The INSIDER daily digest -- May 12, 2025

This Monday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on a recent Army Project Convergence experiment, plus missile defense payload systems and more.

In a recent exercise, the Army's 18th Airborne Corps led a joint forcible entry operation across land, air, maritime and special operations with satellites, high-altitude balloons, long-range precision fires, myriad launched effects and lots of robots:

Lessons from Project Convergence are shaping the Army's future robotics buys

The Army tried something new at its fifth Project Convergence experiment this year: Invading the National Training Center at Ft. Irwin, CA, with around 250 technologies that yielded plenty of ideas for how soldiers and robots might fight together in the future.

In a recent request for information, the Missile Defense Agency's Targets Program "is seeking innovative solutions to provide capable, flexible, high-quality Reentry Vehicles and payloads that can be rapidly adapted to meet future testing requirements":

MDA plans overhaul of missile defense targets with industry callout

The Missile Defense Agency wants to overhaul the payload systems it uses to test U.S. missile defense systems, launching a formal request for information to expand the flexibility, speed and realism of future target vehicles.

Document: MDA's 'payload next' RFI

More missile defense news:

C2BMC upgrade this summer to support Guam defense, hypersonic threats, more

The Pentagon is set to deliver a command and control upgrade to its global missile defense network this summer, enhancing the ability of U.S. forces to detect, track and respond to increasingly complex missile threats, including cruise missiles and maneuverable hypersonic weapons while also strengthening protection for the U.S. homeland and Guam.

Document: House hearing on missile defense

Michael Obadal submitted answers to advance policy questions to the Senate Armed Services Committee regarding his nomination to become Army under secretary:

Army under secretary nominee stresses need for 'layered' authorities to defend against drone incursions

Michael Obadal, the Anduril executive nominated by President Trump to be the next Army under secretary, said during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing today that the Army must do a better job of weaving together various authorities between the federal government and state and local governments when it comes to protecting the United States from drone incursions.

Document: Obadal's Senate nomination APQs

An updated milestone B test and evaluation master plan for the Navy's Stingray uncrewed aircraft system was expected to be submitted to DOT&E before the end of March, but that hasn't happened yet:

DOT&E 'not consulted' in Navy decision to forgo updates to MQ-25 MS-B TEMP

The Pentagon's chief weapons tester was not consulted and did not sign off on a Navy decision to forgo a milestone B test and evaluation master plan update for the MQ-25 Stingray program, despite the service's initial plan to submit the update to the office of the director of test and evaluation by the end of March.