The INSIDER daily digest -- Oct. 31, 2018

This Wednesday INSIDER has news on the Army's Synthetic Training Environment, the Pentagon's cyber strategy and more.

We start off with a look at the Army's Synthetic Training Environment, as the service's cross-functional team receives more soldier feedback:

Army Synthetic Training Environment to reach IOC by 2021

Requirements for the Army's Synthetic Training Environment should be completed over the next two months with the program reaching initial operational capability in 2021, according to a spokesman for the STE cross-functional team.

At this week's Symantec Government Symposium, a Pentagon official said DOD has shifted out of a "reactionary mode":

U.S. officials tout Pentagon's more 'assertive' actions in cyberspace

U.S. officials are touting the Defense Department's more "assertive" posture in cyberspace following the release of a new Pentagon cyber strategy and the repeal of an Obama-era directive governing military cyber operations.

More coverage from the symposium:

Methods for assessing cyber risks need to be tailored to each program, Air Force officials say

Military software development programs need more flexibility when it comes to judging their level of cyber risk, the Air Force's cybersecurity innovation director said Tuesday.

Senior DHS, Air Force officials warn that risk aversion may harm cyber defenses

Senior cybersecurity officials at the Department of Homeland Security and the Air Force are warning that overly cautious system mangers could undermine protecting data and networks from foreign and other adversaries.

The Army will oversee the contract for an Air Force airborne laser prototype:

Airborne laser prototyping program to speed contracting with Army-led OTA

A fast-tracked Air Force initiative to build an airborne laser prototype will proceed under an Army-sponsored other transaction agreement vehicle that moves from solicitation to contract within three months.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and Sikorsky recently tested a removable kit, called the Aircrew Labor In-Cockpit Automation System, in a military setting at Ft. Eustis, VA:

DARPA, Army working on automated flight program

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is working closely with the Army on a program to partially automate aircraft and has planned a demonstration in a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter next year, according to the project's program manager.