The Insider

This Thursday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on the Space Force's Ground Based Radar Digitization initiative, the Army's Common Tactical Truck, the Navy reducing its civilian public affairs workforce and more.

Officials say the Ground Based Radar Digitization, or GBRD, initiative will extend the life of Cold War-era systems while improving performance against modern threats:

Space Force floats new sensor modernization initiative: Ground Based Radar Digitization

The Defense Department is seeking industry input on a sweeping effort to digitize the six ground-based radar sites that serve as the backbone of U.S. long-range missile detection.

Some Army Common Tactical Truck news:

Army will reserve the right to repair its Common Tactical Truck

The Army is surveying industry on its Common Tactical Truck program in advance of a request for proposals that will include a provision permitting service members to patch up the rig themselves.

The Navy is looking to reduce its public affairs civilian workforce:

SECNAV directs workforce reduction plan for civilian public affairs

Navy Secretary John Phelan plans to reduce his service’s civilian public affairs staff by 35%, according to an Aug. 7 memo that gives the Navy chief of information office 45 days to deliver a personnel reduction plan.

Document: SECNAV memo on reducing CHINFO civilian workforce

A new Defense Department inspector general's report assesses "the effectiveness of the Air Force’s integration of data license rights into contract requirements for selected weapon systems":

IG: Air Force not doing enough to obtain IP and data rights

The Air Force needs to do more to ensure it is obtaining intellectual property and data rights for contractor-made weapon systems if it wants to maintain technological superiority and preserve security interests, the Pentagon's watchdog reported.

Document: DOD IG audit of data license rights in Air Force weapon system contracts

The Army is still figuring out the eventual cost of a new-start missile program:

New Mobile-Long Range Precision Strike Missile costs changing based on vendor pricing

The costs of the new Mobile-Long Range Precision Strike Missile across the five-year future years defense program (FYDP) are changing based on "vendor pricing submissions," according to an Army spokesperson.

The Air Force's small business innovation arm and startup Grid Aero are teaming up to test the company's autonomous cargo drones to carry "thousands of pounds for thousands of miles," according to a press release the company issued Monday.

“We’re building the pickup truck of the skies,” Grid Aero CEO Arthur Dubois said in a statement about the company’s effort through AFWERX. “This is a rugged, mission-flexible aircraft that combines autonomy with tough, modular hardware. The shift from massive, expensive platforms to distributed fleets of smart, affordable systems is long overdue -- and essential for the future of global logistics.”

Grid Aero’s Lifter-Lite aircraft was designed and built in just six months, the company said. The platform was unveiled on Aug. 18 alongside $6 million in seed funding and a small business innovation research Phase II contract with AFWERX.

The concept behind the cargo drone is “to address the tactical logistics challenges of distributed operations in a contested environment” like the Indo-Pacific, the company said, adding that traditional military logistic platforms are less affordable and becoming increasingly vulnerable.

For the Air Force, the ability to deploy an affordable mass of autonomous cargo drones might help solve the logistics challenges of Agile Combat Employment -- the Air Force’s schema to disperse airmen and assets around hub and spoke installations in hostile environments.

“The awarded contract reflects the need for affordable, scalable, autonomous cargo solutions that can operate reliably in contested and denied environments where traditional military logistics platforms face significant risks,” Grid Aero said in its news release.

The Navy is interested in buying two new offshore support vessels for test and training purposes, according to a request for information that lists the launch of torpedoes, unmanned systems and small boats as a primary use for the desired OSVs.

Issued this week by the Navy’s boats and crafts program office (PMS-300), the notice seeks prospective vessel construction and acquisition managers in addition to the two OSVs, described as “ocean-going vessels to meet the test and training needs of the fleet.”

In addition to launching USVs and other Navy assets, routine operations for the notional OSVs include underwater range maintenance and the embarkation of various cargo including target launch and recovery systems. The vessels must be capable of sustained operations for up to 30 days.

Though the Navy is seeking similar capabilities in the two OSVs -- including deck cranes and an identical range and speed -- it wants the vessels to be different sizes with some design variations.

