The Insider

By Tony Bertuca
November 1, 2024 at 4:26 PM

The INSIDER starts with news from the Air Force chief staff lamenting the ongoing continuing resolution and also includes news about companies teaming up on the Collaborative Combat Aircraft, the Navy secretary extending the service lives of 12 destroyers and more.

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin says the service is being hurt by the CR:

Allvin: Yearly CRs contribute to a ‘death by 1,000 cuts’ to Air Force programs

Year after year, long-term continuing resolutions have strangled the defense budgetary process, which Air Force officials say is exhausting time that could have been spent on advancing capabilities and blurring the service’s vision about what it might need to maintain superiority over the nation’s adversaries.

GA-ASI and BAE are teaming up to bring some new EW capabilities to the Air Force’s CCA program:

General Atomics, BAE collaborate on electronic warfare capabilities for CCAs

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems and BAE Systems are working together to build autonomous electronic warfare functions for Collaborative Combat Aircraft, GA-ASI announced today.

The Navy secretary wants 12 destroyers to stay in the fleet longer than planned:

SECNAV announces service life extensions for 12 destroyers

The Navy will extend its operational use of 12 Flight I Arleigh Burke-class destroyers by up to five years beyond their intended 35-year service lives, according to a Thursday announcement from service secretary Carlos Del Toro.

A selected acquisition report shows plans to increase Patriot missile buys:

Pentagon report estimates increased quantity of PAC-3 MSE missiles through FY-29

The Pentagon expects to have about 500 more Patriot Advanced Capability-3 Missile Segment Enhancement missiles than previously anticipated, according to a Selected Acquisition Report dated Dec. 31, 2023, that was released publicly last month.

And shipbuilder HII is working to hire a more seasoned workforce:

HII to pivot to new hiring technique, focus more on experienced workers

Amid program delays and cost increases in the most recent financial quarter, shipbuilder HII is pivoting to a different hiring method by focusing on recruitment of experienced employees rather than a green workforce.

By Thomas Duffy
October 31, 2024 at 4:33 PM

Today’s INSIDER Daily Digest starts with a deep dive into a private funding plan for the Navy’s submarine industrial base, more Microelectronics Commons news, Oshkosh believes it can make up for the loss of a combat vehicle contract with a postal truck, and some cyber news on the zero trust front.

The Navy thinks it has landed on a plan to boost its industrial base funding:

What investors, industry could gain from the Navy’s big bet on private equity

The Navy is in the early stages of a novel plan to funnel private money into the submarine industrial base. For the private equity group tapped as the service’s partner in this effort, tax incentives, enduring demand for submarines and a tenant-focused business model make this foray into shipbuilding a low-risk venture with promising returns.

There seems to be a rare opportunity to speed up national defense microchips:

Microelectronics Commons eyes framework to scale in chip production

There is near-unanimous agreement among stakeholders in Microelectronics Commons that the initiative is a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” to accelerate the domestic prototyping and production of microchips for national defense, according to one of the program’s leaders.

A new postal truck may make up for a contractor’s lost combat vehicle contract:

Oshkosh to offset lost JLTV contract pains with new postal service van

Oshkosh Defense reported a near 14% uptick in sales for this year’s third quarter despite dropping off in Joint Light Tactical Vehicle deliveries, senior officials reported during an earnings call Wednesday. They chalked up the boost mostly to low-rate production of a new delivery truck for the United States Postal Service, along with sales increases for its heavy and medium tactical vehicles and aftermarket parts.

Civilian agencies have been given some advice on working zero trust issues with the Navy:

Microsoft's Faehl: Civilian agencies should map zero trust work to Navy solution architecture, red teaming efforts

Government leaders plotting the next steps for civilian agencies in their zero trust journey should look to a solution architecture from the Navy as a model for implementation and apply a similar red-teaming approach for assurance, according to Microsoft chief federal security officer Steve Faehl.

By Vanessa Montalbano
October 30, 2024 at 4:40 PM

The Space Force posted its annual request for National Security Space Launch Phase 3 Lane 1 proposals, offering new companies the chance to enter the vendor pool for these launch services.

This is the first on-ramp opportunity to join the vendor pool since the initial contracts were awarded to Blue Origin, SpaceX and United Launch Alliance in June.

