Thursday, April 25, 2024
Thursday, April 25, 2024
This Election Day INSIDER Daily Digest has news on the Air Force's strategic airlift needs, MQ-9 Reapers, the Defense Information Systems Agency's annual forecast to industry and more.
The Air Force could need additional strategic airlift in the coming years:
As Air Force contemplates strategic airlift, options for more capacity are bleak
As Pentagon officials reckon with a potential requirement for additional strategic airlift to execute the new National Defense Strategy, a blueprint for action was mapped out in policy reviews to support capping C-17 production in 2015, including a potential $7 billion tab to restart the C-17 line, upgrading C-5s in the bone yard to grow the fleet and increased reliance on civilian cargo haulers.
The Pentagon issued a multimillion-dollar contract for MQ-9 Reapers yesterday:
General Atomics to continue building MQ-9s as Air Force considers RPA's future
General Atomics this week received a $263.4 million contract to build more MQ-9 Reapers, the latest award issued as the Air Force eyes buying around 100 of the remotely piloted aircraft over the next five years.
The Defense Information Systems Agency held its annual "forecast to industry" conference this week:
DISA 'raising the bar' on contractor cybersecurity expectations
LINTHICUM, MD -- The Defense Information Systems Agency will begin reviewing how well contractors protect government data, with consequences for companies who don't implement adequate cybersecurity, DISA's top official told industry this week.
Document: DISA's 2018 forecast to industry briefing slides
Army Lt. Gen. Aundre Piggee, deputy chief of staff (G-4), spoke at an AUSA breakfast this morning:
Piggee: Army training to be more self-sufficient in maintenance
The Army's head of logistics said today he is focused on "going back to the basics" by taking over maintenance from contractors and relearning "the fundamentals" that were lost during counterinsurgency and counterterrorism operations.
In case you missed this yesterday:
Army to re-purpose Navy booster and build road-mobile, deep-strike hypersonic weapon
The Army is launching a Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon program to develop a capability to punch through contested, anti-access environments -- a big-ticket acquisition project that will re-purpose a Navy hypersonic booster being developed by Lockheed Martin for use on a road-mobile system, giving ground forces a conventionally armed strategic system for the opening salvos of a major fight.