The Insider

The INSIDER daily Digest -- May 30, 2023
By John Liang
May 30, 2023 at 1:45 PM

This Tuesday INSIDER Daily Digest has a new look at what the fiscal year 2024 defense budget topline will be, plus more coverage of the Government Accountability Office's annual missile defense report along with U.S., British and Australian military cooperation and more.

The Memorial Day weekend saw agreement on a possible bipartisan debt limit deal:

Defense toplines emerge from debt deal talks

Lawmakers reached a bipartisan deal over the weekend that would raise the debt limit and fund total defense spending in fiscal year 2024 at President Biden's request of $886 billion, with a 1% increase in FY-25, potentially ending a political standoff that could have brought the nation to the brink of economic catastrophe, but also throwing a wrench into future Pentagon spending plans.

The Government Accountability Office, in its annual report on the Missile Defense Agency, provides the most complete explanation of components the U.S. military is working to integrate to bolster defense of the U.S. Western Pacific territory against advanced Chinese air and missile threats:

GAO pulls the curtain back, reveals new details about DOD's plans for Guam Defense System

Congressional auditors have provided a first-ever public accounting of key systems that will be part of a new Defense of Guam capability -- details the Pentagon has kept under wraps since providing lawmakers a September 2021 classified report on the matter -- revealing previously unreported elements of the planned 360-degree air and missile defense system.

Document: GAO report on missile defense deliveries and testing

A recent demonstration is the first time jointly developed Australian, U.K. and U.S. artificial intelligence capabilities have been deployed on coalition autonomous systems for an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance mission:

AUKUS nations demonstrate AI swarming in 'advanced capabilities trial'

The Pentagon says the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia successfully demonstrated the use of artificial intelligence and autonomous swarming technologies in an "advanced capabilities trial" held in the U.K. last month.

In related AUKUS news, Jessica Lewis, assistant secretary of state for political-military affairs, testified at a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing last week:

State Department charts AUKUS roadmap with new mechanism to streamline defense trade

The State Department supplied House lawmakers with a plan for enabling AUKUS this week, endorsing legislative changes and unveiling a new "trade authorization mechanism" intended to streamline defense trade between the United States, United Kingdom and Australia.

Document: House hearing on U.S. arms exports and AUKUS

A new draft request for proposals is focused on engineering and manufacturing development efforts within the E-XX TACAMO program:

EXX-TACAMO weapon system has tentative contract date

A contract for the Navy's future aircraft system that allows the president to communicate with ballistic missile submarines during times of crisis will be awarded in September 2024, according to a draft request for proposals.

Document: Navy draft RFP for EXX-TACAMO

The week ahead
By Tony Bertuca
May 30, 2023 at 5:00 AM

Several Washington think tanks are holding events this week featuring current and former defense officials. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is traveling this week to Japan, Singapore, India and France.

Monday

Memorial Day.

Tuesday

The Center for Strategic and International Studies hosts a discussion with the director of the Israel Missile Defense Organization.

The Center for a New American Security hosts a discussion with the director of the Air National Guard.

The Atlantic Council hosts a discussion on "prevailing in an age of danger."

The INSIDER daily digest -- May 26, 2023
By John Liang
May 26, 2023 at 3:18 PM

This Friday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on a Defense Department inspector general report looking into the quality of Army prepositioned stocks, a nascent Air Force homeland defense radar project, future U.S. military talks with China and a lot more.

A Defense Department inspector general's report issued this week "identified issues that resulted in unanticipated maintenance, repairs, and extended lead times to ensure the readiness of the military equipment selected to support the Ukrainian Armed Forces":

DOD IG warns of readiness deficiencies for equipment being sent to Ukraine

The Pentagon's inspector general, in a "management advisory" released earlier this week, found multiple deficiencies related to the quality of Army prepositioned stock equipment that is being sent to Ukrainian armed forces.

