The INSIDER daily digest -- Dec. 14, 2016

Coverage of the Pentagon's DIUx effort, Navy missile defense and more highlight this Wednesday INSIDER Daily Digest:

A look at the future of the Defense Innovation Unit Experimental under a Trump presidency:

Future of DIUx cloudy as Trump administration prepares to seize Pentagon reins

The fate of one of outgoing Defense Secretary Ash Carter's signature initiatives -- the Defense Innovation Unit Experimental -- is unclear as President-elect Donald Trump looks to hand former Marine Corps General James Mattis the keys to the Pentagon early next year.

The Navy is moving along with the development of the Air and Missile Defense Radar:

Navy awards Raytheon key pre-production Air and Missile Defense Radar contract

The Navy has cleared Raytheon to begin buying materials that take a long time to acquire in anticipation of a low-rate production decision next year for the service's next-generation, surface warfare radar project -- the $5.9 billion Air and Missile Defense Radar (AMDR) program.

Keep an eye out for an upcoming missile defense intercept test:

MDA readying test of SM-6 interceptor against ballistic missile target flying within atmosphere

The Missile Defense Agency -- as soon as Dec. 14 -- plans a major flight test off the coast of Hawaii in an event that features an attempt to detect, track and intercept a medium-range ballistic missile target flying a trajectory that stays within the Earth's atmosphere with the first-ever salvo engagement of two Standard Missile-6 interceptors.

Contractors awaiting their security clearance renewals should be allowed to work on classified stuff:

Pentagon memo directs continued access for contractors with overdue reinvestigations

Pentagon agencies should not be blocking access to contractors with overdue security clearance reinvestigations, according to a new memo.

Document: DOD memo on access for contractors with overdue reinvestigations

Some Future Vertical Lift news:

Army weighing options for attack aircraft under FVL

The Army, which is currently focused on the mid-sized airframe within the Future Vertical Lift family of systems, has yet to determine the best path forward on an attack aircraft, says the TRADOC capability manager for FVL.

Additional FVL aircraft could see other services in top role

The Army has the lead role on the first aircraft pursued under Future Vertical Lift, a multiservice initiative to overhaul the Defense Department's rotorcraft fleet, but that may not be the case for further capability sets.

Marines want to leverage Future Vertical Lift efforts for new sea-based UAS

The Marine Corps is planning to partner its development of a large, sea-based unmanned aerial system with an Army-led effort to develop helicopter replacements for the joint force, according to a Marine official.