The INSIDER daily digest -- March 6, 2025

This Thursday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on the U.S. military's global supply chain challenges plus coverage from the Air and Space Forces Association's annual warfare symposium in Colorado and more.

We start out with continuing coverage of the AFA Warfare symposium in Colorado:

Air Force logisticians are racing to solve parts supportability problems after long-term degradation

DENVER -- Global supply chains are not as accessible to the Air Force as they once were, following years of changing foreign policy, inflation and the pandemic, service logisticians told Inside Defense.

Rocket Cargo tests could be coming to Johnston Atoll this year

DENVER -- The Air Force Research Lab's Vanguard program could begin testing this year to prove out whether the service can rapidly deliver military cargo to various points around the globe using rockets.

Analysis of alternatives for the Air Force's next tanker is coming to a close

DENVER -- Most of the work related to the analysis of alternatives for the Air Force's Next Generation Air Refueling System has been submitted to the Office of the Secretary of Defense, a senior Air Force official said today, putting a pin in deliberations which have spanned years.

Space Force updated missile warning TTPs between Iranian airstrikes on Israel

DENVER -- After Iran's missile attack against Israel in April, Space Forces Space revised its missile warning tactics, techniques and procedures, which it was then able to use when Iran launched a second attack in October.

The Defense Innovation Unit has awarded a new contract for its Thunderforge effort:

DIU taps Scale AI for new military planning capability in INDOPACOM, EUCOM

The Pentagon's innovation arm has awarded Scale AI a prototype contract for Thunderforge -- an initiative aimed at integrating artificial intelligence into military planning and wargaming, with plans for initial use by U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and U.S. European Command.

Coverage from this week's Reagan National Security Innovation Base Summit in Washington:

Wicker challenging White House OMB over proposal to surge Navy shipyard workforces

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker (R-MS) has a lot on his plate this month, amid the upcoming expiration of a stopgap continuing resolution that could shut down the government and the crafting of a $150 billion budget reconciliation proposal that would surge spending on missile defense, ships, munitions and other areas.

Palantir co-founder sees new chances for tech disruptors to unseat big defense primes

Joe Lonsdale, a co-founder of Palantir whose venture capital firm has funded companies like Anduril, Saronic and Epirus, said he believes the political landscape in Washington led by President Trump and Elon Musk will force changes to Pentagon procurement that create a more friendly environment for smaller companies looking to win contracts from large defense primes like Lockheed Martin and RTX.