The Insider

This Monday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on the Defense Department's fiscal year 2026 defense budget request, a major Army restructuring effort, plus missile defense and a lot more.

We start off with coverage of the Pentagon's FY-26 defense budget request:

OMB chief defends Pentagon budget request amid GOP allegations of no-growth ‘gimmicks’

White House Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought defended the Trump administration’s fiscal year 2026 request for defense spending, which senior Senate Republicans say is built around a “gimmick” that amounts to a flat topline that does not keep pace with inflation.

Draft spending plan would boost SLCM-N, honor Congress's intent for FY-25 Navy R&D adjustments

The Pentagon plans to add $150 million to its nuclear-armed sea-launched missile (SLCM-N) program in fiscal year 2025 and make several other adjustments to Navy research and development efforts in accordance with non-binding recommendations from congressional appropriators.

As ‘skinny’ topline numbers roll in, Wicker decries budgetary sleight of hand

President Trump plans to request $961 billion for the Pentagon in fiscal year 2026 and $1 trillion for total national defense spending, which is being touted as a 13% increase, but a senior GOP senator says there is budget gimmickry at work.

News on a major Army restructuring:

Hegseth directs major Army restructuring; JLTV, Gray Eagle, humvee, AH-64D canceled

In one of the first major shakeups of the Army under the second Trump administration, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is directing the service to make significant changes to its force structure and divest from a series of programs deemed “outdated, redundant and inefficient.”

Army axes M10 Booker, a prime example of poor acquisition practice, Driscoll says

The Army’s new civilian leader today announced a move to cancel the M10 Booker program, laying into the service’s mismanagement of an overpriced and ineffective tank.

TiC brigades informing Army restructuring, commander says

The Army announced yesterday it is swapping out its Infantry Brigade Combat Teams, a decision that was largely driven by troop recommendations in the first rendition of “Transforming in Contact.”

Some missile defense news from a recent congressional hearing:

Army top missile defense general unsettled by NGI delay in face of advancing NK threats

The Army’s top missile defense commander voiced concern over a newly disclosed delay to the Pentagon’s Next Generation Interceptor, warning that the three-year slip leaves the U.S. homeland exposed to advancing North Korean missile threats longer than previously anticipated.

Army will shore up its air and missile defense force structure with 39% increase by 2030

The Army’s air and missile defense force structure is planned to increase by 39% over the next five years, according to Lt. Gen. Sean Gainey, the commanding general of Army Space and Missile Defense Command.

HTBSS will transition into new Discriminating Space Sensor, prototype on orbit by 2029

The Pentagon is moving to expand its space-based sensor architecture for missile defense with a new effort to develop the Discriminating Space Sensor (DSS), a next-generation satellite system intended to improve the ability to identify and track incoming warheads amid growing concerns over advanced ballistic and hypersonic missile threats.

Document: House hearing on missile defense

Some uncrewed aerial systems news:

DIU overhauling drone vetting program, director tells House panel

The Defense Innovation Unit’s program to pre-approve dual-use drones for military use is set to undergo a complete revamp over the next few weeks in light of a growing ecosystem, Doug Beck, DIU director, told a panel of House lawmakers during a hearing on small uncrewed aerial systems and counter-sUAS capabilities Thursday.

JCO director says drone threat more dangerous than IEDs were

Maj. Gen. David Stewart, the director of the Joint Counter-Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Office within the Pentagon, told Congress this week that the small UAS threat has now outpaced the danger that improvised explosive devices once posed to U.S. servicemembers abroad.

Air Force begins CCA ground testing

The Air Force began ground testing for its first two Collaborative Combat Aircraft, the service announced this morning, noting a major step for the program to integrate autonomous platforms into the future force.

The Senate Armed Services Committee recently considered several presidential nominations:

Air Force under secretary nominee defends past political comments

President Trump’s pick for Air Force under secretary committed during his nomination hearing today to leaving politics out of his decisions if confirmed, even as he responded to persistent questions from Senate Democrats about previous inflammatory, rightwing social media posts.

Document: Senate hearing on Lohmeier, Overbaugh, Zimmerman nominations

Some shipbuilding coverage:

Navy, Marine Corps settle on new LSM acquisition plan; Bollinger to build ‘block 1’ ship

The Navy and Marine Corps have coalesced around a new procurement approach for the Landing Ship Medium, with the services tapping Louisiana shipbuilder Bollinger to construct a single vessel based on an existing ship design before deciding how to proceed with the program.

HII focuses on shipbuilding investments amid Virginia contract modifications

Recent investments, or “tailwinds,” in shipbuilding are positive, and require HII’s participation, according to CEO Chris Kastner.

Last but by no means least, some news on the multibillion-dollar Joint Strike Fighter program:

Air Force looks to expand F-35 foreign pilot training at Ebbing ANG Base

The pilot training center at Ebbing Air National Guard Base, AR could soon host another 12 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters from foreign partners, increasing operations there and requiring a supplemental environmental impact statement, according to an April 24 Federal Register notice.

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.”

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 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.

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 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.”