Tuesday, October 15, 2024
Tuesday, October 15, 2024
This Thursday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on U.S. military aid to Ukraine, plus the Missile Defense Agency awarding a Glide Phase Interceptor contract to Northrop Grumman and more.
We start off with the Biden administration seeking to ensure that any remaining funds earmarked for Ukraine weapons transfers actually take place, regardless of the lack of a full, congressionally approved, fiscal year 2025 budget:
Biden directs $8B in military aid to Ukraine, including Joint Standoff Weapon, Patriot system
President Biden announced nearly $8 billion in military aid for Ukraine today, including the Joint Standoff Weapon capable of long-range strikes against Russia and an additional Patriot missile system.
Related: DOD commits to moving remaining Ukraine aid funds before Biden leaves office
RTX won't be building the Missile Defense Agency's Glide Phase Interceptor:
Northrop beats RTX in GPI contest, new missile defense industrial order takes shape
The Missile Defense Agency has selected Northrop Grumman to develop the Glide Phase Interceptor, knocking RTX from the contest to provide a new ship-based missile optimized to defeat long-range hypersonic threats and giving shape to a new order in the U.S. missile defense industrial base.
The SHIPS for America Act seeks to revitalize the U.S. Merchant Marine and consists of four primary lines of effort, including establishing national leadership and consistent support for the maritime industry as well as expanding and strengthening maritime workforce development to boost mariner and shipyard worker recruitment, training and retention:
Kelly, Waltz preview new legislation to boost incentives for maritime industrial base
A new bipartisan, bicameral piece of legislation will seek to address incentives for shipbuilders, innovation in shipbuilding and the alignment of maritime regulation and will likely be introduced following the upcoming election, two lawmakers announced Wednesday.
The Army has been very focused on the "autonomy behaviors" of the Launched Effects technology under development:
Army planning Launched Effects requirement update for end of FY-25
The Army is targeting the end of fiscal year 2025 for the next requirement update to its Launched Effects program, following its Experimental Demonstration Gateway Event (EDGE) this month at Yuma Proving Ground, AZ.
Reps. Rob Wittman (R-VA) and Elise Stefanik (R-NY) sent a letter to Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall regarding their concerns about reliance on Chinese suppliers for certain critical technologies:
Wittman, Stefanik call on Air Force to quit relying on Chinese suppliers
The Air Force relied on about 130 China-based suppliers for critical technologies in fiscal year 2023, a 68.8% increase from the year prior, according to a recent report by Govini that has led key GOP lawmakers to call for change, citing national security concerns.
A pair of companies has been tasked with building eight Small Multipurpose Equipment Transports, an unmanned robotic vehicle designed for lugging Army payloads that also will act as a mobile power generator:
New Army contracts aim to double payload for robot equipment carriers
The Army has awarded two contracts for a second phase in robotic mule prototypes -- one to American Rheinmetall Vehicles and another to HDT Expeditionary Systems, the service announced Tuesday.