The Insider

DOD begins writing new National Defense Strategy due by late August
By Tony Bertuca
May 2, 2025 at 12:52 PM

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has directed Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby to begin working on the next National Defense Strategy to be completed no later than Aug. 31, according to a new memo.

“The NDS is the single most important document to ensure the department is operating in accordance with the president's and my intent,” Hegseth wrote. “This is a time of great danger, but we will meet it. DOD will deliver on the president's charge to achieve Peace Through Strength. There is no time to lose.”

Colby, the under secretary of defense for policy, will lead the NDS process, while the “drafting team” will be led by his office with a deputy from the Joint Staff.

“In addition, each of the Services will provide a strategist at the O-6/GS-15 level to the NDS drafting team,” Hegseth wrote. “All DoD Components should be maximally responsive to the NDS drafting team throughout the process.”

Colby’s nomination for USD-P ran into early resistance with some Republicans who cited concerns with his views that the United States should consider lesser roles in Europe and the Middle East in order to properly pivot to the Indo-Pacific region to compete with China.

Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee Chairman Mitch McConnell (R-KY) voted against Colby’s confirmation but three Democrats -- Sens. Jack Reed (D-RI), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) and Mark Kelly (D-AZ) -- supported him.

During his March 4 nomination hearing, Colby said he wants to deliver a “realistic strategy of prioritization focused on China” while working with allies in Asia, Europe and the Middle East.

“We don’t have a military that's capable of fighting four adversaries,” he said. "Because the threat is so acute and so realistic, and because of the very real possibility of multifront war, we must have a realistic plan. I feel a special obligation that, if confirmed, I must deliver a strategy that actually deals with that.”

The INSIDER daily digest -- May 2, 2025
By Thomas Duffy
May 2, 2025 at 11:40 AM

This end-of-the-week INSIDER Daily Digest starts off with a big Navy contract announcement, bad news for the national missile defense program, the Marines are looking for new ways to counter UAVs, news from an administration nomination hearing, a major vehicle manufacturer is bracing for tariff shocks, and more.

Two new Navy attack submarines have been put on contract:

Navy awards contracts for two FY-24 Virginia submarines plus workforce support

The Navy has awarded shipbuilders HII and General Dynamics Electric Boat contract modifications for two block V Virginia-class submarines -- Baltimore (SSN-812) and Atlanta (SSN-813) -- initially appropriated for as part of the fiscal year 2024 budget.

There’s now a setback to a major missile defense program:

New NGI delay undermines NORTHCOM top priority, extends vulnerability to NK threats

The Pentagon’s flagship effort to modernize the nation’s missile shield against threats from North Korea is now running three years behind an aspirational 2027 fielding target, undermining what for years has been the top priority for U.S. Northern Command and extending a critical vulnerability window for the U.S. homeland.

The Marines are looking to use microwaves to combat unmanned aircraft:

Marine Corps interested in microwave-equipped UAVs to counter drone swarms

The Marine Corps is interested in developing an unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with a high-powered microwave weapon system to counter drone swarms, the head of the service’s Ground Based Air Defense program office said today.

An administration nominee says he will beef up the office if approved for the job:

DOD nominee pledges to increase staffing, report to Congress on tariff impacts

The nominee tapped to lead the Pentagon’s industrial base policy has pledged to provide lawmakers with a plan for increasing the staff of his office and an analysis of how the Trump administration’s new tariffs could impact the U.S. defense supply chain.

A military vehicle builder is worried about President Trump’s tariffs:

Oshkosh bracing for profit drop driven by trade war

Oshkosh Corp. estimates President Trump’s tariffs could dip the company’s earnings by about $1 per share this year, but executives said this morning that with “targeted mitigation actions” they expect to make up about half of that.

The Marines are making significant improvements to the V-22:

Official predicts unrestricted flight operations for V-22 by end of next year as aircraft improvements occur

A host of changes to V-22 Osprey components will ensure aircraft safety is improved overall, an official said today, following a series of crashes in recent years and subsequent groundings.

