The Insider

By Dan Schere
August 17, 2023 at 2:44 PM

Acting Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George, who awaits Senate confirmation for the permanent position, says warfighting, combat readiness, transformation and discipline are his key priorities.

In a memo circulated to the service, George wrote the ability to “deliver and sustain ready combat power” will be a “critical element of warfighting.”

“This means ensuring that we have the right infrastructure, industrial base, sustainment framework, and Soldier and Family support to project the force and ensure that it is resilient,” he wrote in the memo.

George also emphasized the need to continuously transform the Army when it comes to fighting, equipping and organizing.

“We will learn and evolve so that we can build a force that is leaner, more mobile and more lethal across every domain,” he wrote.

George was nominated by the Biden administration in April to be the next chief, and assumed the role in an acting capacity following the retirement of former Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville this month. George’s confirmation in the Senate remains on hold due to Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s (R-AL) blockade of more than 300 military nominees due to his objection to the Pentagon’s leave and travel reimbursement policies for servicemembers seeking abortion services.

By Apurva Minchekar
August 17, 2023 at 11:43 AM

The Space Force is looking for solutions that will help the service integrate military payloads onto a mature space vehicle with minimal modifications, according to a notice posted today.

The service wants to address two separate missions using two separate space vehicles that can provide redundant altitude control and orbit maintenance, according to the request for information.

“Both variants may share a launch vehicle and be required to achieve their respective operational orbits post separation independently,” the Space and Missile Command said.

Variant 1 main propulsion system may be either chemical or electric for the purposes of station keeping and adjusting the orbit from separation, while variant 2 must be chemical, the command noted.

The command’s requirement for variant 1 includes a payload power of more than 300 watts and 100 kg mass, while the payload power of variant 2 must be greater than 500 watts with a mass between 300-500 kg. Both variants are expected to have a lifeline of three to five years.

Adding more to the information the service is seeking, the Defense Department has asked potential contractors to describe their capability of developing and delivering the fully integrated SV in 18-24 months following an authority to proceed with an end goal to launch SV by fiscal year 2027 in their responses.

By John Liang
August 17, 2023 at 9:55 AM

BAE Systems announced this morning it has agreed to acquire the Ball Aerospace business from Ball Corp. for $5.55 billion.

"The proposed acquisition represents an exceptional opportunity to strengthen our portfolio with significant scale and high-end technology capabilities," a BAE statement reads. "Ball Aerospace will add more than $2 billion in annual revenues in the growing space domain, C4ISR and missile and munitions markets. The acquisition will provide our U.S. business with a position in some of the fastest growing segments of the defense market and further increases our alignment to enduring customer priorities embodied in the U.S. National Defense Strategy."

BAE Systems CEO Charles Woodburn said the proposed acquisition "is a unique opportunity to add a high-quality, fast-growing, technology-focused business with significant capabilities to our core business that is performing strongly and well positioned for sustained growth. It's rare that a business of this quality, scale and complementary capabilities, with strong growth prospects and a close fit to our strategy, becomes available."

BAE said it expects to close the transaction "in the first half of 2024. The Agreement includes a termination fee of US$100 million payable by BAE Systems, Inc. to Ball Aerospace’s parent company in the event the transaction is terminated because certain required regulatory conditions are not met within the agreed timeframe."

By Nickolai Sukharev
August 16, 2023 at 2:33 PM

The Army awarded RTX a $322.5 million contract to procure TOW B2 missiles, according to an Aug. 15 Defense Department announcement.

RTX will manufacture the missiles in Tucson, AZ with an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2026, on a fixed-price-incentive contract, the announcement states.

Consisting of a launcher and a missile, the TOW can be fired from the Army’s Humvee, Bradley and Stryker vehicles, according to the Army’s Acquisition Support Center.

The TOW 2B Aero RF can be used against a variety of armored targets, has a maximum range to 4,500 meters and incorporates an advanced counteractive protection system capability.

The TOW Bunker Buster (BB) is designed to counter urban structures, earthen and timbered bunkers, field fortifications, and light-skinned armor threats as well as double reinforced concrete walls.

The Army first deployed the TOW in 1970 during the Vietnam War and 43 allied nations have since purchased the system.

