The INSIDER daily digest -- Oct. 25, 2022

This Tuesday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on the Small Business Innovation Research program, Chinese spying on the U.S. defense industry and more.

The Army is creating a "catalyst program" for the Small Business Innovation Research program, which would be a pilot program under the Army secretary’s direction:

With more award money and faster timelines, Army looks to make contract process easier for small businesses

By awarding more money to small businesses and speeding up the timeframe in which they are awarded contracts, the Army hopes to remove barriers to the private sector in the acquisition process.

Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro spoke this morning at the AFCEA NOVA Naval IT Day 2022:

Del Toro sounds alarm to defense industry on Chinese spying

Following recent Justice Department charges against alleged Chinese spies, Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro today cautioned the U.S. defense industry to be "very protective" of company data and to perform due diligence to thwart adversaries trying to steal sensitive technological information.

The chief of naval operations and Navy secretary both cited the continuing resolution as a significant impediment to fleet readiness at separate events last week and warned that extending the CR could jeopardize the Navy’s fighting capability in a conflict with China:

Navy may not be ready for China if CR persists, service leaders say

The continuing resolution is hamstringing the Navy's efforts to deter China and prepare for a potential conflict with the pacing threat, according to senior service officials.

Made possible by the infusion of advanced software from Red Hat onto Lockheed Martin's Stalker unmanned aerial system, a recent demonstration near Fort Worth, TX is the first of a series that will ultimately showcase a host of capabilities needed by the Defense Department to achieve joint all-domain operations:

Lockheed demos potential for improved AI sensing in military operations

A recent Lockheed Martin demonstration that included the orchestration of software at the edge in real time and the deployment of an in-flight update could give Pentagon officials a peek at how the integration of cutting-edge commercial technologies on military platforms are able to bolster intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations.

On Oct. 20, the Army, on behalf of the Defense Department, issued a request for information that could set the stage for the U.S. government to set up a new solid-rocket motor production line:

DOD plans to scale hypersonic production at risk with current solid-rocket motor industry

The current domestic solid-rocket motor industrial base manufacturing capacity is insufficient to support U.S. military plans to field long-range hypersonic strike weapons in the middle of this decade, prompting the Pentagon to launch a new market research effort into the possibility of establishing an additional source.