Waltz out as natsec adviser, headed for U.N. ambassador job
By Tony Bertuca
May 1, 2025 at 4:28 PM

President Trump intends to nominate outgoing national security adviser Mike Waltz as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio will be assuming Waltz’s duties in addition to his current job.

The departure of Waltz from the White House follows his role in the “Signalgate” controversy in which he mistakenly added a reporter to a chat group in which Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth discussed sensitive military attack plans against Houthi militants.

“From his time in uniform on the battlefield, in Congress and, as my National Security Advisor, Mike Waltz has worked hard to put our Nation’s Interests first. I know he will do the same in his new role,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

The job of U.N. ambassador was initially slated to go to Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), but Trump withdrew her nomination amid concerns over the slim GOP majority in the House. Waltz left his House seat in Florida to serve as national security adviser.

Waltz could be headed for an uncomfortable confirmation hearing with Senate Democrats as the job of U.N. ambassador -- unlike national security adviser -- requires Senate confirmation.

Meanwhile, Rubio's new dual role marks the first time since Nixon administration official Henry Kissinger that one person has served as both secretary of state and national security adviser simultaneously.​

The INSIDER daily digest -- May 1, 2025
By Thomas Duffy
May 1, 2025 at 11:35 AM

This Thursday INSIDER Daily Digest starts with the Army’s new approach to budgeting, he Navy cancels a sizable contract, new legislation aimed at shipbuilding, a Marine Corps official talks about the service’s F-35 flee, and more.

Army officials think flexibility is the way forward for budgeting:

With its agile funding strategy for FY-26, Army wants to create a template for the future

With the fiscal year 2026 budget request anticipated to be released soon, the Army is taking steps to “codify” its practice of agile funding through line-item consolidation for certain programs, according to Alex Miller, the senior adviser for science and technology to the Army chief of staff.

The Navy has axed a multimillion dollar information services contract:

Navy cancels $300 million IT contract, Phelan asks leaders to identify ‘similar opportunities’

Navy Secretary John Phelan has directed the termination of a $300 million information technology contract known as the MyNavyHR Transformation Initiative, a five-year plan meant to modernize the Navy’s human resource systems.

Lawmakers are taking another run at legislation aimed at boosting shipbuilding:

Reintroduction of SHIPS Act will complement Trump’s maritime executive order, lawmakers say

A bipartisan, bicameral group of lawmakers today reintroduced the SHIPS for America Act -- a bill initially brought forward last year with the purpose of revitalizing the domestic maritime industry.

The Marine Corps needs to be very focused on budgeting for its F-35 fleet:

Marine Corps requires focused investment in F-35 arsenal, officials say

The Marine Corps must prioritize investment in aircraft weapons modernization, particularly for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, service officials said today during the Modern Day Marine conference in Washington D.C.

The Marine Corps is buying new ground combat vehicles:

Marine Corps awards ACV-30 contracts, plans to buy and integrate turret system separately

The Marine Corps has awarded a $188 million contract to BAE Systems for the first batch of full-rate production 30mm cannon variant Amphibious Combat Vehicles following price negotiations that sought to lower ACV-30 costs, BAE announced today at Modern Day Marine.

The Air Force is spelling out some directions for a new command:

Air Force excluding nuclear programs, enterprise IT from all ongoing ICC work

All mission thread integration and requirements work now underway within the Air Force’s new Integrated Capabilities Command will not initially account for the service’s portion of nuclear modernization or enterprise IT, Inside Defense has learned.

Space Force accepts SBIRS upgrade for operations
By Shelley K. Mesch
April 30, 2025 at 4:31 PM

The Space Force accepted the upgrade to the Space-Based Infrared System last week, the service announced today, which serves to boost missile warning capabilities.

The SBIRS Survivable Endurable Evolution program replaces 1960s-era ground systems, integrates Mobile Ground Terminals and Universal Ground Nuclear Detection Terminals and provides advanced processing and networking capabilities, Space Systems Command said.

