The Insider

Army Futures Command's innovation lab is casting a wide net to industry to find ready-made systems that can integrate with the service's next-generation network for experiments with the 4th Infantry Division next year.

The Army Applications Laboratory put out a call for solutions this morning that focuses on the area from the ground to a few thousand feet up, or the “Air-Ground Littoral,” which is fit for small unmanned aerial systems and unmanned ground vehicles, according to the notice.

“This emergent domain presents both offensive and defensive challenges,” the Army notice says.

Selected submissions from industry will integrate with the 4ID at Fort Carson, CO, in early 2026, according to the Army. The systems should be compatible with the service’s Next Generation Command and Control program, which is being rapidly prototyped by the Command, Control, Communications and Network program office over the next year and a half.

The experiments are estimated to last about one year with the potential for follow-on experimentation, testing or deployment, according to the Army. It lists eight “capability focus areas” in its call for solutions, and companies must submit mature technologies that match at least one of them.

“Potential solutions for experimentation with 4ID should address challenges related to movement and maneuver, mission command, intelligence gathering, reconnaissance and target acquisition, fires, sustainment, protection, or information within this space,” the call for solutions says.

The Army asks companies to submit “Innovative Capability Solutions,” which should summarize their concept, relate it to at least one of the Army’s capability focus areas, detail its network compatibility and explain how it can give the service the sufficient number of systems that allow for “a meaningful experiment in early 2026 to be ready for insertion into 4ID formations.”

Submissions will be judged based on how well they fit the government’s technical requirements, feasibility of integrating the system into 4ID for experimentation and, if a company requires funding, the Army will assess its rough order of magnitude submission to decide whether it’s a worthwhile purchase.

Responses from industry are due Sept. 5, according to the Army.

This Monday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on an Air Force office sending out software stacks to be integrated into major commands, the Army working on innovative ways to evacuate wounded soldiers and more.

The Air Force's Command, Control, Communication and Battle Management program office has grown from a budget of about $250 million with a staff of 200 to a budget topping $1 billion with thousands of people, significantly changing how the office works:

Air Force office deploying C2 digital infrastructure 'earned' new set of tasks, lead says

The Air Force's Command, Control, Communication and Battle Management program office has been sending out software stacks to be integrated into major commands and other Defense Department organizations, the office's leader said, meeting its first goals.

The capability for heavy lift unmanned aerial systems is here, although "it's not exactly where we need it yet, but it’s rapidly scaling," a senior Army official said recently:

Army may turn to robots to move casualties as war turns more violent

As the Army develops drones capable of heavy lifting, it could use them to pick up casualties and transport plasma in the event of a bloodier future battlefield, according to the acting commanding general of Army Materiel Command.

Over the past few years, the Navy has focused on the experimental aspect of unmanned technology, but is now transitioning to the operational side, a service official said last week:

Navy prepares to deploy first hybrid carrier strike group by end of 2026

As China continues to build up its navy -- sparking concerns of a potential Taiwanese invasion by 2027 -- the U.S. military is seeking to rapidly acquire innovative solutions, with plans to deploy unmanned vessels within a carrier strike group in 2026.

Army Col. Ken Bernier, who managed both programs under the Ground Combat Systems program office, told audience members during a panel on Wednesday that "it's super important to remember" Booker and RCV were success stories:

Booker and RCV were successes, project manager argues

The project manager of the cancelled M10 Booker and Robotic Combat Vehicle is arguing the two programs were far from failures even after the Army's top civilian leader in May lambasted the Booker as a showcase for "the Army doing something wrong."

A recent Army uncrewed aerial systems summit comes just after Hegseth issued his "Unleashing U.S. Military Drone Dominance" memo, which transfers management of the Blue List, a list of Pentagon-approved drones and parts that comply with regulatory statutes in the Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act, from the Defense Innovation Unit to the Defense Contract Management Agency:

With UAS summit at Ft. Rucker, Army aims to identify drones soldiers want in their units

With Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth having directed the Army to field unmanned aerial systems and Launched Effects in every division by the end of fiscal year 2026, the service is using a summit at Ft. Rucker, AL this week to quickly identify commercial systems that could be rapidly fielded.

