The Insider

The Army is asking industry partners for feedback to design a tactical vehicle integration lab as part of a decade-long effort to transform current combat systems, according to a public notice.

Estimated to cost between $25 and $100 million, the Manned/Unmanned Tactical Vehicle Lab will include “engineering-design space to enable the integration of technology required for the transformation of current combat systems to manned-unmanned systems to meet the Army’s strategic program delivery requirements,” the Wednesday announcement reads.

Planned for the Ground Vehicle Systems Center at the Detroit Arsenal in Warren, MI, the newly built facility will be 44,760 square feet and must be consistent with Defense Department Minimum Antiterrorism for Buildings requirements.

Issued by the Army Engineering Corps for small businesses, the “contract duration is estimated at 750 calendar days,” the statement reads.

The Detroit Arsenal serves as the headquarters of the Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command, which is subordinate to the Army’s Materiel Command and oversees the services’ combat vehicle units.

The Army is currently developing a new generation of ground combat vehicles, including the Robotic Combat Vehicle and the XM30, which will replace the Bradley Fighting Vehicle.

Recently fielded projects include the Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle, a replacement for the M113 armored personnel carrier and the M10 Booker, a tracked vehicle designed to slot between the Bradley and Abrams main battle tank.

Formerly known as the Detroit Arsenal Tank Plant, the facility produced tanks during World War II and the Cold War.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the recent U.S. and Canadian forces' intercept of a joint military flight between two Russian and two Chinese aircraft off the coast of Alaska -- the first time jets from those two countries have flown together near U.S. airspace -- is further evidence of the deepening cooperation between Moscow and Beijing.

“This was not a surprise to us,” Austin said at a Pentagon press conference, noting the successful intercept demonstrated the readiness of U.S. forces.

“They didn’t enter our airspace,” he said. “This is a thing that we track very closely.”

Austin added, however, that the joint flight was “first time that we've seen these two countries fly together like that.”

“In terms of the relationship between Russia and China, this is a relationship we have been concerned about throughout,” he said, highlighting China’s support of Russia’s ongoing invasion in Ukraine.

“We’ll see what happens and how this relationship continues to develop,” he said. “We remain focused on defending the homeland."

North American Aerospace Defense Command released a statement yesterday saying it had “detected, tracked and intercepted two Russian TU-95 and two [People’s Republic of China] H-6 military aircraft operating in the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ).

The intercept was conducted by NORAD jets dispatched from the United States and Canada.

“The Russian and PRC aircraft remained in international airspace and did not enter American or Canadian sovereign airspace,” NORAD said. “This Russian and PRC activity in the Alaska ADIZ is not seen as a threat, and NORAD will continue to monitor competitor activity near North America and meet presence with presence.”

The intercept follows the release this week of the Defense Department’s new Arctic strategy, which identifies deepening ties between Russia and China as a key security concern.

Austin was asked whether or not he believed adversaries were “testing” the United States following the political fallout from President Biden’s decision to forgo re-election in favor of supporting Vice President Harris.

“They are always testing us,” he said. “We see activity in the north on a number of occasions and we are always ready to address that activity. . . . I don't think that this particular time is any different. It's just the nature of who they are and what they do.”

Austin was also asked what “message” be believed Moscow and Beijing was trying to send with the joint military flight.

“You can probably guess that things like that have probably been planned well in advance,” he said. “I’ll tell you what message we're sending and that message is we are going to be at the ready, we are at the ready, we will always be at the ready, we're going to defend this nation.”

Lt. Gen. John Lamontagne has been nominated to become commander of Air Mobility Command, pending Senate confirmation, the Defense Department announced today.

Lamontagne, who would be elevated to general, is the current deputy commander for U.S. Air Forces Europe and Africa.

He will replace Gen. Mike Minihan, who is set to retire later this year.

This Wednesday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on General Dynamics and Lockheed Martin earnings, the Office of Strategic Capital's nascent loan program and more.

We start off with coverage of General Dynamics' and Lockheed Martin's quarterly earnings:

Hiring is improving at General Dynamics' shipyards, though supply chain issues persist

General Dynamics' shipbuilding businesses have experienced improved hiring and reduced attrition over the past year, company executives reported today, saying they are beginning to see momentum build as their shipyards work to meet the Navy's production and maintenance demands.

F-35 deliveries to exceed production in coming years, Lockheed Martin CEO says

Amid the decision to resume deliveries of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters outfitted with a truncated version of the Technology Refresh-3 upgrade, Lockheed Martin announced strong growth in a second quarter earnings call Tuesday.

The Office of Strategic Capital today announced the release of a Federal Register notice and accompanying request for information regarding its new loan program:

OSC searching for industry input on new loan program

The Office of Strategic Capital is seeking public input to sculpt the layout of the Defense Department’s new loan program aimed at procuring critical technologies.