“The S2E2 operational acceptance marks a significant leap forward in our ability to provide resilient, uninterrupted missile warning and nuclear detection in the most challenging environments,” said Lt. Col. Jonathan Wilson, SSC materiel leader. “This achievement strengthens the backbone of our national defense and maintains the U.S. strategic advantage in an ever-evolving threat environment.”

S2E2 is the first program to deliver high-rate missile warning messages, Capt. Morgan Records, an SSC deputy program manager, said, allowing operators to more quickly relay critical data.

The program also plays a role in Nuclear Command and Control by providing space-based situational monitoring for first-alert missile warning to U.S. and allied forces.

Missile warning systems, particularly those in space, have gained more prominence in the past months as part of President Trump’s Golden Dome homeland defense initiative.

Trump: 21 F-15EX fighters will replace retiring A-10s at Selfridge ANG Base
By Vanessa Montalbano
April 30, 2025 at 2:25 PM

Selfridge Air National Guard Base, MI is poised to receive a replacement fighter squadron after its fleet of A-10 Warthogs retire over the next few years, President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced yesterday.

“Today I’ve come in person to lay to rest any doubts about Selfridge’s future and the vital role it will play in our national defense,” Trump said in remarks during a visit to the base. “As commander in chief, I am proud to announce that very soon we will replace the retiring A-10 Warthogs with 21 brand new F-15EX Eagle II fighter jets -- the best in the world.”

The move effectively relieves yearslong concerns from the bipartisan Michigan delegation that Selfridge would lose its fighter mission once the A-10 is divested starting in 2026.

“I am really damn happy we’re here to celebrate this recapitalization at Selfridge,” Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in her remarks on base during Trump’s visit. “It’s crucial for the Michigan economy, it’s crucial for the men and women here, for our homeland security and our future.”

The Air Force passed over Selfridge when picking where it would house some of its stealthy F-35 Joint Strike Fighters but said it would deliver 12 KC-46 Pegasus tankers to Selfridge starting in 2029 to replace a combination of the aging KC-135 Stratotankers and A-10s there.

“This will keep Selfridge at the cutting edge of northern American airpower,” Trump said. “My administration will also continue with plans to replace the outgoing KC-135s, and KC-46 Pegasus aircraft to continue that important refueling mission.”

Michigan officials have already broken ground on a 41,900-square-foot hangar at Selfridge fit for advanced fighter maintenance, including for the F-15EX, as part of an effort to boost the base’s odds of gaining a new fighter mission. Selfridge is also rebuilding its runway to better accommodate the new tankers.

“According to the Department of Defense, the F-15EXs will begin arriving in [fiscal year 20]28, and this basing decision will not overturn other F-15EX basing actions in other states, but is rather additive,” Whitmer’s office said in a statement.

Army seeks new vision system for its breaching vehicle
By Dominic Minadeo
April 30, 2025 at 12:20 PM

The Army’s mine-clearing assault vehicle needs a new set of eyes, according to a notice posted this morning.

The hulking M1150 Assault Breacher Vehicle, mounted to the M1A1 Abrams chassis, braves explosives littering the battlefield for Armored Brigade Combat Teams with a mine plow fixed to its front and three spindly prongs that creep over the battlefield like spider legs.

It also boasts a turret from Anniston Army Depot, AL, with demolition explosive launchers, a dozer blade and a lane marking system that draws a safe path as it clears the way forward.

The product manager for bridging is surveying the market for companies that can fulfill its requirement for a new Integrated Vision System, one of the critical components of the ABV that lets crews see clearly without exposing themselves outside the armored shell.

The IVS hosts a gimbal with three cameras -- an image intensifier, night vision and infrared -- a driver vision enhancement system, which includes thermal cameras on the back and front, five closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras as well as a control panel and display module for commanders, according to the release.

Leonardo DRS supplied the ABV with vision systems for the Army and Marine Corps from 2007 to 2022, amounting to 220 total provided to the military.

Companies that submit will answer questions about their experience as a prime contractor, technological maturity of their system, ability to retrofit it to an ABV and cost factors. They have until May 23 to reply.

