Friday, April 19, 2024
Friday, April 19, 2024
This Tuesday INSIDER Daily Digest leads off with coverage of the FY-19 defense authorization bill.
Continuing coverage of the FY-19 defense policy bill:
Thornberry trying to keep defense authorization bill on track
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-TX) said today his top priority is to ensure the fiscal year 2019 defense authorization bill is signed into law before Oct. 1 and is accompanied by timely appropriations legislation.
Lawmakers impose specifications on LTAMDS
The House Armed Services Committee last week adopted an amendment to the fiscal year 2019 defense authorization bill imposing performance specifications on the Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor.
House lawmakers direct SECNAV to present long-range strike options
Members of the House Armed Services Committee are concerned the Navy's carrier air wing is not configured to support long-range strikes required by the current and future threat and requests the service secretary brief Congress on options that include manned and unmanned capabilities to fulfill the requirement.
Lawmakers urge DOD to address small UAS threats to maneuver units
The version of the fiscal year 2019 defense policy bill passed by the House Armed Services Committee last week includes a provision that would require the Defense Department to provide information on its efforts to protect Army maneuver forces from low-cost unmanned aircraft systems.
The number of contractors that could bid on a new strategic ballistic missile program could go as high as five:
USAF: Five companies could compete as primes for $3B GBSD reentry vehicle program
Designing and buying a new reentry vehicle for the Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent is expected to cost around $3 billion, although the Air Force isn't sure whether it will choose one or more contractors for the first development phase, a service spokeswoman said this week.
On the other hand, don't expect the Defense Department to willingly hire more than one commercial cloud provider anytime soon:
Pentagon justifies single-award approach to JEDI cloud
The Pentagon says managing multiple commercial cloud providers would be too complex and slow down cloud migration in a new report justifying the Defense Department's plan to make a single award for the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure program.
Document: DOD report to Congress on JEDI cloud services
GAO has a new report out on the Defense Security Service:
Watchdog: DSS could face 'disruptions' over security clearances amid shift to more aggressive oversight
The Defense Security Service is in the midst of transitioning to a more aggressive posture to protect classified information, but it has yet to finalize a detailed strategy and will likely be pressed for resources as it prepares to assume responsibility for the Pentagon's massive backlog of security clearances, according to the Government Accountability Office.
Document: GAO report on protecting classfied info
House authorizers want an annual science and technology strategy:
House panel directs new National Security Science and Technology Strategy for $15B portfolio
A house panel has adopted legislation that would require the Defense Department to prepare a National Security Science and Technology Strategy annually, an assessment to be provided to Congress that explicitly prioritizes investments across a $15 billion research portfolio that aims to provide the building blocks for potential new weapons.
Marine Corps maintainers who are transitioning from older aircraft have the required skillset and do not need to be retrained on every qualification to work on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter:
Marines revise qualification standards for maintenance as new aircraft come online
As new aircraft come online like the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, CH-53K King Stallion and a slew of unmanned aerial systems, the Marine Corps is revising its maintenance qualification standards to make the transition easier for mechanics and other personnel.