The Insider

This Tuesday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on strategic deterrence, the Air Force's Collaborative Combat Aircraft program, the Pentagon's Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program and more.

The Fiscal Year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act includes a provision that requires the defense secretary by the end of March to contract a university-affiliated research center with expertise in strategic deterrence "to conduct research and analysis on multipolar deterrence and escalation dynamics":

DOD to solicit independent assessment of multipolar strategic challenges

The Defense Department is looking for help thinking through the complexities of deterrence and escalation dynamics in a world with more than two major nuclear-armed powers, fulfilling a statutory mandate to seek outside expertise in thinking anew about strategic deterrence with the advent of China as a second near-peer strategic competitor.

The Air Force's Collaborative Combat Aircraft program is at a virtual standstill, with Congress being so far unable to reach a long-term deal to fund the federal government since the fiscal year ended in September:

Congressional spending debate may cause CCA experimental unit progress to stall

Congressional back and forth over the annual appropriations bill is stalling progress on a key experimentation effort led by the Air Force to field autonomous fighter platforms.

The latest on the Pentagon's Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program from our colleagues at Inside Cybersecurity:

Professional Services Council raises concerns over implementing CMMC program through contracting supply chain

The Professional Services Council is supportive of the Pentagon's plans to allow self assessment for less sensitive information held by defense contractors under the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program, while recognizing that contracting officers could still decide to choose a higher level of security than needed to ensure adequate protection of the information on nonfederal systems.

A new Defense Department inspector general's report determines "the extent to which the DOD conducted enhanced end-use monitoring (EEUM) of designated defense articles to Ukraine in accordance with DOD policy":

DOD says sensitive weapons sent to Ukraine were not 'diverted'

The Defense Department inspector general says that the U.S. military has failed to comply with enhanced tracking requirements for thousands of technologically sensitive weapons sent to Ukraine, but the Pentagon asserts there is "no credible evidence" that the unaccounted-for weapons have been stolen or diverted elsewhere.

Document: DOD IG report on EEUM to Ukraine

Rocket Lab National Security is a third vendor joining the team of Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, who were previously awarded a total amount of $1.5 billion to build 72 T2TL Beta variant satellites in August last year:

Rocket Lab to build additional 18 T2TL Beta space vehicles for SDA

The Space Development Agency announced Monday it has awarded a $515 million contract to Rocket Lab National Security to build 18 additional Tranche 2 Transport Layer-Beta variant satellites, an increase in the size of the constellation from 72 to 90 space vehicles.

Lawmakers have released another short-term proposal to fund the federal government through early March in the hopes of averting a Friday deadline that would trigger a partial shutdown.

The two-part stopgap continuing resolution would fund federal agencies through March 1 and March 8, with funding for the Defense Department expiring March 8.

The proposed CR keeps the previous structure of an earlier measure and includes authorization for procuring long-lead items related to the Columbia-class submarine.

The Senate has scheduled a cloture vote on the measure today.

Under the current CR, DOD’s funding deadline is Feb. 2. Funding for other government agencies is slated to expire Friday, which includes appropriations for military construction.

This Friday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on a proposed shipbuilding challenges analysis, Fincantieri Marine facing a labor shortage, the "indispensable role" of satellites in modern warfare and more.

We start off with more coverage from this week's Surface Navy Association symposium:

SECNAV orders shipbuilding assessment, citing concern for Columbia and frigate programs

Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro has directed an analysis of shipbuilding challenges, according to a Thursday announcement that cites concern for the Columbia-class submarine and Constellation-class frigate programs.

Fincantieri several hundred workers short, has yet to begin construction of second frigate

The Constellation-class frigate program has a labor shortage of several hundred workers and is facing schedule challenges, with construction of the second vessel yet to begin, according to a program official.

Navy Adm. Christopher Grady, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff who chairs the Joint Requirements Oversight Council, said this week that "recent conflicts" -- alluding to Ukraine's war with Russia -- have underscored the "indispensable role" of satellites in modern conflict:

Top Pentagon requirements boss: Space 'most essential' U.S. warfighting domain

Space has emerged as the U.S. military's "most essential" warfighting domain, integral to all other aspects of combat power, according to the Pentagon's top requirements officer.

In case you missed it, here's the latest on the ongoing controversy over Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's recent hospitalization:

Republican senators request hearing into communication of Austin's hospitalization

GOP lawmakers on the Senate Armed Services Committee called upon Chairman Jack Reed (D-RI) to hold a hearing into the notification procedures surrounding Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's hospitalization.

The Defense Department's new industrial base strategy, an early draft of which was first obtained by Inside Defense in December, will also have a classified implementation plan, though parts of that plan, like an executive summary or overview, are expected to be unclassified:

DOD's first National Defense Industrial Strategy targets next three to five years

The Pentagon released its first-ever National Defense Industrial Strategy today aiming to boost U.S. weapons manufacturing within the next three to five years. Some defense industry advocates, however, say the strategy must be followed up by more detailed investment plans.

The Space Development Agency has scheduled a virtual industry day from Jan. 31 to Feb. 1 to discuss ground segment integration program acquisition, according to a notice posted yesterday.

The agency will provide an overview of the acquisition to primes and subcontractors as well as allow time for one-on-one sessions with potential vendors, SDA said.

Last month, SDA issued a draft request for proposals to inform government requirements for PGI and seek industry inputs on program acquisition.