The U.S. transferred 7,000 TOW missiles to Ukraine as part of the latest aid package in its conflict with Russia, according to the State Department.

By Dan Schere
August 16, 2023 at 1:49 PM

Young Bang, the Army's principal deputy secretary for acquisition, logistics and technology, said Tuesday that the service's digital transformation strategy must incorporate low signature, particularly when it comes to a potential conflict with China.

“We have a lot of capabilities, but a lot of these capabilities have now gotten exponentially bigger, require more power, have different signatures and we are literally a Christmas tree when we light up,” Bang told attendees of the AFCEA TechNet conference in Augusta, GA.

China, Bang said, is ahead of the game when it comes to having equipment that is “digitally native,” compared with the U.S. Army. He said the need for low-signature capabilities is among the lessons that should be taken from the conflict in Ukraine with Russia.

The Army’s digital transformation should be guided by the principles of traceability, observability, replaceability and automated consumption, he added.

“We’re trying to get to agile, and we’re trying to get to [continuous integration/continuous delivery] and we’re trying to break down the obstacles at the enterprise level to get there . . . to constantly iterate. To get more things out there faster, in smaller increments. But more importantly, get the users feedback as we’re doing it,” Bang said.

Earlier on Tuesday, Deputy Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. John Morrison said when it comes to drawing lessons from the Ukraine conflict, the Army is in the process of working through which operational capabilities are needed at each echelon to support maneuver.

“That is a very different way of thinking than how we’ve been in the last 20 years in a counterinsurgency fight," Morrison said. "Very brigade-centric, brigades tailored to be completely self-contained and really do wide-area security operations. Not necessarily largescale ground combat operations."

Morrison added the service is in the process of expanding soldiers’ ability to securely connect to the network around the world. Servicemembers will be able to plug into the unclassified network globally by the end of the calendar year, and by next summer the classified network will be available globally, he said.

By John Liang
August 16, 2023 at 1:34 PM

This Wednesday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on the Navy and Marine Corps fielding 3D printing systems across the fleet. Additionally, a congressional commission has made recommendations to provide the Pentagon with greater spending flexibility.

We start off with the Navy and Marine Corps fielding 3D printing systems on ships at sea:

Naval forces turn to 3D printing for production at 'the point of need'

The Marine Corps is fielding 3D printing systems across the fleet, while the Navy has been testing additive manufacturing (AM) capabilities aboard ships and submarines at sea.

An interim report from the Planning, Programming, Budget and Execution Reform Commission comes as Congress -- though recessed -- appears poised to return to Washington next month for a possible government shutdown or at least the passage of one of the stopgap continuing resolutions that have become hallmarks of the annual appropriations process:

Possible calls for new spending flexibility headline DOD budget commission's interim report

The congressional commission tasked with reforming the Defense Department's 1960s-era budget planning and programming system is considering making recommendations to lawmakers that would provide the Pentagon with greater spending flexibility amid an appropriations process that has become mired in political dysfunction.

Document: PPBE reform commission's interim report

A Government Accountability Office review, the first in a series of semiannual reviews required by Congress in the Fiscal Year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act, found that DOD provided the watchdog agency with 42 reports between Dec. 23, 2022 to May 15, 2023:

Watchdog agency finds DOD 'generally' tardy when responding to audits and reviews

The Defense Department "generally did not meet" deadlines for responding to reviews conducted by the Government Accountability Office, submitting about half of its agency comments late, according to a new congressionally mandated GAO report.

Document: GAO report on Defense Department reviews and responses

A new trans-regional missile defense concept is a recently approved update by President Biden in the existing Pentagon's Unified Command Plan, that aims to provide attack operations, active and passive defense and battle management support to regional combatant commands:

SPACECOM benefitting from trans-regional missile defense concept

U.S. Space Command implementing a trans-regional missile defense concept is keeping the command in a position of advantage over strategic competitors, according to a senior space official.

The Army's new LASSO program is in response to a lethal unmanned systems directed requirement:

Army will hold industry days next month on LASSO

The Army will hold industry days next month to discuss the potential fielding of the service's new-start Low Altitude Stalking and Strike Ordnance (LASSO) program.

