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Oshkosh Corp. announced today that Jay Iyengar has joined the company as executive vice president and chief technology and strategic sourcing officer.

Iyengar will be responsible for Oshkosh's "vision and strategy that will drive the investment, development and deployment of leading-edge technologies. She will also be responsible for global strategic sourcing activities focused on building a supply chain capable of delivering next generation technologies," according to a company statement.

Prior to Oshkosh, Iyengar was chief technology and quality officer at CNH Industrial. She has also worked for Xylem as well as Eaton Corp.'s Aerospace Group.

Iyengar earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the National Institute of Engineering in Karnataka, India, and holds master's degrees in mechanical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology in Mumbai, India and Wayne State University.

The Space Development Agency estimates it will award a contract for the ground operations and integration component of its Tranche 1 Transport Layer in June 2022, according to a new pre-solicitation notice.

The notice, posted Monday, sketches out a projected operations and integration acquisition timeline for the so-called “Initial Warfighting Capability Tranche” that includes an anticipated request for proposals release date of Jan. 18.

Technical proposals are then expected to be due by Feb. 24, per the notice, with cost proposals coming due on March 3. A contract award is slated for June 24, under the timeline, though the notice cautions the dates are subject to change.

The posting notes the agency’s solicitations for O&I support will pertain to the T1TL constellation in addition to “future capability layers and tranches from two redundant, geographically separated, and potentially Government owned and Contractor operated (GOCO) operation centers.”

“The Contractor will demonstrate the capabilities to manage, operate, maintain, and provide logistical and general support for the T1 O&I,” the listing added.

This Monday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on the Air Force's deployment of a 5G cellular network plus coverage of several new national security commissions and more.

We start off with what Nokia is up to regarding the company's effort to help the Air Force implement a 5G cellular network:

Following 5G network deployment, Nokia works to support, expand DSS efforts at Hill AFB

With dynamic spectrum sharing experimentation underway at Hill Air Force Base, UT, testbed vendor Nokia is gearing up to support application developers' efforts to build on top of the newly deployed 5G cellular network while keeping an eye trained on opportunities to potentially enhance the available use cases for its work.

Here's the news you may have missed during the Christmas-to-New-Year's break:

Lawmakers mandate new national security commissions

The annual defense authorization bill approved by Congress mandates the creation of several new national security commissions that could have significant impacts on the defense budget, military strategy, nuclear weapons, emerging biotechnology and lessons learned from the war in Afghanistan.

DIU releases new 'Responsible AI Guidelines'

The Defense Innovation Unit has published new directives on how to operationalize responsible artificial intelligence guidelines adopted by the Pentagon in an effort to accelerate adoption of commercial technology within DOD.

Northrop fends off competition to win IBCS production

Northrop Grumman -- after nearly a decade of development of the Army's Integrated Battle Command System and some $2 billion in cost growth -- managed to fend off a competitor and win a potential $1.4 billion, five-year IBCS production contract.

Pentagon plans for CMMC in 2022: More assessment documentation guidance, updated rulemakings

The Defense Department's plans for its revamped cyber certification program will kick into high gear in 2022, with new guidance for assessments under CMMC 2.0 and updates through rulemaking processes to formally cement changes announced by the Pentagon in November.

Army agrees to buy six more advanced Chinooks from Boeing

The Army will buy six additional upgraded Chinook helicopters for special operations from Boeing as part of a $246 million contract, Boeing announced late last month.

Next-gen sensors integrated with Abrams at Project Convergence

The Army used modified M1 Abrams tanks as platforms for next-generation technology at this fall's Project Convergence 21 experiment, helping to flesh out the service's concepts for the future battlefield, Army officials told Inside Defense in an interview earlier this month.

Leveraging Air Force deal, Hermeus accelerates toward first 'Quarterhorse' flight test in 2023

Bolstered by a $60 million Air Force-backed contract, Hermeus is working toward developing the full-scale flight engine for its Quarterhorse concept aircraft as the aerospace start-up barrels toward a potential first flight test of the platform within the first half of 2023.

Mynaric receives first award under DARPA's Space-BACN laser communications program

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has selected optical communications company Mynaric to compete to develop laser communication terminals that will connect satellites in low-Earth orbit.