Proposals for the contract are due by Dec. 13, and Space Systems Command plans to announce awards in the spring. Prospective contractors should have plans for a first launch by December 2025.

“Our NSSL Phase 3 strategy is designed to leverage the innovative commercial launch market to diversify our launch solutions with new systems able to launch more risk-tolerant space vehicles to traditionally commercial orbits,” said Col. Douglas Pentecost, SSC’s Assured Access to Space deputy program executive officer. “Emerging launch service providers are able to on-ramp each year to the NSSL Phase 3 Lane 1 contract when their launch systems are ready giving us more diversity and competition.”

Companies that join the vendor pool will be able to compete for task orders for about 30 missions each year.

Lane 1 vendors do not need to meet the same bar that Lane 2 vendors do, as those are missions with less risk tolerance. Lane 2 vendors must become certified to launch those missions, and currently only SpaceX holds the certification as ULA is waiting to hear whether they secured certification or not.

Lane 2 contracts likely won’t be awarded until the fiscal year 2025 budget is passed.

By Thomas Duffy
October 30, 2024 at 1:34 PM

This midweek INSIDER Daily Digest begins with a look to the future of Army combat vehicles, some bad news for taxpayers on Air Force spending, news from the Microelectronics Commons community, and our colleagues at Inside Cybersecurity report on zero trust issues.

The Army says its next combat vehicle will be a very big fuel saver:

New Abrams tank will be first hybrid-electric combat vehicle, Army under secretary says

The newest version of the Abrams tank, known as the M1E3, will be the Army’s first hybrid-electric combat vehicle, leveraging lessons learned from the Ukrainian battlefield, a senior defense official said Monday.

The Air Force bought some really expensive soap dispensers:

Air Force overpaid $149,072 for C-17 soap dispensers

Boeing unfairly charged the Air Force for 12 out of 46 C-17 Globemaster spare part items, including a 7,943% markup for lavatory soap dispensers, according to a report the Pentagon's inspector general released today.

The Pentagon expects to release its next set of microelectronics projects late next year:

Next Microelectronics Commons call for projects to come late next year

The Defense Department plans to release the next Microelectronics Commons call for projects at the beginning of fiscal year 2026, a senior defense official said today.

An industry executive discussed how companies can work through zero trust issues:

Microsoft Federal CTO: Civilian agencies should map zero trust work to Navy solution architecture, red teaming efforts

Government leaders plotting the next steps for civilian agencies in their zero trust journey should look to a solution architecture from the Navy as a model for implementation and apply a similar red-teaming approach for assurance, according to Microsoft Federal chief technology officer Steve Faehl.

By Theresa Maher
October 30, 2024 at 10:43 AM

The Defense Science Board will meet to discuss its 2024 summer study on Nov. 13, according to a Federal Register notice posted Wednesday.

The closed-door meeting will include a classified overview of the objectives for the 2024 Summer Study on Advanced Capabilities for Potential Future Conflict. The board will then deliberate and vote on updating the classified findings and recommendations of the 2024 summer study.

The announcement comes less than a month after DSB’s most recent closed-door meeting, during which the panel was scheduled to brief Pentagon leadership on classified findings and recommendations from several studies and board task forces. Chief among those discussed was the 2024 summer study, which has been shrouded in secrecy since its inception.

By Thomas Duffy
October 29, 2024 at 2:44 PM

This Tuesday INSIDER Daily Digest starts off with a look at a massive environmental review of the proposed missile defense site on Guam, the Defense Department issues a roadmap for its new industrial base strategy, an industry group has questions on how CMMC requirements will move through the systems, and congressional members want the White House budget office to examine the Navy’s submarine funding plan.

The Pentagon has released a very big environmental review of the future Guam missile defense project:

DOD identifies key elements of Guam Defense System, proposes 16 sites, 1,000 operators

The Defense Department has, for the first time, outlined major components of a planned 360-degree air and missile defense system for Guam in a legally required report intended to inform the public -- specifically the island’s residents and their elected leaders -- about the environmental impacts of the system.

The Defense Department is spelling out how its new industrial base strategy will be paid for:

DOD releases defense industrial strategy implementation plan to guide spending

The Defense Department has released an implementation plan for its first-ever National Defense Industrial Strategy detailing planned investments in Army munitions, Navy submarines, and other key areas.

