The Insider

SSC awards $579M to Kratos Defense to support MILSATCOM
By Apurva Minchekar
November 30, 2023 at 1:39 PM

Space Systems Command has awarded a $579 million contract to Kratos Defense & Security Solutions to maintain and develop ground control systems for new and future military communications satellites, according to an announcement last week.

The Command-and-Control System-Consolidated Sustainment and Resiliency contract is an eight-year indefinite delivery indefinite quantity, single award to provide satellite control capabilities to the Space Force and U.S. Space Command.

Under the contract, Kratos Defense will support military communication satellites, including “the Defense Satellite Communications System III, Milstar Satellite Communications System, Advanced Extremely High Frequency and Wideband Global Satellite systems.”

“This contract will sustain a baseline currently supporting C2 operations of four separate constellations and 26 military communication satellites, with added lines of effort that provide the agility to deliver cyber and operational resiliency, as well as the integration of new satellites and future constellations,” George Gonzales, SSC MILSATCOM product support delta director said in the announcement.

The initial task order awarded $26.7 million for the base year will provide core sustainment support and has a total value of $146.3 million, the announcement reads.

The command said the initial task order contract will include providing continued sustainment, system and software engineering, enhancements and modernization.

It will also allow obsolescence remediation, data sharing and bolster C2 capabilities with an “Information Technology infrastructure upgrade,” SSC noted.

Air Force awards $2.3B to Boeing to build additional KC-46A
By Apurva Minchekar
November 30, 2023 at 12:17 PM

The Air Force has awarded Boeing a $2.3 billion contract to build additional KC-46 tanker aircraft, according to a Nov. 28 announcement.

Under the contract, Boeing will be responsible for developing 15 KC-46 aircraft by July 31, 2027, and the work will be performed in Seattle, WA.

Boeing, in its statement, said the KC-46A is transforming the role of tanker aircraft, noting: “The KC-46A Pegasus has already been called a ‘game changer’ for its ability to transmit and exchange data, enabling rapid air mobility, global reach and Agile Combat Employment.”

The company highlighted that it has already delivered 76 KC-46As to the U.S. Air Force and two to the Japan Air Self-Defense Force.

Reagan Foundation poll signals support for boosting defense spending
By Tony Bertuca
November 30, 2023 at 11:34 AM

The Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute, a few days in advance of a high-profile gathering of national security insiders in Simi Valley, CA, has released the results of a national survey that has found Americans favor increased defense spending, including aid to Ukraine, despite some resistance being shown by members of Congress.

The survey, according to the Reagan Forum, “reveals a disconnect between the American public, with 77 percent supporting increased military spending, and debates in Congress over defense cuts.”

“A supermajority of Americans supports maintaining military bases around the world and fears budget cuts by Congress will threaten the military’s capabilities,” the foundation said.

The foundation said the poll was conducted between Oct. 27 and Nov. 5 and is based on 945 telephone interviews and more than 1,500 online surveys.

Additionally, the survey shows that a “a majority of Americans view China as the country that poses the greatest threat to the United States but are overconfident about U.S. military capabilities compared to China.”

The survey also found that Americans support increased military assistance to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, while Congress -- especially the GOP-led House -- remains at odds over a $106 billion national security supplemental request sent by the White House.

“Support for Ukraine has remained consistent over the last three Reagan Institute surveys, despite the narrative about waning support for Ukraine,” the foundation said.

However, the survey found that “confidence in the military remains at record lows,” with only 46% of Americans reporting a “great deal of confidence” in the U.S. military, “a number that has plateaued after falling 25 points” from 70% in 2018, according to the foundation.

STRATCOM wants to tap commercial gaming technology
By Shelley K. Mesch
November 29, 2023 at 5:17 PM

U.S. Strategic Command wants to leverage the commercial gaming industry to bolster the Defense Department's electromagnetic spectrum capabilities.

STRATCOM’s Nuclear Command, Control and Communications Enterprise Center, or NEC, would use the expertise of commercial gaming companies to “promote innovative solutions, tools, capabilities or a combination thereof for the advancement of future DOD electromagnetic spectrum (EMS) modeling, simulation and analysis,” according to a request for information released today.

The goal would be to enhance the use of information and electronic warfare in campaign- and mission-level models as well as rapidly update “aging” modeling and simulation tools, the post states.

