Friday, April 19, 2024
Friday, April 19, 2024
This Wednesday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on the reorganization of oversight of the Missile Defense Agency, as well as coverage of hypersonic weapon prototypes, the Army's Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle program and more.
Deputy Defense Secretary David Norquist earlier this year approved a 17-page directive-type memorandum on "Missile Defense System Policies and Governance" that effectively demotes the influence of the office of the under secretary of defense for research and engineering over the Missile Defense Agency while elevating the role of the office of the under secretary for acquisition and sustainment and other Pentagon organizations:
Norquist clips MDA's wings, giving services, CAPE, OSD, COCOMs new leverage in missile defense
The Pentagon's No. 2 official has overhauled missile defense policies and governance in a surprise move that will subject the Missile Defense Agency to increased oversight by other arms of the Defense Department, establishing new rules for the $202 billion portfolio of missile defense weapon system projects and setting the stage for the first major revision of the agency's charter in over a decade.
Document: DOD memo on MDS reorganization
Specific tests of two variants of a hypersonic weapon prototype have been completed:
DARPA completes captive-carry tests of two air-breathing hypersonic weapons
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has finished captive-carry tests of Lockheed Martin and Raytheon's unique variants of the Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept, paving the way for the first free-flight demonstrations later this year.
The delivery of the first Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle reflects a seven-month delay from the original schedule due to tooling and assembly line challenges at BAE Systems' plant in York, PA, that have since been fixed:
BAE delivers first AMPV off production line
BAE Systems on Monday delivered the first low-rate initial production Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle to the Army, the company announced this morning.
In case you missed it, the Pentagon has submitted its annual report to Congress on China's military capabilities:
Pentagon finds China outpacing U.S. in shipbuilding and missile tech
China is "is already ahead of the United States" in shipbuilding, missile technology and integrated air defense systems, according to the Pentagon's latest annual report on Chinese military strength.
Document: DOD's 2020 report on China
Inside Defense recently obtained a memo on the Navy's reorganization of its R&D enterprise:
Navy's CNR, N94 no longer dual-hatted by a single admiral
Top Navy officials last month determined that two senior billets, charged with directing the service's $2 billion research and development enterprise, should no longer be "dual-hatted" by a single two-star admiral, according to a memorandum obtained by Inside Defense.
Document: Navy memo on reorganized R&D enterprise