The Insider

By John Liang
March 3, 2023 at 2:26 PM

This Friday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on the future of Navy surface ships, the latest on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter's engine woes, countering small, uncrewed aerial systems in Ukraine and more.

Rear Adm. Fred Pyle, director of the office of the chief of naval operations' surface warfare division (N96), spoke this week at a Navy League event:

Pyle: Surface warfare roadmap includes DDG upgrades and new weapon systems

Over the next 15 years, the surface Navy will focus on upgrading its fleet of destroyers and investing in new weapon systems like hypersonic missiles and directed energy, a top surface warfare officer said today while laying out the service's future years defense program forecast.

Joint Strike Fighter aircraft are getting their engines retrofitted with a fix that should allow them to return to flight:

JPO orders retrofit for F-35 engines following 'harmonic resonance' incident

F-35 Joint Strike Fighters grounded by an engine problem discovered in December will undergo an immediate retrofitting procedure to return to flight, the Joint Program Office said Thursday, and all other F-35s should be retrofitted within 90 days.

Fortem Technologies, based in Pleasant Grove, UT, has evolved its work with miniature radar into an end-to-end counter-drone system that has captured not only 5,000-plus drones during developmental tests but also the attention of investors as well as foreign countries like Ukraine:

Drones armed with precision-fired nets protecting U.S. strategic, Ukrainian critical sites

The U.S. government is protecting select strategic sites from small-uncrewed air systems with new counter-drone technology developed by a Utah startup that nabs a threat mid-air with a net, a system that is also proving itself in operations over Ukraine by thwarting some Russian intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions as well as kamikaze drone strikes.

Ely Ratner, assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs, spoke this week at a Hudson Institute event:

DOD officials anticipate additional MLR in Indo-Pacific

The Marine Corps' newly announced Okinawa-based Marine Littoral Regiment is not the only MLR the service plans to stand up in the region, according to senior Pentagon policy officials who underscored the importance of forward-deployed forces to deter an increasingly aggressive Chinese military.

The Planning, Programming, Budget and Execution Reform Commission is on track to release an interim report with initial findings and recommendations this August, followed by a final report in March 2024:

Pentagon reform commission highlights challenges facing decades-old budget system

A key congressional commission tasked with reforming the Pentagon's much-criticized budget planning and programming process today released a "status update" on its ongoing work to understand the challenges facing the 1960s-era system currently in place.

By Tony Bertuca
March 3, 2023 at 2:04 PM

The Defense Department today announced a new $400 million military aid package for Ukraine that will immediately transfer weapons from U.S. stocks.

The package, being funded via presidential “drawdown” authority, includes:

  • Additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems;
  • Additional 155mm artillery rounds;
  • Additional 105mm artillery rounds;
  • Additional 25mm ammunition;
  • Armored Vehicle Launched Bridges;
  • Demolition munitions and equipment for obstacle clearing;
  • Testing and diagnostic equipment to support vehicle maintenance and repair; and
  • Spare parts and other field equipment.

Today’s announcement follows a Feb. 24 aid package valued at $2 billion and funded through the Ukraine Security Initiative.

Earlier this week, Pentagon policy chief Colin Kahl said DOD has about $12 billion remaining in congressionally appropriated security assistance funds for Ukraine in fiscal year 2023.

By John Liang
March 3, 2023 at 10:23 AM

The Army announced today it has completed an analysis of the environmental and socioeconomic impacts of fielding Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicles and is seeking public review and input of that analysis.

"The Army invites all interested members of the public, federally recognized Native American tribes, and federal, state and local agencies to review the analysis and findings and provide comments by April 3, 2023," a service statement reads.

The AMPV is the Army's replacement for the M113 armored personnel carrier and will improve the safety and survivability of soldiers and provide improved integrated network capability and interoperability, according to the statement. The Army’s intent is to field the AMPV to both active and reserve armored brigade combat teams, as well as other Army units in the United States, consistent with the Army Modernization Strategy.