By using state-of-the-art gaming technology, STRATCOM would plan to demonstrate developing systems such as planes, tanks, ships and satellites with “realistic EMS characteristics and physical attributes,” reducing scenario development time, providing real-time simulation feedback, visualizing the EMS operating environment, using role-based access to train less experienced modeling and simulation users, seeing quickly the result of parameter decisions made by an operator and simplifying the user interactions with different connected tools, among other demonstrations.

Other DOD offices have also signaled their interest in using video gaming technology to advance their missions.

Space Force Chief Technology and Innovation Officer Lisa Costa said video game interfaces are designed to help players quickly access and visualize information and data, which could be more useful to guardians than simply reading words on a screen or page.

Gaming interfaces are already intuitive to most new recruits or employees, she said, so there wouldn’t be a steep learning curve to incorporate it.

The Missile Defense Agency also said early last year that it would tap into video game innovations for its Command and Control, Battle Management and Communications system, or C2BMC. MDA wants to create a new C2BMC Planner to allow different commands to better collaboratively plan, coordinate and optimize high-demand missile defense assets.

The INSIDER daily digest -- Nov. 29, 2023
By John Liang
November 29, 2023 at 2:00 PM

This Wednesday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on House and Senate conferees gathering to negotiate the fiscal year 2024 defense policy bill, a DARPA award for using diamonds to reduce heat in transistors and more.

House and Senate conferees have begun their annual negotiations to come up with the new defense policy bill:

Bipartisan lawmakers express need for compromise for defense policy bill, amidst varying party interests

House and Senate bipartisan lawmakers spoke about their commitment to passing the fiscal year 2024 defense authorization bill today despite varying priorities both parties have during a "pass the gavel" ceremony today.

Related:

House, Senate lawmakers to 'pass the gavel,' kicking off defense policy bill negotiations

Senior members of the House and Senate Armed Services committees will meet Wednesday for a "pass the gavel" ceremony that formally begins bicameral negotiations on the annual defense authorization bill that will likely lead to clashes over key Pentagon policies and programs.

RTX subsidiary Raytheon recently announced the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency had awarded the radar maker a four-year, $15 million contract "to increase the electronic capability of radio frequency with high-power-density gallium nitride transistors":

New atomic-scale cooling technology could unleash more powerful radar, radios, EW systems

The Defense Department is reaching for a next-generation microelectronics advancement that promises order-of-magnitude improvements for radar, communications and electronic warfare systems by using diamonds to reduce heat in transistors, awarding Raytheon an applied research contract to demonstrate the efficacy of such novel cooling technology.

The Army recently released a market survey seeking to develop the XM123 Ground Obstacle Breaching Lane Neutralizer (GOBLN), a mine and obstacle clearing system designed to "to maintain a high operational tempo through the reduction of non-explosive and explosive obstacles":

Army looking to make breaching vehicles 'more reliable and effective'

The Army wants to make its obstacle breaching vehicles "more reliable and effective" on the battlefield, according to a public announcement last week.

Space Systems Command's Space Sensing Resilient missile warning, tracking and defense program office will now begin to manufacture six space vehicles for delivery which are scheduled to lift off in late 2026:

SSC completes CDR of first MEO missile warning and tracking system

Space Systems Command today announced it has completed the critical design review of Epoch 1 space vehicles, the Space Force's first medium Earth orbit missile warning and tracking system.

DOD investing in company study to expand domestic graphite supply chain
By Georgina DiNardo
November 29, 2023 at 1:01 PM

The Defense Department today announced a $3.2 million agreement with South Star Battery Metals Corp. in an effort to strengthen and expand the U.S. domestic graphite supply chain.

"This is another example of the critical importance of the Defense Production Act investment authorities," said Laura Taylor-Kale, assistant defense secretary for industrial base policy, in a press release today. "As one of our first awards to a Canadian company in the battery materials sector, this award exemplifies our combined commitment to strengthening our battery material supply chains and global approach to industrial base resilience."

The department entered into this agreement under Title III of the Defense Production Act, which gives DOD the power to appropriate funds to companies for feasibility studies.

South Star will perform a study that will cover the entire CSPG process from beginning to end, starting with mining and ending with final production. The study will look at economic, environmental, social and governance criteria.

