The INSIDER daily digest -- Jan. 24, 2023

This Tuesday INSIDER Daily Digest has news from Raytheon Technologies' quarterly earnings call, a new Space Force "watch list" for wayward contractors and more.

We start off with news from today's Raytheon Technologies earnings call:

Raytheon announces realignment of business units

Raytheon Technologies announced in an earnings call this morning that it is reorganizing its business units -- promising to relieve "friction" in the company.

The head of Space Force acquisition spoke this morning at the 2023 Defense and Intelligence Space Conference:

Calvelli calls for stepped-up use of contractor watch list

CHANTILLY, VA -- In a warning to industry, Space Force acquisition chief Frank Calvelli said today that he would resurrect a years-old contractor watch list to drive discipline in acquisitions and name companies that are performing poorly.

On Jan. 13, Lockheed Martin "achieved first light" from the Directed Energy Interceptor for Maneuver Short-Range Air Defense System, an event designed to measure the laser's optical performance against the system design parameters:

Lockheed advances project to proffer 50-kilowatt laser alternative for M-SHORAD

Lockheed Martin has activated a 50-kilowatt high-energy laser designed for ground forces air defense, a key developmental milestone in the company's prototype design of a directed energy weapon for the Army's Stryker vehicle and an important step toward giving the government a viable alternative for a planned competition against incumbent Raytheon.

More news from the latest annual operational test and evaluation report:

Pentagon tester calls MPF progress 'satisfactory,' cites 'vulnerabilities'

The Pentagon’s top weapons tester has recommended fixes to the Army's Mobile Protected Firepower system -- including mitigating toxic fumes inside the light tank -- which is making "satisfactory" progress toward operational effectiveness.

Our colleagues at Inside Cybersecurity interviewed a top Pentagon cyber official last week:

Bostjanick: CMMC program moves forward as 'deliberative' process for rulemaking continues

Companies should continue preparing for the launch of the Pentagon's Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program as the process to finalize rulemaking continues, according to program director Stacy Bostjanick, who spoke with Inside Cybersecurity in a wide-ranging interview.