The INSIDER daily digest -- April 30, 2025
By Thomas Duffy
April 30, 2025 at 11:24 AM

This midweek INSIDER Daily Digest starts with a move by the House to pump billions into the Pentagon’s budget, the Marine Corps is close to finishing an unmanned roadmap, news on the domestic magnetic supply chain, and a new proposal for missile defense spending.

A House committee has approved adding billions to the DOD budget:

House Armed Services Committee boosts defense by $150B; Dems cry foul

The House Armed Services Committee voted 35-21 today to pass a GOP budget reconciliation bill that would increase defense spending by $150 billion, bypassing the objections of Democrats who said they doubted the money will be spent wisely by the Trump administration, noting the controversy surrounding Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and billionaire presidential adviser Elon Musk.

The Marine Corps is almost finished with a new unmanned roadmap:

Marine Corps close to updating its autonomy and robotic roadmap, official says

The Marine Corps is aiming to release an updated roadmap for robotic and autonomous systems soon, an official said today.

The Defense Department has a new effort to boost the supply of domestic magnets:

DOD launching pilot project to beef up domestic magnet supply chain

The Defense Department is hoping to fortify its homegrown rare earth element supply chain by soliciting domestic sources that can help turn mined oxides and salts into metals and magnets, the Army announced last week.

Missile defense spending will go up by about $25 billion under a new plan:

Proposed missile defense spending hike would fund next-gen 3:1 over legacy stuff

The House-proposed missile defense spending increase intended to help finance a yet-to-be-identified Golden Dome project would boost futuristic capabilities at a 3:1 ratio compared to legacy systems, allocating $18.8 billion for next generation missile defense capabilities and $5.9 billion to boost spending on layered homeland defense.

Somewear Labs secures DIU contract with Marine Corps for INDOPACOM
By Theresa Maher
April 30, 2025 at 11:19 AM

The Defense Innovation Unit awarded Somewear Labs a contract to field a software-defined technical network for the Marine Corps across U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, the company announced today.

The Advanced Tactical Communication contract with DIU prioritize fielding across INDOPACOM.

“Years of rigorous development and prototyping across military services produced a resilient, secure, and scalable communications solution,” the company said. “Through this effort, Somewear’s software-defined network supported joint and partner force operations, providing critical data management and transmission capabilities that bridge the gap between strategic command and the tactical edge.”

The initiative with Marine Corps will expand on its existing capabilities to automate data movement across various multiple line-of-sight (LOS) and beyond-line-of-sight (BLOS) networks. The company’s Somewear Grid platform is meant to be used to enable advanced network management and configuration, ensuring that critical information is securely and rapidly distributed, even in contested environments.

“This contract not only reinforces our role in supporting the DOD’s network modernization efforts,” James Kubik, Somewear Labs CEO said, “but also marks a significant transition for Somewear and DIU. Together, we are transitioning from supporting tactical units to enterprise level field deployments, bringing robust, secure and efficient communication tools to the hands of USMC operators.”

Govini partnering with Navy to identify DIB vulnerabilities
By Theresa Maher
April 30, 2025 at 12:00 AM

The U.S. Navy is set to partner with AI-enabled data analytics and software supplier Govini to identify and mitigate supply chain vulnerabilities in the sea-based leg of the nuclear triad, the company announced today.

The Navy will deploy the company’s Ark product to determine vulnerabilities across its industrial base, enabling the service to make better informed decisions to accelerate the fielding of missile and warhead technologies, Govini said.

“We’re proud to empower the stewards of our nation’s strategic deterrence with unprecedented visibility into their industrial base and supply chains,” CEO Tara Murphy Dougherty said.

Ark will use AI-powered applications and proprietary data to identify crucial vulnerabilities, which can accelerate production timelines and mitigate barriers to fielding, according to the release.

