The INSIDER daily digest -- Dec. 12, 2023

By John Liang / December 12, 2023 at 2:01 PM

This Tuesday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on nuclear command, control and communications provisions in the fiscal year 2024 defense policy conference bill, an Air Force investigation into the leaks of classified information on the Discord social media platform and more.

In the section of the fiscal year 2024 defense authorization conference bill that would establish nuclear command, control and communications as a major force program, Congress would also require the Defense Department to submit budget materials on the program each year, including comparisons to the prior year and assessments of significant changes, priorities and risks:

Congress would designate NC3 as major force program

Congress would order the Defense Department to make nuclear command, control and communications a major force program and establish a team for cyber defenses of that program, according to the defense policy conference bill text released last week.

The Air Force inspector general this week released a report on the leaks of classified information on the Discord social media site:

Air Force IG: Inconsistent guidance on information security contributed to Discord leaks

If proper security reporting protocol had been followed, the Air National Guardsman charged with allegedly leaking classified documents could have been stopped months before his arrest in April, the Air Force inspector general found.

Document: Air Force IG report on Discord leaks

"Non-kinetic" effects are forces and capabilities used in warfare that do not need physical force to operate, like cyberspace operations and information strategies:

DOD updates non-kinetic force development goals laid out in the 2023 NDAA

The Defense Department is making progress on a congressional request to integrate "non-kinetic" forces into military situations, as requested by the Fiscal Year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act, as the year wraps up and House and Senate lawmakers agree to an FY-24 defense policy bill.

The Missile Defense Agency conducted a successful Ground-based Midcourse Defense system intercept test this week:

New '2-/3-stage GBI' intercepts target, breaking nearly 5-year 'strategic pause' in GMD testing

A new variant of the Ground-based Interceptor successfully stopped an intermediate-range ballistic missile today over the Pacific Ocean using a booster that utilized only two of three available rocket stages -- demonstrating the ability to release the kill vehicle earlier, significantly expanding both the engagement area and time available to counter inbound threats.

Our colleagues at Inside Cybersecurity this week chatted with the head of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies on the cyber provisions in the FY-24 conference bill:

FDD's Montgomery evaluates cyber provisions in compromise defense policy bill package

Mark Montgomery of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies struck a positive tone on the House-Senate compromise version of the fiscal year 2024 defense authorization bill, while noting that some cyber provisions didn’t make the final cut.

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