The Insider

The Marine Corps deployed its new heavy-lift helicopter, the CH-53K King Stallion, in its first fleet exercise last month, according to a Tuesday announcement from the service.

Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 461 (HMH-461) completed training exercises, including external lifts with a Light Armored Vehicle, using three CH-53Ks over mountainous terrain in Idaho.

The CH-53K will replace the legacy CH-53E Super Stallion as the Marine Corps’ primary heavy-lift helicopter. It achieved initial operational capability in April.

Its intended use is transporting armored vehicles, equipment and personnel to locations that are far inland from a sea-based center of operation.

The King Stallion boasts three times the lift capability of the previous model, and can fly at higher altitudes for longer distances in hotter conditions, according to the service’s news release.

“The CH-53K is more powerful, safer and an easier-to-maintain helicopter. That’ll allow each wing commander more capacity to sustain the Marine Air-Ground Task Force in an austere environment,” said HMH-461 commanding officer Lt. Col. Adam Horne in a statement included in the announcement.

Inside Defense previously reported that the Defense Department’s legislative proposal package for the fiscal year 2023 defense authorization bill requested the Navy enter a block-buy contract for 30 CH-53Ks in FY-23 and FY-24.

The Marine Corps included 10 CH-53Ks in its FY-23 budget request. The service’s unfunded priorities list contained $250 million for two more of the aircraft.

The Senate Armed Services Committee today voted to advance several nominees for senior Defense Department positions, including a new chief of space operations and a new head of U.S. Strategic Command.

The committee by voice vote moved to favorably report to the full Senate the nominations of Lt. Gen. Bradley Saltzman to be chief of space operations and Gen. Anthony Cotton to be chief of STRATCOM.

Additionally, the committee voted to advance Milancy Harris, nominated to be deputy under secretary of defense for intelligence and security; Brendan Owens to be assistant secretary of defense for energy, installations, and environment; and Laura Taylor-Kale to be assistant secretary of defense for industrial base policy.

The nominations will now move to the full Senate for confirmation votes.

This Wednesday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on Space Force acquisition, directed energy for missile defense, Navy ship maintenance and more.

Space Force acquisition chief Frank Calvelli spoke this week at the annual Air and Space Forces Association's Air, Space & Cyber conference:

Space Force should 'stop' long-term, cost-plus contracts, Calvelli says

NATIONAL HARBOR, MD -- The Space Development Agency’s model of rapid satellite acquisitions is poised to shake up the Space Force's procurement strategy, the service's top acquisition official said today, who heralded SDA's operations ahead of the agency's planned transition into the Space Force next month.

The Missile Defense Agency this week awarded Lockheed Martin a nearly $2 million contract for a study on "Directed Energy Lethality for Fast Threats" to explore an idea the company proposed in response to the agency’s 2021 innovation, science and technology solicitation:

MDA taps Lockheed for new study on feasibility of laser integration into Missile Defense System

The Missile Defense Agency has tapped Lockheed Martin to conduct a study that aims to explore whether directed-energy weapons can be integrated into the Missile Defense System, a project that comes as a company leader voiced optimism about the potential for speed-of-light technology to scale up to power levels needed to defeat intercontinental ballistic missiles.

The Navy currently has 41 surface ships available for maintenance -- with over 100 in planning, according to Rear Adm. William Greene, the Navy's fleet maintenance officer for U.S. Fleet Forces Command:

Navy heading in 'wrong direction' with on-time shipyard repair

A top Navy official said fewer ships are being delivered on time out of maintenance availabilities -- citing workforce shortages as a "national crisis."

The Senate this week quietly approved a bipartisan plan to extend the Small Business Innovation Research and complementary Small Business Technology Transfer programs by three years, teeing up a possible House vote in the coming days:

SBIR reauthorization bill includes three-year extension, multiple programmatic changes

Lawmakers are looking to move forward with a standalone, three-year extension for a key, decades-old program that administers small business grants across nearly a dozen federal agencies, including the Defense Department, according to a bill draft and summary.

Air Force Central Command's Detachment 99 is a team of "super empowered" airmen who will rapidly innovate digital capabilities, uncrewed aircraft and artificial intelligence and machine learning programs, according to AFCENT Commander Lt. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich:

AFCENT Detachment 99 to tackle C-UAS, digital innovation

NATIONAL HARBOR, MD -- Air Force Central Command has launched a new group charged with experimenting with off-the-shelf technologies to identify capabilities that can be used in the Middle East theater.

The Marine Corps is interested in remotely operated/unmanned vehicles capable of hosting "various large weapons platforms," according to a request for information published on Monday evening.

