Sunday, May 25, 2025
Sunday, May 25, 2025
This Monday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on the Pentagon's Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office, the Navy’s next-generation Ship-to-Shore connector capability and more.
A new Defense Department directive "establishes the responsibilities and functions, relationships and authorities of the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence (AI) Officer (CDAO) pursuant to the authority vested in the Secretary of Defense by Section 113 of Title 10, United States Code (U.S.C.)":
CDAO releases charter on AI policy and strategy
The Defense Department’s Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office released a long-awaited chartering directive Monday -- which, combined with an upcoming instruction, will form an implementation plan for the AI Adoption Strategy and DOD’s AI policy.
Document: DOD directive on CDAO
Initial operational test and evaluation of the amphibious air-cushioned landing craft is now expected to conclude in September 2025 with IOC to follow in December 2025:
Ship-to-Shore connector faces fresh technical delays, putting IOC five years behind schedule
The Navy’s next-generation Ship-to-Shore connector capability, which will be critical for landing Marines and other military personal in the event of an Indo-Pacific conflict, is facing fresh delays driven by technical problems that continue to postpone initial operational capability despite the delivery of multiple craft.
No longer PNTAX, the All-Domain Persistent Experiment, or APEX, is scheduled for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2025, according to the Army. The change in name and scope reflects the Army's shift from a PNT focus to one homing in on integrated sensing technologies:
Army’s annual PNT experiment rebrands with new name and broader focus
Army Futures Command is widening the scope of its annual Positioning, Navigation and Timing Assessment Experiment, or PNTAX, to include its newest cross-functional team’s priority: domain sensing.
Commercial businesses will be given an opportunity by the Space Force next year:
Space Force to award commercial contracts next year
The Space Force plans to begin awarding Commercial Augmentation Space Reserve contracts early next year for space domain awareness services, according to a service official.
The former top House Republican weighed in on president-elect Trump's Pentagon pick:
McCarthy talks Trump appointees’ potential impacts on defense
Former Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) was noncommittal when asked how he felt about Pete Hegseth, President-elect Trump’s pick to head the Pentagon, Wednesday.