The Insider

The Army has awarded L3Harris a $256 million order for continued production of the Enhanced Night Vision Goggle-Binocular (ENVG-B), the company announced Monday.

The deal is the first order in the program’s full-scale production, indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract that will total $1 billion over 10 years, according to the company.

The night vision systems “enhance situational awareness at greater distances at night and in low-light environments” according to L3Harris. To date, the company has delivered more than 13,000 ENVG-B systems to the Army.

In fiscal year 2025, the Army plans to spend $100 million to procure 2,364 ENVG-B systems.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has spoken with his Chinese counterpart Minister of Defense Adm. Dong Jun, establishing a line of communication that has been severed for nearly two years.

A senior defense official previewed the call for reporters on the condition of anonymity, saying the intent is part of the broader Biden administration effort to ensure that competition with China “doesn’t veer into conflict.”

The call marks the first time Austin has spoken with Dong, who assumed the top Chinese military post last year when his predecessor was removed without explanation.

“This is an important step,” said the official, who noted that the Pentagon and the Chinese military continue to discuss opportunities for further engagement.

Direct military-to-military communication with China was broken off in December 2022 when then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) visited the self-governed island of Taiwan which Beijing considers a renegade province.

A thaw in diplomatic relations, however, began in November 2023 when President Biden met with China’s President Xi Jinping in San Francisco.

In December 2023, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. C.Q. Brown held a video call with his Chinese counterpart for the first time.

More recently, military officials from the United States and China met in Honolulu, HI, to discuss the Military Maritime Consultative Agreement, an annual meeting that had been paused for two years.

Meanwhile, the senior defense official said the Pentagon continues to view China as its “pacing challenge,” per the 2022 National Defense Strategy.

“These engagements provide us with opportunities to prevent competition from veering into conflict by speaking candidly about our concerns, that includes [the People’s Republic of China’s] behavior in the South China Sea as well as the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” the official said.

EOS Defense Systems' R600 Remote Weapon Station shot down pairs of unmanned aerial vehicles during the Army's Project Convergence capstone event last month.

The R600 consists of a Northrop Grumman-made M230LF cannon, coaxial machine gun and four Javelin missiles on an Army Small Multipurpose Equipment Transport robotic infantry support vehicle, according to Huntsville, AL-based EOS. The platform provides light- and medium-caliber firepower and the “added lethality of multiple antitank or anti-air missiles.”

During the demonstration, the 30mm cannon shot down pairs of “class 1 UAVs at ranges of more than 300m and engaged multiple ground targets,” according to the company.

“These capabilities paired with four of the premier anti-armor missiles in the world represents a significant increase in firepower available to light forces on a platform that is currently being fielded,” the company stated in a press release.

EOS called the demonstration at Project Convergence a “critical venue for Army senior leaders to assess new technologies needed to ensure the Army’s success in future conflicts as well as inform acquisition and force structure decisions.

“As human-machine integration continues to be a key strategic priority, the demonstration was an important opportunity to evaluate unmanned and remote solutions which provide essential protections to the warfighter,” the company stated.

Senior defense officials are slated to appear at numerous hearings on Capitol Hill this week to discuss the military's fiscal year 2025 budget request.

Monday

The Atlantic Council hosts a discussion on security in the Arctic.

Tuesday

The National Defense Industrial Association hosts the 2024 Missile Defense Conference.

The House Armed Services Committee holds a hearing on the Army's FY-25 budget request.

The House Armed Services readiness subcommittee holds a hearing on the Defense Department’s energy and installations budget.

The House Armed Services tactical air and land forces subcommittee holds a hearing on fixed-wing tactical and training aircraft.

The Senate Armed Services Committee holds a hearing on the Air Force's FY-25 budget request.

The Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee holds a hearing on the Navy and Marine Corps' FY-25 budget.

Wednesday

The House Appropriations defense subcommittee holds a hearing on the Defense Department’s FY-25 budget request with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. C.Q. Brown and Pentagon Comptroller Mike McCord.

The House Armed Services Committee holds a hearing on the Air Force's FY-25 budget request.

The House Armed Services seapower and projection forces subcommittee holds a hearing on the Navy's FY-25 budget request.

The House Armed Services military personnel subcommittee holds a hearing on personnel posture.

The Senate Armed Services airland subcommittee holds a hearing on Army modernization.

The Senate Armed Services personnel subcommittee holds a hearing on access to pharmaceuticals.

Thursday

The Senate Armed Services Committee holds a hearing on the Army's FY-25 budget request.

The Atlantic Council hosts a discussion on innovative U.K. strategic command.

Defense One hosts a virtual event on Army counter-UAS efforts.

Friday

The Center for Strategic and International Studies hosts a discussion on Army software acquisition.

The amphibious transport dock Richard M. McCool Jr. (LPD-29) was delivered to the Navy Thursday, according to HII and Naval Sea Systems Command announcements.

The 13th San Antonio-class ship delivered to the Navy, LPD-29 is the final Flight I transition ship before Ingalls Shipbuilding begins producing LPD Flight IIs.

“This is an exciting milestone for LPD-29; culminating the tremendous efforts of Navy and industry to deliver new technologies and game-changing capability as reflected in this platform,” said Amphibious Warfare Program Manager Capt. Cedric McNeal in a statement. “It is deeply satisfying to see the team’s contribution in support of adding to the Navy’s force structure, in what ultimately will become a mission-ready, and mission-capable ship as we look to get more surface ship ‘players on the field.’”

LPD-29 is the first ship to be equipped with the SPY-6(V)2 radar, and the two combined successfully completed builder’s and acceptance trials in the Gulf of Mexico in February and March 2024, according to a Raytheon spokesperson.