A leading industry group has questions about CMMC requirements:

NDIA questions Defense Dept. flow down of CMMC requirements from prime to subcontractors under final program rule

The National Defense Industrial Association is raising concerns over how prime contractors will determine the maturity level needed for subcontracts and work through flow down requirements under the Pentagon’s final rule to establish the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program.

Several lawmakers are asking for a thorough review of the Navy’s submarine spending plans:

Lawmakers urge OMB to ‘carefully assess’ submarine funding proposal, whack Navy over lack of transparency

A bipartisan group of senators has issued a cautious endorsement of an as-of-yet undetailed Navy proposal aiming to combat submarine delays and cost overruns by restructuring how the vessels are paid for, urging the Pentagon to closely examine the plan while requesting greater transparency from the Navy.

By Abby Shepherd
October 29, 2024 at 2:40 PM

The Navy is seeking information on autonomous capabilities for various purposes, including the ability for autonomous underwater and surface vehicles to react to sensor observations without the need for an operator, according to a request for information posted last week.

Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division is interested in technologies that can avoid obstacles, track and follow targets based on sensor input, replan routes, reprioritize tasks in real time and monitor sensor health.

The naval division is also requesting information on “capabilities for localizing and monitoring seabed infrastructure using uncrewed underwater vehicles (UUVs) and uncrewed surface vehicles (USVs),” in another notice posted last week.

Submissions should include information on automatic target recognition to be used to detect, localize, avoid and monitor seabed infrastructure and obstacles. This type of infrastructure and obstacles include cables, pipes, mine-like objects, nets, boulders and wrecks in the water.

The Navy is requesting technology that can fulfill all the capabilities listed above, without an operator in the loop.

“Technologies capable of externally monitoring the status of seabed infrastructure without having direct contact or access to the infrastructure (such as automatically assessing damage or changes in infrastructure via acoustic, visual, magnetic, or other sensing mechanisms) over an extended time period involving multiple UUV or USV missions in an area are also of interest,” the notice adds.

Responses to both Navy RFIs are due by November 26.

By Dan Schere
October 29, 2024 at 12:07 PM

The Army awarded Sikorsky a $1.2 billion contract modification for foreign military sales of the Black Hawk helicopter to Austria, Brazil, Greece, Sweden and Thailand, according to a Pentagon contract notice posted Oct. 28. The contract has an estimated completion date of Dec. 31, 2027.

Sikorsky, a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin, received contract awards to grow the UH-60M fleet in Australia, Brazil, Sweden and Thailand on Oct. 23, the company announced today.

The company also announced today that it would be providing 35 UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters to Greece, as well as training equipment.

Hamid Salim, Sikorsky’s vice president of Army and Air Force systems, said in a statement that the company’s partnership with Greece spans decades, “and we are pleased to see the nation’s continued trust in Sikorsky helicopters as Greece will benefit from an integrated Hawk family of aircraft supporting national security and humanitarian missions.”

The foreign military sale is meant to “significantly improve self-defense and bolster interoperability within the nation and with NATO allies,” according to Sikorsky.

Greece will become the 12th nation in Europe to operate the Black Hawk, the company noted. The U.S. government has awarded 84 UH-60M Black Hawks to Europe, Asia, South America and the Middle East in 2024.

By Dominic Minadeo
October 29, 2024 at 11:18 AM

The Army is asking industry to show off rugged screen displays for its Joint Light Tactical Vehicle to see if there might be cheaper, better performing alternatives to the current one.

“The intent is to gain industry feedback on the high-level technical performance requirements, timing and pricing of potential alternatives for the driver display unit,” the request for information, which was updated this morning, says.

The Defense Department first posted the RFI on Oct. 8. The response date was originally Dec. 20, but that deadline’s been pushed back to Jan. 17.

The vehicle, under the Combat Support & Combat Service Support program executive office, is designed to replace the Army’s humvee. The Army plans on investing nearly $3 billion in JLTVs starting this fiscal year and through FY-29.

“Reliability, durability, affordability and long-term production are highly desirable to maintain operational readiness of the JLTV fleet,” the RFI says.

The Army is asking industry to submit replies in two phases.

