The Insider

With a focus on training and improving conditions for regional security, 450 sailors and Marines are taking part in exercises alongside Jordanian armed forces at locations across Jordan through mid-July.

Exercise Maven 23.4, which started Monday, will include squad attacks, bilateral live-fire training, A-10 Thunderbolt II air-to-ground maneuvers and HIMARS rocket artillery systems supported by Army Central Command.

Intrepid Maven 23.3 just concluded in May in the United Arab Emirates, where more than 100 sailors and Marines partnered with UAE armed forces for infantry-based combat training, live-fire close-air support exercises and expeditionary airfield operations.

Intrepid Maven is described as an episodic series of exercises implemented by the Marine Corps Forces Central Command offering unit-level training in new and challenging areas.

The exercise “presents strategic messaging in support of U.S Central Command priorities,” according to the Marine Corps. Intrepid Maven serves to deter adversaries, validate operating concepts, and support unit readiness.

“This iteration features U.S. Marines and sailors working with the Jordanian Armed Forces, training together with the collective goal of increasing readiness and deepening the relationship between our forces," said Major General Paul Rock Jr., commander of Marine Corps Forces Central Command.

Partnering Marine Corps units and commands, as well as CENTCOM’s component force units and commands, are key to the effectiveness of the exercise, military leaders said.

This Thursday INSIDER Daily Digest has coverage of a new "Intelligence Advanced Development" program proposed by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, the Navy seeking unmanned systems capable of operating in the Arctic and more.

The House Appropriations defense subcommittee, in its mark of the FY-24 defense spending bill, recommends $10 million in advanced technology development funding for a new "Intelligence Advanced Development" program proposed by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency:

House panel backs FY-24 new-start to give top brass 'exquisite' counter-WMD capability

House lawmakers have approved a Pentagon request to launch a new-start program in fiscal year 2024 that aims to allow combatant commanders to integrate "exquisite capabilities" into their global campaigns to counter weapons of mass destruction.

The Office of Naval Research has issued a request for information on UAS platforms capable of ice detection and providing logistical support in the sub-zero Arctic environment:

Navy considers adding uncrewed aircraft in Arctic region

The Navy is exploring options for operating unmanned aircraft systems in the harsh Arctic environment for mapping and domain awareness, as the U.S. prioritizes security and cooperation in the region.

Some cyber defense news from our colleagues at Inside Cybersecurity:

Defense groups seek closer alignment in CISA self-attestation common form with NIST secure software framework

Two large defense contractor associations see a disconnect between the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency's draft common form for self-attesting the security of software from contractors and the document behind the upcoming new policy, the NIST Secure Software Development Framework.

Joint CISA-NSA publication offers security guidance for continuous cloud software development

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the National Security Agency provide best practices in a recent publication addressing the virtual cloud software development pipeline, with a focus on mitigating risks in authentication and access, development environments and development processes.

In case you missed it, here's our deep dive into the Marine Corps' effort to develop the Advanced Reconnaissance Vehicle:

Competitive prototyping: Inside the Marine Corps' Advanced Reconnaissance Vehicle competition

The Marine Corps has extended the prototype testing phase for its future Advanced Reconnaissance Vehicle, claiming at least three additional months to evaluate prototypes from three companies vying to produce a platform that will support the service's mobile reconnaissance battalions into the future.

The Air Force is preparing for the Next Generation Air Dominance platform by tasking one of its flight test squadrons with planning and running test campaigns for the future fighter jet, according to an Air Force news release.

Formerly the F-22 Raptor Combined Test Force, the Air Dominance Combined Test Force at Edwards Air Force Base, CA will maintain its mission to test F-22 enhancements while also running the tests for the NGAD family of systems, according to the release.

“The establishment of the Air Dominance CTF shows that we are becoming more integrated and more lethal, while also shaping the future of air combat,” the 411th Flight Test Squadron’s Lt. Col. Michael Coleman said. “We do not fight as individual platforms, but rather we leverage a system of systems approach across the entire kill chain. We will be an integral part of fielding a family of innovative platforms and systems through NGAD that will enable the Air Force to control the skies in a highly contested environment.”

The Combined Test Force includes representatives from developmental test, operational test, program offices and support contractors, according to the service.

The Air Force is seeking to spend $22 billion over the next five years on NGAD and the autonomous Collaborative Combat Aircraft system, according to the spending plan the service released with its fiscal year 2024 budget request.

The service began source selection for NGAD in May, announcing it will award an engineering and manufacturing development contract for the platform next year.

A Pentagon review has found that, while there is no systemic challenge to protecting classified information at the Defense Department, there has been a steady increase in the number of facilities that handle sensitive information as well as the number of personnel with access to that information, according to two senior defense officials.

