This Friday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth holding a "town hall" meeting with service members at the Pentagon this morning, plus the Air Force's B-52 Radar Modernization Program being delayed and more.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, in a "town hall" speech with Pentagon personnel that was broadcast virtually, said the department will evaluate "how we match what we fund to capabilities and effects":
Hegseth calls out Pentagon's pricey legacy weapons in town hall speech
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said today the Pentagon will work to rapidly fund and field emerging military technologies, while also reviewing legacy systems that cost billions and may not be suitable for deterring or prevailing against potential U.S. adversaries like China.
The two-part milestone C decision for the B-52 Radar Modernization Program to enter production and deployment is now scheduled for the second and fourth quarters of fiscal year 2026, according to the annual report from the Office of the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation released last week:
Air Force to review B-52 RMP amid delays
The Air Force will review the B-52 Radar Modernization Program, a service spokeswoman told Inside Defense today, following the one-year milestone C decision delay noted in the chief Pentagon tester's annual report.
On Feb. 5, Sens. Dan Sullivan (R-AK) and Kevin Cramer (R-ND) introduced the "Increasing Response Options and Deterrence of Missile Engagements Act of 2025" or the "IRONDOME Act" designed to fit President Trump's week-old executive order that borrows branding from the Israeli system the U.S. Army has rejected:
GOP lawmakers stake out $19.5B investment plan in FY-26 for expanding domestic air defense
Republican lawmakers are proposing a $19.5 billion down payment in fiscal year 2026 on a new domestic air defense capability that would mark a massive expansion of national missile defense capabilities, including a sweeping new array of radars, increased guided interceptor inventory and explore new capabilities such as autonomous agents to intercept missiles.
The CEO of shipbuilding company HII discussed his company's quarterly earnings this week:
HII to focus more on outsourcing in next year; welcomes 'reduced regulation' DOGE may bring
Shipbuilder HII will focus on developing outsource partners for labor and production in the next year rather than acquiring more shipyards.
Peter Ludwig, co-founder and chief technology officer for Applied Intuition, talked about his company's acquisition of EpiSys Science:
Applied Intuition acquires EpiSci, expanding autonomy business
Ground vehicle autonomy software supplier Applied Intuition announced Thursday its acquisition of autonomy software vendor EpiSys Science (EpiSci), expanding its portfolio across all military domains.