Friday, April 19, 2024
Friday, April 19, 2024
This Wednesday INSIDER Daily Digest has a plethora of news from the House and Senate versions of the fiscal year 2021 defense policy bill.
Before we get to the authorization bill coverage, though, here's a story on the Air Force's Advanced Battle Management System:
Next ABMS on-ramp event to feature Reaper spy drone, Sentry radar system
The MQ-9 Reaper and E-3G Airborne Warning and Control System are among the aerial assets slated to participate in the next Advanced Battle Management System on-ramp, according to an Air Force official.
. . . along with a story on Army recruiting in the era of COVID-19:
Army developing 'autonomous recruiting operations concept' amid COVID-19 pandemic
The commanding general of U.S. Army Recruiting Command said Tuesday the service is developing a new concept focused on tech-savvy recruiters while shifting all recruiting operations virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Additionally, the Joint Strike Fighter program is under scrutiny by the House Oversight and Reform Committee:
House lawmakers investigating Lockheed's F-35 spare parts 'failures'
The House Oversight and Reform Committee is calling on Lockheed Martin to release a slew of documents related to its work on the F-35 Autonomic Logistics Information System and its alleged misuse of Electronic Equipment Logs.
Back to the policy bills, Senate authorizers want to do away with the Pentagon's chief management officer position:
Senate defense bill would terminate CMO post
The Senate Armed Services Committee has approved a fiscal year 2021 defense authorization bill that would "terminate" the position of the Pentagon's chief management officer, a post lawmakers once intended to be the third-most senior official at the Defense Department.
Senators also want to bring back an annual Pentagon aviation plan:
Senate panel moves to restore annual aviation plan, 30-year forecast
A Senate panel is proposing legislation to re-instate -- after a brief hiatus -- the requirement for the Pentagon to produce an annual aviation inventory and funding plan, a move that could provide lawmakers as well as aerospace and defense analysts insight into the U.S. long-term investment plans for the approximately 14,000 aircraft flown by the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps.
House and Senate authorizers have differing ideas for how the Navy should buy sealift ships:
House, Senate offer dueling strategies to regulate Navy sealift recap
House and Senate authorizers are both poised to expand the Navy's ability to purchase used sealift vessels in this year's defense policy bill, but are taking different approaches to encourage the service to more aggressively recapitalize its logistics fleet.
Lawmakers want DOD to provide more details on the Marine Corps' top uniformed officer's recently released planning guidance:
House authorizers want report on Commandant's Planning Guidance
House lawmakers are moving to mandate that the Pentagon present a report on Marine Corps Commandant General David Berger's Planning Guidance.
House authorizers want to tamp down the Navy's enthusiasm for unmanned vessels:
Lawmakers again take aim to regulate Navy's unmanned efforts
Despite a less aggressive public campaign from the Navy this budget cycle to highlight unmanned ships, House lawmakers are continuing to push for legislative provisions to temper the service's rapid efforts to develop the untested technology.
Last but certainly not least, Senate authorizers want a space launch capability development program:
Senate lawmakers propose $250M for Phase 3 space launch technology development effort
The Senate Armed Services Committee's mark of the fiscal year 2021 defense policy bill includes language to establish a space launch capability development program with a $250 million funding ceiling that would help the Air Force inject new technologies for future competition and support industry in meeting launch requirements.