The INSIDER daily digest -- Jan. 17, 2020

By John Liang / January 17, 2020 at 2:06 PM

This Friday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on the Army budget, combat vehicles, the Surface Navy Association's annual symposium and more.

The Army's top civilian is fighting for his slice of the defense budget pie:

McCarthy: Army's share of DOD budget 'not even close' to one-third

Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy said this week the Army gets a smaller slice of the spending pie than the other services, contributing to a public discussion by service leaders about who deserves more funding.

We also have a slew of combat vehicle news:

Senior acquisition official urges Army to be more 'flexible' following OMFV false start

A top Pentagon acquisition official says he is "proud" of the Army for heading back to the drawing board after canceling its initial plans to replace the Bradley Fighting Vehicle, but urged the service to be more flexible with the requirements it sets for defense contractors.

Army scraps OMFV program to start competition over

The Army today canceled the current Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle program and plans to restart the competition later, at a time yet to be determined, following an analysis and revision of the requirements.

Sources bracing for Army to 'blow up' OMFV program

Multiple sources are readying for a major Army decision as soon as today on the Optionally Manned Fight Vehicle program of record -- with some expecting the service to jettison the current program of record in the wake of congressional concerns about the lack of competition.

Our coverage of this week's Surface Navy Association symposium continues:

Navy to work with Army, Air Force on unmanned vehicle control system

The Navy plans to work with the Army and Air Force to expand the use of its developmental common system for controlling various unmanned vehicles, according to an officer overseeing the effort.

Navy confident CVN-78 will have all weapons elevators by May 2021

The Navy says it's confident the service can finish all 11 of the troubled weapons elevators for the lead ship in the Ford aircraft carrier class by the time the vessel completes its current testing phase.

Galinis: Excess requirements drove $1B price tag estimate for new auxiliary vessel

The differences in cost estimates between the Navy and government analysts for a new multimission auxiliary vessel were caused by excessive requirements, according to a Navy officer overseeing the ship's development.

Last but certainly not least, some news on the Air Force's AFWERX, Advanced Battle Management System and 3DELRR efforts:

Air Force gives contracting authority to AFWERX innovation hub

AFWERX -- an organization striving to create a "culture of innovation" in the Air Force -- now has the authority to award contracts, setting up the young team for closer partnerships with industry and academia.

Air Force to finish Advanced Battle Management System AOA early this year

The analysis of alternatives for the Air Force's Advanced Battle Management System is still underway and expected to be completed early this year, Capt. Cara Bousie, a service spokeswoman, told Inside Defense in an email Thursday.

'SpeedDealer' gives Lockheed, Northrop another chance at TPS-75 replacement

Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman are eyeing a second chance to compete for new Air Force radar business after the service pulled the plug on Raytheon's contract to develop a new long-range radar, with all three companies saying they plan to explore the follow-on "SpeedDealer" requirement and solicitation.

206109