The INSIDER daily digest -- July 19, 2018

The F-22 Raptor, Virginia-class submarine, Littoral Combat Ship and more highlight this Thursday INSIDER Daily Digest.

A new GAO report on the Air Force's F-22 Raptor program is out:

GAO says F-22 fleet structure, training needs to be revamped to meet high-end threats

The Air Force needs to reorganize its Lockheed Martin F-22 enterprise and increase pilot training to properly address high-end threats, the Government Accountability Office says in a report published Thursday.

The ranking member on the House Armed Services seapower and projection forces subcommittee chatted with Inside Defense this week:

Courtney aiming to include language for additional Virginia-class subs in defense policy bill

Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT) is trying "to create legal space" in the upcoming defense policy bill to allow the Navy to pursue up to two additional Virginia-class submarines in upcoming contract negotiations.

The Navy doesn't need an extra Littoral Combat Ship, according to the Office of Management and Budget:

White House opposes additional LCS, smaller end strength in Senate appropriations bill

The White House objects to provisions in the Senate defense appropriations bill that it says would provide for the procurement of an additional Littoral Combat Ship, along with a measure that limits the Pentagon's requested increase in military end strength, according to a letter from Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney.

Document: OMB letter on Senate FY-19 defense spending bill

Coverage of the Air Force portion of the Pentagon's omnibus reprogramming request:

Air Force's latest reprogramming request aims to keep programs on, ahead of schedule

Defense Department officials are asking Congress to let the Air Force shift more than $536 million of its base-budget funds to higher priorities in fiscal year 2018, largely for research and development efforts, according to an omnibus reprogramming request signed by the Pentagon comptroller July 11.

The diameter of the Standard Missile-6 interceptor could become as wide as the latest iteration of the SM-3:

Navy looking to dramatically increase range, speed of SM-6 with larger rocket motor

The Defense Department has launched a prototype project that aims to dramatically increase the speed and range of the Navy's Standard Missile-6 by adding a larger rocket motor to the ship-launched weapon, a move that aims to improve both the offensive and defensive reach of the Raytheon-built system.

An efficiency strategy begun earlier this year has already garnered billions of dollars in savings, according to the Pentagon's chief management officer:

Pentagon CMO eyes insourcing, services contract reductions to exceed $4B in efficiencies

Defense Department Chief Management Officer Jay Gibson said the Pentagon is on track to exceed a savings of $4 billion in fiscal year 2018 that can be redirected to other military priorities thanks to an efficiency strategy that began in earnest shortly after he was confirmed by the Senate in February.