The INSIDER daily digest -- April 29, 2025
By Thomas Duffy
April 29, 2025 at 12:24 PM

This Tuesday INSIDER Daily Digest begins with an industry pitch to do more with a robotic vehicle for the Marine Corps, he Pentagon’s Replicator UAV program is headed toward a big milestone, the Marine Corps gets new counter-drone capability, and Anduril has a big announcement on an electronic warfare program.

Oshkosh says its ROGUE-Fires vehicle can do more:

Oshkosh pitches additional missions for ROGUE-Fires; first LRIP batch slated for June

Oshkosh Defense expects to deliver its first six low-rate initial production units of a robotically controlled ship-killing vehicle to the Marine Corps in June, according to company executives, who said a full-rate production decision could come as soon as late 2026 or early 2027.

By August the Pentagon’s Replicator effort should start producing drones:

DIU policy chief: Replicator on track to reach operational goal thanks to flex funding

The Replicator initiative is on track to procure thousands of production-level all-domain, autonomous and “attritable” drones by August, according to a senior Defense Innovation Unit official.

The Marine Corps is getting some counter-drone help:

Epirus delivers new counter-drone capability to support Marines

Defense start-up Epirus announced the delivery of a new counter-drone capability to Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren today -- a system meant to support the Marine Corps.

Anduril made a big announcement this week:

Anduril announces new lightweight EW system, already fielded with undisclosed customers

Anduril Industries is offering a new electronic warfare capability dubbed Pulsar-Lite intended to deliver a compact and flexible EW capability that can operate autonomously to defend forward-forces from unmanned threats, company executives announced today.

Apex raises $200M in private capital amid ‘Golden Dome’ push
By Theresa Maher
April 29, 2025 at 12:00 AM

California-based satellite bus supplier Apex announced today it has secured $200 million in funding from private capital to allow for scaled production of its satellite bus platforms.

The scaled production is set to take place at Apex’s Factory One, a Los Angeles, CA-based 50,000 square foot complex, according to the announcement.

“Factory One enables Apex to build ahead of need, offering an inventory of satellite bus platforms” to support missile defense, space-based interceptors, space domain awareness and more, the company said.

With the scaled production capabilities, “Apex is positioned to support rapid delivery for Golden Dome, Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture,” and other programs, according to the release.

The announcement also comes on the heels of Apex’s successful one-year-on-orbit milestone for its first spacecraft mission, Aries Serial Number One (SN1), the company said.

The emphasis on further scale also signals a doubling-down on the company’s “productized approach to satellite buses,” as CEO and cofounder Ian Cinnamon called it.

The approach is Apex’s strategy to produce a set of designs at scale, as opposed to “designing a bespoke new system for every customer payload,” Cinnamon told reporters in October.

The announcement also comes less than three months after Apex was granted a nearly $46 million U.S. Space Force contract, and just over five months after the Space Development Agency awarded the company an indefinite-delivery, indefinite quantity contract for the rapid prototyping of demonstration satellites.

Epirus delivers new counter-drone capability to support Marines
By Abby Shepherd
April 29, 2025 at 12:00 AM

Defense start-up Epirus announced the delivery of a new counter-drone capability to Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren today -- a system meant to support the Marine Corps.

The Expeditionary Directed Energy Counter-Swarm (ExDECS) system is a derivative of Epirus’s Leonidas Expeditionary system and uses high-power microwaves (HPM) to counter drones.

ExDECS will allow the Marine Corps to “evaluate the benefits of HPM to the Low Altitude Air Defense (LAAD) mission and enhance Ground Based Air Defense (GBAD) capabilities,” according to a company news release.

The system uses the HPM technology platform, which is scalable, and is designed to be able to integrate with light tactical vehicles to bolster air defense capabilities for the expeditionary short range, according to Epirus.

Compared to other counter-drone methods, the technology from Epirus doesn’t hurt the drone, CEO Andy Lowery told Inside Defense. Rather, it “puts such a loud, noisy electromagnetic environment in the atmosphere that the circuits start picking up all of that energy, and they are unable to kind of connect with each other and talk to each other,” he said.

