Monday, May 13, 2024
Monday, May 13, 2024
Directed energy and various Navy ship programs highlight this Thursday INSIDER Daily Digest.
Directed-energy weapon systems are still an area of interest for DOD:
Pentagon's top weapons tester to begin analyzing directed-energy systems
The Pentagon's director of operational test and evaluation will begin analyzing directed-energy weapon systems next year, budget documents show.
MDA seeking aircraft, preferably unmanned, for new airborne laser demonstration
The Missile Defense Agency is window shopping for a high-altitude aircraft -- preferably unmanned -- to carry a planned speed-of-light weapon, the latest development in an effort to develop a prototype for a new airborne laser and advance the long-standing desire to intercept adversary ballistic missiles during the boot phase of flight.
The Navy's acting secretary was on Capitol Hill this morning:
Navy sending over DDG-51 multiyear information to Congress
The Navy this week is sending information required by Congress to continue multiyear procurement for the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer program, according to a service official.
The Government Accountability Office looked at the Navy's Ford-class aircraft carrier program:
GAO: Cost estimate for second Ford carrier 'not reliable,' set to breach $11.4B cost cap
The Navy's cost estimate for the second Ford-class aircraft carrier, the John F. Kennedy (CVN-79), "does not sufficiently account for program risks," is "not reliable," and therefore is likely to exceed the $11.4 billion cost cap set by Congress, according to a congressional audit.
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis confirmed his new authority during a Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee hearing:
Mattis given authority over Afghanistan troop increases ahead of new strategy
President Trump granted Defense Secretary Jim Mattis the authority to increase troop levels in Afghanistan this week, as the administration prepares a new strategy for the conflict there that has embroiled the United States for nearly 16 years.