The INSIDER daily digest -- June 27, 2024

This Thursday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on the Microelectronics Commons, missile defense and more.

The Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering issued a "call for topics" on Monday through the Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division and the National Security Technology Accelerator (NSTXL):

DOD issues Microelectronics Commons 2024 'call for topics'

The Defense Department issued fiscal year 2024’s Microelectronics Commons "call for topics" this week, kicking off a new cycle of projects to flow through the Commons to various Pentagon programs.

A new Government Accountability Office report finds that the Missile Defense Agency's Next Generation Interceptor program "should take steps to reduce risk and improve efficiency":

GAO: NGI concurrent design and production spell risk; 2028 fielding 'optimistic'

The Next Generation Interceptor program is facing potential cost overruns, design issues and schedule delays in the Missile Defense Agency's accelerated development of a new weapon system intended to shield the United States from North Korean and Iranian intercontinental ballistic missile attacks.

Document: GAO report on the NGI program

Mark Munsell, the director of the data and digital innovation directorate at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, said this week that one of Project Maven's key goals is to rapidly iterate on software:

NGA officials says 'thousands' of weekly Maven AI updates underway across combatant commands

A senior official at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency said the Maven artificial intelligence program is receiving thousands of updates per week amid efforts to implement it across all U.S. combatant commands.

Boeing unveiled its new 1.1-million-square-foot, $1.8 billion classified Advanced Combat Aircraft facility to reporters this week:

Boeing to expand air dominance production while NGAD sits in limbo

ST. LOUIS -- Boeing's Defense, Space and Security unit is placing a major bet on the Air Force's next-generation fighter aircraft -- whatever that may be.

In case you missed it, here's our deep dive into the Space Development Agency's use of non-traditional contractors, now available to all:

Non-traditional contractors offering SDA innovative options beyond the usual primes

Non-traditional contractors are pushing to get a leg-up against massive primes that have dominated the defense industry for decades, and the director of the Space Development Agency says he wants to be an enthusiastic partner.