The Insider

FREE TO READ: Navy faces hard road to reform shipbuilding acquisition system
By Nick Wilson
December 1, 2025 at 12:46 PM

The Defense Department's acquisition overhaul is unlikely to impact legacy shipbuilding programs, according to experts, who say the Navy faces an uphill battle to reform a deeply entrenched shipbuilding system that has contributed to poor performance across the portfolio.

As the service looks to improve production rates and align itself with a Pentagon acquisition framework prizing speed and competition, it is already sitting on a pile of shipbuilding management reforms that it has been unable or unwilling to adopt.

Read the full story, now available to all.

DIU names 6 winners for Project G.I. drone challenge accelerated kill chain mission
By Theresa Maher
December 1, 2025 at 12:21 PM

The Pentagon's Defense Innovation Unit named six drone vendors last week to advance through the final phase in a prize challenge focused on compressing the kill chain for small expeditious units in denied environments.

Chariot Defense, CX2, Elsight, Purple Rhombus, Quantum Systems and Skydio will see their systems delivered to operational units to support real-world assessment of the platforms’ mission effectiveness and transition potential, DIU said.

The systems were evaluated under DIU’s Project G.I. -- a prize challenge aimed at identifying “ready now” uncrewed systems supporting enhanced mission effectiveness for small military cells in contested operational environments. Companies were assessed based on systems’ abilities to address a specified “Design Reference Mission (DRM).”

The half-dozen vendors named last week were tasked with providing capabilities for uncrewed systems that would enhance the U.S. military’s ability to shorten the kill chain for small, expeditious units in denied environments under the second DRM.

“These six companies were chosen based on demonstrated performance during field events, technical maturity, and alignment with operational needs -- namely, improving the sensing, lethality, and survivability of formations conducting disaggregated targeting operations,” DIU said.

The announcement came just over two months after DIU named the five winners for Project G.I.’s first DRM -- which called on participants to develop first-person view drones capable of delivering kinetic effects in contested environments.

The week ahead
By John Liang
December 1, 2025 at 5:00 AM

Senior defense officials are slated to speak at the Reagan National Defense Forum this coming Saturday. Additionally, various lawmakers are scheduled to discuss national security issues at a number of think tanks this week.

Monday

The Center for Strategic and International Studies hosts Rep. Darin LaHood (R-IL) for a "Fireside Chat" on Lebanon.

Tuesday

CSIS hosts an event on "Spectrum and Wireless Leadership in Low Earth Orbit."

Wednesday

CSIS hosts its annual South Korea-U.S. Strategic Forum.

Thursday

Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) discusses artificial intelligence at the Center for American Progress.

The Heritage Foundation holds an event on "A New American Statecraft for Winning the New Cold War."

Saturday

Senior defense officials are slated to speak at the Reagan National Defense Forum in Simi Valley, CA.

Army hands $390 million to BAE for upgraded Bradleys
By Dominic Minadeo
November 26, 2025 at 2:18 PM

The Army has ordered $390 million worth of upgraded Bradley Fighting Vehicles from BAE Systems after definitizing a contract modification, the company announced today.

The first delivery of Bradley A4s, part of the Army’s Armored Brigade Combat Team, will take place in October 2026 with work already started, an announcement from BAE Systems reads.

“Lethality, performance and next-generation capability is what the Bradley A4 brings to the fight,” Bill Sheehy, ground maneuver product line director for BAE Systems, said in a statement. “It’s critical that we continue upgrading Bradleys to the modern A4 configuration so that warfighters have the equipment they need to dominate.”

The A4 variant comes with digitized electronics, network connectivity and communication within the brigade, the company announcement says.

BAE Systems is partnering with Red River Army Depot, TX, on the production and support work, the announcement says, with the company leveraging sites across Alabama, California, Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and South Carolina.

“This award not only fuels our commitment to keep the Army and our allies ready for the fight, but it also ensures our U.S. manufacturing lines stay hot and ready for continued production,” Sheehy said.

The INSIDER daily digest -- November 26, 2025
By John Liang
November 26, 2025 at 11:47 AM

This pre-Thanksgiving INSIDER Daily Digest has news on the Air Force's MH-139 Grey Wolf helicopter program, the Navy canceling the Constellation-class frigate program and more.

