The Insider

American Rheinmetall will put up forward-deployed maintenance sites in Poland to patch up Bradley Fighting Vehicles crippled by Ukrainian combat, the company has announced.

An 18-month, $31 million deal tasks the subsidiary of German-based company Rheinmetall AG with putting together sites for vehicle assessment and repairs near the front lines. The contract was handed down by the Michigan-based National Center for Manufacturing Sciences, a consortium angled toward boosting the domestic industrial base.

“It’s one thing to talk about keeping 100% of your vehicles operational in peacetime,” Mike Milner, who until yesterday was the vice president of business development and strategy at American Rheinmetall, told Inside Defense in an interview. “It’s another thing when you’re fighting for your country’s life and getting every vehicle out there is most important.”

Milner yesterday announced he was stepping into the role of CEO at American Rheinmetall Munitions. As he takes the helm of the munitions portfolio, Chris Haag, who previously served as senior director of business development for the company, will move into Milner’s previous role.

The maintenance sites will take in damaged Bradleys to potentially fix those that aren’t too far gone by plugging in parts from “dumpster diving” for things like electronic boxes from vehicles in long-term storage or from scrap parts salvaged from immobile Bradleys left on the battlefield, according to Milner.

Not all Bradleys will return to the action -- but the idea is, “If you gave me five vehicles, can I make three out of them?” he said.

American Rheinmetall will also have full access to the U.S. supply chain to order parts, according to Milner, as well as to repair and operator manuals needed to fix up the Bradleys, which are supplied to the Army by BAE Systems' U.S. subsidiary.

The demonstration is designed to assess the effectiveness and scalability of the forward-deployed maintenance sites, with the focus being to “bridge the gap” between the battlefield and depot-level repairs, according to the company announcement.

“I don’t think they have that ability, really to repair forward, like we would probably do it as the U.S. Army,” Milner said of Ukraine. “So they don’t have those resources and they also don’t have the technical information on the system itself.”

Sites are expected to start triaging and taking on vehicle repairs in a year and a half -- although it’s not quite clear where in Poland they will be stationed yet.

The Army’s own sustainment of the Bradley has been far from stellar, as the last time the vehicle met the Army’s readiness standard -- a 90% mission capable rate -- was fiscal year 2015, according to the Government Accountability Office.

As of January, the U.S. military had provided Ukraine with more than 300 Bradleys and four Bradley Fire Support Team vehicles, according to a Ukraine aid fact sheet.

This Thursday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on the White House moving money around to pay military troops their wages, plus submarine coverage and more.

We start off with coverage of how the administration is working to keep military troops paid during the shutdown:

White House raiding reconciliation funds and DOD weapons accounts to pay troops

The Trump administration plans to divert a total of $5.3 billion from the Pentagon's war chest -- including procurement programs -- to pay U.S. troops amid the ongoing government shutdown, according to a White House official.

Submarine news:

Trump: South Korea will build nuclear-powered sub in U.S.

President Trump said South Korea will build a nuclear-powered submarine in Philadelphia and indicated the United States will share closely guarded technical information on nuclear propulsion with its Indo-Pacific ally.

Future submarine contract negotiations not currently impacted by shutdown, HII CEO says

The ongoing government shutdown and subsequent federal worker furloughs have not impacted negotiations for impending block VI Virginia-class submarines and Columbia-class contracts, HII CEO Chris Kastner told investors this week.

Keep an eye out for a major acquisition reform speech the defense secretary is slated to make late next week:

New FMS reform will see DSCA moved under acquisition chief

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is planning to soon announce a key reform to the U.S. foreign military sales process that will move the Defense Security Cooperation Agency out from under the purview of the Pentagon's policy shop and place it under the supervision of the acquisition chief, according to several sources.

Oshkosh is still making money on the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle program:

DOD hands Oshkosh $25 million for JLTV software access

Despite losing out on the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle program more than two years ago, Oshkosh has won an additional $25 million from the Pentagon in exchange for access to intellectual property related to the JLTV, company leaders reported during a quarterly earnings call this week.

