The INSIDER daily digest -- Sept. 24, 2020

This Thursday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on the Army's Project Convergence effort, Navy unmanned maritime systems, Air Force GPS navigation improvements and more.

Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy and Army Futures Command Gen. Mike Murray spoke to the media this week during a Project Convergence demonstration in Arizona:

Army officials place emphasis on network and people in first Project Convergence experiment

YUMA PROVING GROUND, AZ -- The Army recently wrapped up its first Project Convergence sensor-to-shooter learning campaign that explores the service's role in the Air Force-led Joint All-Domain Command and Control effort, with senior officials stressing the need for a unified, resilient network and having the right people to contribute to the Joint Force.

Inside Defense this week interviewed Navy Capt. Pete Small, program manager for unmanned maritime systems:

Navy building three-part 'foundation' to maintain its future unmanned vehicles

The Navy this year is laying the foundational efforts to maintain its envisioned fleet of unmanned surface and undersea vessels by combining a multiple award contract for hardware components and a new prototype for integrating autonomy software, a Navy officer leading the efforts told Inside Defense.

The Navigation Technology Satellite-3 experiment is slated to launch in 2022 and could improve the resiliency of the current GPS constellation:

Experimental NTS-3 PNT capability could provide options to mitigate Ligado interference

An experimental positioning navigation and timing capability being developed by L3Harris and the Air Force Research Laboratory could offer options to mitigate the impact of GPS signal interference --including the projected disruption from Ligado Network's controversial plan to field a fifth-generation wireless network in the L-band.

Inside Defense interviewed the chief executive of Science Applications International Corp. this week:

SAIC chief expects more flexibility in workplace to outlast COVID-19 pandemic

The chief executive of Science Applications International Corp. anticipates that the ongoing coronavirus pandemic will create lasting changes in the workplace.

Some missile defense news:

Boeing teamed with General Atomics, Aerojet Rocketdyne for NGI bid

Boeing today disclosed that it is teamed with General Atomics and Aerojet Rocketdyne for the Next Generation Interceptor, offering what a company official said is "freshness" to the Ground-based Midcourse Defense system modernization competition by pulling in two established defense industry suppliers that haven't previously had high-profile, missile defense accounts.

Air Force acquisition chief Will Roper met this week with the head of Air Mobility Command, Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost, and focused largely on KC-46 progress and the future of autonomous refueling:

Air Force to study options for future autonomous refueling architecture

The Air Force is planning formal studies to consider options for a future autonomous tanking architecture that could include a mix of small, remotely piloted refueling aircraft and larger, more survivable tankers.

The Air Force has been testing a series of joint all-domain command and control technologies to demonstrate the Advanced Battle Management System internet of military things infrastructure:

Roper aiming to transition fully operational ABMS tech starting at next on-ramp

Air Force acquisition executive Will Roper is looking to field Advanced Battle Management System capabilities with full operational use across combatant commands starting at the fourth on-ramp in Europe, he told reporters today.

Last but certainly not least, some cyber defense news from our colleagues at Inside Cybersecurity:

CMMC program faces scrutiny on Capitol Hill over accreditation body activities

Rep. Jim Langevin (D-RI), a cybersecurity leader in Congress, says he is monitoring the Defense Department's work to "operationalize" the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program, which is facing criticism over the rollout of the accreditation process for assessors.