The INSIDER daily digest -- Oct. 20, 2022

This Thursday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on Navy warship maintenance, the future of Littoral Combat Ships, industrial competition for the U.S. military's next-generation short-range interceptor and more.

The Navy's top uniformed officer spoke about warship maintenance during an Atlantic Council event this week:

CNO: Half of maintenance delays stem from ships proposed for decommissioning

The Navy's continued struggles with surface ship maintenance delays can partly be tied to the ships on the service's decommissioning list, according to Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Gilday.

While there are no trimaran-hulled, Independence-variant Littoral Combat Ships slated to be decommissioned in the Navy's fiscal year 2023 budget request, the service's 30-year shipbuilding plan notes that two Independence-class LCS will be decommissioned in FY-24:

Facing an uncertain future, Independence-class LCS returns from first deployment

After returning from a successful first deployment, the Navy will continue to operate Littoral Combat Ship Jackson (LCS-6) at its "full potential" despite facing a potential divestment in fiscal year 2024.

Competition for the U.S. military's next-generation short-range interceptor is heating up:

Boeing, Lockheed, Raytheon submit proposals for next-generation Stinger missile

Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon Technologies are vying to supply the U.S. military’s next-generation short-range interceptor, with all three companies submitting bids, due last week, in an expected multibillion-dollar competition to design and build the follow-on to the venerable Stinger missile -- a franchise with a four-decade run.

Honeywell Aerospace will seek to further assert itself in satellite communications, networks and navigation technology, among other areas, Ricky Freeman, president of the company's defense and space business unit, told Inside Defense last week at the annual meeting of the Association of the United States Army:

Honeywell undergoes shift to align with Army modernization, executive says

Honeywell Aerospace, the company that has made engines for the Abrams tank and Chinook helicopter for decades, is undergoing a "strategic change" to align more closely with the Army's modernization effort and changing budget priorities, according to a top executive.

(Check out our complete AUSA coverage.)

Rear Adm. Michael Wettlaufer, head of Military Sealift Command, spoke at a Navy League event on Tuesday morning:

Wettlaufer: Military Sealift Command faces ship and personnel shortages

Military Sealift Command, the Navy's primary maritime equipment mover, is contending with shortages of both ships and personnel, which may impair the service's crisis-response capability, according to MSC's commander.