The Air Force program to replace the Huey helicopters it uses to patrol intercontinental ballistic missile bases has been delayed yet again:

MH-139 full-rate production decision now planned for January

The Air Force's nascent MH-139 Grey Wolf program is again delayed, with the helicopter now on track to enter the full-rate production phase in January 2026, an Air Force spokesperson told Inside Defense.

Navy warship news, including the cancellation of one program:

Navy announces 'strategic shift' away from Constellation frigate

The Navy has terminated four ships in the Constellation-class frigate program in a "strategic shift" away from the troubled class, service secretary John Phelan announced today.

Navy looks to improve destroyer readiness with new maintenance plan

The Navy is implementing a new maintenance strategy intended to improve Arleigh Burke-class destroyer readiness rates through shorter and more frequent availabilities, according to the director of surface ship maintenance, modernization and sustainment.

The latest on the Navy's MQ-25 Stingray program:

MQ-25 on schedule for LRIP in FY-26

The MQ-25 Stingray program office is on schedule to award a Low-Rate Initial Production contract in fiscal year 2026, and is moving toward first flight, according to a Navy spokesperson.

Tom Goffus, NATO's assistant secretary general for operations, spoke earlier this week at a Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance online event:

NATO official: Cloud-based data sharing must replace legacy systems for counter-drone ops

NATO must abandon decades of network-bound, proprietary command systems and shift to a cloud-based method of sharing and processing data if it wants to defend Europe against rapidly evolving drone and missile threats, a senior alliance official said in a call for sweeping policy change.

In case you missed it, a previously unreported Army report to Congress obtained by Inside Defense runs through the service's fielding and modernization plans for the Stryker but reveals little about how much money it will invest in the vehicle after halting procurement under its Stryker Upgrade program in the fiscal year 2026 budget:

Army Stryker brigade downsizing reflects ISV preference

A new Army report shows a downsizing of Stryker brigades as uncertainty builds over the vehicle's future in a changing force that prizes lighter brigades over heavy ones.

Document: Army report on Stryker vehicle program

Happy Thanksgiving!

The next INSIDER Daily Digest will be issued on Monday, Dec. 1.

Boeing awarded $4.6B contract for Apache helicopters
By Dan Schere
November 26, 2025 at 8:51 AM

The Army has awarded Boeing a firm fixed-price contract worth more than $4.6 billion for procurement of AH-64E Apache helicopters, according to a contract announcement from the Pentagon posted Tuesday.

Fiscal year 2010 foreign military sales funds for Poland, Egypt and Kuwait worth nearly $2.3 billion were obligated at the time of the award, according to the announcement.

Poland signed a letter of offer and acceptance with the U.S. government for 96 AH-64E helicopters in August 2024, according to a Boeing fact sheet. Additionally, Poland has an agreement with Boeing that “aims to enhance the sustainment capabilities of the Polish defense industry, support creation of highly skilled jobs within this field, and facilitate technological advancements.”

Work will be performed at Boeing’s Mesa, AZ production facility with an estimated completion date of May 30, 2032.

Bipartisan group of House lawmakers probe Hegseth on U.S.-Ukraine drone collaboration funding
By Theresa Maher
November 25, 2025 at 3:54 PM

A bipartisan group of 15 House lawmakers are asking Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth the degree to which funds and authorities appropriated to the Defense Department to support Ukraine in its war with Russia allow for collaboration between the U.S. and Ukraine on uncrewed systems, per a letter dated Friday from policymakers.

The group -- which includes House Armed Services cyber, innovative technologies and information systems subcommittee Chairman Don Bacon (R-NE) -- also called for the DOD to fully harness existing authorities and funding to “enable immediate operational collaboration with Ukrainian partners in the unmanned and autonomous domain.”

The lawmakers noted U.S. adversaries are already taking lessons from the war in Ukraine to advance autonomous and AI-enabled military capabilities, signaling an urgent need for the U.S. to not only fall in line, but collaborate with Ukraine.

“Our goal is twofold,” the policymakers said. “To help Ukraine secure itself now and to bring that operational knowledge and production capacity back to the United States to strengthen our own long-term drone dominance.”

House members -- who want a response from Hegseth By Dec. 15 -- asked about any constraints that could hinder execution for such an initiative, the kinds of guidelines required to do so while maintaining national security, which DOD component would be in charge of such an effort and which rapid acquisition vehicles and offices could be leveraged in the process.

