Friday, April 19, 2024
Friday, April 19, 2024
This Tuesday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on Pentagon acquisition chief nominee Bill LaPlante's testimony on Capitol Hill and more.
We start off with coverage of the nomination hearing for Bill LaPlante, the president's selection to be the Pentagon's top weapons buyer:
DOD acquisition chief nominee wants more 'hot production lines' to aid Ukraine
Bill LaPlante, the nominee to be Pentagon acquisition chief, said today he believes the U.S. government should make new, one-time investments in the production of munitions and drones that can be sent to Ukraine to hold off the ongoing Russian invasion.
Document: Senate hearing on LaPlante, Raven, Johnson, Adams nominations
Followed by the latest on the Army's Extended Range Cannon Artillery program:
Cuts to ERCA enablers will not affect development
Congressional budget cuts to programs that support the Extended Range Cannon Artillery should not delay the system's development and testing schedule, according to the Army.
The Air Force's proposed Cislunar Highway Patrol System aims to focus on object detection and extended sensing capabilities:
AFRL releases draft RFP for cislunar spaceflight effort; final expected in April
The Air Force Research Laboratory is seeking industry ideas through a new draft request for proposals tied to its Cislunar Highway Patrol System, with a final notice slated for release next month.
The non-public version of the Pentagon operational test and evaluation chief's annual report to Congress has additional details on hypersonic defense:
DOD sets FY-28 target for demonstrating hypersonic defense system
The Defense Department has set a fiscal year 2028 target for demonstrating a prototype hypersonic defense system to defeat long-range, ultrafast maneuvering glide vehicles during mid-flight -- more than 10 years after Congress directed the U.S. military to establish a program to plug an anticipated hole in U.S. air- and missile-defense capabilities.
The Pentagon recently released a reprogramming request submitted for congressional approval on Feb. 22, 2022 seeking permission to shift funds among various Army accounts for counter-Small Unmanned Systems efforts:
DOD bolsters program to counter small drones
The Defense Department has received congressional approval to shift $32 million to the Army to centralize the research, development, test and evaluation of technologies intended to counter small unmanned aerial systems.
Document: DOD c-SUAS reprogramming request