In the acquisition schedule released yesterday, SDA noted that the final RFP will be issued on Feb. 22 and the award will be announced in June.

(Editor's Note: This story was updated on Jan. 12 to correct a quote from Jennifer Swanson about the status of the TITAN program.)

As the Army continues to make progress on implementing its Unified Data Reference Architecture (UDRA) plan, the service will soon launch its innovation exchange lab to test and refine industry capabilities.

UDRA is the Army’s framework for simplifying data architecture, using a decentralized “data mesh” approach. The lab, which will be at Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD, was announced last year by service officials as a place for industry vendors to “plug in” and see if their solutions are compatible.

Jennifer Swanson, the deputy assistant secretary of the Army for data, engineering & software, said during an event hosted by the Armed Forces Communications & Electronics Association in McLean, VA Thursday that there was recently a “soft launch” for the innovation exchange lab.

“It is up, but not completely available to everybody. . . . We want to make sure before we open up to everybody that we have our processes straight, and . . . it's going to be efficient and effective,” she said.

Swanson said that UDRA version 1.0 is now complete, and the Army is more than halfway done in its implementation plan of the architecture. This month, the service will embark on a 100-day plan to “identify specific programs to begin implementing UDRA to the extent possible and will include roadmaps to make significant progress in” fiscal year 2024, an accompanying slide stated.

Swanson also said Thursday that the Army is focusing on data rights for the Tactical Intelligence Targeting Access Node (TITAN) -- the service’s first intelligence ground station enabled by artificial intelligence and machine learning. TITAN will be one of the first programs to be utilized by Project Linchpin, which is the Army’s new initiative to create an AI/ML pipeline.

TITAN has developed an application programming interface (API) to “ensure open architectures,” according to Swanson.

“We want to be able to bring solutions in. But we need to be able to own the pieces, we need to own to change out those solutions over time and TITAN is getting after that in their approach,” she said.

With the Navy focused on destroyer modernization, a new effort -- DDG-51 Mod 2.0 -- is centered on overhauling aspects of Flight IIA destroyers specifically.

Radars, sensors, a combat system and cooling systems will be updated on four ships before the Navy turns to the rest of the fleet, program head Capt. Tim Moore told attendees at Wednesday’s Surface Navy Association Symposium.

Since DDG-51 Mod 2.0 began in September, the program has completed a SEWIP electronic warfare upgrade to the destroyer Pinckney (DDG-91) and plans the same for the James E. Williams (DDG-95), Chung-Hoon (DDG-93) and Halsey (DDG-97). The SEWIP Block III sensor installation is especially important right now, Moore said.

“This is an enhanced capability to provide electronic attack to complement our ES ability to the ships,” Moore continued. “This is vital to the fight that we’re doing now, what you see happening out there in the Red Sea and beyond.”

Starting in fiscal year 2029, the Navy will complete the DDG-51 Mod 2.0 update in one entire maintenance availability for two ships every year, Rear Adm. William Greene told symposium attendees Thursday.

A new component of the AEGIS combat system and new cooling units will also be installed, then the four ships will be sent out for a trial before returning to the fleet for an ultimate installation of SPY-6 radars, all part of what Moore called a “crawl effort.”

To successfully complete these upgrades, Moore said his team requires innovative acquisition processes, modernization availability and industrial base stability.

“I need the industrial base to be ready, to provide the capability and to do this effort and to provide the ships back to the fleet,” Moore added.

Surface Warfare Division Director Rear Adm. Fred Pyle praised the program during a panel Wednesday, as this initiative is “taking the capability we currently have on our Flight III -- AEGIS baseline, SEWIP Block III,” he said.

The program is still determining what the SPY-6 backfit timeline will be, and Moore declined to provide any specifics regarding upgrades for more destroyers.

“The strategy is to do multiple ships per year,” Moore said. “I’m not going to go into what that number could be right now.”

The Defense Department inspector general's office announced yesterday a new project that will review the notification procedures surrounding Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's recent hospitalization.

“The objective of the review is to examine the roles, processes, procedures, responsibilities and actions related to the Secretary of Defense’s hospitalization in December 2023-January 2024,” the notice said.

This report follows Austin’s hospitalization in the intensive care unit on Jan. 1 after an “elective medical procedure” on Dec. 22 left him in “severe pain,” according to Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon’s chief spokesman.

According to Walter Reed Medical Center officials, where the surgery occurred, Austin was diagnosed with prostate cancer and had a “minimally invasive” prostatectomy that left no complications at time of discharge. However, a urinary tract infection caused complications and required Austin to return to the hospital on Jan. 1.

Ryder said that “certain authorities” were transferred to Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks on Jan. 2, although Hicks and Jake Sullivan, the White House national security adviser, didn’t find out about Austin’s hospitalization until Jan. 4.

This lack of communication, which Ryder attributes to Kelly Magsamen, Austin’s chief of staff, being sick with the flu and out of office, drew criticism from lawmakers about the chain of command and the delayed notification time.

The department launched a new 30-day review of DOD notification processes pertaining to the assumption of defense secretary duties, according to Ryder, which is a separate review than the IG’s.

The IG said it will “assess whether the DOD’s policies and procedures are sufficient to ensure timely and appropriate notifications and the effective transition of authorities as may be warranted due to health-based or other unavailability of senior leadership.”