Those inquiries are all in addition to the question of whether current funds and authorities granted to the Pentagon allow for collaboration on uncrewed systems development and deployment with Ukraine.

Along with the inquiries, the letter also highlights the lawmakers’ belief that a partnership could benefit the U.S.

The news comes four months after Hegseth launched a campaign to unleash U.S. military drone dominance through public-private partnership.

Two months prior, Doug Beck, then-director for the Defense Innovation Unit, oversaw a complete overhaul of the organization’s drone pre-approval initiative to accelerate and scale vetting for a wider range of dual-use uncrewed aerial system (UAS) platforms and components.

Beck told another House Armed Services subcommittee at the time that while the department was set to buy about 4,000 drones this year, that’s nothing compared to Ukraine’s drone stockpile.

“In Ukraine,” Beck wrote in his opening testimony for the May hearing, “more than 4,000 drones are produced and consumed per day.”

House Democrats introduce bill to repeal reciprocal tariffs on 40 Indo-Pacific allies
By Jason Asenso
November 25, 2025 at 3:44 PM

The U.S. should remove "reciprocal" tariffs on 40 Indo-Pacific countries to create a "collective defense" against economic and military threats from China, according to a new bill from seven House Democrats.

House China Select Committee member Jill Tokuda (D-HI) on Monday introduced the “Indo-Pacific Partner and Ally Tariff Repeal Act,” which would terminate reciprocal tariffs imposed on “key economic partners” including Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and the Philippines, her office said in a Nov. 24 statement. It also would end new tariffs on a slate of Indo-Pacific island nations as well as Australia, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Thailand and Vietnam, among others.

The bill includes “sense of Congress” language saying the U.S. should “collaborate with Indo-Pacific allies and partners to establish a collective defense against the Chinese Communist Party’s nonmarket practices and coercive economic, military, and gray-zone actions.” It also says imposing tariffs on the countries “undermines that goal” while raising costs for businesses and consumers.

Accordingly, the so-called reciprocal tariffs Trump established via April and July executive orders are “counterproductive to America’s security and economic needs and should be repealed,” the bill states.

If passed, tariffs imposed on the 40 Indo-Pacific partners “shall cease to have force or effect,” it adds.

“At a time when our Indo-Pacific partners face growing intimidation and coercion from the Chinese Communist Party, the United States cannot afford to send mixed signals,” Tokuda said in the statement. “Slapping our closest partners with tariffs while they face down growing Chinese aggression is backwards, counterproductive, and dangerous, and hurts American businesses and consumers.”

China continues to escalate its “aggressive and coercive behavior” against U.S. Indo-Pacific partners by “embargoing imports from Pacific countries,” developing military bases in the South China Sea and “provoking tensions” with India over their shared border, among other examples, the statement adds.

Democratic Reps. Dina Titus (NV), Daniel Goldman (NY), Jim Costa (CA), André Carson (IN), Ted Lieu (CA) and Ed Case (HI) co-sponsored the bill.

The INSIDER daily digest -- November 25, 2025
By John Liang
November 25, 2025 at 2:03 PM

This Tuesday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on the Army's Stryker vehicle program, Navy aircraft carriers and destroyers, artificial intelligence and more.

A previously unreported Army report to Congress obtained by Inside Defense runs through the service's fielding and modernization plans for the Stryker but reveals little about how much money it will invest in the vehicle after halting procurement under its Stryker Upgrade program in the fiscal year 2026 budget:

Army Stryker brigade downsizing reflects ISV preference

A new Army report shows a downsizing of Stryker brigades as uncertainty builds over the vehicle's future in a changing force that prizes lighter brigades over heavy ones.

Document: Army report on Stryker vehicle program

Navy aircraft carrier and destroyer news:

Navy looks to improve destroyer readiness with new maintenance plan

The Navy is implementing a new maintenance strategy intended to improve Arleigh Burke-class destroyer readiness rates through shorter and more frequent availabilities, according to the director of surface ship maintenance, modernization and sustainment.

Navy considering multiple timeline options for further CVN-78 testing

Having finished total ship testing earlier this year, the Navy is looking for an opportunity to demonstrate the lead Ford-class carrier's sortie-generation rate, which has been delayed by the ship's deployment schedule.

