The INSIDER daily digest -- Dec. 20, 2017

By John Liang / December 20, 2017 at 2:19 PM

The possibility of a government shutdown at the end of this week leads off this Wednesday INSIDER Daily Digest.

What are the chances of a government shutdown at the end of this week? Inside Defense explores the possibilities:

Path to preventing government shutdown unclear

Senior House and Senate lawmakers are eyeing another extension to a stopgap continuing resolution that would prevent a government shutdown at midnight Friday, but much remains unclear, especially for a defense spending bill caught in the middle.

A detailed defense contractor survey was expected to be part of a defense industrial base review, but a DOD spokesman now says the department may not conduct it:

Pentagon may jettison defense industrial base survey

The Pentagon may not survey companies to obtain new data for a major defense industrial base review, opting instead to rely on information gathered in the past, according to a Defense Department spokesman.

Here's the backstory from July:

White House directs Pentagon to run government-wide defense industrial base review

President Trump has signed an executive order directing the Pentagon to oversee a nine-month, government-wide assessment of the defense industrial base, according to White House officials.

Document: White House executive order on defense industrial base assessment

An Air Force spokeswoman said this week the first space BMC2 experiment will support the "rapid development and integration of new space command-and-control capabilities":

Initial space BMC2 experiment aimed at supporting future integration

The Air Force has completed an initial Enterprise Space Battle Management Command and Control experiment aimed at demonstrating a universal command-and-control interface and open mission systems architecture for the space domain.

Inside Defense chatted with the head of CACI this week:

CACI chief pursues five-year growth plan

The chief executive of CACI International has tasked one of his top executives with putting together a five-year growth strategy that, so far, includes plans to introduce a new product.

Defense Business Briefing

Want defense business news delivered straight to your inbox?

Inside Defense's free weekly feature, the Defense Business Briefing, offers the latest in defense industry news.

Read and sign up today →

A government fund used to pre-order weapons for foreign allies has been reworked in the latest defense authorization bill:

Defense bill amends fund used to pre-order weapons for foreign allies

The latest defense policy law modifies a fund used to pre-order weapons for foreign allies by lifting a restriction that limited the account to purchases of precision-guided munitions in fiscal year 2017.

Inside the Army recently spoke with the head of Army Materiel Command:

AMC chief eyes improved access to technical data, supply chain

Army Materiel Command is seeking to minimize the logistical challenges the service encounters when it lacks access to technical data and the full supply chain for its platforms.

192388