The Insider

The Defense Department is preparing to brief lawmakers on the findings of a recent AUKUS-focused industrial base study, acting Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Mara Karlin told the House Armed Services seapower and projection forces subcommittee today.

While Karlin said the Pentagon is working to organize briefings on the study, she didn't commit to providing physical copies of the report to lawmakers when pressed on the subject by Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI).

“I believe that some briefings have occurred, and some additional briefings will occur to you and your staff. I think folks are just scheduling those right now,” Karlin told the subcommittee. “I think their plan is to brief you on the cost estimates from the study and to walk through the substance of it.”

Gallagher and subcommittee Chairman Trent Kelly (R-MS) both asked that physical copies of the report be provided.

Last week, a bipartisan group of senators led by Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) sent a letter to the White House requesting this AUKUS implementation study, performed by DOD’s cost assessment and program evaluation office, be provided to Congress by the end of the month.

The Navy, Office of the Secretary of Defense and White House all declined requests from Inside Defense to provide a specific timeline for when the report’s contents would be shared with Congress.

Speaking today, Karlin also noted that the results of the study informed the White House’s supplemental spending request, which includes $3.4 billion for DOD to invest in the U.S. submarine industrial base.

The Army is conducting a market survey for 155mm ammunition designed to defeat armored and mechanized targets, according to a public announcement.

The survey is requesting potential sources who can produce the XM1180 Cannon-Delivered Area Effects Munition (C-DAEM) for early operational capability fielding “to begin production at a low rate by 2nd Quarter Fiscal Year 2026,” the Oct. 18 announcement reads.

Requirements are planned to be restricted to Raytheon in Tucson, AZ, the announcement adds.

“It will support both current and future weapon systems and defeat infantry fighting vehicles, self-propelled howitzers, and main battle tanks,” the announcement states. “The Army requires the solution to be compatible with current 39 caliber weapon systems and engage targets out to 35 kilometers (km).”

The 155mm XM1180 C-DAEM round is designed to be fired from the Army’s forthcoming Extended Range Cannon Artillery vehicle, a replacement for the Paladin, and provides an armor defeat capability in both deep fires counter-fire engagements and close fires maneuver support, according to the Joint Program Executive Office for Armaments and Ammunition.

The XM1180 round will serve alongside the 155mm XM1208 Dual Purpose Improved Conventional Munitions round, the Joint Program Executive Office states.

Earlier this year, the Army requested permission from Congress to re-allocate funds to upgrade Raytheon's Excalibur C-DAEM munition, Inside Defense reported.

This Wednesday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on the Pentagon's continued focus on China as the "pacing challenge" identified in the 2022 National Defense Strategy, the Defense Department reshuffling of 155mm artillery rounds to support Israel's fight against Hamas and more.

Mara Karlin, assistant defense secretary for strategy, plans and capabilities, who is also performing the duties of the deputy defense under secretary for policy, spoke at the Brookings Institute this week about the Pentagon's continued focus on China as the "pacing challenge" identified in the 2022 National Defense Strategy:

DOD policy official: Focus remains on China, despite competing global crises

A senior Pentagon policy official said today that the United States intends to keep its focus on deterring China, despite addressing ongoing crises in Ukraine and Israel.

The reshuffling of 155mm ammunition stocks to Israel highlights the Pentagon's ongoing efforts to supply two allies simultaneously as top defense officials work with foreign nations to surge overseas weapons production:

DOD reshuffles artillery shipments to aid Israel amid work to surge NATO weapons production

The Defense Department says shipments of 155mm artillery shells that were withdrawn from U.S. stocks in Israel and slated to shore up Army weapons reserves in Europe that have been depleted by ongoing aid to Ukraine have now been diverted back to Israel as that country amps up its attacks on Hamas and Hezbollah.

On Sept. 8, the 2nd Multi-Domain Task Force completed an exercise called Arcane Thunder 23 -- the inaugural event of a series the Army plans to conduct annually -- that allowed the unit, with participation from France, Poland, Romania and the United Kingdom, to work on reconnaissance, target development and precision-targeting operations:

New Army unit generates artillery targets from electromagnetic spectrum, tracks satellites

The Army last month completed a first-ever, live-fire exercise in Europe of a unit designed to break up Russia's anti-access/area-denial capabilities, dispersing troops across Germany, Poland and Romania to test and experiment elements of multidomain operations by synchronizing precision effects across the continent.

A new Congressional Budget Office cost estimate looks at the AUKUS Oversight and Accountability Act, advanced by the House Foreign Affairs Committee in July, which would establish a State Department task force to oversee implementation of the AUKUS security partnership:

CBO: AUKUS legislation would invest $115M in implementation with little draw on appropriations

A legislative proposal that aims to fund AUKUS oversight using fees collected through the foreign military sales process would, if enacted, direct $115 million of mandatory spending into AUKUS implementation efforts over the next decade, while drawing little in appropriations, according to a Congressional Budget Office cost estimate.

