The INSIDER daily digest -- June 25, 2018

Air Force bomber news, contractor cybersecurity and more highlight this Monday INSIDER Daily Digest.

Follow Inside Defense for continued coverage of the Space Force debate. The most recent story, which compiles much of our coverage to date, is now free here:

Trump's 'Space Force' order raises questions, could bolster ongoing congressional debate

President Trump's announcement last week that he would direct the Pentagon to create a new military service -- dubbed a Space Force -- injected new energy into an ongoing debate about who should manage the military space mission.

Air Force bomber news:

Air Force eyes B-21 CDR this year

The Air Force expects to conduct a critical design review of the new B-21 bomber before the end of the year, according to the director of the service's rapid capabilities office.

B-1 fleet returns to flight; Air Force refuses to disclose how many jets need ejection-seat fix

The Air Force's B-1 fleet returned to flight this week after being grounded due to a problem with the jet's ejection seat.

The House Armed Services Committee received a members-only, classified briefing last week on the recent hack of a Navy contractor:

Lawmakers push to fill gaps in contractor cybersecurity after Navy hack

House lawmakers are pushing the Defense Department to shore up its policies on contractor cybersecurity, as Congress weighs legislative options in the wake of a hack into a Navy contractor's sensitive undersea warfare data.

Requirements evaluation teams could see greater use by the Navy:

Navy may expand use of requirements evaluation teams

The Navy may expand the use of requirements evaluation teams -- initially created by the surface warfare community for the new frigate and Zumwalt-class destroyer -- to the other warfare communities, according to a top requirements officer.

Michael Griffin, under secretary of defense for research and engineering, has directed the Defense Science Board to form a task force that was originally called for by his Obama administration predecessor:

DOD calls on DSB for new strategic counter-autonomy assessment -- again

The Pentagon's weapons technology chief has commissioned a high-level advisory panel to conduct a strategic assessment of U.S. counter-autonomy capabilities, a one-year study to explore the potential for disruption across the military enterprise caused by advances in artificial intelligence and global technology proliferation.

Document: DSB memo on strategic counter-autonomy assessment

Don't expect the Air Force to get more than 17 JSTARS aircraft:

Bunch: Air Force has options for shrinking JSTARS recap buy

In response to congressional inquiries, the Air Force has drawn up options for buying fewer than 17 aircraft under the E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System recapitalization program, according to the service's military deputy for acquisition.

U.S. Special Operations Command will be getting more Small Glide Munitions:

SOCOM to ramp up Small Glide Munition production with $470M contract

U.S. Special Operations Command expects to buy about 4,000 Small Glide Munitions through fiscal year 2022 to meet its current needs, a command official told Inside Defense this week.

Lawmakers want to make sure the Army contracts with a U.S. company to replace transmissions on the Bradley fighting vehicle fleet:

Race to replace Bradley transmissions stirs up defense industrial base issues

Senate lawmakers, afraid the Army might award a foreign company a sole-source contract to replace transmissions for the entire fleet of Bradley fighting vehicles, have taken steps to insulate U.S. manufacturers by proposing legislation requiring a full and open competition, Inside Defense has learned.