve initial operational capability by the end of fiscal year 2023, drawing on a series of large-scale training exercises to refine and advance its capabilities and capacity, a Marine Corps spokesman told Inside Defense.

A new commissions has come up with a few ideas for reforming Pentagon budgeting:

Budget reform commission chiefs say Congress needs more timely info from DOD

Senior leaders on the independent congressional commission aiming to reform the Defense Department's budget and planning system say Pentagon officials need more flexibility from lawmakers if the notoriously slow process is to become agile enough to capture technological innovation needed to compete with China, but they stress DOD must do more to build trust with Capitol Hill.