Document: CBO cost estimate of AUKUS bill

RTX executives discussed their quarterly earnings with Wall Street analysts this week:

RTX suffers loss due to a metal powder quality crisis affecting engines

RTX (formerly Raytheon Technologies) reported a 21% drop in sales compared to the previous year due to a metal powder quality crisis that led to engine failure of the V2500 engine fleet, the company said in its third-quarter earnings statement.

(Editor's note: This story has been updated to include new information on a House resolution to condemn Hamas.)

Republicans, after weeks of intraparty acrimony and derailed nominees, pulled together today to elect Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) to be the next House speaker, replacing the ousted Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA).

Johnson was elected by a vote of 220-209. House Democrats all voted against Johnson, backing Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY).

Johnson, a member of the House Armed Services and Judiciary committees, has released a “dear colleague” letter stating his intention to seek a stopgap continuing resolution that would extend government funding until either Jan. 15 or April 15.

“We all understand that our next Speaker must be prepared to negotiate from a position of strength with the Democrat-controlled Senate and White House. The only way to secure that position is for the House to have passed all twelve of our appropriations measures,” Johnson wrote in the letter.

The current CR under which the federal government is operating expires Nov. 17.

Meanwhile, Pentagon officials have said they need Congress to pass a full-year defense appropriations bill as soon as possible, along with President Biden’s emergency supplemental spending package so the U.S. military can address crises in Ukraine and Israel.

In a speech following his election, Johnson said his first priority would be to pass a bill intended to support Israel in its conflict against Hamas. The House later voted overwhelmingly for a resolution condemning Hamas.

The Defense Innovation Board will host its fall public meeting on Nov. 14 to look at the board's studies progress, according to a Federal Register notice published today.

The meeting will review and discuss information pertaining to the DIB’s mission and conducted studies, particularly highlighting two new studies on lowering barriers to innovation and building the DOD data economy.

In an Oct. 6 memo to the DIB, Deputy Defense Under Secretary for Research and Engineering David Honey tasked the board with creating a list of recommendations that fall within existing DOD authorities to combat the highest barriers to U.S. and allied partners innovation.

“The recommendations should focus on procedures that align department incentives, policies for accelerating and scaling new warfighting capabilities and practices that inspire and attract the next generation of innovators,” Honey wrote in the memo.

In an Oct. 10 memo, also from Honey, the DIB was tasked with another study, building a DOD data economy.

Honey asked the DIB to produce outcome-driven suggestions that consider the gaps and opportunities in DOD’s current data economy, including industry best practices for designing a data economy and how to help create a successful, available DOD data economy for 2025 and beyond.

In both memos, Honey gave the board 120 days to complete the studies and submit findings and recommendations. The November meeting will discuss the progress of these studies.

The DIB’s mission is to provide the department with non-governmental advice on the best ways to implement commercial sector innovation, how emerging and disruptive technologies may affect national security and how to best use human capital to speed up scale and innovation.

DIB and department officials will speak at the meeting, including Marina Theodotou, the designated federal officer, and Michael Bloomberg, DIB chair.

Members of the public and outside organizations are welcome to submit written comments and statements to the DIB ahead of time, addressing the purpose of the meeting or the DIB’s mission via email.

The comments must be received by 12 p.m. ET on Nov. 9 to have DIB consideration.

The meeting will take place online and will start at 4 p.m. ET, ending at 5 p.m.

We start off today’s INSIDER Daily Digest with a look at how one contractor is reconfiguring one of the Army’s top rocket programs, a new report is telling the Army to step up its munitions production, the Space Force expects to have a new commercial strategy by the end of the year, and a new AI task force has been set up.

Lockheed believes it can give the Army more bang for its buck with one of the service artillery rockets:

Lockheed: RIG-360 demos potential for GMLRS to strike enemy ships, mobile missile launchers

The Army may soon have the option to expand the striking power of its premier surface-to-surface artillery rocket by adding a new communications device that could allow Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System munitions to hit not only pre-programmed stationary locations, as they can today, but also moving targets such as ships or mobile missile launchers.

An influential Army board is making recommendations regarding munition production:

Report urges Army to improve munitions production

The Army needs to make improvements to the nation’s munitions industrial base to “address systemic issues,” according to a report released this month by the Army Science Board.

The Space Force will unveil how it plans to incorporate the commercial space sector into its plans:

Space Force to complete commercial space strategy by the end of this year

The Space Force is expecting to complete a revised commercial space strategy by the end of this year, which will outline the specific requirements of the service and provide concrete guidance to industry, a top service official said Wednesday.

How the Defense Department will use generative AI is the focus of a new task force:

Shyu establishes new DSB task force on Generative Artificial Intelligence

The Pentagon’s chief technology officer has established a Defense Science Board task force for “balancing security, reliability, and technological advantage” related to Generative Artificial Intelligence capabilities, according to a new Defense Department memo.