The INSIDER daily digest -- July 21, 2021

By John Liang / July 21, 2021 at 1:40 PM

This Wednesday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on the Pentagon's acquisition system, a House hearing on defense spending and more.

Inside Defense recently interviewed Mark Lewis, formerly the acting deputy under secretary of defense for research and engineering, who now runs the new Emerging Technologies Institute at the National Defense Industrial Association:

Former modernization official says DOD 'optimized for fairness,' not speed

The Defense Department needs to overhaul its acquisition system if it wants to outpace China in cutting-edge weapons development, according to a former Pentagon modernization official.

The House Armed Services Committee held a hearing this week on non-governmental views of the fiscal year 2022 defense budget:

Defense spending debate persists among lawmakers

The House Armed Services Committee heard from a panel of budget analysts today on President Biden's defense spending proposal, with Republicans again arguing for a boost in military spending to compete with China.

Document: House hearing on non-governmental views of the FY-22 defense budget

The Missile Defense Agency recently piggybacked on a long-planned Army developmental test to assess the Joint Track Management Capability, a new technology that is central to MDA's plan for a Guam Defense System:

MDA demonstrates new 'bridge' technology central to potential new Guam defense system

In what a senior military official called a "huge step toward joint interoperability," the Missile Defense Agency last week successfully demonstrated a new technology that could be key to a future 360-degree Guam missile defense capability, "bridging" Army and Navy air and missile defense systems along with Air Force fighter aircraft sensors to collaborate in defeating a cruise-missile target.

House Armed Services seapower and projection forces subcommittee Chairman Joe Courtney (D-CT) and Ranking Member Rob Wittman (R-VA) both recently spoke at the Navy League's Sea-Air-Space prequel:

House seapower lawmakers blast Navy shipbuilding plan, say more specificity needed

Key seapower lawmakers want a more detailed long-term shipbuilding plan as they believe the Navy's most recent plan, the first released under the Biden administration, is too vague.

Inside Defense recently interviewed Bernard Theisen, robotics division chief at the Army's Ground Vehicle Systems Center:

Army develops truck-refueling robot

The process for refueling the Army's cargo-hauling heavy trucks has virtually never changed.

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