Lowery compared the Epirus technology to the Phalanx Close-In Weapon System -- which detects and destroys incoming missiles and aircraft -- calling it an electromagnetic version with an unlimited magazine.

With one system already delivered to the Office of Naval Research and the Marine Corps, Lowery said Epirus is looking ahead to the next year and the potential purchase of a second system. This system would contain “generation two technology,” which provides about two and a half times the current range for the same package size, he said.

Lowery said ExDECS and other developments from Epirus mark a shift in warfare.

“We have entered into a kind of new phase of warfare, and we have new phases of technology that are emerging, and this is one of them,” he said. “This is truly like a consumer electronic force field, where all kinds of critical assets could be kind of applied to this type of defense that, again, will be known to be one to many.”

Anduril announces new lightweight EW system, already fielded with undisclosed customers
By Nick Wilson
April 29, 2025 at 12:00 AM

Anduril Industries is offering a new electronic warfare capability dubbed Pulsar-Lite intended to deliver a compact and flexible EW capability that can operate autonomously to defend forward-forces from unmanned threats, company executives announced today.

The system is a smaller, lighter version of Anduril’s existing Pulsar EW family of systems, Chris Brose, the company’s chief strategy officer, told reporters ahead of the Modern Day Marine conference in Washington D.C.

Weighing fewer than 25 pounds, Pulsar-L is roughly the size of a shoe box with a range of five or more kilometers, Brose said.

Pulsar-L has already been fielded and is “participating in real world operations in the most stressing EW environments and succeeding,” Brose continued, though he declined to provide any further details or identity the customers.

According to Sam El-Akkad, Anduril’s general manager for RF/EW systems, Pulsar-L is particularly useful for countering large drone swarms that could quickly expend kinetic interceptors.

Anduril now has Pulsar-L in in low-rate initial production and anticipates scaling up to produce thousands of units annually, El-Akkad said.

The INSIDER daily digest -- April 28, 2025
By Thomas Duffy
April 28, 2025 at 3:58 PM

We start this Monday INSIDER Daily Digest with a congressional move to inject another $150 billion into Pentagon spending, budget questions are holding up a Space Development Agency program, there’s new missile defense guidance out, and the cost of the U.S. nuclear effort has increased by $190 billion.

Republicans are rolling out a multibillion-dollar budget reconciliation package:

Republicans unveil bill to lift defense by $150B

Congressional Republicans have released a budget reconciliation bill that would increase defense spending in the coming years by $150 billion, updating a previous draft proposal with new investment amounts.

The bill, which will be considered by the House Armed Services Committee, would provide:

  • $33.7 billion for shipbuilding
  • 24.7B for the Golden Dome missile defense system
  • $20.4 billion for munitions
  • $13.5 billion for “innovation”
  • $12.9 billion for nuclear deterrence
  • $11.5 billion for military readiness
  • $11.1 billion for Pacific deterrence
  • $8.5 billion for military quality of life
  • $7.2 billion for aircraft
  • $5 billion for border security
  • $2 billion for military intelligence
  • $380 million for the Pentagon audit

Uncertainty over budget guidance has paused an SDA project:

SDA pauses Tranche 3 solicitation amid budget uncertainty

The Space Development Agency won’t release the solicitation for its Tranche 3 Transport Layer Upsilon variant this month as planned, the agency announced Friday, delaying the program “until SDA receives further budgetary guidance.”

The Missile Defense Agency has been given new guidance:

New missile defense directive rolls back 2020 guidance, introduces tech 'off ramps'

The Pentagon has issued a sweeping update to its missile defense acquisition governance, restoring core authorities to the Missile Defense Agency and formally rescinding a 2020 policy that many criticized as slowing innovation.

The Congressional Budget Office takes a look at nuclear program spending:

CBO: 10-year nuclear enterprise costs grow to nearly $950 billion -- up 25% from last report

The U.S. nuclear enterprise will cost $946 billion over the next 10 years, according to a Congressional Budget Office estimate released yesterday, an increase of 25% or $190 billion over the previous report issued two years ago.