In Federal Register notice issued this morning, the Army said the programmatic environmental assessment for the proposed fielding, operation and maintenance of the AMPV at active and reserve units, along with the draft finding of no significant impacts, are now available for review.

"The PEA identified the potential impacts on the human and natural environments related to fielding, operating and maintaining the AMPV as compared to the conditions if the Army took no action," the notice states. "The PEA did not identify any significant environmental impacts from replacing the M113 armored personnel carrier with the AMPV."

The Army noted that it won't be doing a full-on environmental impact statement.

"The draft FONSI concludes that preparing an environmental impact statement is not required and, therefore, one will not be prepared," the notice reads.

The bases that were considered for fielding the AMPV in the PEA and draft FONSI are: Ft. Benning, GA; Ft. Bliss, TX; Ft. Bragg, NC; Ft. Campbell, KY; Ft. Carson, CO; Ft. Gordon, GA; Ft. Hood, TX; Ft. Irwin, CA; Ft. Jackson, SC; Ft. Lee, VA; Ft. Riley, KS; Ft. Sill, OK; Ft. Stewart, GA; Joint Base Lewis McChord-Yakima Training Center, WA; Joint Base San Antonio-Ft. Sam Houston and Joint Base San Antonio-Camp Bullis, TX (Army Support Activity); Camp Dawson-Kingwood, WV; Camp McCain, MS; Orchard Combat Training Center, ID; Camp Perry, OH; James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, OH; Camp Ravenna, OK; Camp Ripley, MN; Camp Shelby, MS; Ft. Indiantown Gap, PA; Ft. Pickett, VA; Gowen Field, ID; McCrady Training Site, SC; MTA Limestone Hills, MT, and the Volunteer Training Site, TN.

"The Army will not make decisions on fielding the AMPV until after decision makers consider all public comments received during the 30-day public comment period held in compliance with" the National Environmental Policy Act, the service statement reads.

According to the Defense Department's latest Selected Acquisition Report released last September: "The AMPV program requirements are stable, and funding is adequate to meet cost, schedule and performance objectives. To date, AMPV has executed within its threshold APB cost, schedule and performance parameters. The program mitigated the schedule risk identified in last year's SAR by meeting the three criteria identified to close the risk (weld rework, second source cable supplier and delivery of all Initial Operational Test and Evaluation (10T&E) vehicles)."

Further, the program "does not have any current schedule risks and no schedule risks were identified at previous key events."

By John Liang
March 2, 2023 at 4:26 PM

Mercury Systems today announced the appointment of Christine Fox Harbison as executive vice president and "chief growth officer," according to a company statement.

Reporting to Mercury CEO Mark Aslett, Harbison will be responsible for "executing the company’s growth strategy, driving enterprise-level capture and proposal efforts, leading strategic account management, and developing global technology partnerships and initiatives," the statement reads.

Prior to joining Mercury Systems, Harbison was vice president and general manager of the combat systems and mission readiness division in Northrop Grumman's defense systems sector. Before that, she was vice president of Northrop Grumman's advanced ground sensors business unit. She also previously worked at Raytheon Technologies, according to Mercury Systems.

By John Liang
March 2, 2023 at 2:10 PM

This Thursday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on the Pentagon's effort to reform the Planning, Programming, Budget and Execution process, the Air Force's B-21 bomber program, a missile defense contract that only got one bidder and more.

The Planning, Programming, Budget and Execution Reform Commission is on track to release an interim report with initial findings and recommendations this August, followed by a final report in March 2024:

Pentagon reform commission highlights challenges facing decades-old budget system

A key congressional commission tasked with reforming the Pentagon's much-criticized budget planning and programming process today released a "status update" on its ongoing work to understand the challenges facing the 1960s-era system currently in place.

Document: PPBE reform commission's 'status update'

House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Adam Smith (D-CA), a longtime critic of the F-35 program -- going so far as to call it a "rat hole" -- has praised the B-21 effort:

Collaborative B-21 acquisition effort earns glowing reviews from officials

In the nearly eight years since Northrop Grumman inked a contract to design the Air Force's new nuclear bomber, lawmakers and Defense Department officials have touted it as an example of acquisition done right amid years of cost overruns and schedule delays in other programs.

