The INSIDER daily digest -- Jan. 21, 2020

By John Liang / January 21, 2020 at 1:43 PM

This Tuesday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on JSTARS, the Space Development Agency, the canceled OMFV program and more.

Earlier this month, the Air Force authorized the use and installation of the Joint Worldwide Intelligence Communication System capability onto the JSTARS aircraft:

Air Force authorizes top-secret communications system for JSTARS fleet

The air control wing that flies the E-8 Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System fleet will now be able to use a top-secret communications network to exchange intelligence information at higher classification levels.

The Space Development Agency today issued a broad agency announcement:

SDA seeks 'good enough' technologies with 'leap-ahead' potential for new National Defense Space Architecture

Nearly a year after it was created, the Space Development Agency is today beginning its work in earnest by asking industry to propose a wide range of "good enough" systems, technologies and capabilities that "enable leap-ahead improvements" that can be rapidly put on orbit in two-year tranches beginning in fiscal year 2022 in order to begin fleshing out a new National Defense Space Architecture.

Document: Space Development Agency BAA

The Army's top uniformed officer spoke at an AUSA breakfast this morning:

McConville: Army will negotiate more on OMFV requirements

Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville today said the Army will do more in the future to negotiate with industry on requirements for the Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle program, which the service canceled last week in its prototype phase.

The Army and Navy last week verbally sparred over which service deserves a larger slice of the defense spending pie:

Military battles for budget share, while Esper turns up heat with new reform agenda

Army and Navy leaders took the Pentagon's internal spending debate public last week as they discussed a variety of stresses on their respective budgets, following new orders from Defense Secretary Mark Esper mandating aggressive "clean sheet" reviews for next year.

Navy grapples with flattening topline as it aims to grow the fleet

Navy officials are wrestling with increased pressure to achieve a 355-ship fleet while facing a flattening defense topline.

Inside Defense recently interviewed Kevin Fahey, the Pentagon's assistant secretary for acquisition:

Fahey: Pushback from industry over cost of CMMC 'upsets me a little bit'

One of the Pentagon's top acquisition officials told Inside Defense this month he sees the Pentagon's Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program as critical -- despite industry's complaints.

The Pentagon's No. 2 military official spoke late last week at the Center for Strategic and International Studies:

New vice chairman wants to bring Pentagon's requirements process into 'information age'

The Pentagon's second highest ranking military officer said today one of his top priorities is updating the Defense Department's requirements process in line with "information age" technology, as he called DOD's current methods for building software "horrible."

Hyten: Pentagon needs to move before Congress to integrate Army, Navy into Space Force

The Defense Department owes lawmakers a report next year on how to integrate Navy and Army space capabilities into the new Space Force, but the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff says the department needs to move faster.

Hyten calls DOD deliberations over Space Sensor Layer excessive, urges rapid fielding of experimental satellites

The Pentagon's No. 2 military official today issued a stinging rebuke of Defense Department deliberations over developing a new satellite urgently needed to track -- among other things -- adversary hypersonic weapons.

More news from last week's Surface Navy Association symposium:

Brown: Hypersonic-armed Zumwalt will 'put the fear of God in our adversaries'

The Navy's top advocate for surface forces said the DDG-1000 -- a low signature destroyer capable of independent, open-ocean patrols whose role in the fleet the service is still defining -- should be armed with long-range hypersonic weapons to "put the fear of God in our adversaries."

Navy nearing decision on CVN-79 single-phased delivery approach

The Navy is close to reaching a decision on whether or not it will alter course and employ a single-phased delivery approach for the second Ford-class aircraft carrier.

(For full coverage of SNA 2020, click here.)

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