The first OSV is labeled “small” with a desired length of 200 feet, 3,600 square feet of clear deck space and accommodations for a 22-person crew. This smaller vessel must be capable of integrating a government-furnished, 21-inch torpedo tube at its bow for use testing heavyweight torpedoes.

The second “large” vessel has a desired length of 260 feet with 6,300 square feet of clear deck space and accommodations for a 28-person crew.

The Navy aims to leverage a proven commercial design with modifications for mission requirements, the notice states. Responses to the notice are due Sept. 15.

Army Futures Command's innovation lab is casting a wide net to industry to find ready-made systems that can integrate with the service's next-generation network for experiments with the 4th Infantry Division next year.

The Army Applications Laboratory put out a call for solutions this morning that focuses on the area from the ground to a few thousand feet up, or the “Air-Ground Littoral,” which is fit for small unmanned aerial systems and unmanned ground vehicles, according to the notice.

“This emergent domain presents both offensive and defensive challenges,” the Army notice says.

Selected submissions from industry will integrate with the 4ID at Fort Carson, CO, in early 2026, according to the Army. The systems should be compatible with the service’s Next Generation Command and Control program, which is being rapidly prototyped by the Command, Control, Communications and Network program office over the next year and a half.

The experiments are estimated to last about one year with the potential for follow-on experimentation, testing or deployment, according to the Army. It lists eight “capability focus areas” in its call for solutions, and companies must submit mature technologies that match at least one of them.

“Potential solutions for experimentation with 4ID should address challenges related to movement and maneuver, mission command, intelligence gathering, reconnaissance and target acquisition, fires, sustainment, protection, or information within this space,” the call for solutions says.

The Army asks companies to submit “Innovative Capability Solutions,” which should summarize their concept, relate it to at least one of the Army’s capability focus areas, detail its network compatibility and explain how it can give the service the sufficient number of systems that allow for “a meaningful experiment in early 2026 to be ready for insertion into 4ID formations.”

Submissions will be judged based on how well they fit the government’s technical requirements, feasibility of integrating the system into 4ID for experimentation and, if a company requires funding, the Army will assess its rough order of magnitude submission to decide whether it’s a worthwhile purchase.

Responses from industry are due Sept. 5, according to the Army.

This Monday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on an Air Force office sending out software stacks to be integrated into major commands, the Army working on innovative ways to evacuate wounded soldiers and more.

The Air Force's Command, Control, Communication and Battle Management program office has grown from a budget of about $250 million with a staff of 200 to a budget topping $1 billion with thousands of people, significantly changing how the office works:

Air Force office deploying C2 digital infrastructure 'earned' new set of tasks, lead says

The Air Force's Command, Control, Communication and Battle Management program office has been sending out software stacks to be integrated into major commands and other Defense Department organizations, the office's leader said, meeting its first goals.

The capability for heavy lift unmanned aerial systems is here, although "it's not exactly where we need it yet, but it’s rapidly scaling," a senior Army official said recently:

Army may turn to robots to move casualties as war turns more violent

As the Army develops drones capable of heavy lifting, it could use them to pick up casualties and transport plasma in the event of a bloodier future battlefield, according to the acting commanding general of Army Materiel Command.

Over the past few years, the Navy has focused on the experimental aspect of unmanned technology, but is now transitioning to the operational side, a service official said last week:

Navy prepares to deploy first hybrid carrier strike group by end of 2026

As China continues to build up its navy -- sparking concerns of a potential Taiwanese invasion by 2027 -- the U.S. military is seeking to rapidly acquire innovative solutions, with plans to deploy unmanned vessels within a carrier strike group in 2026.

Army Col. Ken Bernier, who managed both programs under the Ground Combat Systems program office, told audience members during a panel on Wednesday that "it's super important to remember" Booker and RCV were success stories:

Booker and RCV were successes, project manager argues

The project manager of the cancelled M10 Booker and Robotic Combat Vehicle is arguing the two programs were far from failures even after the Army's top civilian leader in May lambasted the Booker as a showcase for "the Army doing something wrong."

