Wednesday, April 24, 2024
Wednesday, April 24, 2024
This Tuesday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on an upcoming Air Force science and technology program review, defense contractor progress payments, missile defense on Guam and more.
The Air Force's top civilian spoke this morning at the Ash Carter Exchange on Innovation and National Security:
Air Force, Space Force to review all S&T programs
The Air Force and Space Force will review all of its science and technology development programs for viability, service Secretary Frank Kendall said Tuesday.
The lifting of the COVID-19 emergency status means the Pentagon will partly go back to its normal progress payment rates with contractors:
DOD issues post-pandemic progress payment changes
The Defense Department will begin to apply customary progress payment rates for large companies signing new contracts on or after July 7, but will keep the more generous pandemic-era rates in place for existing contracts.
The Missile Defense Agency late last week announced its intent to "prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to assess the potential environmental impacts associated with an Enhanced Integrated Air and Missile Defense (EIAMD) system for the defense of Guam":
DOD eyes 20 potential Guam sites to disperse sensors, control center, missile launchers
The Defense Department is eyeing 20 candidate locations across Guam -- including a few in areas not controlled by the military -- for a new 360-degree air and missile defense system, sites required to disperse sensors, missile launchers and command-and-control systems to defend the U.S. territory against advanced Chinese threats in the event of a conflict over Taiwan.
Document: MDA notice for Guam BMD EIS
Some Navy unmanned systems news:
Navy considers pilot training platform for Stingrays, Reapers
The Navy plans to purchase a training platform for MQ-25 Stingrays and MQ-9 Reapers in fiscal year 2024 to meet the growing demand for operators to run the uncrewed systems.
Up to 20 ships from 13 nations will converge in the North Atlantic between Norway and Scotland this week to demonstrate allied interoperability in a live-fire joint and combined Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) environment, using NATO command-and-control structures:
Major U.S.-European air and missile defense 'live-fire rehearsal' set for North Atlantic
U.S. and European naval forces next week will kick off the 2023 iteration of Formidable Shield, a U.S. 6th Fleet and NATO integrated air and missile defense exercise that will fold in F-35 fighter aircraft from the United States and Norway as well as ground units with advanced air defense and long-range strike capabilities.