The Space Force "successfully" tested multiple antennas at the Deep-Space Advanced Radar Capability Site 1, according to prime contractor Northrop Grumman, marking a "significant step" toward operational capability.

The demonstration used seven of DARC’s 27 antennas based in Western Australia to show the array could function as a single system to identify the movement of multiple satellites, the company said in a news release issued last week.

“Northrop Grumman’s DARC will provide a strategic advantage at a scale never before achieved in global space domain awareness,” said Kevin Giammo, Northrop Grumman’s director of Space Surveillance and Environmental Intelligence. “Its ability to track multiple small moving objects over 22,000 miles above earth will offer unmatched persistent and comprehensive capability as the world’s premier deep-space radar tracking system.”

The Space Force has said Site 1 will be fully operational in 2027, and full operational capability for the entire system -- which includes Site 2 in the United Kingdom and Site 3 in the U.S. -- is expected in fiscal year 2032, according to recent budget documents.

Signed in September 2023, the memorandum of understanding between the three countries lasts 22 years. Through the agreement, DARC is designed to be an all-weather system to track objects in geosynchronous orbit that could pose a threat to U.S. and allied satellites and services.

The Space Force awarded Northrop $200 million last year to build Site 2. The service at the time said a contract for site 3 could be expected this calendar year.

This Friday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on the possibility of uncrewed surface vessels deploying with carrier battle groups soon, the Air Force's Command, Control, Communication and Battle Management program, the Army developing heavy-lift unmanned aerial systems and more.

Unmanned surface vessels could deploy with U.S. carrier strike groups by the end of next year:

Navy prepares to deploy first hybrid carrier strike group by end of 2026

As China continues to build up its navy -- sparking concerns of a potential Taiwanese invasion by 2027 -- the U.S. military is seeking to rapidly acquire innovative solutions, with plans to deploy unmanned vessels within a carrier strike group in 2026.

News on the Air Force's Command, Control, Communication and Battle Management program:

Air Force office deploying C2 digital infrastructure 'earned' new set of tasks, lead says

The Air Force's Command, Control, Communication and Battle Management program office has been sending out software stacks to be integrated into major commands and other Defense Department organizations, the office's leader said, meeting its first goals.

The capability for heavy-lift unmanned aerial systems is here, although "it's not exactly where we need it yet, but it's rapidly scaling," according to a senior Army general:

Army may turn to robots to move casualties as war turns more violent

As the Army develops drones capable of heavy lifting, it could use them to pick up casualties and transport plasma in the event of a bloodier future battlefield, according to the acting commanding general of Army Materiel Command.

Army Col. Ken Bernier, who managed the cancelled M10 Booker and Robotic Combat Vehicle programs under the Ground Combat Systems program office, told audience members during a panel this week that "it’s super important to remember" the two efforts were success stories:

Booker and RCV were successes, project manager argues

The project manager of the cancelled M10 Booker and Robotic Combat Vehicle is arguing the two programs were far from failures even after the Army's top civilian leader in May lambasted the Booker as a showcase for "the Army doing something wrong."

An Army industry summit taking place this week consists of a series of training activities and demonstrations, including maneuver support, reconnaissance and remote breaching:

With UAS summit at Ft. Rucker, Army aims to identify drones soldiers want in their units

With Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth having directed the Army to field unmanned aerial systems and Launched Effects in every division by the end of fiscal year 2026, the service is using a summit at Ft. Rucker, AL this week to quickly identify commercial systems that could be rapidly fielded.

The Defense Innovation Unit and U.S. Indo-Pacific Command are launching a competition to develop new technologies to rapidly collect, organize and use data for AI-driven military decisions.

The 2025 Blue Object Management Challenge will focus on solutions capable of real-time tracking and coordination for “blue objects” -- a term for friendly assets including U.S. warfighters, equipment and infrastructure -- to support accurate, real-time awareness for commanders in changing and contested operational environments, DIU said.

