Sunday, December 8, 2024
Sunday, December 8, 2024
This Tuesday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on the Strategic Capabilities Office seeking research proposals on autonomy and cyber defense, plus the DOD IG evaluating the Navy's E-2D Advanced Hawkeye airborne early warning aircraft and more.
Along with the acceleration and expansion of existing DOD uses for autonomous systems, the Defense Department's Strategic Capabilities Office is also targeting technologies to counter to unmanned systems:
SCO targeting non-traditional, autonomous, cyber technology prototypes
The Pentagon's secretive technology office is seeking research proposals for funding that would deliver the "unconventional uses of existing systems" to enable capabilities across five specific areas, including autonomy and cyber defense, according to a broad agency announcement posted Monday.
A new Defense Department inspector general's report determines whether the Navy "effectively managed deficiencies identified during operational testing to achieve the performance capabilities for the E‑2D Advanced Hawkeye modifications":
E-2D Hawkeye program office neglected to manage deficiencies found in tests, IG finds
The Navy's E-2/C-2 Airborne Command and Control Systems Program Office didn't effectively manage deficiencies found during operational tests for modifications made to the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft, according to a report released by the Defense Department's inspector general earlier this week.
Document: DOD IG report on E-2D Hawkeye
The Pentagon's No. 2 uniformed officer this week floated the idea that U.S. military planners need to prepare for an arms race in the heavens after explaining space policy goals such as developing resilient capabilities that can be reconstituted:
VCJCS: U.S. military needs to contemplate the potential threat of weapons from space
NEW YORK -- The U.S. military needs to begin thinking about a future when the nation faces weapons from space -- a move that would require a policy shift by the U.S. government -- because it would be "folly" to think potential adversaries such as Russia and China are not exploring armed satellites, a senior Defense Department official said this week.
More coverage from last week's Air and Space Forces Association's Air, Space, Cyber conference:
P25 radio integration on track, not likely to push back MH-139 fielding
A last-minute addition to the Air Force MH-139 Grey Wolf's contractual requirements will be available when the service begins flight testing and won't delay initial operational test and evaluation, Azeem Khan, Boeing's MH-139 program manager and executive director, said last week.
In June, the Navy and National Nuclear Security Administration formed a SLCM-N Project Officers Group to manage SLCM-N Phase 6.2, which includes a feasibility study for the use of alternative warheads:
Joint Navy, NNSA group exploring alternative warhead options for SLCM-N
As the Navy explores the possibility of implementing alternative warheads for its nuclear-armed sea-launched program, a new group was created earlier this year to guide the effort.