The service anticipates an acquisition objective of 60 units, ready for initial fielding in the first quarter of fiscal year 2024.

“This Special Notice serves as announcement of the Intent to Sole Source for the modification of the base award to Oshkosh Defense, LLC. for the procurement of additional Carriers, also known as, Remote Operated Ground Unit Expeditionary-FIRES and ancillary support equipment and services for the Long-Range Fires program,” the RFI states.

The announcement stipulates the system’s mobility and deployability should be roughly equal to that of the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle. Systems that are based upon or incorporate existing Marine Corps technology are favored by the service.

The system must be able to load C-130 and larger aircraft in addition to “amphibious shipping and connectors,” the announcement states. The complete system can weigh no more than 24,000 lbs with platform power of up to 10 kW.

Responses to the RFI are required by Oct. 3.

The Army will hold an industry day next month to provide further information on its program to replace the tube-launched, optically tracked, wire-guided missile, the service announced Monday.

The Army will provide new information on the program timeline and desired characteristics of the Close Combat Missile System-Heavy during the virtual industry day on Oct. 20. The service first announced the program last year and the following June released a request for information that said the new capability will be used to defeat armored threats and field fortification. It will initially augment existing stockpiles of the TOW family of missiles, while maintaining compatibility with platforms and launchers.

The industry day will include a brief overview of the program, a question-and-answer session and individual sessions for vendors to talk directly with the project manager office, according to the notice.

Companies interested in attending the industry day must RSVP to Staci Doss at by Oct. 3.

This Tuesday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on congressional efforts to extend small business legislation, the Defense Department's work on a national spectrum strategy and more.

We start off with coverage of lawmakers' work on extending small business legislation:

SBIR reauthorization bill includes three-year extension, multiple programmatic changes

Lawmakers are looking to move forward with a standalone, three-year extension for a key, decades-old program that administers small business grants across nearly a dozen federal agencies, including the Defense Department, according to a bill draft and summary.

Document: SBIR/STTR extension act of 2022

DOD Chief Information Officer John Sherman spoke this week at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration spectrum policy symposium:

DOD 'engaged' in work to develop national spectrum strategy

A top Pentagon official said the Defense Department is "engaged" in work on a national spectrum strategy that would guide 5G wireless technology deployment and ensure a coordinated, cross-government approach to shape future policies.

More coverage of this week's annual AFA Air, Space and Cyber Conference:

AFCENT Detachment 99 to tackle C-UAS, digital innovation

NATIONAL HARBOR, MD -- Air Force Central Command has launched a new group charged with experimenting with off-the-shelf technologies to identify capabilities that can be used in the Middle East theater.

AMC approves KC-46A for combat deployment

NATIONAL HARBOR, MD -- The KC-46A Pegasus has been cleared by Air Mobility Command for combat deployment, AMC’s top official told reporters today, marking a turning point for the troubled tanker that had previously been sidelined by technical defects and cost overruns.

L3Harris, Embraer enter KC-Z consideration with KC-390 tanker

NATIONAL HARBOR, MD -- L3Harris Technologies and Brazilian aerospace company Embraer are offering a jointly developed KC-390 Millennium as a new tanker for the Air Force’s consideration, aiming to break into the U.S. military air refueling market as the service looks to field a new generation of aircraft, the two companies announced this week.

The Air Force has appointed a program executive officer to integrate Command, Control, Communications and Battle Management capabilities across the service, according to a news release posted Monday.

The Rapid Capabilities Office, which had managed C3BM capabilities, will now be a “supporting element” for the Integrating PEO after it set a “strong foundation,” according to the release.

"The high-end fight against today's pacing challenge will be much more complex than any undertaking the DAF has managed to date," said Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall. "The DAF must develop and migrate to a C3BM architecture that includes resilient, distributed battle management, as well as the operational ability to disaggregate C3BM execution to reduce or eliminate single points of failure for optimal survivability against emerging threats."

Brig. Gen. Luke Cropsey will serve as the first Integrating PEO for C3BM, which is a core component of the Defense Department’s Joint All Domain Command and Control effort. He will work with service acquisition executive Andrew Hunter, who appointed him, and Assistant Secretary for Space Integration Frank Calvelli.

"Luke's charge will be to build the organizational infrastructure to solve the complex systems engineering and integration challenge for C3BM across the DAF and externally, and he will be empowered as the leader to make this happen,” Hunter said in the news release.

Cropsey will also work with the Office of the Secretary of Defense and other military departments on the Air Force’s JADC2-related efforts.

Hunter will also appoint a chief of engineering for the PEO who will lead system engineering for the C3BM system of systems. Resources from the service’s chief architect’s office will be aligned under the PEO to support the architecture and engineering work.