If the study is successful, South Star will build a “downstream battery-grade processing facility,” located in the southeast, that would use the BamaStar mine site to provide concentrates to be transformed into CSPG, which will be used as feedstock for “domestic lithium-ion battery anode production,” according to the release.

The department hopes that this result will create a healthier, stronger domestic graphite anode supply chain.

In the past, the DPAI program has made 23 awards, totaling $717.5 million, to help with manufacturing, expansion and investment.

Army awards OTAs to Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman for Launched Effects program
By Dan Schere
November 29, 2023 at 10:45 AM

The Army has awarded other transaction agreements to Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman for the first phase of the Launched Effects (LE) program, the service announced Wednesday.

Launched Effects “will provide standoff sense and effect capabilities for soldiers while keeping air and ground forces outside the range of adversary weapon systems,” according to the service’s Program Executive Office for Intelligence, Electronic Warfare and Sensors. LE will also support forces “entering and exiting mission areas.”

The LE program consists of three phases, and during that span the Army aims to mature payloads from a technology readiness level of 6, a prototype system that has been tested in a relevant environment, to TRL 7 -- a prototype that has been demonstrated in an operational environment.

Northrop has been awarded for two payloads and Lockheed has been awarded for one, with each award valued at about $100,000, according to the Army. The OTA will total about $37 million over all three phases.

In Phase 1, the payloads will be integrated and tested within infrared and electronic warfare realms, and Phase 2 involves maturing the TRL 6 payloads and integrating them into a “captive carry test event,” Dennis Teefy, the project director for sensors-aerial intelligence (PD SAI) said in a statement. Phase 3 will be “a final integration and flight test in a chosen uncrewed aerial vehicle.”

The LE program of record is currently “being defined” by the Army’s Program Executive Office for Aviation. The first iteration, expected no earlier than fiscal year 2030, will be used to support user evaluations before fielding the Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft and Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft, according to the service. PD SAI will manage the payloads and will work with PEO Aviation and Project Manager Uncrewed Aircraft to ensure the payloads meet threshold requirements.

BAE gets $36M contract for recovery vehicles
By Nickolai Sukharev
November 28, 2023 at 5:53 PM

BAE Systems won a $36.4 million contract to continue producing the Hercules recovery vehicles for the Army, the Defense Department announced on Nov. 22.

Under the contract, BAE will manufacture the M88A2 Heavy Equipment Recovery Combat Utility Lift and Evacuation System vehicles at their facility in York, PA with an estimated completion date of Aug. 31, 2025.

Earlier this year, BAE received contracts to manufacture the Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle, the Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle and the M109A7 self-propelled howitzer.

Based on the Abrams tank, the M88A2 is designed to recover vehicles weighing up to 70 tons, remove and replace turrets as well as provide fuel.

In 2018, the Army announced a solicitation for the M88A3, which features an upgraded engine and tracks along with the capability to recover vehicles weighing up to 80 tons.

The Army will not procure the M88A2 during fiscal year 2024 but will procure 14 vehicles in FY 2025, according to budget documents.

In addition to the U.S., the M88 is currently used by Australia, Egypt, Kuwait, Iraq, Lebanon, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, and Thailand.

Navy publishes inaugural cyber strategy with seven lines of effort
By Nick Wilson
November 28, 2023 at 3:07 PM

The Navy last week published its first comprehensive cyber strategy detailing seven lines of effort to ready the service for a global operating environment where cyber capabilities are increasingly important for national defense.

With an eye toward deterring China, the seven lines of effort are: “improve and support the cyber workforce; defend enterprise IT, data and networks; secure defense critical infrastructure and weapon systems; conduct and facilitate cyber operations; partner to secure the defense industrial base; and foster cooperation and collaboration,” according to the strategy report.

“The next fight against our major adversary will be like no other in prior conflicts. The use of non-kinetic effects and defense against those effects prior to and during kinetic exchanges will likely be the deciding factor in who prevails,” the report states.

“The side that most effectively sequences and synchronizes non-kinetic effects will have a decisive advantage. We must ensure our capabilities to project power and defend in cyberspace take top priority to ensure the success of the traditional power projection capabilities of our naval forces,” it continues.

