The INSIDER daily digest -- Oct. 5, 2021

This Tuesday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on Air Force acquisition, the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle program and more.

The Senate Armed Services Committee held a hearing this morning on several presidential nominations, including Andrew Hunter to be Air Force acquisition chief:

Hunter would seek to lower sustainment costs, leverage software acquisition pathways

Andrew Hunter, President Biden's nominee to serve as the Air Force's next acquisition executive, told senators today that if confirmed, he'd work to leverage different avenues to acquire software, "bake in sustainability on the front end" for systems in development and seek to focus the acquisition process on delivering operational capabilities.

Document: Senate hearing on Camarillo, Hunter, Jacobson, Wagner nominations

Inside Defense interviewed the head of GM Defense this week about the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle program:

GM Defense watching cuts to JLTV follow-on contract

GM Defense remains interested in the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle follow-on contract after the Army announced it would buy 40% fewer vehicles than initially planned, but the company is paying attention to the changing economics of producing the vehicle, according to Steve duMont, GM Defense's president.

The Senate Armed Services Committee's mark of the fiscal year 2022 defense policy bill includes a number of provisions related to Taiwan:

Senate bill would require Pentagon to help Taiwan beef up defenses, defend self-governing island

The Pentagon would be required in fiscal year 2022 to draft a plan to help Taiwan improve its defenses against mainland China as well as adopt measures -- in accordance with a proposed new explicit policy -- ensuring U.S. forces can deny Beijing a fait accompli that would unilaterally alter the status quo with the self-governing island.

The Defense Department recently sought congressional permission to shift $504.4 million among various accounts:

DOD reprograms $400M in spending

The Defense Department is reprograming nearly $400 million in spending to cover shortfalls in several areas, including the operation of Air Force and Space Force installations and mobility aircraft, according to a new notice from the Pentagon comptroller.

Document: DOD's $504M reprogramming request

The Navy has transferred custody of the Surface Ship Support Barge to APTIM Federal Services in Mobile, AL:

Navy expects Surface Ship Support Barge dismantlement to start this fall

The Navy expects the dismantlement of the Surface Ship Support Barge to start this fall, a process which could help the service determine how it will discard its first retired nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Enterprise (CVN-65).