“So that's another big milestone for the program, delivering that (V)2 capability for that platform,” Scott Spence, naval integrated solutions vice president at RTX, told Inside Defense.

The delivery highlights how shipbuilders enable the combined force of the Navy and Marine Corps, Ingalls Shipbuilding President Kari Wilkinson said in a statement.

“It is the most recent example of what U.S. industry and government partnerships can accomplish by putting another player on the field,” she added. “We will now bring the full weight of this collaborative team to bear on steady-state Flight II execution going forward.”

This Thursday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on Pentagon officials urging lawmakers to pass the supplemental spending bill to help arm Ukraine, plus coverage from this week's Space Symposium and more.

Senior DOD officials this week discussed the necessity of passing the supplemental spending bill to aid Ukraine:

Russia poised to 'outshoot' Ukraine 10-1 in coming weeks without U.S. aid, top NATO general says

Gen. Christopher Cavoli, chief of U.S. European Command and supreme allied commander of NATO, said today that Russia currently has a 5-1 advantage over Ukraine when it comes to firing artillery shells, an alarming mismatch that in the coming weeks will be 10-1 if Congress doesn't pass a supplemental security spending bill to provide Kyiv with additional U.S. weapons.

Lack of supplemental will impact training of Ukrainians by late May, Wormuth says

Army Secretary Christine Wormuth told Congress today that by late May, the lack of a supplemental security spending package will hurt the service's efforts to train Ukrainian troops.

Coverage from this year's Space Symposium in Colorado Springs:

Kendall beginning two programs under new 'quickstart' authority

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO -- Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall is already getting started on his "quickstart" initiatives, just weeks after the fiscal year 2024 budget appropriated funds for the new process for rapid prototyping for new-start programs.

Space Force releases Commercial Space Strategy

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO -- The Space Force today released its long-awaited Commercial Space Strategy, which offers descriptions of what capabilities the service will seek and what processes it will create to ensure commercial integration.

Inside Defense was able to briefly chat with the Navy's No. 1 civilian official following Wednesday's Navy and Marine Corps budget hearing with the House Appropriations defense subcommittee:

Foreign shipyard repairs may be viable future option, Del Toro tells House appropriators

Opening the door to repairs on U.S. Navy ships in foreign countries is one way to ease pressure on domestic shipyards -- an idea that will be included in the service's fiscal year 2025 legislative proposals, according to Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro.

Jon Elliott, chief of test and evaluation and director of AI assess and assurance in CDAO, said this week that data security and protection is vital to DOD technology transition:

CDAO official says secure data sharing is key for tech transition

An official from the Defense Department's chief digital artificial intelligence office said today that CDAO is focused on providing tools for "data mesh" and establishing "AI pipelines" to help the transition of technology, something he noted the government currently struggles with because of data security.

In its fiscal year 2025 budget request, the Air Force indicated its fleet would reach 4,903 aircraft -- a historic low -- as the service moves to divest 250 aircraft and procure 99:

Air Force fleet will continue to hollow out as service balances readiness and modernization

The Air Force's aircraft inventory is on track to remain under 5,000 "for the remainder of the budget horizon," the service's top planner said Tuesday, hinting it could even drop close to 4,000 by 2029.

News on Army cannons:

Army eyes Next Generation Howitzer new start, third attempt at leap-ahead artillery

The Army, after a failed five-year project to rapidly prototype a self-propelled, extended-range cannon, wants to launch a new-start Next Generation Howitzer program, marking a third attempt since the end of the Cold War to build a leap-ahead artillery system -- this time with a goal to counter threats forecasted in 2040 and beyond.

Army to hold competitive howitzer evaluation in FY-25

After hosting an industry day to evaluate existing capabilities, the Army plans to hold a competitive evaluation for a new self-propelled 155mm howitzer in fiscal year 2025.

The Pentagon's new Transition Tracking Action Group will focus on ensuring that cutting edge systems and tools rapidly reach the hands of military personnel:

DOD stands up new team to track technology transitions

Heidi Shyu, under secretary of defense for research and engineering, inaugurated the Transition Tracking Action Group today in the hopes of giving the Pentagon greater visibility into its technology transition process.

The Army's fiscal year 2025 budget request for the Integrated Battle Command System proposes $2.1 billion for system development and demonstration funding over five years, a substantial increase compared to the FY-24 five-year plan which forecasted $1.1 billion:

Army doubles IBCS development funding in new five-year plan; ties in F-35, THAAD, more

The Army is doubling funding in its updated five-year budget plan for the Integrated Battle Command System in an effort to expedite development of software needed to integrate a list of new sensors, including the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, the Remote Interceptor Guidance-360 and more.

The Navy’s Science and Technology Advisory Board will convene at the end of April to deliver classified recommendations to service leaders on ways for the Navy and Marine Corps to quickly integrate disruptive technologies, a Thursday announcement states.

According to Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro, the recently established S&T board’s first assignment is to “investigate ways to rapidly integrate asymmetric technologies that have the potential to change the very nature of warfighting.”

“They are meeting later this month, and I greatly look forward to their recommendations,” Del Toro said Tuesday during the Navy League’s Sea-Air-space conference.

The closed meeting will run from April 30 to May 1, with Navy and Marine Corps leadership briefed on opportunities to leverage new, disruptive technologies to “expand warfighting advantage,” the announcement states.

The S&T board was established in September 2023 to provide the Navy with independent advice on a variety of policy areas including science, technology, manufacturing, acquisitions, logistics, medicine, and business management.

This week, Del Toro also announced the release of a new naval science and technology strategy, indicating it will emphasize unmanned systems, biotech and efforts to strengthen the shipbuilding industrial base.