The INSIDER daily digest -- March 5, 2024

This Tuesday INSIDER Daily Digest has news from a recent visit to the Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head Division, plus satellite systems run by the Space Development Agency and more.

We start off with a deep dive into the work of the Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head Division, which our Navy reporters recently visited:

Inside the Navy's $2B plan to surge solid-rocket motor production and revitalize a historic arsenal

As demand for munitions surges amid heightened global tensions, the Navy has launched a multibillion-dollar plan to fill critical industrial base gaps by revitalizing the government-run production of solid-rocket motors and other key energetics at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head Division.

A variety of military services and combatant commands are seeking to use various satellite systems managed by the Space Development Agency:

Army C5ISR, Navy MTC in agreement to use SDA constellations

Army and Navy offices along with some combatant commands signed agreements to use the Space Development Agency's constellations of missile tracking and data transport satellites once the system is operational, according to SDA Director Derek Tournear.

Our colleagues at Inside AI Policy and Inside Cybersecurity have the latest on the Pentagon's artificial intelligence and cybersecurity efforts:

Public Citizen draws attention to uncertainty around U.S. use of autonomous weapons

A new report from the consumer group Public Citizen is highlighting the Defense Department's refusal to say whether it has tested any fully autonomous lethal weapons while pushing for a commitment against the use of such instruments, amid a rush of lobbying for the government to invest more in artificial intelligence technologies for warfighting.

PSC seeks information from DOD on CMMC program costs, implementation needs

The Professional Services Council is calling for the Defense Department to do further analysis on potential costs for contractors and their suppliers to comply with the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program before finalizing proposed regulations.

CMMC accreditation body proposes changes to appeals process, conflicts-of-interest policy

The accreditation body behind the Pentagon's Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program is suggesting changes to the proposed rule to implement the major initiative, including involving the Defense Department in the assessment appeals process and establishing consistency in conflict-of-interest requirements.