The first asks for responses to a series of questions dealing with specifics, like the size of the display and whether it’s a touchscreen; what kinds of input and output connectors it complies with and certain durability and reliability requirements, among other questions. Phase one was originally due Oct. 17, but that’s now bumped to Nov. 19.

The second phase asks for responses to questions concerning how long it might take vendors to assemble a prototype and test it, what kinds of parts they will need, how they might deal with cybersecurity risks and how much it all might cost.

The responses to phase two are due Jan. 17, and industry can resubmit answers to the questions from the first phase if they want.

“The requested feedback will help to ensure the final JLTV display solution is achievable within cost, schedule, and performance constraints,” the RFI says.

By Thomas Duffy
October 28, 2024 at 12:17 PM

This Monday INSIDER starts with the Army revamping its industrial base, a missile defense radar may be in for some changes, a new Space Force contract, the White House releases a memo on artificial intelligence, and more.

The Army is looking to beef up its industrial base in part due to the Ukraine war:

Army reprioritizing organic industrial base modernization as Ukraine war rolls on

In the spring of 2022, the Army was in the process of rolling out its 15-year organic industrial base modernization plan. Russia's invasion of Ukraine was also beginning around the same time, recalled Richard Martin, Army Materiel Command's executive director for supply chain management last week during an interview at the Association of the U.S. Army's annual trade show.

An Army missile defense radar may see some production cuts:

Army braces for LTAMDS procurement cut and production milestone review in FY-25

The Army is bracing for the possibility that its plans to acquire a full-battalion set of its next-generation Patriot radar as part of the inaugural purchase could be significantly tripped up if lawmakers don't reinstate the Pentagon's full funding request in fiscal year 2025 for the Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor program.

The Space Force is adding millions to an existing satellite contract:

Space Force expands Millennium Space Systems contract to replace RTX on Epoch 1

The Space Force awarded Millennium Space Systems an additional $386 million for another six satellites for the Epoch 1 Missile Track Custody program, expanding the company's work to fill the space left when the service canceled RTX's contract.

President Biden issued a new memorandum on the use of artificial intelligence:

Biden signs new natsec memo to boost AI procurement; Sullivan says U.S. must start 'upping our game'

President Biden signed a first-of-its-kind national security memorandum today directing new U.S. efforts to harness the power of artificial intelligence and streamline its procurement to maintain a competitive advantage over China.

Several new systems were demonstrated in a recent U.S.-Australia exercise:

Autonomous vessels, balloons and network systems tested during AUKUS maritime experimentation series

The United States, United Kingdom and Australia are wrapping up three weeks of maritime experimentation using uncrewed systems and a variety of other emerging technologies, Pentagon officials said Wednesday, describing the event as an important step toward collaboratively developing and operating capabilities under AUKUS Pillar II.

By Tony Bertuca
October 28, 2024 at 5:00 AM

Senior defense officials are scheduled to speak at several public events this week.

Monday

The annual Microelectronics Commons meeting is held in Washington. The event runs through Wednesday.

Tuesday

The Hudson Institute and National Defense Industrial Association host a discussion on advancing joint experimentation.

Wednesday

CyberTalks 2024 is held in Washington.

The Center for Strategic and International Studies hosts a discussion on the National Defense Industrial Strategy.

Thursday

The American Enterprise Institute hosts a discussion with Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin.

By Shelley K. Mesch
October 24, 2024 at 4:04 PM

The Space Force yesterday awarded Northrop Grumman another $1.8 billion for the two early warning satellites it will now carry through build to launch to transition to operations, bringing the total for the program to $4.16 billion.

The Next Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared Polar will consist of two satellites in highly elliptical orbit to watch for various missile types that could pass over the North Pole, which Space Systems Command says is the fastest path for most missiles that could threaten the homeland.

The initial launch date for Next Gen OPIR Polar is scheduled for fiscal year 2028 with the second satellite launching in FY-30. It is set to replace the Space-Based Infrared System and be more resilient to counter-space capabilities while offering better missile defense capabilities and battlespace awareness.

The program passed critical design review in the summer along with Northrop’s Future Operationally Resilient Ground Evolution ground station.

By Shelley K. Mesch
October 24, 2024 at 3:39 PM

The Space Development Agency picked 19 companies to comprise its first vendor pool to solicit and rapidly award prototype contracts for demonstration satellites.

