The INSIDER daily digest -- Jan. 12, 2023

This Thursday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on a Marine regiment being reorganized into a Marine Littoral Regiment, Navy officials complaining about shipyard delays and more.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin this week announced the 12th Marine Regiment will be reorganized into the Okinawa-based 12th Marine Littoral Regiment by 2025:

Marines to base new regiment with robotically controlled ship-killing vehicles in Japan

The Defense Department plans to bolster the U.S. military presence in the Pacific region by converting a unit based in Japan to a Marine Littoral Regiment, a new formation designed to fight its way onto islands and maritime choke points, deploy its own long-range strike capabilities and create anti-access challenges for Chinese forces.

The head of U.S. Fleet Forces Command discussed several approaches to alleviating shipyard delays at this week's Surface Navy Association National Symposium:

Frustrated with shipyard delays, Navy officials talk tough on industry

Reducing shipyard delays is a top priority for the Navy, according to the commander of U.S. Fleet Forces Command, who expressed deep dissatisfaction today with the performance of the defense industrial base.

More from the SNA symposium:

5th Fleet commander details 'digital ocean' concept after TF-59 reaches FOC

Over a year after its inception, the Navy's Mideast-based unmanned task force has reached full operational capability and U.S. 5th Fleet aims to expand its presence to create a "digital ocean" in the region as threats from Iran and other malign actors remain "very real."

Navy targets 75 mission-capable ships as readiness 'north star'

Working to improve surface force readiness, the Navy has set a goal of keeping 75 ships designated as "mission capable" or "full mission capable" -- a north star target that will underpin all future surface force efforts, according to service leaders.

In a new twist, the Missile Defense Agency has decided not to specify the number of interceptors in the Ground-based Midcourse Defense fleet:

DOD increases size of GMD fleet; total number of operational GBIs no longer public

The Defense Department has added a small buffer to its limited inventory of intercontinental ballistic missile-killing interceptors, growing the Ground-based Midcourse Defense program by two guided missiles after harvesting enough spare parts to assemble a pair of the most modern variants of the homeland defense interceptor.