The 45-day review was directed by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin following the arrest of 21-year-old Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeira, who is accused of leaking top-secret documents and has pleaded not guilty to six federal criminal charges.

A Pentagon fact sheet states that the review found that the “overwhelming majority” of DOD personnel comply with security policies while also identifying “areas where the department should improve its security posture and accountability measures.”

To that end, Austin has issued a new Pentagon memo directing several actions, including that DOD leaders issue a “plan of action and milestones” that ensures all personnel are “included and accounted for in designated security information technology systems by August 31, 2023.”

Some of the review’s recommendations include adding “top secret control officers” to monitor the use of classified information, as well as spending more money on technical tools and monitoring systems to improve the security clearance process. Other recommendations involve increasing training for DOD personnel.

Meanwhile, senior DOD officials who briefed the press on the condition of anonymity said the review tried its best to keep the necessary flow of classified information unimpeded.

The officials said implementing the review’s findings will be focused on processes that ensure those with a “need to know” have the access they need.

“The department is mindful of the need to balance information security with requirements to get the right information to the right people at the right time to enhance our national security,” the fact sheet states. “As DOD implements the recommendations and associated actions from this review, careful consideration will be given to guard against any ‘overcorrection’ which may impede progress on information sharing and operating models that better enable DOD to execute the National Defense Strategy and its overall mission.”

The Army has awarded RTX a $117.5 million contract for low-rate initial production of the third generation forward looking infrared B-Kit (3GEN FLIR), the company announced Wednesday.

This targeting sensor system will replace an older version on the Abrams tank and possibly will also be used on the Army’s replacement for the Bradley Fighting Vehicle -- the XM30 Mechanized Infantry Combat Vehicle.

The Army considers 3GEN FLIR to be “the next generation of reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition sights to restore sensor overmatch” by improving range and resolution. The system will use high definition dual-band Mid-Wave and Long-Wave infrared sensing technologies.

According to RTX, 3GEN FLIR is “platform agnostic” and has a common operating picture for future combat ground vehicles. The system provides “significant standoff for target detection, recognition and identification.”

RTX, formerly known as Raytheon Technologies, has delivered more than 25,000 second-generation FLIR sensors in the last 20 years, the company said in its announcement Wednesday.

Under the contract, RTX will deliver the sensor systems to the Army’s combat platforms, including the advanced Abrams Main Battle Tanks, according to the company. It also includes an option for delivering the systems to the XM30, of which the first unit equipped is scheduled to enter service in fiscal year 2029.

This Monday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on the Army's acquisition effort to replace the Bradley Fighting Vehicle, updated joint warfighting doctrine due out soon and more.

We start off with a deep dive into the Army's acquisition approach for the XM30 Mechanized Infantry Combat Vehicle (previously designated as the Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle):

Army's modified acquisition approach for Bradley cause for optimism

The slightly different acquisition approach the Army is using to replace the Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle has generated optimism for some.

The Pentagon's top uniformed officer spoke last week at the National Press Club:

Milley says new joint warfighting doctrine due next month, supports bigger munitions buys

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley said today that "Joint Pub 1" will be released next month, the latest Joint Warfighting Concept doctrine that will "clarify and inform" how the U.S. military will fight in the future amid great power competition with China and Russia and the onset of disruptive technologies.

Poland could be getting billions of dollars' worth of Patriot missile systems:

$15 billion Patriot deal to Poland includes access to newest Army air defense technology

The State Department has approved for export to Poland a potential $15 billion package of air-defense capabilities that -- if completed as a final sale -- would give the NATO nation the most advanced package of radar and guided missiles, paired with a previously acquired command and control capability, available to ground forces in the U.S. inventory.

A recent Government Accountability Office report discussed the Navy's efforts to improve conditions at its shipyards:

GAO cites 'poor' conditions, rising repair costs at naval shipyards

The Navy is projecting it will not have a complete cost estimate or final work schedule until fiscal year 2025 for the Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program, its ambitious plan for modernizing the nation's four public shipyards, according to a new Government Accountability Office report.

Document: GAO report on Navy shipyards

House authorizers want to boost funding for the Air Force's operational system development funding for Homeland Defense Over the Horizon Radar (HLD-OTHR) efforts:

House panel adds funds to accelerate OTHR capability development

An off-budget proposal to accelerate improved capability development of a northern-facing Over the Horizon Radar remains a possibility after House lawmakers authorized a $20 million increase to the Air Force’s fiscal year 2024 budget to buy an additional testbed in support of a U.S. Northern Command unfunded priority.