By John Liang
August 15, 2023 at 2:10 PM

This Tuesday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on an interim report from the congressional commission tasked with reforming the Defense Department's 1960s-era budget planning and programming system, plus a Government Accountability Office evaluation of the timeliness of DOD's responses to GAO reports and more.

The Defense Department has released an interim report that "reflects the Commission on Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution (PPBE) Reform's commitment to ensuring the DOD's resource allocation processes are streamlined and modernized to secure the United States military's ability to deter and, if necessary, win any fight against any adversary with the right capabilities and force structure while upholding congressional oversight responsibility":

Possible calls for new spending flexibility headline DOD budget commission's interim report

The congressional commission tasked with reforming the Defense Department's 1960s-era budget planning and programming system is considering making recommendations to lawmakers that would provide the Pentagon with greater spending flexibility amid an appropriations process that has become mired in political dysfunction.

Document: PPBE reform commission's interim report

A new Government Accountability Office report, "the first in a series of four, details the timeliness of DOD's reviews over the past six months" of GAO's reports:

Watchdog agency finds DOD 'generally' tardy when responding to audits and reviews

The Defense Department "generally did not meet" deadlines for responding to reviews conducted by the Government Accountability Office, submitting about half of its agency comments late, according to a new congressionally mandated GAO report.

Document: GAO report on Defense Department reviews and responses

A new, trans-regional missile defense concept is a recently approved update by President Biden in the existing Pentagon's Unified Command Plan, that aims to provide attack operations, active and passive defense and battle management support to regional combatant commands:

SPACECOM benefitting from trans-regional missile defense concept

U.S. Space Command implementing a trans-regional missile defense concept is keeping the command in a position of advantage over strategic competitors, according to a senior space official.

The Army is scheduled to host some industry days next month on the new-start Low Altitude Stalking and Strike Ordnance (LASSO) program:

Army will hold industry days next month on LASSO

The Army will hold industry days next month to discuss the potential fielding of the service's new-start Low Altitude Stalking and Strike Ordnance (LASSO) program.

The Air Force has released requests for information regarding the Advanced Battle Management System Content Delivery Network and a related Commercial Content Delivery Network:

Air Force details needs and uses for content delivery network for ABMS

The Air Force laid out part of its baseline infrastructure for its contribution to the Joint All Domain Command and Control effort by describing its needs for a content delivery network in a request for information posted Wednesday.

Document: ABMS content delivery network RFIs

By Shelley K. Mesch
August 15, 2023 at 11:11 AM

The Air Force has a new chief information officer, according to a service official, following the departure of Lauren Knausenberger in June.

Venice Goodwine began as CIO on Monday, the official told Inside Defense.

Goodwine joined the CIO’s office in 2021 as the director of enterprise information technology and has held several technology-focused positions, including as chief information security officer for the Agriculture Department and senior cybersecurity advisor for Marine Corps Systems Command.

Goodwine also served in the Air Force, joining in 1986 and transitioning to the Air Force Reserve in 2003. She retired from uniformed service last year.

As CIO, Goodwine oversees a portfolio valued at about $17 billion and 10,000 IT and cyber civilian personnel.

Knausenberger left the role in June after more than two years as CIO.

By John Liang
August 14, 2023 at 2:16 PM

This Monday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on a nascent trans-regional missile defense concept being implemented by U.S. Space Command plus the Army's Low Altitude Stalking and Strike Ordnance (LASSO) program and more.

A new, trans-regional missile defense concept is a recently approved update by President Biden in the existing Pentagon's Unified Command Plan, that aims to provide attack operations, active and passive defense and battle management support to regional combatant commands:

SPACECOM benefitting from trans-regional missile defense concept

U.S. Space Command implementing a trans-regional missile defense concept is keeping the command in a position of advantage over strategic competitors, according to a senior space official.

Keep an eye out next month for some industry days on the Army's new-start Low Altitude Stalking and Strike Ordnance (LASSO) program:

Army will hold industry days next month on LASSO

The Army will hold industry days next month to discuss the potential fielding of the service's new-start Low Altitude Stalking and Strike Ordnance (LASSO) program.

