The INSIDER daily digest -- July 2, 2018

News on Army spending, the Air Force's B61-12 tailkit assembly program and naval aviation mishaps highlight this Monday INSIDER Daily Digest.

Inside Defense recently chatted with the Army secretary:

Esper: Army will continue to revise spending through FY-20

More "big changes" are coming to the Army's budget through next fiscal year to better align investments with the service's modernization priorities as it turns its focus to Russia and China, according to its top civilian official.

The Air Force's B61-12 tailkit assembly program will undergo an audit by the Pentagon inspector general's office:

DOD inspector general auditing B61-12 tailkit program

The Defense Department's inspector general last month launched an audit of the Air Force's B61-12 tailkit assembly program to check whether it is meeting its cost, schedule and performance requirements, the watchdog office announced this week.

Document: DOD IG memo on B61-12 tailkit program audit

Previous coverage of the B61 bomb:

Senators propose DOD, DOE draft new plan to align nuclear modernization programs

Senators are flagging potential schedule problems for two nuclear weapon modernization programs and want the Defense Department and National Nuclear Security Administration to better align their work.

B61-12 test program resolves risks as cost drops to $1.2 billion

The Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center says it resolved risks to the B61-12 life extension program's tailkit assembly effort that were noted in a recent Selected Acquisition Report obtained by Inside the Air Force.

Air Force shifts funds for B61-12 trainers amid delay to first tailkit delivery

The Air Force has repurposed $4.8 million from fiscal year 2016 to buy 30 B61-12 tailkit assembly trainers in FY-18, after a series of continuing resolutions threatened the program's progress earlier this year, a service spokeswoman recently confirmed.

B61-12 tailkit program sees funding shifts as two bombs stay in arsenal

A key nuclear modernization program, the B61-12 tailkit assembly life-extension program, requires about $52 million more for production in fiscal year 2019 than anticipated, according to the Air Force's latest budget request.

Senior Navy and Marine Corps officers were on Capitol Hill recently, testifying about what they were doing to lower the aviation mishap rate:

Navy to begin four-part initiative in FY-19 to tackle aviation mishaps

Following a year where the Navy and Marine Corps have both faced congressional scrutiny for aviation mishaps, the Navy is developing a four-part initiative to improve mishap reporting and better utilize data collected.

Previous coverage of Navy and Marine Corps aviation mishaps:

Navy, Marine Corps report more class C mishaps

Both the Navy and Marine Corps have recently experienced an uptick in class C mishaps, according to two top aviation officers.

Navy partners with Army Analytics Group to sift through aviation mishap data

The Naval Safety Center has partnered with the Army Analytics Group for data aggregation and complex analysis to better understand the uptick in aviation mishaps, according to a Navy official.

House lawmakers look to address 'crisis point' in aviation mishaps

House lawmakers are taking steps to shore up what they are calling a "crisis point" in military aviation, a plethora of accidents over the last few years, according to a summary of the House Armed Services Committee's chairman's mark of the fiscal year 2019 defense policy bill.