The Senate Armed Services Committee, in its mark of the fiscal year 2025 defense policy bill, directs the Pentagon to report on the potential for high-flying balloons packed with sensors to augment protection of deployed U.S. troops as well as harden domestic airspace:

A decade after canceling JLENS, lawmakers now interested in dirigibles for air defense

Congress, which in a fit of emotion nearly a decade ago terminated the U.S. military's main dirigible project that looked deep over the horizon to detect cruise missiles, is once again interested in the potential of airships and aerostats to help defend against not only cruise missiles but also ballistic and hypersonic threats as well as drones.

Continuing coverage of the Air Force's budget-challenged Sentinel ICBM program:

Air Force reassessing how to meet Sentinel requirements following certification

While it's creating a new acquisition strategy for the Sentinel nuclear missile program, the Air Force will be reassessing how the program can meet the requirements set by U.S. nuclear policy for the ground leg of the triad, according to the service under secretary.

Ft. Greely, AK is being used as a testbed of sorts for counter UAS capabilities such as non-kinetic radars and low collateral effects interceptors, which will inform future counter UAS development at sites throughout the continental United States, the commanding general of U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command said today.

Lt. Gen. Sean Gainey, speaking during an event hosted by the Association of the United States Army in Arlington, VA, said the Army has deployed cUAS capabilities to Ft. Greely that it has not to other CONUS sites.

“We deemed that as a [Defense Department] proof-of-principle site for counter UAS, working closely with NORTHCOM and Gen. [Gregory] Guillot on how to move that forward,” Gainey said, referring to the commander of U.S. Northern Command.

Ft. Greely, home to the 49th Missile Defense Battalion, is a site where SMDC hopes to “push the envelope on capability development that you can leverage in CONUS” such as non-kinetic radars and low collateral effects interceptors, Gainey told Inside Defense after the event.

“Because of the restrictions and authorities required for CONUS locations, you’re limited in the type of capability you can put out there,” he said, referring to drone restrictions around military bases.

“The only location that capability is currently on is Greeley, and at Ft. Greeley we will learn for the entire DOD and help inform NORTHCOM how they want to move forward across the CONUS,” he said.

Gainey did not have a timeline for when decisions would be made to grow cUAS capability to CONUS sites.

“That unit is initially operating capability now, and over the next year or so they’ll just continue to refine and get better,” he said.

In April, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George told lawmakers that NORTHCOM was in the process of conducting a homeland security-related UAS study. Gainey, when asked about the study Tuesday, did not have additional details to share but said SMDC is “an active participant” in it.

The Defense Business Board will hold closed and open meetings on Aug. 1 and 2 to hear from senior Pentagon officials to discuss technology integration, global security operations and transitioning to the next presidential administration.

The DBB posted a notice in the Federal Register today detailing who will be speaking at the next rounds of closed and open meetings in early August.

The first closed session on Aug. 1 will begin with a discussion about vulnerabilities to the defense supply chain and how the Defense Department can better properly manage threats, led by Paul Cromwell, deputy division chief, and Chris Diehl, senior intelligence officer, both from the Supply Chain Risk Management-Threat Analysis Center.

Then Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. C.Q. Brown will speak about “strategic initiatives to enhance the integration of advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and autonomous systems into defense operations, addressing how these innovations can improve operational readiness, streamline logistics, and ensure the United States maintains a position of relative advantage in Great Power Competition,” the notice said.

The first closed session will end with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin informing the board about DOD’s current operations.

“The discussion with Secretary Austin will focus on the state of the current global security environment and its implications for current and future business operations,” the notice stated.

The second closed session that day will take place at the State Department so the board may hear a classified briefing on State's business operations and foreign policy issues.

Richard Verma, deputy state secretary for management and resources, will lead this discussion, which, according to the notice, will “explore best business practices from the DOS that may be applicable to the DOD, with a focus on how both agencies align business practices to achieve better outcomes for national security stakeholders.”

In the final Aug. 1 closed session, the board will hear from Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks about how to prepare DOD for an “orderly” transition to the next presidential administration.

“This discussion will involve how the Deputy Secretary and other key officials plan for and manage a transition between administrations,” the notice said. “The Deputy Secretary will provide insights on how the Department plans to solidify progress on key initiatives.”

The first closed session on Aug. 2 will start by hearing again from Hicks, this time speaking about reoccurring themes the DBB has found across several studies conducted during the board’s tenure.

“This discussion will provide an opportunity for the Deputy Secretary to ask the board to provide their private industry perspective on common findings and their views on the most important recommendations for the Department to tackle,” the notice said.

The open session on Aug. 2 will begin with Ashish Vazirani, performing the duties of the under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness, and Bryant Parmeter, DOD chief talent management officer, leading a discussion surrounding the progress of talent management initiatives.

In the Aug. 2 closed session, Army Under Secretary Gabe Camarillo will discuss initiatives for software modernization reform.

“This discussion will provide insight into the Army's new policy to institutionalize modern software development approaches across the Army, along with the opportunities and obstacles to expand software reform across the DOD enterprise,” the notice said.