On Feb. 27, the Missile Defense Agency published a public notice formally asking industry for feedback on why they didn't respond to the Ground-based Midcourse Defense Weapon System (GWS) solicitation, one of the two competitive contracts created as part of the GMD Futures program:

MDA wants to know why a $3.2 billion project failed to draw more than single industry bid

The Missile Defense Agency wants to know why a solicitation for a big-ticket contract -- one that eventually tallied $3.2 billion -- failed to entice more than a single industry bid after the government spent many years designing an acquisition strategy that aimed to revive competition in the Ground-based Midcourse Defense program.

With all the billions of dollars' worth of weapons the U.S. is sending Ukraine, it might be worth setting up a watchdog agency similar to the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction:

Afghanistan watchdog favors new special inspector general for Ukraine

Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction John Sopko, who recently released a report on the collapse of the Afghan military, said a special agency similar to SIGAR should be established to oversee the nearly $100 billion in U.S. security and humanitarian support flowing to Ukraine.

The E-7A Wedgetail aircraft will provide airborne moving target indication and battle management, command and control capabilities and multirole electronically scanned array radar:

Air Force awards contract to Boeing for E-7A Wedgetail

The Air Force awarded Boeing a $1.2 billion initial contract for the E-7A Wedgetail, which will replace the aging E-3 Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft, the service announced Tuesday evening.

By Tony Bertuca
March 2, 2023 at 2:04 PM

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin today released a "message to the force," again centering China as the Pentagon's "pacing challenge," and pledging continued security assistance for Ukraine and Taiwan.

“Implementing our strategy means tackling the pacing challenge from the People's Republic of China (PRC) while also confronting the acute threat of Russian aggression and managing the risk of escalation as [Russian President Vladimir] Putin' s cruel war against Ukraine enters a second year,” Austin said in a Pentagon-wide memo.

The defense secretary said an “increasingly aggressive” China represents a “generational challenge” for the United States as Beijing is “trying to shape the international rules-based system to suit its authoritarian preferences.”

Austin said the United States will provide “self-defense capabilities” to Taiwan as the threat from China “evolves.”

Meanwhile, the United States is working through an $18 billion foreign military sales backlog with Taiwan that has drawn the focus of Congress. The State Department on Wednesday notified Congress of a new $619 million FMS deal with Taiwan for F-16 munitions.

Austin, in his memo, also said the United States will continue to support Ukraine as it continues to fight off an ongoing Russian invasion.

“We are determined to support Ukraine's fight for freedom over the long haul,” he said. “Working closely with our allies, we have already strengthened NATO' s Eastern Flank, and we will continue to strengthen our collective defense and deterrence.”

Additionally, Austin said climate change represents another crisis for the Defense Department.

“Our strategy and planning addresses the security implications of our changing climate,” he said “We are developing new platforms that mitigate logistical risks in contested environments. We are also investing to improve mission resilience and cut the risks from extreme weather.”

Austin said the department is also working to modernize the U.S. military “from hypersonic weapons to our Joint Warfighting Concept, from data analysis to artificial intelligence.”

By John Liang
March 2, 2023 at 10:48 AM

Boeing announced today that Sabrina Soussan has been nominated for election to the company's board of directors.

Her election would take place at Boeing's upcoming annual meeting of shareholders, according to a company statement.

If elected, France-based Soussan would be Boeing's first board member outside the United States.

Soussan îs currently chair and CEO of SUEZ SA, a Paris-based global utility company specializing in water and waste management with a focus on sustainability. Prior to that, she worked at Siemens AG for 20 years.

By John Liang
March 1, 2023 at 1:44 PM

This Wednesday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on oversight of U.S. weapon donations to Ukraine, a billion-dollar AWACS aircraft contract and more.