Document: DOD IG report on Army prepositioned stock-5 equipment designated for Ukraine

The Air Force is seeking $516 million in fiscal year 2024 for a new homeland defense sensor project:

DOD plans south-facing Over-the-Horizon radar, seeks to begin prototyping in FY-24

The Pentagon is seeking authorization in fiscal year 2024 to begin prototyping a new homeland defense Over-the-Horizon Radar -- with one each planned in the Northeast, Northwest, Alaska and a Southern-facing array -- for improved long-range sensor coverage of aircraft, cruise missiles, maneuvering hypersonic missiles and maritime surface vehicle threats.

Ely Ratner, assistant defense secretary for Indo-Pacific security affairs, spoke this week at the Center for Strategic and International Studies on U.S. hopes for talks with China in the near future:

Defense leaders await China's response to Singapore meeting

Ahead of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's scheduled trip next week to Singapore, U.S. leaders continue to have hope they will hear from Chinese leaders about a proposed meeting on the sidelines of Asia's premier security summit -- the International Institute of Strategic Studies' Shangri-La Dialogue.

The Army this week hosted its Technical Exchange Meeting (TEM X) in Philadelphia:

Army officials say network modernization must reduce logistics footprint

As the Army modernizes its network in preparing for future fights, it must incorporate simplicity and a reduced logistics footprint, top officials said Thursday during the annual Technical Exchange Meeting in Philadelphia.

Document: Army's TEM-X meeting agenda, briefing slides

The Pentagon's top civilian spoke at a press conference following the 12th international meeting of the Ukraine Contact Group this week:

SECDEF predicts international fund to sustain aid to Ukraine, including F-16s

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said today he anticipates the United States and its allies will eventually establish an international fund for countries to contribute to the long-term defense of Ukraine against Russia, including the sustainment of soon-to-be provided F-16 aircraft that could cost around $1 billion.

Although the Navy has yet to publish formal requirements for its future destroyer, Lockheed Martin Vice President of Naval Combat and Missile Defense Systems Joe DePietro said the company is investing in a new vertical launch system capability because initial DDG(X) requirements include a Conventional Prompt Strike capability:

Lockheed designing new VLS to equip next-generation destroyers with hypersonic missiles

MOORESTOWN, NJ -- With its sights set on the Navy's next-generation large surface combatant, contractor Lockheed Martin is developing a new vertical launch system, resembling its existing Mk 41 launcher, that can fire hypersonic Conventional Prompt Strike missiles from a surface ship.

Northrop Grumman will be providing orbital launch services to the Space Force:

SSC awards $45.5M task order to Northrop Grumman Systems Corp.

Space Systems Command awarded Northrop Grumman Systems Corp. a $45.5 million contract to provide orbital launch services, the command announced today in a press release.

In a legislative proposal released last week, DOD pushed for the modification of federal laws it says limit its ability to defend against drones outside of the U.S.:

DOD requests loosening of drone-defense restrictions on foreign bases

Congress should give the Pentagon more authority to defend against unmanned aircraft abroad, the Defense Department says.

A new Navy contract enables General Dynamics Electric Boat, which collaboratively builds Virginia-class submarines with HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding, to purchase long-lead materials and begin assembling components of the two Block V boats, hulls 812 and 813, before the official start of construction:

Navy awards Virginia contract modification, signaling resolution to year-long liability dispute

The Navy has awarded General Dynamics Electric Boat a contract modification worth over $1 billion to begin procuring materials for two future Virginia-class submarines, according to a Tuesday Defense Department announcement, signaling an end to a year-long liability dispute that had put the contract award on hold.

DOD's classified Cyber Strategy keeps focus on China
By Tony Bertuca
May 26, 2023 at 12:35 PM

The Defense Department has sent Congress a classified 2023 Cyber Strategy centering China as the top U.S. competitor in the cyber domain, along with Russia, which poses an "acute threat."

The Pentagon today released a fact sheet highlighting key concepts that will be rolled out in an unclassified summary of the report expected to be released in the coming months.

“The 2023 DOD Cyber Strategy is grounded in real-world experience,” the fact sheet states.