The Air Force has released requests for information regarding the Advanced Battle Management System Content Delivery Network and a related Commercial Content Delivery Network:

Air Force details needs and uses for content delivery network for ABMS

The Air Force laid out part of its baseline infrastructure for its contribution to the Joint All Domain Command and Control effort by describing its needs for a content delivery network in a recent request for information.

Document: ABMS content delivery network RFIs

The recent Space and Missile Defense Symposium in Huntsville, AL featured a plethora of speakers including the head of plans and policy for U.S. Space Command:

SPACECOM still sees Russia as space competitor despite ongoing Ukraine conflict

Russia "remains a capable space competitor" even though the ongoing war in Ukraine has slowed down its pace of building space capabilities, according to Maj. Gen. Michael Morrissey, U.S. Space Command director of plans and policy.

Our colleagues at Inside Cybersecurity covered the recent annual Black Hat cyber conference in Las Vegas:

Easterly, Ukraine cyber leader Zhora discuss lessons on partnership and resilience from war

LAS VEGAS -- Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Director Jen Easterly emphasized the need for Americans to “internalize lessons on resilience” from Ukraine's battle against Russia in preparation for cybersecurity challenges the United States is likely to face in the next few years, during an evening keynote appearance at the Black Hat conference here.

The Defense Department is working on a new artificial intelligence effort:

DARPA offers $20M in prizes, support to developers of AI for software security

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has announced a two-year competition for the development of an AI-driven tool to identify and patch software vulnerabilities, with the intent of widespread applications throughout the economy.

By Tony Bertuca
August 14, 2023 at 11:32 AM

The Defense Department announced today it will begin transferring another $200 million in U.S. weapons to Ukraine following a June review that found the congressionally approved funding remained available and unspent.

The package, provided via presidential “drawdown” authority, will include:

  • Additional munitions for Patriot air defense systems;
  • Additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS);
  • Mine clearing equipment and systems;
  • 155mm and 105mm artillery rounds;
  • 120mm tank ammunition;
  • Tube-Launched, Optically Tracked, Wire-Guided (TOW) missiles;
  • Javelin and other anti-armor systems and rockets;
  • 37 tactical vehicles to tow and haul equipment;
  • 58 water trailers;
  • Over 12 million rounds of small arms ammunition and grenades;
  • Demolitions munitions for obstacle clearing; and
  • Spare parts, maintenance, and other field equipment.

The package represents the 44th presidential drawdown action that has been ordered since August 2021.

“It includes additional air defense munitions, artillery and tank ammunition, anti-armor weapons and other equipment to help Ukraine counter Russia's ongoing war of aggression,” DOD said. “The United States will continue to work with its Allies and partners to provide Ukraine with capabilities to meet its immediate battlefield needs and longer-term security assistance requirements.”

The Biden administration last week asked Congress to approve another $9.9 billion in security assistance for Ukraine.

The United States has committed more than $43.7 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the beginning of the Biden Administration, including more than $43 billion since the beginning of Russia’s February 24, 2022, according to the Pentagon.

By John Liang
August 14, 2023 at 5:00 AM

Senior officials speak in person and virtually at defense industry events this week.

Tuesday

Senior defense officials speak at the in-person and virtual AFCEA TechNet 2023 conference in Augusta, GA. The conference runs through Thursday.

Wednesday

The Air and Space Forces Association holds an online event on the next phase of the Blended Wing Body aircraft prototype project.

By Nickolai Sukharev
August 11, 2023 at 6:17 PM

The Army will host an industry day on virtual and augmented reality with a focus on combat vehicles in Orlando, FL, on Aug. 24, according to a public announcement.

Hosted by the Army Contracting Command, the event will be a “means of conducting market research to identify contractors with interest in and the resources to support the requirement for Family of Maintenance Trainers (FMT) Product Line (PL),” the announcement states.

The FMT PL is a common set of hardware and software systems designed for system operations, fault diagnosis, troubleshooting, adjustments, remova and replacement of the Army’s vehicles.

Vehicles that use the system are the Abrams main battle tank, Bradley Fighting Vehicle, Stryker armored personnel carrier, Armored Multi-purpose Vehicle and the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle.

