The INSIDER daily digest -- August 8, 2025

This Friday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on the Army setting up a special website to buy unmanned aerial systems, plus continued coverage of the Qatari jetliner destined to become the next Air Force One and more.

The Army is billing a new unmanned systems acquisition approach as a "centralized, 'Amazon-like' storefront, filtering trusted solutions by cost and performance," that is meant to bypass the traditional Pentagon purchasing cycle:

Army will start using 'Amazon-like' website to help acquire small UAS

Starting this fall, the Army will begin to roll out a new website it will use to classify and purchase unmanned aerial systems, leaders from the service's Program Executive Office for Aviation said Thursday.

Senior government cybersecurity officials attended and spoke at this week's annual Black Hat conference in Las Vegas:

CISA official says Black Hat activities emphasize dedication to operational collaboration

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency's presence at the annual Black Hat conference in Las Vegas is aimed at assuring attendees of the role the agency plays in fostering operational collaboration between government and industry, according to CISA director of public affairs Marci McCarthy.

The Army announced force-structure changes in February of last year, including certain cavalry squadron deactivations for domestically based Stryker Brigade Combat Teams; and a little more than a year later, it came out with its Army Transformation Initiative in May, which announced sweeping changes across the service, including major program cancellations and procurement halts:

Army halts Stryker buys

The Army has ordered a stop on vehicle procurement under its Stryker Upgrade program, fiscal year 2026 budget materials reveal.

In a letter sent this week, Reps. John Garamendi (D-CA) and Jamie Raskin (D-MD) along with Sens. Adam Schiff (D-CA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Ed Markey (D-MA) wrote to Air Force Secretary Troy Meink about the service's acceptance of the Boeing 747 that the Qatari royal family had used, seeking details on the largely secretive "gift" to the Defense Department and its impact on the funding for the nuclear missile modernization program:

Dems call for info on Qatari jet mods for Air Force One

Several Democrats from both chambers are demanding details on the Air Force's shift of $934 million from nuclear modernization efforts, some of which may be used to modify a Qatari-owned jet for use as Air Force One.

Document: Dems' letter on Qatari jet mods for Air Force One

The Navy is seeking Landing Ship Medium Block I construction management services:

Navy wants vessel construction manager candidates for LSM

The Navy is seeking firms capable of providing vessel construction management services for the Landing Ship Medium Block I -- a solicitation that follows a congressional provision directing the Navy secretary to use this model to contract eight follow-on LSMs.