The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, designed by the Missile Defense Agency and built by Lockheed Martin, lacks the supplier redundancy that now underpins other missile lines such as Lockheed's variant of the Patriot missile, the PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement:

Lockheed Martin seeks second sources worldwide to boost THAAD missile output

Lockheed Martin is partnering with the Missile Defense Agency to identify new suppliers worldwide for its Terminal High Altitude Area Defense interceptor, a push executives say is essential to meeting record demand for missile defense systems and strengthening fragile production lines.

Boeing is looking to replace workers currently on strike:

Boeing 'accelerating' efforts to permanently replace striking workers in St. Louis

After a nearly three-month stalemate between Boeing and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, the company is now intensifying plans to hire permanent replacement workers across several of its production facilities in the St. Louis area, according to an internal memo obtained by Inside Defense.

This Wednesday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on proposed U.S. troop withdrawals from Romania, an Infantry Squad Vehicle quickly deploying a mortar system in the field, domestic shipbuilding and more.

Republican lawmakers aren't happy with proposed U.S. troop withdrawals from Romania:

GOP chairmen oppose U.S. troop cuts in Romania, worry about further reductions in Europe

The Republican chairmen of the House and Senate Armed Services committees said today they "strongly oppose" the Trump administration's decision to reduce U.S. troop presence in Romania -- the eastern flank of NATO.

The Army recently held a test event with the 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment at Schofield Barracks, HI, under the service's second iteration of Transforming in Contact:

Global Military Products' mortar-carrying ISV-U shrinks deployment time 225547

Army soldiers driving two utility versions of the Infantry Squad Vehicle last week on Oahu, HI, pulled into a field, unfolded an 81mm mortar system out of the back, simulated firing off six rounds and peeled out, all in about a minute and 15 seconds, a video shared with Inside Defense shows.

President Trump is in Asia this week for a series of summits and meetings where critical minerals are a topic of discussion:

In new minerals deal, U.S. eyes price floors to counter unfair practices

In newly signed critical minerals agreements with Japan, Malaysia, Thailand and Australia, the U.S. has secured commitments to combat unfair and nonmarket trading practices via pricing measures, with the texts of all but the Japan deal referring specifically to the use of price floors.

The Senate Coast Guard, maritime and fisheries subcommittee held a hearing on domestic shipbuilding this week:

Senators appear receptive to SHIPS Act, express concern for state of domestic shipbuilding

Senators expressed bipartisan support today for a rebuild of the domestic commercial shipbuilding industry -- a goal that could be supported by the SHIPS Act, currently working its way through the Senate Commerce Committee.

Document: Senate hearing on reviving commercial shipbuilding

The lapse in appropriations has kept about 80% of the AFRL and AFWERX civilian workforce from returning to work, according to an Air Force Materiel Command spokesperson:

AFRL operating with skeleton crew during government shutdown

A majority of the engineers, scientists and other expert government civilians working within the Air Force Research Laboratory and AFWERX -- the service's innovation arm -- have been furloughed due to the prolonged government shutdown, a spokesperson told Inside Defense.

Leonardo DRS CEO Bill Lynn will retire as chairman and chief executive officer, the company announced today.

John Baylouny has been named president and CEO and a member of the board of directors, while Fran Fragos Townsend was named board chair. All of the changes are effective Jan. 1, 2026.

Lynn led the company for 14 years. Baylouny has been with Leonardo for more than 35 years, currently serving as chief operating officer, a position he has held since late 2018. Prior to that role, he was the company's chief technology officer with enterprise-wide responsibility for its technology investment strategy.

Townsend has served as a Leonardo board director since 2009 and also is the company’s lead independent director. She currently chairs the Compensation Committee and serves on the Government Security Committee.

This Tuesday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on a multilateral space treaty, plus the Missile Defense Agency and Army working to combine the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system with the Integrated Battle Command System and more.

Marc Berkowitz testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee this morning on his nomination to be assistant defense secretary for space policy:

Space policy ASD nominee opposes Russia and China's treaty proposal

President Trump's nominee for assistant defense secretary for space policy opposes a new multilateral treaty relating to military use of space proposed by Russia and China, according to responses to senators' questions submitted ahead of his confirmation hearing today.