With all the billions of dollars' worth of weapons the U.S. is sending Ukraine, it might be worth setting up a watchdog agency similar to the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction:

Afghanistan watchdog favors new special inspector general for Ukraine

Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction John Sopko, who recently released a report on the collapse of the Afghan military, said a special agency similar to SIGAR should be established to oversee the nearly $100 billion in U.S. security and humanitarian support flowing to Ukraine.

The E-7A Wedgetail aircraft, which Boeing this week won a billion-dollar contract to work on, will provide airborne moving target indication and battle management, command and control capabilities and multirole electronically scanned array radar:

Air Force awards contract to Boeing for E-7A Wedgetail

The Air Force awarded Boeing a $1.2 billion initial contract for the E-7A Wedgetail, which will replace the aging E-3 Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft, the service announced Tuesday evening.

Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Colin Kahl told the House Armed Services Committee this week that even "under the most expeditious timeline," it would take three to six years to provide Ukraine with new F-16s:

DOD balks at lawmakers' calls to send F-16s to Ukraine

The Defense Department's policy chief said the Biden administration is hesitant to send F-16 aircraft to Ukraine for several reasons, including timing and cost, despite new calls from Congress and requests from Kyiv to do so.

Document: House hearing on U.S. military support for Ukraine

Col. Candice Frost, commander of U.S. Cyber Command's Joint Intelligence Operations Center, spoke this week at a Billington Cybersecurity event:

CYBERCOM: Ongoing war in Ukraine informed Biden's new cyber strategy

The Biden administration's forthcoming national cybersecurity strategy will increase cooperation with new allies as U.S. Cyber Command monitors malign activity from Russia and China, according to a top CYBERCOM official.

The White House is looking to strengthen the U.S. defense supply chain:

Biden waives some statutory requirements for supply chain resilience

President Biden has signed a presidential waiver of some statutory requirements authorizing the use of the Defense Production Act to allow the Defense Department to more aggressively build the resiliency of the U.S. defense industrial base and secure its supply chains.

By John Liang
March 1, 2023 at 12:54 PM

Boeing announced today that Greg Hyslop, the company's chief engineer and executive vice president of engineering, test and technology, will retire this June.

Hyslop worked for Boeing for 41 years, a career that spanned the company's aerospace and defense portfolio, according to a statement.

During his career, Hyslop has held a variety of roles, including leading Boeing Research & Technology and Boeing Strategic Missile & Defense Systems, according to his corporate biography.

Hyslop, who has been on Boeing's executive council since 2016 and assumed the top engineering position in 2019, "has worked to strengthen Boeing's engineering function. He led the realignment of the company's engineers under one organization, championed changes to empower engineers and instituted next-generation design practices," the statement reads.

Howard McKenzie, the top engineer at Boeing's commercial airplanes unit, will succeed Hyslop, according to the company.

David Loffing, chief program engineer of Boeing's new 777X airplane, will take McKenzie's place as vice president and chief engineer of BCA.

By Tony Bertuca
March 1, 2023 at 11:30 AM

The Defense Policy Board is scheduled to meet in closed session March 7-8 to hold classified discussions on Pentagon "information operations."

Information operations are used by the U.S. military to “influence, disrupt, corrupt or usurp the decision making of adversaries and potential adversaries while protecting our own,” according to the Government Accountability Office.

Meanwhile, U.S. adversaries use information operations for the same purposes, with Russia’s targeting of U.S. elections being a high-profile example.

The Defense Policy Board will “receive classified briefings and hold classified discussions on how well DOD information operations are understood, leveraged, integrated and synchronized into broader interagency and national level influence activities and strategic communications,” according to a Federal Register notice.

Defense officials slated to brief the committee include Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict Christopher Maier and Rear Adm. Ronald Foy, the Joint Staff's deputy director for Global Operations, J-39, J-3.

Additionally, the committee will be briefed by John Kirby, coordinator for strategic communications at the National Security Council, Cara Abercrombie, deputy assistant to the president and coordinator for defense policy and arms control, and Jonathan Finer, principal deputy assistant to the president for national security affairs.

The board will also be briefed by acting Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Elizabeth Allen, and James Rubin, the special envoy and Coordinator at the State Department’s Global Engagement Center.