The strategy arrives several months later than service officials initially predicted and follows the Defense Department’s release of a Pentagon-wide cyber strategy emphasizing lessons learned from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and underscoring a need to protect industry from cyber espionage.

The Navy’s strategy was developed jointly by the service’s chief information officer, Jane Rathbun, and its principal cyber adviser, Chris Cleary.

“Achieving a competitive advantage in the cyber domain is critical to strengthening our maritime dominance," Rathbun said in a statement included in the release. "The Cyber Strategy sets the DON on a course to more effectively defend our Information Ecosystem and emphasizes the importance of our cyber workforce."

According to a forward in the report authored by Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro, the strategy’s development was prompted by a review of the Navy’s cyber readiness posture that began in 2019 and revealed the need for rapid mitigation of cyber vulnerabilities.

“This inaugural strategy builds on years of lessons learned from cyber domain operations across the globe,” Del Toro said in a statement included in the release. “We are focused on aggressively enhancing our cyber enterprise, while fostering cooperation and collaboration with our allies and partners.”

The INSIDER daily digest -- Nov. 28, 2023
By John Liang
November 28, 2023 at 2:27 PM

This Tuesday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on an Army mine and obstacle clearing system, Space Force missile warning satellites and more.

The Army recently released a market survey seeking to develop the XM123 Ground Obstacle Breaching Lane Neutralizer (GOBLN), a mine and obstacle clearing system designed to "to maintain a high operational tempo through the reduction of non-explosive and explosive obstacles":

Army looking to make breaching vehicles 'more reliable and effective'

The Army wants to make its obstacle breaching vehicles "more reliable and effective" on the battlefield, according to a public announcement last week.

Space Systems Command's Space Sensing Resilient missile warning, tracking and defense program office will now begin to manufacture six space vehicles for delivery which are scheduled to lift off in late 2026:

SSC completes CDR of first MEO missile warning and tracking system

Space Systems Command today announced it has completed the critical design review of Epoch 1 space vehicles, the Space Force's first medium Earth orbit missile warning and tracking system.

The Air Force lacks space-based military weather monitoring systems:

Air Force official: Absence of reliable SBEM affects global operations

The lack of modern space-based environmental monitoring systems affects not only the Air Force but also the Army, Navy and Space Force as well as global operations, Col. Patrick Williams, Air Force director of weather, said last week.

Our colleagues at Inside Cybersecurity are reporting that the Pentagon's Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program has cleared a major milestone:

DOD's CMMC rulemaking clears OIRA review process

The Pentagon's rulemaking to implement its Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program has completed the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs review process, a major milestone that indicates the new regulation should show up in the Federal Register soon.

The Defense Department's inspector general recently released a report on the Navy's MQ-25 Stingray unmanned aircraft system:

DOD IG says Navy should delay production, IOC decisions on MQ-25

The Defense Department inspector general is recommending the Navy hold off on a production decision and declare the MQ-25 unmanned air system operational until certain developmental tests are completed.

Document: DOD IG report on the Navy's MQ-25 program

The INSIDER daily digest -- Nov. 27, 2023
By John Liang
November 27, 2023 at 1:44 PM

This post-Thanksgiving weekend INSIDER Daily Digest has news on Air Force weather monitoring systems, a recent Defense Department inspector general's report on the MQ-25 Stingray unmanned aircraft system and more.

We start off with news on the lack of space-based military weather monitoring systems:

Air Force official: Absence of reliable SBEM affects global operations

The lack of modern space-based environmental monitoring systems affects not only the Air Force but also the Army, Navy and Space Force as well as global operations, Col. Patrick Williams, Air Force director of weather, said last week.

The Pentagon's inspector general recently released a report on the Navy's MQ-25 Stingray unmanned aircraft system:

DOD IG says Navy should delay production, IOC decisions on MQ-25

The Defense Department inspector general is recommending the Navy hold off on a production decision and declare the MQ-25 unmanned air system operational until certain developmental tests are completed.

Document: DOD IG report on the Navy's MQ-25 program

In case you missed it, here's the latest on the Pentagon's Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program:

DOD's CMMC rulemaking clears OIRA review process

The Pentagon's rulemaking to implement its Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program has completed the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs review process, a major milestone that indicates the new regulation should show up in the Federal Register soon.

