Wednesday, December 6, 2023
Wednesday, December 6, 2023
This Thursday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on the Senate's fiscal year 24 defense spending bill, the U.S.-Australia-U.K. submarine deal and more.
We start off with coverage of the Senate's FY-24 defense spending bill:
Senate appropriators advance defense spending bill
The Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee this morning released its draft version of the fiscal year 2024 defense spending bill, intending to fund the Pentagon at $831.7 billion, or about $534 million above President Biden's request.
Document: Senate appropriators' FY-24 defense spending report
The U.S.-Australia-U.K. submarine deal has been in the news this week:
Senior GOP lawmakers push White House on new funding for AUKUS subs
A team of GOP lawmakers led by Sens. Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Susan Collins (R-ME) has sent President Biden a letter urging him to send Congress a new spending request to support the AUKUS submarine initiative planned for the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.
House lawmakers look to authorize submarine transfers to Australia
House lawmakers today approved a legislative proposal intended to facilitate the implementation of the AUKUS security partnership by enabling the transfer of two Virginia-class submarines to Australia.
We also have coverage of efforts to counter small unmanned aerial systems:
Joint C-sUAS office wants to enhance capabilities on drone swarm attacks
The Joint Counter-small Unmanned Aircraft Systems office wants to beef up the joint force's capabilities in the area of drone swarm attacks by issuing a request for information to vendors this month for drone targets.
The Senate Armed Services Committee held a hearing this week on the nominations for the prospective leaders of U.S. Northern and Space commands:
NORTHCOM nominee: U.S. should consider means to defeat limited Russia, China ICBM attack
The Defense Department should consider expanding current national missile defense policy -- which is focused on threats from North Korea and, should Tehran obtain a long-range nuclear capability, Iran -- to also counter a "limited" attack on the United States by Russia or China, the general nominated to oversee homeland missile defense told lawmakers.
Document: Guillot, Whiting APQs on NORTHCOM, SPACECOM nominations
Last but by no means least, our colleagues at Inside Cybersecurity have the latest cyber defense news:
Cyber AB leader calls rulemaking submission to OIRA 'major milestone' in move toward official program launch
Matthew Travis, CEO of the accreditation body behind the Pentagon's Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program, praised the Defense Department's efforts to get the first CMMC rulemaking moved into the interagency process for review at a Tuesday "town hall" meeting.