By Tony Bertuca
March 1, 2023 at 10:54 AM

The Defense Business Board is scheduled to meet at the Pentagon on March 17 to discuss a new study on "building a civilian talent pipeline."

The study, conducted by the DBB’s talent management, culture and diversity subcommittee, is slated to be presented at a public meeting, according to a Federal Register notice.

Senior defense officials have said managing the civilian workforce, especially concerning expertise on emerging technologies, is one of the Pentagon’s top priorities.

By John Liang
February 28, 2023 at 1:21 PM

This Tuesday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on the resilience of the Defense Department's supply chain, the Army's Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System and more.

We start off with some supply chain news:

Biden waives some statutory requirements for supply chain resilience

President Biden has signed a presidential waiver of some statutory requirements authorizing the use of the Defense Production Act to allow the Defense Department to more aggressively build the resiliency of the U.S. defense industrial base and secure its supply chains.

The Army's top civilian official spoke Monday at an event hosted by the American Enterprise Institute:

Wormuth says additional GMLRS contracts are a possibility as Ukraine war continues

Army Secretary Christine Wormuth said Monday that the service could award more contracts for the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System next year, as the United States continues to ramp up its munitions production in the effort to aid Ukraine against the Russian invasion.

The Marine Corps is looking to acquire a new type of tactical wheeled vehicle:

Marine Corps may expand JLTV family in pursuit of lighter ground vehicle

The Marine Corps is evaluating its fleet of ground vehicles and considering an addition to the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle family as it seeks a land platform lighter than the JLTV but more robust than the Ultra-light Tactical Vehicle.

In case you missed it last week, here's a deep dive into the Air Force's efforts to fix an important component of the KC-46 airborne refueling tanker:

How the Air Force and Boeing went 'out to Hollywood' to find a fix for RVS

Since the disclosure of critical issues with the KC-46's Remote Vision System in 2018, finding a fix for RVS -- whose troubles have stretched out the tanker's schedule and served as a leading reason for billions of dollars in losses on the aircraft -- has been a top priority for Boeing, and after years of effort, company executives are ready to unveil their solution.

Jessica Lewis, the assistant secretary of state for political-military affairs, spoke at a recent Defense Writers Group breakfast:

Senior State official sees 'tectonic' moment to surge U.S. weapons sales abroad

A top State Department official said today the United States has an opportunity to surge foreign military sales, especially to countries seeking to "diversify" their arsenals away from Russian suppliers as Moscow struggles to maintain its ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

By Nick Wilson
February 28, 2023 at 12:57 PM

The Navy recently accepted delivery of its latest Spearhead-class expeditionary vessel, Apalachicola (EPF-13), the 13th fast transport ship to join the fleet and the first designed to operate without a crew for up to 30 days.

The vessel, now the largest Navy surface ship with autonomous capabilities, was delivered to Military Sealift Command on Feb. 16 following five at-sea tests that included assessments of its autonomous function and system integration into the existing hull design, according to a service announcement.

Apalachicola is also the first EPF with new capabilities to better support V-22 Osprey operations from its flight deck and launch and recovery of 11-meter rigid-hulled inflatable boats, a separate announcement from prime contractor Austal USA states.

Subcontractors L3Harris and General Dynamics Mission Systems contributed to the vessel's design and construction, helping to modify EPF-13 for unmanned operations.

“Fundamental to the autonomy effort was Austal USA’s highly automated in-house designed machinery control system (MCS), which allows the ship to be minimally manned by centralising machinery operations to the bridge,” Austal’s announcement states. “All Spearhead-class EPFs built to date incorporate the Austal USA MCS design, which is secure, scalable, distributive and reconfigurable for multiple propulsion configurations.”

Last week, Austal christened the first flight II Spearhead class vessel, the future Cody (EPF-14), which is designed to provide expanded medical capabilities, according to a company release. Delivery of EPF-14 is expected in August 2023.

Austal holds contracts for two more flight II vessels. A second flight II ship, EPF-15, is under construction with a delivery target late in fiscal year 2025.