Pentagon finalizes change to acquisition rules setting up DOD methodology for cyber assessment standard

The Pentagon will use a methodology developed by the Defense Contract Management Agency's Defense Industrial Base Cyber Assessment Center for National Institute of Standards and Technology Special Publications 800-171 assessments moving forward, according to a final rule formalizing an arrangement that is seen as a placeholder for the upcoming rollout of the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program.

CMMC ecosystem prepares for rulemaking release, while exact timing remains uncertain

Stakeholders are getting ready for the upcoming release of a long-awaited rulemaking to implement the Pentagon's Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program, while the exact timing and content of the rule remains unclear two years after the Defense Department announced a major revamp.

DOD approach to Russia to be discussed in Defense Policy Board closed meetings
By Georgina DiNardo
November 27, 2023 at 11:41 AM

The Defense Policy Board's federal advisory committee with hold two closed meetings on Dec. 5 and Dec. 6 discussing the Defense Department's approach to Russia, according to a Federal Register notice.

The meetings are being held to acquire, analyze and assess classified information pertaining to the DPB’s mission, which aims to provide guidance on DOD strategic planning, policy implications of force structure, DOD’s capability to implement a defense strategy and regional defense policies.

The meetings will consist of classified briefings on defense policy pertaining to the threat Russia poses from now until 2050 and what officials have learned about the war in Ukraine.

Lt. Col Jesse Humpal, the board’s designated federal officer, will begin the meetings by speaking about DPB FACA requirements and closed meeting rules. Then, Sasha Baker, acting under secretary of defense for policy, will welcome the board.

Then, Mara Karlin, assistant defense secretary for strategy, plans and capabilities, who is also performing the duties of the deputy defense under secretary for policy, and Celeste Wallander, assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs, will discuss updates on how the policy office is tackling Russia.

Nicholas Berliner, special assistant to the president and senior director for Russia and Central Asia on the National Security Council, will add an intelligence community update pertaining to Russia. Gen. Charles Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will speak about how he is approaching Russia. Gen. Christopher Cavoli, commander of U.S. European Command, will provide an update on the combatant command’s approach to Russia.

The DPB will give their recommendations to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks and Karlin for future steps relating to Russia.

The meetings will conclude with remarks from Elee Wakim, from the military experts working group, that relate to findings related to the conflict in Ukraine.

The first meeting will start at 8:30 a.m. and end at 5:00 p.m. on Dec. 5, while the second will start at 8:00 a.m. and end at 11:15 a.m. on Dec. 6, according to the notice. Both are closed to the public.

The INSIDER daily digest -- Nov. 22, 2023
By John Liang
November 22, 2023 at 12:49 PM

This pre-Thanksgiving INSIDER Daily Digest has news on the Pentagon's Replicator drone effort, the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program, the Navy's MQ-25 Stingray unmanned aircraft system and more.

The Pentagon's No. 2 civilian official spoke to reporters at a Defense Writers Group breakfast in Washington this week:

Hicks says Replicator drone picks will be made within the next few weeks

Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks said today the Pentagon intends to select within the next three weeks the "first tranche" of low-cost, attritable, autonomous drone systems to be included in its new Replicator initiative.

Our colleagues at Inside Cybersecurity have the latest on the Pentagon's Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program:

DOD's CMMC rulemaking clears OIRA review process

The Pentagon's rulemaking to implement its Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program has completed the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs review process, a major milestone that indicates the new regulation should show up in the Federal Register soon.

Pentagon finalizes change to acquisition rules setting up DOD methodology for cyber assessment standard

The Pentagon will use a methodology developed by the Defense Contract Management Agency's Defense Industrial Base Cyber Assessment Center for National Institute of Standards and Technology Special Publications 800-171 assessments moving forward, according to a final rule formalizing an arrangement that is seen as a placeholder for the upcoming rollout of the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program.

CMMC ecosystem prepares for rulemaking release, while exact timing remains uncertain

Stakeholders are getting ready for the upcoming release of a long-awaited rulemaking to implement the Pentagon's Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program, while the exact timing and content of the rule remains unclear two years after the Defense Department announced a major revamp.

The Pentagon's inspector general this week released a report on the Navy's MQ-25 Stingray unmanned aircraft system:

DOD IG says Navy should delay production, IOC decisions on MQ-25

The Defense Department inspector general is recommending the Navy hold off on a production decision and declare the MQ-25 unmanned air system operational until certain developmental tests are completed.