Document: Senate hearing on Berkowitz, Jewell, Caggy, Rogers nominations

Combining the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system with the Integrated Battle Command System would substantially improve the performance of THAAD against sophisticated threats:

MDA is disaggregating THAAD to integrate with IBCS in 'big' five-year software project

The Missile Defense Agency and Army are moving ahead with plan to merge the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system into the service's new Integrated Battle Command System -- a shift with the potential to fundamentally change how the Army defends against missiles as well as support the Golden Dome domestic air defense project.

The Air Force recently submitted its long-term fighter force structure plan to Congress, which was requested in the Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act:

Air Force wants to build up fighter inventory as focus in new 10-year plan shifts to homeland defense

Over the next decade the Air Force wants to procure F-15EX Eagle II, F-35A Joint Strike Fighter and F-47 Next Generation Air Dominance jets in greater numbers to meet homeland defense priorities determined in the Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance, according to a report obtained by Inside Defense.

The Defense Department hasn't responded to repeated requests for information regarding why it marked the first $90 billion "tranche" of its reconciliation spending plan to Congress as "classified":

DOD's decision to classify budget reconciliation spending plan draws concerns

Amid recent departures from long-standing government funding norms -- and an ongoing crackdown on information that has traditionally been available to Congress and the public -- the Pentagon, in choosing to classify its plan for spending $150 billion in budget reconciliation funds, has sparked questions and concerns in several corners of the Washington defense community.

Inside Defense recently spoke with various U.S. shipyards on the effects of the government shutdown:

Public shipyards will continue working without pay as shutdown lengthens

The majority of employees at the nation’s four public shipyards are working without pay during the ongoing government shutdown, while approximately 2-4% of the workforce has been furloughed, a Navy official confirmed to Inside Defense.

Textron announced today that Danny Maldonado has been named president and CEO of the company's Bell segment.

Maldonado, currently Bell’s chief commercial officer, will succeed Lisa Atherton, who was recently appointed as president and CEO of Textron Inc., according to the announcement.

Both will start their new jobs on Jan. 4, 2026.

Prior to his role as CCO, Maldonado led Textron Financial Corp. as president and CEO for nine years and before that, he was Bell’s executive vice president of sales and marketing.

This Monday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on the Air Force's long-term fighter aircraft procurement plans, plus the Defense Department classifying its budget reconciliation plan as well as the effects of the government shutdown on various defense contractors.

The Air Force recently submitted its long-term fighter force structure plan to Congress, which was requested in the Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act:

Air Force wants to build up fighter inventory as focus in new 10-year plan shifts to homeland defense

Over the next decade the Air Force wants to procure F-15EX Eagle II, F-35A Joint Strike Fighter and F-47 Next Generation Air Dominance jets in greater numbers to meet homeland defense priorities determined in the Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance, according to a report obtained by Inside Defense.

It's unclear why the Defense Department in delivering the first $90 billion "tranche" of its reconciliation spending plan to Congress marked the entire document as "classified" and DOD has not responded to repeated requests for information:

DOD’s decision to classify budget reconciliation spending plan draws concerns

Amid recent departures from long-standing government funding norms -- and an ongoing crackdown on information that has traditionally been available to Congress and the public -- the Pentagon, in choosing to classify its plan for spending $150 billion in budget reconciliation funds, has sparked questions and concerns in several corners of the Washington defense community.

Inside Defense spoke with various U.S. shipyards on the effects of the government shutdown:

Public shipyards will continue working without pay as shutdown lengthens

The majority of employees at the nation’s four public shipyards are working without pay during the ongoing government shutdown, while approximately 2-4% of the workforce has been furloughed, a Navy official confirmed to Inside Defense.

Achieving a production rate of 120,000 drones per year will likely involve mostly machine procurement and human capital training at select organic industrial base sites:

Army's initial sprint to produce 10,000 drones a month won’t require MILCON, official says

No new military construction will be required for the Army’s initial push to build 10,000 drones a month by the end of fiscal year 2026 under its new SkyFoundry initiative, according to a service official.

General Dynamics CEO Phebe Novakovic spoke about the effects of the government shutdown during her company's recent earnings call:

GD execs: Protracted shutdown brings substantial risk

Despite strong financial results during the third quarter of 2025, General Dynamics executives are reckoning with disruptions arising from the ongoing government shutdown, including contracting delays, supply chain problems and a general lack of certainty in their defense business outlook.