The INSIDER daily digest -- July 31, 2023

This Monday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on AUKUS, Marine Corps Amphibious Combat Vehicles plus more coverage of the Senate Appropriations Committee's fiscal year 2024 defense spending bill.

We start off with the U.S-U.K.-Australia deal to supply the latter country with nuclear-powered, Virginia-class attack submarines:

Kaine expects Biden to deliver AUKUS supplemental

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) said Friday he expects the Biden administration to offer a supplemental appropriations request that includes an "AUKUS-related investment" as a show of "good faith" for the pending deal to sell Australia three nuclear submarines.

Following a series of incidents in which Amphibious Combat Vehicles capsized during waterborne training exercises, the Marine Corps established a new Transition Training Unit (TTU) within its Assault Amphibian School in February to retrain and recertify operators:

Marine Corps' new Transition Training Unit begins certifying ACV operators

Amphibious Combat Vehicle operators are beginning to graduate from the Marine Corps' new certification program, service officials announced Friday, indicating the program aims to recertify approximately 300 previously licensed ACV operators by the start of fiscal year 2025.

The Space Force's Commercial Space Office could be getting more funding:

Appropriators add $40 million to Commercial Space Office budget

Senate appropriators have added $40 million to the budget for the Space Force's Commercial Space Office to test "direct tasking initiatives" for commercial space service, according to the report accompanying the Senate Appropriation Committee's fiscal year 2024 defense spending bill.

Senate appropriators would fully fund the $1.5 million proposed by the Navy for a Maritime Prepositioning Force Next (MPF-X) project as part of the service's portfolio of ship concept advanced design projects:

Navy plans to launch MPF-X in FY-24 pass muster with all four defense congressional panels

Navy plans to launch later this year are on track after the Senate Appropriations Committee proposed action that aligns with three other congressional panels overseeing Pentagon funding to back a proposal for the new-start project in fiscal year 2024.

Senators have also approved funding for Joint All-Domain Command and Control, an Army night-vision system as well as an "Advanced Defense Capabilities Pilot" program:

Senate appropriators call for consolidated acquisition process for JADC2

The Senate Appropriations Committee would have the Defense Department combine two of its command-and-control efforts under one program element to better sync capabilities, according to a report issued along with the committee's passage of its fiscal year 2024 defense spending bill Thursday.

Senate appropriators want cautious acquisition approach for IVAS

The Senate Appropriations Committee's fiscal year 2024 defense spending bill asks the Army to take a cautious, deliberate approach in fielding the latest variant of the Integrated Visual Augmentation System.

Senate appropriators move to establish new public-private pilot program

The Senate Appropriations Committee's fiscal year 2024 defense spending bill includes funding for a new program designed to enable the Pentagon to better "tap into innovative commercial solutions."

On July 26, Space Force Lt. Gen. Stephen Whiting submitted answers to prepared questions to the Senate Armed Services Committee regarding his nomination to become the head of U.S. Space Command:

SPACECOM plans to transfer non-military functions to Commerce Department

U.S. Space Command will transfer its non-military responsibilities of understanding space situational awareness to the Commerce Department in the next few years, Lt. Gen. Stephen Whiting, the nominee for SPACECOM commander, said July 26.

Document: Guillot, Whiting APQs on NORTHCOM, SPACECOM nominations

The Navy and Marine Corps are looking for "innovative, agile solutions" for long-range fires:

Navy issues RFI for new combat technologies

The Navy has issued a request for information on new combat technologies for bringing long-range firing capabilities and counter-C5ISR to the Pacific SCOUT experimentation campaign.