The new strategy will supersede one released in 2018.

“Since 2018, the department has conducted a number of significant cyberspace operations through its policy of defending forward, actively disrupting malicious cyber activity before it can affect the U.S. homeland,” DOD said.

The fact sheet notes that the strategy is “informed” by Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, “which has demonstrated how cyber capabilities may be used in large-scale conventional conflict."

Meanwhile, China remains DOD’s “pacing challenge in the cyber domain” as Beijing has “made significant investments in military cyber capabilities and empowered a number of proxy organizations to pursue malicious cyber activities against the United States,” according to the fact sheet.

While Russia is viewed as an “acute” threat “evidenced by its malign influence efforts against the United States and repeated cyberattacks against Ukrainian civilian critical infrastructure,” North Korea, Iran and violent extremist organizations all remain “persistent cyber threats.”

Transnational criminal organizations, meanwhile, are judged to be a “unique threat” in cyberspace because of their “technical aptitude and often close alignment with the foreign policy objectives of their host governments,” the fact sheet states.

The INSIDER daily digest -- May 25, 2023
By John Liang
May 25, 2023 at 2:38 PM

This Thursday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on Navy and Army unmanned systems, weapons for Taiwan, a delay to the Space Force Range Contract final request for proposals and more.

The Navy's Triton unmanned aerial system's first deployment is expected to take place this summer:

Triton UAV set for summer deployment

The MQ-4C Triton uncrewed surveillance aircraft is on a flight path to meet initial operating capability requirements by Sept. 30, a Navy spokesman told Inside Defense.

A bunch of U.S. weapon systems bought and paid for by Taiwan won't reach the island nation until 2025:

McCaul: Weapons marked for Taiwan will not be delivered until 2025

A list of 22 weapon systems marked for transfer to Taiwan -- including several missile systems and F-16 and MQ-9B aircraft -- will not be delivered until 2025 at the earliest, according to the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

AeroVironment is the only contractor who didn't get an other transaction authority to work on the Army's Future Tactical Uncrewed Aircraft Systems:

Army awards first option for FTUAS award to four companies

The Army has awarded the first option for its Future Tactical Uncrewed Aircraft Systems to four companies, the service has announced, narrowing the field from five companies during the base period.

The Air Force has pushed back the release of the Space Force Range Contract final request for proposals:

SFRC final RFP initial release date delayed to June

The Space Force Range Contract final request for proposals release date scheduled for May 24 has been delayed to on or around June 5, the Air Force announced this week.

The Army this week held its Technical Exchange Meeting (TEM X) in Philadelphia:

Army will realign PEOs within acquisition office by October to support unified network plan

To move forward with its unified network strategy, the Army plans to realign multiple program executive offices within the service's acquisition office by October.

Document: Army's TEM-X meeting agenda, briefing slides

The Navy's long-term plan is to build up to 20 John Lewis-class oil tankers:

Contract awarded for next John Lewis-class tanker

Construction of the T-AO 213 -- the ninth ship in the Navy's John Lewis-class tanker program -- is scheduled to begin in the third quarter of 2025, under a $736 million modified contract awarded to General Dynamics NASSCO.

The House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party has released a report on Taiwan:

House select committee on China urges stockpiling of U.S. weapons to back Taiwan

The House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party released a bipartisan blueprint calling for, among other things, increased production of long-range missiles and unmanned systems to support the strategy lawmakers say is necessary to deter an invasion or blockade of Taiwan by China.

Document: House select committee on China's report on Taiwan

Northrop Grumman this week announced its Eagle-3 spacecraft -- the company's solution for the U.S. military's Next Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared Space, Block 0 Polar (NGP) requirement -- had completed preliminary design review:

Northrop's Next-Gen OPIR Polar design clears important review; onward toward CDR

Northrop Grumman's proposed blueprint for a pair of polar-orbiting satellites intended to provide next-generation ballistic and maneuvering hypersonic missile detection over Arctic regions passed muster with U.S. Space Force Space Systems Command, clearing the project to proceed toward the next planned milestone: critical design review.

Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David Berger spoke this week at a Brookings Institution forum:

Berger: LSM fielding bogged down by Pentagon acquisition process

The Marine Corps' highest-ranking officer is calling on lawmakers to streamline the Pentagon's acquisition process, which he says is slowing down the development and fielding of critical capabilities like the Landing Ship Medium.

Biden taps Brown to be Joint Chiefs chairman
By Tony Bertuca
May 25, 2023 at 2:00 PM

President Biden today announced that he will nominate Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Brown to be the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Brown, if confirmed, would succeed Army Gen. Mark Milley as chairman. Milley, who has held the post since 2019, is set to retire in September.

Brown’s nomination, however, comes as Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) is holding up more than 200 military nominations and promotions over his opposition to DOD’s leave and travel reimbursement policies for military servicemembers seeking abortion services.

Prior to serving as Air Force chief of staff, Brown served as commander of Pacific Air Forces and has also commanded a fighter squadron, two fighter wings, U.S. Air Forces Central Command and the U.S. Air Force Weapons School.

If Brown is confirmed as chairman of the Joint Chiefs, he would join Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin as one of the Pentagon’s top two leaders, marking the first time in U.S. history that both posts are held by African Americans.

The job has not been held by an Air Force officer since Gen. Richard Myers retired in September 2005.

Brown would also be assuming the post at a time when Milley, the current chairman, has called for significant technological transformation of the U.S. military.

At a recent appearance at the Council on Foreign Relations, Brown said he believes artificial intelligence presents an opportunity to “make decisions much faster, or at least cull through the data, so you can actually [know] where you need to prioritize, as an individual to make decisions or employ weapons.”

Additionally, Brown said he believes the United States must strengthen its relationships with key allies.

“You can't guarantee that they're going to be there one way or another, but you can guarantee they're not going to be there if you don't work with them,” he said.

Earlier this year, news broke than an Air Force commander had released a memo predicting that China would invade Taiwan in 2025. Other defense officials have said the United States should be prepared for the invasion by 2027.

Brown, in a February appearance at the Brookings Institute, said speculation about a Taiwan scenario was “not necessarily helpful.”

“It takes away from what we’re really trying to get to do, which is to make sure we’re going to be ready,” he said. “I can’t predict the future, but I can shape it by being ready.”

Air Force science board to receive outbriefs on FY-23 studies
By Shelley K. Mesch
May 25, 2023 at 9:48 AM

The Air Force Scientific Advisory Board will meet June 15 in a closed session to receive final outbriefs on its fiscal year 2023 studies, according to an announcement posted Thursday.

The studies are on assessing advances in aerospace mobility concepts, developmental and operational testing, generative artificial intelligence, air and surface moving target indication and scalable approaches to resilient air operations, according to the notice.

The board conducted these studies to examine key next-generation concepts that are central to the service’s ongoing modernization efforts, according to a previous AFSAB notice.

AM General awarded $4.7B contract for JLTV production
By Dan Schere
May 24, 2023 at 5:49 PM

The Army has awarded AM General a $4.7 billion contract for Joint Light Tactical Vehicles, trailers, kits and services that will support JLTV production, according to a Wednesday Defense Department notice.

The announcement follows the Army’s award of the JLTV follow-on contract to AM General in February over a competing bid from Oshkosh Defense. The follow-on award is potentially worth up to $8 billion.

Oshkosh, the manufacturer of the JLTV since winning the original contract from the Army in 2015, has a protest pending with the Government Accountability Office. GAO has set a deadline of June 14 for the matter to be resolved.

Oshkosh executives have said the Army can continue ordering JLTVs from them through November, meaning the company can produce them through 2024.

Ukraine approved for $285M NASAMS sale
By Tony Bertuca
May 24, 2023 at 4:58 PM

The State Department has approved a potential $285 million sale of National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System units to Ukraine, according to a Defense Security Cooperation Agency statement.

