The INSIDER daily digest -- May 16, 2019

By John Liang / May 16, 2019 at 1:37 PM

This Thursday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on contractors potentially being held accountable for the cybersecurity of their products, the Army's Synthetic Training Environment cross-functional team, a Navy report on mine countermeasures and more.

DISA Director Rear Adm. Nancy Norton spoke to the media this week at the AFCEA TechNet Cyber conference:

New DOD contracts language will hold companies 'accountable' for cyber, supply chain security

BALTIMORE -- New contracting language under development at the Defense Department aims to hold contractors "accountable" for the cybersecurity of the products they deliver to the government, as well as the security of the companies in their supply chains, according to the chief of the Defense Information Systems Agency.

The head of the Army's Synthetic Training Environment cross-functional team said his organization is on track to award its second round of other transaction agreements:

Synthetic Training Environment CFT completes key user tests, nearing next awards

The Army's Synthetic Training Environment cross-functional team is "very encouraged" by its progress after the first 18 months of operation, this year completing user assessments for its next-generation helicopter and ground vehicle trainers and fielding a new training software to several units.

Inside Defense recently obtained a Navy report on mine countermeasure mission packages aboard vessels of opportunity:

Navy estimates price tag of at least $50M to integrate LCS MCM capabilities on other vessels

The Navy has five categories of vessels under consideration for a new package of mine countermeasure capabilities and estimates it would need at least $50 million in future years to equip six select vessels, according to a report obtained by Inside Defense.

A recent GAO report states the "planned modifications to support the new mission" of the Zumwalt-class destroyer will cost the Navy $1 billion "from non-acquisition accounts":

GAO: Zumwalt-class mission change to cost $1 billion

The mission alteration for the Navy's Zumwalt-class guided missile destroyers will cost approximately $1 billion, according to a recent Government Accountability Office report that cites service officials.

Document: GAO's 2019 weapon systems annual assessment

The Defense Information Systems Agency is considering a single-contract award in fiscal year 2021 for DES to provide network services for Fourth Estate organizations:

DOD eyes investment in FY-21 to consolidate Fourth Estate networks, use savings for 'lethality programs'

The Defense Department will consider investing in a new program to collapse more than 600 contracts for unclassified and classified network services across 14 civilian, "Fourth Estate" agencies into a single, 10-year services contract, with the aim of realigning cost savings toward "lethality programs."

The Pentagon's latest budget "Green Book" is out:

DOD eyes budget 'gimmick' repeat in FY-21, plowing $65B from OCO to base

The Defense Department is laying the groundwork for a fiscal year 2021 budget request that would prop up its base budget by plowing $65 billion previously forecast as war spending into routine appropriation accounts, including nearly $20 billion for weapons investment, repeating a central strategy of the Trump administration's FY-20 budget request.

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