A recent Army uncrewed aerial systems summit comes just after Hegseth issued his "Unleashing U.S. Military Drone Dominance" memo, which transfers management of the Blue List, a list of Pentagon-approved drones and parts that comply with regulatory statutes in the Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act, from the Defense Innovation Unit to the Defense Contract Management Agency:

With UAS summit at Ft. Rucker, Army aims to identify drones soldiers want in their units

With Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth having directed the Army to field unmanned aerial systems and Launched Effects in every division by the end of fiscal year 2026, the service is using a summit at Ft. Rucker, AL this week to quickly identify commercial systems that could be rapidly fielded.

The Space Force "successfully" tested multiple antennas at the Deep-Space Advanced Radar Capability Site 1, according to prime contractor Northrop Grumman, marking a "significant step" toward operational capability.

The demonstration used seven of DARC’s 27 antennas based in Western Australia to show the array could function as a single system to identify the movement of multiple satellites, the company said in a news release issued last week.

“Northrop Grumman’s DARC will provide a strategic advantage at a scale never before achieved in global space domain awareness,” said Kevin Giammo, Northrop Grumman’s director of Space Surveillance and Environmental Intelligence. “Its ability to track multiple small moving objects over 22,000 miles above earth will offer unmatched persistent and comprehensive capability as the world’s premier deep-space radar tracking system.”

The Space Force has said Site 1 will be fully operational in 2027, and full operational capability for the entire system -- which includes Site 2 in the United Kingdom and Site 3 in the U.S. -- is expected in fiscal year 2032, according to recent budget documents.

Signed in September 2023, the memorandum of understanding between the three countries lasts 22 years. Through the agreement, DARC is designed to be an all-weather system to track objects in geosynchronous orbit that could pose a threat to U.S. and allied satellites and services.

The Space Force awarded Northrop $200 million last year to build Site 2. The service at the time said a contract for site 3 could be expected this calendar year.

This Friday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on the possibility of uncrewed surface vessels deploying with carrier battle groups soon, the Air Force's Command, Control, Communication and Battle Management program, the Army developing heavy-lift unmanned aerial systems and more.

Unmanned surface vessels could deploy with U.S. carrier strike groups by the end of next year:

Navy prepares to deploy first hybrid carrier strike group by end of 2026

As China continues to build up its navy -- sparking concerns of a potential Taiwanese invasion by 2027 -- the U.S. military is seeking to rapidly acquire innovative solutions, with plans to deploy unmanned vessels within a carrier strike group in 2026.

News on the Air Force's Command, Control, Communication and Battle Management program:

Air Force office deploying C2 digital infrastructure 'earned' new set of tasks, lead says

The Air Force's Command, Control, Communication and Battle Management program office has been sending out software stacks to be integrated into major commands and other Defense Department organizations, the office's leader said, meeting its first goals.

The capability for heavy-lift unmanned aerial systems is here, although "it's not exactly where we need it yet, but it's rapidly scaling," according to a senior Army general:

Army may turn to robots to move casualties as war turns more violent

As the Army develops drones capable of heavy lifting, it could use them to pick up casualties and transport plasma in the event of a bloodier future battlefield, according to the acting commanding general of Army Materiel Command.

Army Col. Ken Bernier, who managed the cancelled M10 Booker and Robotic Combat Vehicle programs under the Ground Combat Systems program office, told audience members during a panel this week that "it’s super important to remember" the two efforts were success stories:

Booker and RCV were successes, project manager argues

The project manager of the cancelled M10 Booker and Robotic Combat Vehicle is arguing the two programs were far from failures even after the Army's top civilian leader in May lambasted the Booker as a showcase for "the Army doing something wrong."

An Army industry summit taking place this week consists of a series of training activities and demonstrations, including maneuver support, reconnaissance and remote breaching:

With UAS summit at Ft. Rucker, Army aims to identify drones soldiers want in their units

With Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth having directed the Army to field unmanned aerial systems and Launched Effects in every division by the end of fiscal year 2026, the service is using a summit at Ft. Rucker, AL this week to quickly identify commercial systems that could be rapidly fielded.