The possible sale also includes one AN/MPQ-64F1 Sentinel Radar, a fire distribution center and other assorted equipment. The principal contractor would be Raytheon Missiles and Defense, Tucson, AZ.

“Ukraine has an urgent need to increase its capabilities to defend against Russian missile strikes and aircraft,” DSCA said. “Acquiring and effectively deploying this capability will enhance Ukraine’s ability to defend its people and protect critical national infrastructure.”

Meanwhile, the United States continues to supply Ukraine with billions of dollars in weapons via presidential “drawdowns” directly from U.S. stocks, and can also ink long-term agreements with contractors using funds from the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative.

The INSIDER daily Digest -- May 24, 2023
By John Liang
May 24, 2023 at 1:57 PM

This Wednesday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on the Air Force's use of space-based intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, a Government Accountability Office report on the F-35 Joint Strike fight program and more.

The Air Force's top cyber official spoke this week at a Mitchell Institute Forum:

Lauderback sees Air Force using space-based ISR for tactical missions

The Air Force will be able to use space-based intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets for tactical purposes, Lt. Gen. Leah Lauderback, deputy chief of staff for ISR and cyber effects operations, suggested on May 17.

A new Government Accountability Office report on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program issued today finds the Defense Department "needs better accountability for global spare parts and reporting of losses worth millions":

GAO: F-35 JPO needs more control over spare parts management

The Defense Department doesn't oversee or account for spare parts for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program and doesn't know the total value or quantity of spares held on non-prime contractor facilities, according to a Government Accountability Office report released Tuesday.

Document: GAO report on F-35 spare parts

The Navy's top uniformed officer talked about artificial intelligence this week during a panel discussion at the Council on Foreign Relations:

Gilday: AI needs 'more governance' for assuming risks, applying capabilities

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Gilday cautioned Monday that more governance is needed for deploying artificial intelligence to manage risk, guide capabilities and inform decision-making.

Defense contractor Ursa Major says it will build and test a prototype of its new 4,000-pound "Draper" engine for hypersonics and further develop its 200,000-pound thrust "Arroway" engine for space launch:

Ursa Major wins hypersonics engine prototype contract

The Air Force Research Lab has awarded Ursa Major a contract to build a prototype storable engine for hypersonic and space launch missions.

Lockheed Martin is self-funding an effort to adapt the PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement for deploying on Navy surface combatants:

Navy ships lack 'capability and capacity' to defeat complex raids; Lockheed offering PAC-3 MSE

Lockheed Martin is offering the most advanced variant of the Patriot interceptor -- the PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement -- to bolster ship defense in the wake of a newly revealed lack of "capability and capacity" to defeat complex raids of hypersonic and cruise missiles.

DOD invests $10M to strengthen U.S. microelectronics company
By Tony Bertuca
May 24, 2023 at 1:00 PM

The Defense Department is investing $10 million to bolster the production line of Six Sigma Services, a California-based microelectronics component specialist company.

The funding, provided via Defense Production Act Title III authorities, will be used to increase Six Sigma’s production capacity for both its “copper solder column manufacturing and column attach processes to enable the production of high-reliability Column Grid Array components (such as Field Programmable Gate Arrays and Application Specific Integrated Circuits) for military and aerospace applications,” DOD said.

The project is scheduled to run for 51 months and will be performed at Six Sigma’s facility in Milpitas, CA.

"This investment ensures critical DOD military and space programs operating in extreme thermal and vibration environments are available to meet the needs of American strategic interests," said Laura Taylor-Kale, assistant secretary of defense for industrial base policy.

The department noted the action is being taken in alignment with President Biden’s February 2021 executive order to strengthen U.S. supply chains for microelectronics manufacturing capability, much of which currently resides in Asia and is prone to potential disruption by China.

Luria appointed to BAE board
By Dan Schere
May 24, 2023 at 11:27 AM

Former congresswoman and retired Navy Cmdr. Elaine Luria has been appointed to BAE Systems' board of directors, the company announced on Wednesday.