Navy executing unmanned campaign plan with implementation framework

The Navy is using an implementation framework to incorporate its unmanned campaign plan throughout the service and deliver a larger, hybrid fleet of manned and unmanned platforms.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced tonight he has tested positive for COVID-19 and will quarantine himself for the next five days.

Austin, who is fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and received a booster in October, said in a statement he requested a test Sunday after exhibiting symptoms while he was home on leave.

“My symptoms are mild, and I am following my physician’s directions,” he said. “In keeping with those directions, and in accordance with CDC guidelines, I will quarantine myself at home for the next five days.”

Austin said he retains all authorities of his position during his quarantine and intends to virtually attend key meetings and discussions, along with being represented by Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks.

Austin also said he has informed his staff and anyone he has come into contact with over the past week. He said his last meeting with President Biden was Dec. 21, more a week before he began experiencing symptoms.

“I tested negative that very morning,” Austin said. “I have not been in the Pentagon since Thursday, where I met briefly -- and only -- with a few members of my staff. We were properly masked and socially distanced throughout.”

Austin highlighted his vaccination status in his statement, noting that fully vaccinating the U.S. military remains a “readiness issue.”

“As my doctor made clear to me, my fully vaccinated status -- and the booster I received in early October -- have rendered the infection much more mild than it would otherwise have been,” he said. “The vaccines work and will remain a military medical requirement for our workforce. I continue to encourage everyone eligible for a booster shot to get one.”

President Biden today signed into law the Fiscal Year 2022 National Defense Authorization Act.

Staffers said the bill, which passed Congress earlier this month, had been delayed due to technical issues with the how the legislation was worded.

The bill includes $740 billion specifically for the Pentagon, which is $25 billion more than Biden requested earlier this year. The bill also authorizes about $28 billion for the Energy Department's nuclear weapons programs.

The bill does not include an additional $10 billion outside of the legislation's jurisdiction that is set to be appropriated elsewhere, bringing total U. S. defense spending to about $778 billion for FY-22.

However, Congress has yet to agree on a final spending package to appropriate the money.

Until that happens, the Pentagon, along with the rest of the federal government, is operating under a stopgap continuing resolution set to expire Feb. 18 that locks budgets at previous-year levels and blocks spending on new programs.

This final INSIDER Daily Digest of 2021 has news on the Air Force's latest microelectronics strategy, a Missile Defense Agency request for proposals for a segment of the Ground-based Midcourse Defense system and more.

Inside Defense interviewed the Air Force's chief scientist this week:

New Air Force microelectronics strategy to 'look broadly' at current, future needs

The Air Force's chief scientist is looking to craft a microelectronics strategy for the service by the end of March -- a document she says will not only assess current and future needs but also “where those parts can come from.”

The Missile Defense Agency this week published a request for proposals for the Systems Integration, Test and Readiness program, a follow-on solicitation to a late October RFP for the next GMD Weapon System (GWS) Program:

MDA commences second of two 'future GMD' competitions

The Missile Defense Agency formally launched the second of two new industry competitions for the so-called Ground-based Midcourse Defense system future acquisition: Systems Integration, Test and Readiness (SITR).

Document: MDA's SITR program RFP

An expansion of the Defense Production Act authority will allow the Navy to scale the production of Virginia-class submarines:

Biden expands Defense Production Act to strengthen submarine industrial base

President Biden expanded the use of the Defense Production Act to aid the Virginia-class submarine industrial base, signing three determinations Tuesday.

The Army has determined certain units were able to disperse over greater distances while maintaining connectivity:

Network communication capabilities exceed expectations in test

An Army test late last month found that modernized wireless communication capabilities allow communications over greater distances between mobile command posts than previously thought, the Army said in a release.

We end with coverage of the Next-Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared geosynchronous Earth orbit program:

Northrop-Ball team completes EDU testing for Next-Gen OPIR GEO payload

With a recent testing milestone behind them, Northrop Grumman and Ball Aerospace are nearly finished with development of their Next-Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared geosynchronous Earth orbit payload, setting them up to enter what they view as a "low-risk" production phase in the new year.

Happy Holidays!

Inside Defense would like to wish all of our readers a safe and healthy holiday season and a prosperous New Year. Our next INSIDER Daily Digest will be available Jan. 3, 2022.