The INSIDER daily digest -- July 13, 2021

By John Liang / July 13, 2021 at 1:46 PM

This Tuesday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on the status of a pair of senior defense nominations, a Missile Defense Agency satellite launch and more.

The nominations of Frank Kendall to be Air Force secretary and Heidi Shyu to be the Pentagon's technology chief appear to be back on track:

Warren lifts holds on Kendall and Shyu over ethics agreements

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), a longtime critic of the close relationships between government officials and defense contractors, has lifted holds she previously placed on the nominations of Frank Kendall to be Air Force secretary and Heidi Shyu to be the Pentagon’s technology chief after successfully getting the nominees to extend their government ethics pledges.

The Missile Defense Agency recently launched a pair of very small satellites into orbit:

MDA puts pair of nanosatellites in orbit as part of HBTSS risk-reduction effort

The Missile Defense Agency last month put a pair of nanosatellites -- each about the size of a loaf of bread -- on orbit as part of a prototype demonstration of networked radio communications and tied to a new and advanced technology risk-reduction project linked to the Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor program.

The full House Appropriations Committee is scheduled to begin marking up the fiscal year 2022 defense spending bill today. Here are the defense subcommittee's thoughts on the Air Force's Next-Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared system, the Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent program and naval warship funding:

House panel calls for detailed review of Next-Gen OPIR risk-mitigation efforts

After estimates by the Pentagon's cost assessment office and the Government Accountability Office warned of possible delays and cost growth to the Next-Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared system, House appropriators are calling for a thorough review of the program and its strategy to mitigate risk.

House appropriators emphasize cost control for GBSD

Stressing the need to prioritize cost control as the Air Force pursues its replacement of the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile, House appropriators are looking to ensure lawmakers can more closely track the price tag of the Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent program going forward.

House appropriators slam Navy for destroyer omission, LCS retirement proposal

House appropriators are unhappy with the Navy's decision to cut a destroyer from its fiscal year 2022 budget request but include it as the service's top unfunded priority, according to a new report obtained by Inside Defense.

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