Luria, a two-term Democratic representative from Virginia, had served as vice chair of the House Armed Services Committee and a member of the Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security committees. In her quest for re-election, she was defeated by Republican challenger Jen Kiggans in last November’s midterm elections.

Luria spent 20 years on active duty in the Navy, which included serving as a nuclear-trained surface warfare officer, according to a press release from BAE. It included six deployments to the Middle East and Western Pacific.

Kelly Ayotte, chair of BAE’s board and a former Republican U.S. senator from New Hampshire, said in a statement Wednesday that Luria’s “knowledge of national security and our industry is rooted in decades of experience serving on active duty in the U.S. Navy, as well as her time serving in Congress.”

“We are fortunate to have her leadership to help position our company for the future,” Ayotte said.

DOD announces new awards for streamlined tech procurement
By Tony Bertuca
May 24, 2023 at 11:15 AM

The Defense Department today announced more than $140 million in contracts for the latest batch of "Accelerate the Procurement and Fielding of Innovative Technologies" programs, or APFIT, ranging from new unmanned capabilities to training simulators to commercial weather satellites.

The purpose of the pilot APFIT program, which Congress established in the Fiscal Year 2022 National Defense Authorization Act, is to “expeditiously transition technologies from development into production, and to accelerate the fielding of those technologies to the warfighter,” according to DOD.

"I am thrilled to see the increased support from Congress for the APFIT program," said Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Heidi Shyu. "This flexible funding is helping to transform the way the department quickly pivots to procure and field warfighting capability across the military services and defense agencies.”

DOD said APFIT funding is helping to deliver capabilities one to two years earlier than scheduled.

Shyu said the program will be key to helping small companies bridge the “valley of death” between development and production.

"The companies being funded will fill crucial capability gaps,” she said. “Without APFIT funding, these capabilities could take years longer to field.”

APFIT awards must be between $10 million and $50 million. The new awards include:

  • Commercial Satellite Communications Terminals, U.S. Marine Corps, $15 million, Bascom Hunter Technologies, Louisiana
  • Establishes a fully automated production line and initial procurement of transportable satellite terminals to provide assured Naval capability to leverage the latest Low Earth Orbit and Mid Earth Orbit satellite communication constellations
  • Common Air-Launched Munitions Radio, U.S. Air Force, $10 million, Integrated Solutions for Systems, Inc., Alabama
  • Initial low-rate procurement of software defined munitions radios and Technical Data Package to support integration of weapons data links in future Air Force weapons
  • Integrated Air Defense Cameras, Defense Innovation Unit, $16.77 million, Teleidoscope, California
  • Procurement of initial upgraded electro optical/infrared cameras with enhanced capabilities to improve airspace awareness.
  • Minuteman III Code Wheel Replacement, Defense Logistics Agency, $10 million, BC Engineering Products, New Jersey
  • Procurement of new code wheels for replacement of units in the Minuteman III Missile that are more than 40 years beyond planned service life using advanced manufacturing techniques and processes to retain form, fit, and function
  • Mixed Reality Pilot Training Devices, U.S. Marine Corps, $10 million, Bowhead Professional & Technical Solutions, LLC, Virginia
  • Procurement of affordable, smaller, mixed-reality T-45C flight training simulators to augment legacy full-size flight simulators
  • Modern Commercial Weather Satellites, U.S. Space Force, $10.3 million, Tomorrow.io, Massachusetts
  • Procurement and launch of two affordable commercial weather sensing satellites to augment the existing commercially owned, managed, and sustained weather constellation to support weather data-as-a-service use by the military.
  • Multi-Platform Anti-Jam Global Positioning System Antennas, U.S. Army, $19.97 million, Mayflower Communications, Inc., Massachusetts
  • Accelerated procurement of sufficient quantities to achieve optimum price break of anti-jam antennas for fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft.
  • Network Enhancements for Contested Environments, U.S. Navy, $10 million, Adaptive Dynamics Inc, California and Caliola Engineering, Colorado
  • Procurement and integration of software into existing joint tactical radio systems that leverage modified software techniques for enhancing communications in contested environments
  • Tactical Passive Radar for Counter Unmanned Air Systems (UAS), U.S. Army, $10 million, Hidden Level, Inc., New York
  • Procurement of platform agnostic, day/night, modular passive radar capability for small UAS detection and tracking
  • Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) Range Extension using Beyond-Line-of-Sight Communications, U.S. Navy, $10 million, Maritime Applied Physics Corp., Maryland
  • Initial low-rate procurement of USVs and supporting communication systems to enable beyond-line-of-site operations
  • Vertical Take-off and Landing (VTOL) Capable Fixed-Wing Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance Small UAS, U.S. Special Operations Command, $20 million, Quantum-Systems Inc., California
  • Accelerated procurement of Fixed-Wing Small UAS with integrated VTOL capabilities
Ryu named to Defense Policy Board
By Tony Bertuca
May 23, 2023 at 3:41 PM