To speed up effective decision making across Defense Department missions, INDOPACOM and DIU are looking for adaptable data integration, dynamic databases and sensing technologies to power AI-enabled insights for blue object management.

Submissions should be capable of integrating multiple technologies for AI-powered insights for tracking and coordination of friendly assets, and companies should be able to produce and test a solution prototype at a rapid pace, DIU said.

Up to 10 finalists could be selected for eligibility to participate in a 12-week accelerator program and a portion of the overall $500,000 in prize awards.

The accelerator would allow participants to directly interact with DOD mission partners, test and validate their solutions for defense applications and engage with a network of private investors and commercial partners, DIU said.

The program will include bi-weekly virtual programming and three in-person engagements -- a pitch event in California and two demonstration events with the U.S. mission partner in Hawaii.

Selected companies may also be eligible for follow-on opportunities including but not limited to Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) awards, Other Transaction agreements, traditional contracts and cooperative research and development agreements (CRADAs), as well as participation in an INDOPACOM-led test and evaluation exercise, DIU said.

Applications are open starting today through Sept. 5. Finalists will be announced the week of Sept. 22, with the accelerator scheduled to launch in late September and end in early December, DIU said.

This Wednesday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on the Army charting a way forward for uncrewed aerial systems, plus the Pentagon wanting a different way to loan weapon systems to countries like Ukraine and more.

Just because the Army canceled several uncrewed aerial system programs doesn't mean it doesn't need such a capability:

Army moving out on strategy for brigade-level UAS, Gray Eagle successor

Three months after the sweeping Army Transformation Initiative spelled out the planned sunset of the Gray Eagle drone system and canceled the Future Tactical Unmanned System competition, the service is charting a way forward for both efforts.

The Pentagon has submitted a legislative proposal that would allow it to loan weapons to countries like Ukraine:

DOD wants to loan foreign nations weapons for joint R&D, potentially opening door for Ukraine

The Defense Department is seeking authority from Congress to loan U.S. weapons to any foreign nation -- not just NATO allies or major non-NATO allies -- to support cooperative research, development, testing and evaluation programs aimed at helping those countries defend themselves against aggression.

Document: DOD's FY-26 legislative proposals packages

A new Geothermal for Installations effort targets continuous and reliable power across Defense Department installations by mitigating risks associated with geothermal technology development and spurring geothermal power plant construction:

DIU expands, updates geothermal initiative

The Pentagon's innovation engine has added an array of new partners and projects over the past two years to its wide-ranging campaign aimed at providing U.S. military installations with more resilient energy sources through geothermal technology, the Defense Innovation Unit announced this week.

The Army this week announced plans for potential firm, fixed-price contract acquisition orders for the M88A2 recovery vehicle:

Army surveying companies to produce M88A2

The Army is gauging industry interest in building its vehicle for winching, hoisting and towing ground combat systems following the service's recent decision to abandon an upgraded version.

The Navy intends to award multiple contracts to industry members tasked with performing "concept refinement studies" for the Next Generation Logistics Ship program:

Navy to award 'concept refinement' contracts for Next-gen Logistics Ship

The Navy is preparing to award concept refinement contracts before the end of the fiscal year for a new class of small logistics ship intended to refuel, rearm and resupply Navy and Marine Corps platforms and installations, according to a presolicitation notice for the Next Generation Logistics Ship program.

ULA's Vulcan successfully launched last evening, the company said, marking the rocket's long-awaited first National Security Space Launch.

The rocket lifted off at 8:56 p.m. from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida carrying the USSF-106 mission. Vulcan placed the space vehicles -- Navigation Technology Satellite-3 and a classified Space Force payload -- into geosynchronous Earth orbit.

“Vulcan did exactly what it was built to do: deliver a critical mission with power, precision and confidence,” ULA Vice President of Government and Commercial Programs Gary Wentz said. “We are proud to play a role in strengthening the nation’s space capabilities.”

The successful launch comes after years of delays certifying the rocket for NSSL missions. The Space Force certified Vulcan in March, allowing the rocket to fly missions with low risk tolerance.