Document: DOD IG report on the Navy's MQ-25 program

A pair of House lawmakers want the Pentagon to cooperate with the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand on artificial intelligence:

Reps. Gallagher, Khanna bill would create a DOD working group on 'Five Eyes' AI cooperation

The Biden administration should establish a Pentagon-led working group to coordinate a multinational effort to test, develop and procure artificial intelligence systems in tandem with its "Five Eyes" allies, the chair and ranking member of the House Armed Services cyber, information technologies and innovation subcommittee say in a new bill.

Editor's Note: Happy Thanksgiving! The next INSIDER Daily Digest will be posted on Monday, Nov. 27.

Army seeking more mobile command posts
By Nickolai Sukharev
November 22, 2023 at 12:25 PM

The Army is exploring ways to make field command posts more mobile as part of the Command Post Integrated Infrastructure (CPI2) program, the service announced Friday.

“Commanders must have the ability to set up and configure their [command posts] to meet unique mission and terrain needs and constraints,” the announcement reads.

In addition to mobility, the Army is asking industry how they can integrate battlefield command posts into existing and future command and control systems.

The RFI asks entrants to maximize mobility, create transit case-based configuration, diversify transport options and implement on-the-move capabilities for future command posts.

“The Army would like to provide commanders options with possibly multiple configurations based on mission type and operating environment,” the announcement adds.

Under the CPI2 program, the Army is developing a mobile command post based on vehicles and wireless systems, replacing the traditional tent and cable wiring.

In 2021, an operational test revealed that Army units were able to disperse over greater distances while maintaining connectivity, Inside Defense reported at the time.

Along with a command post vehicle, the CPI2 will also include a set of digitally connected workstations and a support system to provide multiple operating pictures simultaneously, according to the Program Executive Office for Command Control Communications-Tactical.

The Army will utilize government off-the-shelf and commercial-off-the-shelf technologies.

Currently, the Army is also developing the Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System, which is designed to integrate and connect the service’s numerous missiles into a single command and control system.

The INSIDER daily digest -- Nov. 21, 2023
By John Liang
November 21, 2023 at 2:31 PM

This Tuesday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on a recent Defense Science Board study, the Pentagon's new information operations strategy and more.

The Defense Science Board Task Force on Secure Electronic Processing has provided its findings to Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Heidi Shyu, who commissioned the project a year ago:

DSB Secure Electronic Processing Task Force completes work, withholds findings from public

A Pentagon advisory board commissioned to assess secure electronic processing has completed its work but is not disclosing recommendations on how to address the U.S. military's conundrum of relying on microprocessors produced by a global supply chain that allows adversaries to corrupt technologies, launch malicious code and steal weapon system blueprints.

A new Pentagon information operations strategy "informs and guides the investments that the department should make to improve its abilities to influence our rivals and adversaries’ decisions and behaviors, while protecting DOD personnel and institutions against foreign malign influence":

DOD releases information ops strategy to 'guide investments'

The Defense Department has released the 2023 Strategy for Operations in the Information Environment, which aims to strengthen national security and counter U.S. adversaries through building integrated deterrence and directing future investments.

Document: DOD's 2023 information ops strategy

The Army's Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor (LTAMDS) took part in a recent live-fire event:

LTAMDS 'nominal' in first live-fire test; surrogate cruise missile intercepted

The Army's Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor (LTAMDS) -- in a seminal event for the service's decade-long effort to field a next-generation, 360-degree radar -- detected a cruise missile target and guided a Patriot interceptor to destroy the threat during a live-fire test at White Sands Missile Range, NM.

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin gave remarks at his welcome ceremony at Joint Base Andrews, MD last week:

Allvin says 'adjustments' and 'variations in execution' are necessary

The Air Force needs to make some "adjustments" and "variations in [its] execution" to adapt to the current strategic environment and defend the U.S. from aggressors, according to the service's newly appointed chief of staff.

The White House's new National Spectrum Strategy isn't going over well with some congressional lawmakers:

Lawmakers split over DOD spectrum sharing in new White House strategy

Lawmakers disagree over the White House's new National Spectrum Strategy announced Monday, with parties divided over the possibility of spectrum sharing between the Defense Department and the private sector.