Rexon Ryu, president of The Asia Group, has been named to the Defense Policy Board, according to a Pentagon announcement.

Ryu is also board chair of The Asia Group Foundation and co-host of the Tea Leaves Podcast.

“He has more than 25 years of experience working in global diplomacy, national policymaking, and executive leadership,” the Pentagon said. “Over his career, Mr. Ryu served three presidents at the highest levels, working extensively with Congress on foreign policy and national security challenges. Notably, he worked to expand strategic alliances and relationships, project influence globally, employ U.S. power against adversaries, prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and plan for future challenges and opportunities in Asia and the Middle East.”

Ryu’s appointment comes ahead of a classified June 13-14 DPB meeting where members will “explore and evaluate aggressive action and territorial dispute scenarios in the Indo-Pacific, exploring long-term impacts on regional and global strategic interests and implications for U.S. alliances around the world,” according to the Pentagon.

The INSIDER daily digest -- May 23, 2023
By John Liang
May 23, 2023 at 1:57 PM

This Tuesday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, the military's use of artificial intelligence, a multibillion-dollar hypersonic engine contract and more.

A new Government Accountability Office report on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program issued today finds the Defense Department "needs better accountability for global spare parts and reporting of losses worth millions":

GAO: F-35 JPO needs more control over spare parts management

The Defense Department doesn't oversee or account for spare parts for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program and doesn't know the total value or quantity of spares held on non-prime contractor facilities, according to a Government Accountability Office report released Tuesday.

Document: GAO report on F-35 spare parts

The Navy's top uniformed officer spoke this week at the Council on Foreign Relations:

Gilday: AI needs 'more governance' for assuming risks, applying capabilities

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Gilday cautioned Monday that more governance is needed for deploying artificial intelligence to manage risk, guide capabilities and inform decision-making.

Under a new 12-month, "eight-figure" contract, Ursa Major says it will build and test a prototype of its new 4,000-pound "Draper" engine for hypersonics and further develop its 200,000-pound thrust "Arroway" engine for space launch:

Ursa Major wins hypersonics engine prototype contract

The Air Force Research Lab has awarded Ursa Major a contract to build a prototype storable engine for hypersonic and space launch missions.

Lockheed Martin is self-funding an effort to adapt the PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement as a lower-tier, hit-to-kill capability for Navy surface combatants:

Navy ships lack 'capability and capacity' to defeat complex raids; Lockheed offering PAC-3 MSE

Lockheed Martin is offering the most advanced variant of the Patriot interceptor -- the PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement -- to bolster ship defense in the wake of a newly revealed lack of "capability and capacity" to defeat complex raids of hypersonic and cruise missiles.

A Government Accountability Office report issue late last week finds that the Air Force "has yet to resolve significant issues with the Advanced Pilot Trainer, including with its escape system and other components critical to achieving requirements":

Advanced Trainer Jet 10 years behind its initial plans, GAO reports

The Air Force is working toward creating a new system of modern training jets and simulators but is nearly a decade behind initial plans, according to a May 18 Government Accountability Office report.

Document: GAO report on advanced trainer jet