The latest news on using artificial intelligence for national security purposes:

White House rolls out latest push for AI dominance with 'Genesis Mission'

The Trump administration yesterday unveiled its plan for a coordinated national effort at leveraging artificial intelligence to address pressing national challenges.

Kymeta and iRocket have announced a partnership to work on interceptor designs for the Pentagon's Golden Dome missile defense program:

Startups Kymeta, iRocket team for low-cost guided interceptors for Golden Dome

Two emerging defense firms are positioning themselves to challenge the missile-interceptor dominance of RTX and Lockheed Martin, arguing that commercial manufacturing methods and rapid development cycles can produce a new class of smart, inexpensive weapons tailored for the Pentagon's Golden Dome initiative.

Paquete appointed CFO of Terran Orbital
By John Liang
November 25, 2025 at 9:33 AM

Lockheed Martin subsidiary Terran Orbital announced today it appointed Cheryl Paquete to be the company's chief financial officer.

Paquete previously spent nearly 20 years at Lockheed Martin Space, where she most recently led high-value portfolios across Deep Space Exploration, Commercial Satellites, Weather & Earth Science and advanced development programs, according to a statement.

She guided business operations for various programs such as GeoXO, THAAD, AEHF and multiple classified efforts.

Paquete holds an MBA from Santa Clara University as well as master's and bachelor's degrees in aerospace engineering from the University of Southern California.

Army issues CSO for aircraft training technologies
By Dan Schere
November 25, 2025 at 8:00 AM

The Army has issued a commercial solutions opening for technologies to rapidly train pilots on fixed-wing, rotary-wing and unmanned aircraft, according to a notice posted Monday.

The goals of the CSO are to “rapidly train and qualify” aviators in these platforms, improve pilot proficiency using the latest commercial technologies and “grow the aviation industrial base,” according to the notice.

Supporting documentation states the Army is seeking modernized “aircraft training solutions to enhance readiness, reduce training timelines and support long-term national defense objectives” for the three types of aircraft listed.

The CSO is for the Army’s Flight School Next initiative, in which pilots will train at Ft. Rucker, AL. During the next phase of the process, the competition will narrow to only the rotary-wing solution, according to a service spokeswoman. 

The CSO will remain open until Sept. 30, 2026, the notice states.

Air Force seeking kinetic and non-kinetic aircraft protection technologies
By Shelley K. Mesch
November 24, 2025 at 2:18 PM

The Air Force posted today a commercial solutions opening to research and develop new aircraft protection technologies.

The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center’s electronic warfare branch is developing the Next Generation Aircraft Protection system with modular and upgradable capabilities, according to the post. The group is focused on system architecture modeling and simulation; sensing; processing; as well as countermeasures and effectors.

The CSO, open for the next five years, is looking for businesses with experience in several areas:

  • Advanced sensor technologies, including high-frequency radio, optical and acoustic sensors
  • Advanced processing and related hardware, software and algorithms
  • Advanced countermeasures, including kinetic and non-kinetic capabilities

Any submissions must be in compliance with the Agile Mission Suite Government Reference Architecture or include a pathway to compliance, according to the notice.

Interested businesses should submit white papers for their technology, and the Air Force may request a follow-up proposal, the CSO states.

The INSIDER daily digest -- November 24, 2025
By John Liang
November 24, 2025 at 1:27 PM

This Monday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on smaller companies aiming at Golden Dome contracts, a nascent Army procurement channel, Navy shipbuilding and more.

Kymeta, which specializes in metamaterial antennas, and iRocket, a fast-moving launcher and missile developer, announced a partnership on Nov. 20 to embed Kymeta’s conformal multiorbit communications technology into iRocket’s interceptor designs:

Startups Kymeta, iRocket team for low-cost guided interceptors for Golden Dome

Two emerging defense firms are positioning themselves to challenge the missile-interceptor dominance of RTX and Lockheed Martin, arguing that commercial manufacturing methods and rapid development cycles can produce a new class of smart, inexpensive weapons tailored for the Pentagon's Golden Dome initiative.

A new Army mechanism, called the G-TEAD Marketplace, is part of the service's new Global Tactical Edge Acquisition Directorate. It is the service’s most ambitious attempt yet to overhaul how battlefield needs translate into delivered capability, shifting authority to commanders at the tactical edge and opening rapid purchasing channels across the U.S. government:

Army launches new rapid-buy pipeline, Fortem first vendor cleared for fast procurement

The Army has activated a new fast-track procurement channel designed to push proven technology to the field in weeks rather than years, and the first company through the system is Utah-based Fortem Technologies, whose counter-drone systems have been used in combat in Ukraine and have drawn investment from major U.S. defense primes.