The non-traditional defense companies won indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contracts for the Hybrid Acquisition for Proliferated Low-Earth Orbit (HALO), SDA announced yesterday. The initial agreement is valued at $20,000, but as contract holders, they can now compete for other transaction agreements.

The orders will focus on rapid, end-to-end mission demonstrations with launches of two identical satellites within 18 months of the award.

The first HALO orders will coincide with the Tranche 2 Demonstration and Experimentation System and will demonstrate feasibility of proliferation for future data links.

“Through HALO, SDA has an even faster and more flexible contracting mechanism in place to compete and award T2DES and other SDA demonstration projects,” said SDA Director Derek Tournear. “We believe HALO will also increase the pool of performers capable of bidding on future SDA programs, including participation in layers of future tranches.”

The companies awarded the contracts are Airbus U.S. Space & Defense, Apex Technology, AST Space Mobile, Astro Digital, Capella Space, CesiumAstro, Firefly Aerospace, Geneva Technologies, Impulse Space, Kepler Communications, Kuiper Government Solutions, LeoStella, Momentous Space, Muon Space, NovaWurks, SpaceX, Turion Space, Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems and York Space Systems.

The companies submitted proposals for at least one of three representative orders: the S-band payload Europa, the translator satellite Titan or the tracking dual function Deimos. They will now compete for more specific orders, according to SDA.

By John Liang
October 24, 2024 at 1:34 PM

This Thursday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on defense contractors' quarterly earnings as well as a Defense Intelligence Agency report on the nuclear programs of Russia, China, North Korea and Iran.

We start off with coverage of Northrop Grumman, Boeing and General Dynamics quarterly earnings:

Northrop expecting second lot contract for B-21 by end of year

Northrop Grumman expects to be awarded a contract for the second low-rate initial production lot for the B-21 Raider bomber by the end of the year, CEO Kathy Warden said today.

Boeing CEO says company must fundamentally change as defense unit logs $2 billion charge

Defense manufacturing giant Boeing is again hemorrhaging money, but CEO Kelly Ortberg says the company can pivot back to prior success via better discipline in its "tough contracts" and a focus on risk management in future ones.

Boeing adds $217 million loss on MQ-25 Stingray

Boeing has added a loss of $217 million for the MQ-25 Stingray program, according to company earnings released this week.

GD execs: Submarine supply chain not improving fast enough, program costs rising

The submarine supply chain is not improving fast enough, according to General Dynamics executives, who today said the company is slowing construction work to match the sluggish pace of component deliveries.

A new Defense Intelligence Agency report "provides an updated, unclassified overview of the nuclear programs of Russia, China, North Korea and Iran":

DIA: China on track to have more than 1,000 operational nukes by 2030, faster than expected

China is growing its nuclear force at a faster rate than previously forecast and will have more than 1,000 operational warheads fielded by 2030 on delivery systems capable of striking the United States, according to a new Defense Intelligence Agency report on the growing nuclear capabilities of strategic competitors and regional rivals.

Document: DIA report on nuclear challenges

By Vanessa Montalbano
October 24, 2024 at 1:17 PM

The Air Force wants to deploy low-collateral-effects interceptor technologies against small unmanned aerial systems in future battles, according to a request for information issued today.

The counter autonomous aircraft would be able to defeat so-called Group 1 and 2 enemy systems -- or platforms which weigh up to 55 lbs and operate below 3,500 feet above ground level at roughly 250 knots of speed -- using “hard-kill systems” that limit damage nearby, the service wrote in the RFI.

“All interceptor systems must be hosted on air vehicles that can be determined to be air-worthy by the government,” the contracting authority Air Force Materiel Command stated. Additionally, the aircraft must be “based on or derived from U.S. components and electronics” and “have sufficient flight hours and reliability data.”

The Air Force is seeking industry answers to questions regarding whether the technology can be interchangeable, deploy several effects to different targets simultaneously or what its engagement success rate is at night versus daytime. The service is also interested in the potential product’s top speed, payload, weight and loiter time, plus documentation of any kind of environmental or performance testing that has already been conducted.

The filing asks businesses with knowledge of such capabilities, or which have existing products aligned with the service’s specifications, to respond to the service by Nov. 24.