The INSIDER daily digest -- Dec. 20, 2019

By John Liang / December 20, 2019 at 2:26 PM

This Friday INSIDER Daily Digest has big news from an OMB "passback" memo that deals with Navy ships, plus the LOGCAP V case and more. The next INSIDER will be published Dec. 30. Happy Holidays!

We start off with some big news from an Office of Management and Budget "passback" response to a Navy appeal:

OMB: Pentagon must submit proposal to 'redefine' battleforce ships to include unmanned vessels

The White House Office of Management and Budget earlier this month directed the Pentagon to submit a legislative proposal that would "redefine a battleforce ship" to include unmanned vessels, an idea that has percolated throughout the Navy this past year, but one that top officials have resisted advocating.

OMB tells Navy to 'revisit' CHAMP program, citing $1B price tag

The White House Office of Management and Budget rejected the Navy's current efforts to develop a new multimission auxiliary vessel, citing the $1 billion price tag, and wants the service to focus resources on buying used sealift vessels instead.

In a recent filing, the U.S. Court of Federal Claims notes it held a Dec. 3 status conference that included all cases related to the LOGCAP V case, including ones filed by AECOM, Fluor and a PAE-Parsons team:

Court stays LOGCAP case through Jan. 31

The U.S. Court of Federal Claims has ordered the Army to file a status report by Feb. 7, 2020 on its progress as the service plans to reopen the Logistics Civil Augmentation Program V procurement.

Document: Federal claims court order on LOGCAP V case

The Air Force has completed initial installation and testing of prime contractor Boeing's KC-46 tanker cargo lock design and officially closed the deficiency:

Air Force closes KC-46 cargo lock deficiency

The Air Force announced today it has resolved a critical deficiency with the KC-46 cargo locking system and lifted a three-month ban on the tanker's cargo and passenger operations.

Continuing coverage of the Pentagon's latest draft of the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program by our colleagues at Inside Cybersecurity:

Pentagon-backed industry groups seek broader input on cyber certification accreditation body

Industry-based working groups backed by the Pentagon are seeking broader input on developing an accreditation body for certifying third-party cybersecurity assessments of defense contractors, as Defense Department officials race forward with plans to sign an agreement next month with the private sector on oversight of the landmark certification program.

Inside Defense this week interviewed Maj. Gen. Fred Stoss, commander of the 20th Air Force:

Air Force nuclear mission to receive 41 Grey Wolf support helicopters

The Air Force is replacing its UH-1N Huey fleet with up to 84 MH-139A "Grey Wolf" helicopters, 41 of which will support the nuclear mission, according to the two-star general who oversees the service's intercontinental ballistic missile system.

"Predictive maintenance" could soon be used on all military aircraft:

DIU transitions 'predictive maintenance' project to production, starting with Army's helo fleet

The Army has hired artificial intelligence company C3.ai to apply "predictive maintenance" to the service's Apache and Black Hawk helicopters, as the Defense Innovation Unit recently struck a production deal with the Silicon Valley firm to potentially scale the technology across the Defense Department's aircraft fleets to reduce unscheduled maintenance.

Once the defense authorization bill is enacted, the initial staff for the new chief of space operations will begin making plans to establish Space Force headquarters in the Pentagon and craft a detailed plan to transfer personnel into the new service:

Air Force preparing to move 'expeditiously' to stand up Space Force

The Air Force is preparing to move "expeditiously and judiciously" to stand up the Space Force as soon as President Trump signs the fiscal year 2020 defense policy bill at a ceremony scheduled for Friday evening.

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