The Marine Corps has indicated that these shallow-draft transport ships are an important piece of the amphibious fleet, helping to enable quick movement of personnel, vehicles and equipment throughout the Pacific and global littorals.

By Dan Schere
February 28, 2023 at 12:19 PM

The Army has agreed to a set of recommendations laid out in a new Defense Department inspector general report which found that the maintenance processes needed to better track the mission capability rates of prepositioned stocks in Europe and that there must be better coordination between units deploying the equipment.

The report, released Monday, was conducted to evaluate how well Army Sustainment Command and the 405th Army Field Support Brigade maintained prepositioned stocks of equipment at APS-2 in Germany. It comes one year after the Army began issuing equipment to an armored brigade combat team supporting NATO’s deterrence efforts toward Russia after the country invaded Ukraine.

The report found that from Feb. 27 to March 24, 2022, the AFSB moved equipment to the Armored Brigade Combat Team “in a timely manner,” but that some vehicles were not fully mission capable to support rapid deployment. It also found that less than 90% of the equipment the ABCT received was fully mission capable, which was below the Army maintenance standard.

The IG report also outlines “coordination shortfalls” between the ABCT and AFSB, and states that the AFSB “did not follow existing procedures or plan for sufficient personnel to issue equipment to the 1 ABCT at the handover area.” This lack of coordination slowed the issuance of some pieces of equipment such as M1 Abrams tanks, Joint Light Tactical Vehicles and M88 recovery vehicles, the evaluation found.

The IG report issued four recommendations, which were:

  • For Army Materiel Command to review whether an update to the maintenance processes is required to include and track the mission capability rates of prepositioned stocks.
  • For the 405 AFSB to implement ways of testing APS-2 equipment, and to build a test track.
  • For the 405 AFSB to create a “procedures checklist” to help deploying units coordinate their efforts with Army field support battalion workforces during rapid deployments.
  • Update Army regulations so that prepositioned stocks are configured for transport at the APS storage site and configured for combat at the handover area.

The Army stated that it concurred with all four recommendations in its response, but the recommendations remain “open,” meaning that the service must provide evidence that it has implemented them.

By John Liang
February 27, 2023 at 2:10 PM

This Monday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on the Air Force's KC-46 tanker's Remote Vision System problems, Marine Corps Joint Light Tactical Vehicles, the future of foreign military sales and more.

We start off with a deep dive into the Air Force's efforts to fix an important component of the KC-46 airborne refueling tanker:

How the Air Force and Boeing went 'out to Hollywood' to find a fix for RVS

Since the disclosure of critical issues with the KC-46's Remote Vision System in 2018, finding a fix for RVS -- whose troubles have stretched out the tanker's schedule and served as a leading reason for billions of dollars in losses on the aircraft -- has been a top priority for Boeing, and after years of effort, company executives are ready to unveil their solution.

Some Marine Corps news:

Marine Corps may expand JLTV family in pursuit of lighter ground vehicle

The Marine Corps is evaluating its fleet of ground vehicles and considering an addition to the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle family as it seeks a land platform lighter than the JLTV but more robust than the Ultra-light Tactical Vehicle.

Marine Corps outlines logistics modernization plan to support distributed forces

As the Marine Corps advances force-design updates in preparation for potential conflict in the Pacific, it is placing a premium on stand-in forces and seeking to upgrade its logistics strategy to support these forces in an increasingly contested environment.

Jessica Lewis, the assistant secretary of state for political-military affairs, spoke at a recent Defense Writers Group breakfast:

Senior State official sees 'tectonic' moment to surge U.S. weapons sales abroad

A top State Department official said today the United States has an opportunity to surge foreign military sales, especially to countries seeking to "diversify" their arsenals away from Russian suppliers as Moscow struggles to maintain its ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

Engine deliveries for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter have resumed:

Grounded F-35s expected to soon return to flight after JPO lifts pause on engine deliveries

An undisclosed number of F-35s that have been grounded since the crash of an F-35B in December are expected to return to flight within weeks, a source with knowledge of the program's status told Inside Defense.