The FMT PL system also includes the Diagnostic Troubleshooting Trainers, a computer-based virtual classroom system designed to train students in vehicle repair while the Part Task Trainers and Hands on Trainers provide a realistic training environment, according to the Program Executive Office Simulation, Training and Instrumentation.

In 2020, the Army awarded the Florida-based DiSTI Corp. a $42.5 million contract for upgrades to the FMT PL system, according to a company announcement.

The event is an opportunity for the Army to engage with industry to assess current technological capabilities and develop future requirements, the announcement states.

By John Liang
August 11, 2023 at 4:42 PM

Clark Cully, the head of policy at the Pentagon's Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office, is leaving his position to work in the private sector.

"After 14 years driving tech transformation in the Pentagon, I am seeking a new challenge in industry," Cully wrote on his LinkedIn page.

"During his time at the CDAO, Clark help pave the way for the Policy Team's path forward on Strategy, Governance and International Engagement," a CDAO LinkedIn post reads.

By John Liang
August 11, 2023 at 2:21 PM

This Friday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on a nascent Army "man-portable, tube-launched, lethal payload munition, unmanned aerial system," the Air Force's Advanced Battle Management System Content Delivery Network and more.

The Army will be holding industry days in September to discuss how the service can work with contractors to field lethal unmanned systems and “create a climate of collaboration” on future investments:

Army will hold industry days next month on LASSO

The Army will hold industry days next month to discuss the potential fielding of the service's new-start Low Altitude Stalking and Strike Ordnance (LASSO) program. The announcement could signal the beginning of a competitive approach for the program, which the service acquisition executive described this week.

The Air Force this week released requests for information regarding the Advanced Battle Management System Content Delivery Network and a related Commercial Content Delivery Network:

Air Force details needs and uses for content delivery network for ABMS

The Air Force laid out part of its baseline infrastructure for its contribution to the Joint All Domain Command and Control effort by describing its needs for a content delivery network in a request for information posted Wednesday.

Document: ABMS content delivery network RFIs

A senior U.S. Space Command official spoke at this week's annual Space and Missile Defense Symposium in Huntsville, AL:

SPACECOM still sees Russia as space competitor despite ongoing Ukraine conflict

Russia "remains a capable space competitor" even though the ongoing war in Ukraine has slowed down its pace of building space capabilities, according to Maj. Gen. Michael Morrissey, U.S. Space Command director of plans and policy.

Our colleagues at Inside Cybersecurity are in Las Vegas, covering the annual Black Hat cyber conference there:

Easterly, Ukraine cyber leader Zhora discuss lessons on partnership and resilience from war

LAS VEGAS -- Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Director Jen Easterly emphasized the need for Americans to “internalize lessons on resilience” from Ukraine's battle against Russia in preparation for cybersecurity challenges the United States is likely to face in the next few years, during an evening keynote appearance at the Black Hat conference here.

We end off with a new Defense Department artificial intelligence effort:

DARPA offers $20M in prizes, support to developers of AI for software security

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has announced a two-year competition for the development of an AI-driven tool to identify and patch software vulnerabilities, with the intent of widespread applications throughout the economy.

By John Liang
August 10, 2023 at 5:48 PM

The Biden administration is asking Congress for an extra $9.9 billion in funding to replace weapon systems sent to Ukraine as well as paying for service members who have been temporarily deployed to Europe.

In an Aug. 10 letter to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young writes the Biden administration "is transmitting a supplemental funding request to the Congress to address three sets of critical needs for emergency funding as part of a potential short-term continuing resolution for the first quarter of [fiscal year] 2024," including money for Ukraine.

Specifically, the administration is requesting $9.9 billion for the Defense Department "for several large activities in response to the situation in Ukraine, including: $4.5 billion to replace defense articles from the DOD stocks; reimbursement for defense services and military education and training provided to the government of Ukraine under section 506(a)(1) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended; improve ammunition plants and equipment to increase the capacity and accelerate production of equipment to more rapidly replenish defense stocks; and $5 billion for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative. The request would also provide personnel and operational support such as temporary duty costs, intelligence analysis, flying hours, maintenance, weapon system sustainment, and other unit support costs."

Read Young's letter, which includes a further breakdown of where that $9.9 billion would go.