As the Navy looks to improve production rates and align itself with a Pentagon acquisition framework prizing speed and competition, it is already sitting on a pile of shipbuilding management reforms that it has been unable or unwilling to adopt:

Navy faces hard road to reform shipbuilding acquisition system

The Defense Department's acquisition overhaul is unlikely to impact legacy shipbuilding programs, according to experts, who say the Navy faces an uphill battle to reform a deeply entrenched shipbuilding system that has contributed to poor performance across the portfolio.

"Mixed support" exists on Capitol Hill for the Warrior Right to Repair Act, a bipartisan effort introduced by Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Tim Sheehy (R-MT) that would force defense contractors to hand over technical data and intellectual property rights to the Pentagon in future contracts:

Congress seeking compromise on defense bill's intellectual property provisions

House and Senate lawmakers are still hashing out "right to repair" language amid industry backlash as they prepare to potentially bring the fiscal year 2026 defense authorization bill to the floor in the coming weeks, with various strategies being considered.

The Pentagon is calling on industry to submit proposals addressing targeted capability topics falling under the Pentagon initiative’s six critical focus areas -- secure edge and Internet of Things, electromagnetic warfare, AI hardware, commercial leap ahead and quantum:

DOD releases FY-26 Microelectronics Commons call for projects

The Defense Department released the Microelectronics Commons call for projects (CFP) today for fiscal year 2026, allowing interested companies and organizations to submit proposals for review by the program's regional innovation hubs.

IonQ teams up with hydrogen-powered drone maker for more resilient UAS technology
By Theresa Maher
November 24, 2025 at 10:09 AM

Quantum tech company IonQ is partnering with hydrogen-powered drone manufacturer Heven AeroTech to integrate its quantum capabilities with Heven's uncrewed platforms, the former announced today.

IonQ says the agreement will allow Heven’s uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) to operate with more resilience in contested environments.

“By integrating IonQ’s world-leading quantum technologies, Heven AeroTech will deliver a new class of unparalleled UAS capabilities,” Niccolo de Masi, IonQ chair and CEO, said. “This partnership positions Heven’s drones to tackle missions no other player can with unmatched precision, resilience and security.”

The quantum technologies IonQ aims to integrate with Heven platforms include:

  • Quantum sensing -- using quantum sensors for alternative position, navigation and timing (PNT) capabilities.
  • Quantum networking and security -- using quantum communications to enhance security and reliability for links between drones.
  • Quantum computing -- using quantum systems to enhance routing and fuse imagery provided by drones and satellites in real time.

A spokesperson for IonQ confirmed the company will also be making a capital investment in Heven but told Inside Defense terms are not being disclosed.

IonQ said Jordan Shapiro, president and general manager of the company’s quantum networking, sensing and security division, will join Heven’s board per the agreement, as well.

The news comes less than two weeks after Heven became the first company to put a hydrogen-powered UAS on the Defense Innovation Unit’s roster of drones pre-approved for purchase by the Defense Department.

Navy to hold industry day and investor briefing for new rapid capabilities office
By Abby Shepherd
November 21, 2025 at 3:37 PM

The Navy plans to hold an industry day and briefing for investors for its newly established Rapid Capabilities Office, which will consolidate development and innovation efforts including the service's Disruptive Capabilities Office, the Maritime Accelerated Response Capability Cell, NavalX and Navy contributions to the Replicator initiative.

The industry day and investor briefing -- planned for Dec. 9-10 -- will “cover the Department of the Navy’s (DoN) most pressing challenges, detail the RCO’s collaborative approach with industry to address these needs, and provide information on newly established pathways for engagement with the RCO,” according to a government notice.

The industry day will be unclassified while the investment community executive briefing is designated “secret.” Registration for the events will close Dec. 3.

“RCO welcomes existing and new industry partners, without prejudice to companies with limited government contracting experience,” the notice states. “Potential partners with strong technical competence in their particular field may be successful with a high willingness to learn.”

The Navy plans to identify and field multidomain capabilities within a three-year timeline under the new office, which was established in an Aug. 19 memo by Navy Secretary John Phelan.