The INSIDER daily digest -- May 31, 2023

This Wednesday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on a Defense Science Board report on the "new dimensions of conflict," a Government Accountability Office report on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program and more.

A new Defense Science Board report released this week "explored the means by which nations impose their political will, particularly outside the traditional threat or use of military force":

Defense Science Board sees 'new dimensions of conflict' with China and Russia

Future conflicts with China and Russia involve areas of emergent risk -- in cyberspace, under the sea and throughout global supply chains -- where the United States must take a "more proactive posture," according to a new Defense Science Board report shared with senior Pentagon leaders.

Document: DSB study on new dimensions of conflict

A new Government Accountability Office report finds that more actions are needed to explain the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program's cost growth and support its engine modernization decision:

DOD, GAO don't fully agree on management of F-35 upgrades

The Defense Department and Government Accountability Office don't fully agree on how to manage and report on F-35 Joint Strike Fighter engine and thermal management modernization efforts, according to a report released Tuesday.

Document: GAO report on the F-35 program

The Government Accountability Office's latest report on missile defense references recommendations made by the Institute for Defense Analyses:

IDA recommends changes to help MDA's abysmal annual flight test plan and execution record

The Defense Department is taking steps to improve the Missile Defense System flight test program -- a $1 billion annual project that aims to demonstrate new capabilities, identify limitations, provide combatant commanders confidence in these tools as well as deter North Korea and Iran -- which has suffered a decade of failures.

More from that GAO report:

GAO pulls the curtain back, reveals new details about DOD's plans for Guam Defense System

Congressional auditors have provided a first-ever public accounting of key systems that will be part of a new Defense of Guam capability -- details the Pentagon has kept under wraps since providing lawmakers a September 2021 classified report on the matter -- revealing previously unreported elements of the planned 360-degree air and missile defense system.

Document: GAO report on missile defense deliveries and testing

This past weekend saw agreement on a possible bipartisan debt limit deal:

Defense toplines emerge from debt deal talks

Lawmakers reached a bipartisan deal over the weekend that would raise the debt limit and fund total defense spending in fiscal year 2024 at President Biden's request of $886 billion, with a 1% increase in FY-25, potentially ending a political standoff that could have brought the nation to the brink of economic catastrophe, but also throwing a wrench into future Pentagon spending plans.