The INSIDER daily digest -- June 3, 2025

This Tuesday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on the Army's proposed budget, plus the Air Force chief of staff reacting to Ukraine's recent drone attack against Russian bombers and more.

The Army's deputy operations chief spoke this morning about his service's budget at a summit hosted by the Center for a New American Security:

Army is 'not asking for more money' to do transformation initiative, deputy operations chief says

Rather than asking for an increase in the topline of the annual budget, the Army will likely need to accomplish its ambitious transformation initiative within a budget that looks similar to this year's, Lt. Gen. Joseph Ryan, the deputy chief of staff for operations, plans and training said today in Washington.

The Air Force's top uniformed officer spoke this week at the Special Competitive Studies Project AI Expo in Washington, reacting to Ukraine's recent drone attack against Russian bombers:

Allvin: Ukraine's drone warfare 'should humble us'

Ukraine's massive drone attack against Russia over the weekend is prompting the U.S. Air Force to think differently about its capability mix, favoring certain low-cost systems over exquisite ones, according to service Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin.

News on the U.S. Defense Department and NATO innovation hubs' latest activities:

DIU seeking third-party evaluators for new drone vetting process

The Defense Innovation Unit is looking for outside organizations to assess drone platforms and components for compliance with relevant legislation, according to a request for submissions published Monday.

NATO innovation accelerator launches new dual-use tech challenges

The NATO Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) launched new challenges Monday to boost the development of cutting-edge, dual-use solutions across 10 technology areas.

The Navy's top civilian wants to accelerate environmental reviews and other regulatory requirements that might be needed to establish a new shipyard:

SECNAV: Navy analyzing need for additional shipyards

The Navy is weighing the merits of establishing new shipyards as it works to accelerate warship production and maintenance, Navy Secretary John Phelan said today at the Special Competitive Studies Project AI Expo in Washington.