The Insider

Pre-positioning warfighting equipment in the Indo-Pacific is crucial to preparing for a potential conflict in the region, according to the Marine Corps' assistant commandant, who said the service is drawing 21st century logistics lessons from the conflict in Ukraine.

“The Russians bit off far more than they could chew when they attempted a five-pronged simultaneous attack with no logistics expertise whatsoever,” Gen. Eric Smith said today at the Ash Carter Exchange national security forum. “What it's teaching us is that you have to pre-stage.”

Pre-positioning equipment at Marine Corps outposts distributed throughout the Pacific theater will put the service in the best position to fight if a conflict breaks out, Smith said, arguing that sustaining desegregated forces through the first island chain will be much easier than “fighting your way into the weapons engagement zone” after a conflict has begun.

“The analogy I would use here is if you're a homeowner and you're trying to keep somebody out of your house. If they're already out, it's easy. You just pile more furniture against the door. That's the anti-access/area-denial threat,” he said. “If somebody is already in your foyer, especially if they're a well-trained Marine, and you try to push them out your door, somebody's going to get hurt.”

Smith pointed to the need for a robust amphibious fleet to expediently move personnel and supplies around the Indo-Pacific. He endorsed investing in innovation to develop unmanned air and surface delivery systems to “minimize the logistics burden.”

Smith also cited solar energy, which he said the Marine Corps effectively employed in Afghanistan, as a means of reducing distributed forces’ dependence on traditional energy sources.

Asked whether the Marine Corps’ Force Design 2030 strategy is effective in operating environments outside of the Pacific, Smith said the re-imagined force is exportable to all theaters.

Pointing to his personal service experience, Smith said having the capabilities developed under Force Design 2030 would have made the service more effective in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Smith also emphasized the importance of U.S. allies, citing support from Pacific nations including the Philippines, Thailand, South Korea, Australia, Japan and Singapore.

“The great thing about us we have a lot of friends. China doesn't have as many friends,” he said.

The Defense Department today announced a new $1.2 billion security assistance package for Ukraine with money for air defense, artillery and ammunition.

The package, funded vial the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, will include:

• Additional air defense systems and munitions;
• Equipment to integrate Western air defense launchers, missiles and radars with Ukraine’s air defense systems;
• Ammunition for counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems;
• 155mm artillery rounds;
• Commercial satellite imagery services;
• Support for training, maintenance and sustainment activities.

Pentagon officials have said Ukraine’s air defense is a top priority, outranking other needs like fighter aircraft -- which the United States has not yet provided.

The new aid announcement did not specifically say which air defense systems would be provided but the United States has already sent a Patriot battery to Ukraine and trained Ukrainian soldiers to use it.

Ukraine over the weekend said it has used a U.S.-made Patriot air defense system to shoot down a Russian hypersonic missile over Kyiv. It has also been reported that Ukraine’s air defense systems recently shot down about 15 Russian cruise missiles headed for Kyiv.

Though presidential “drawdown” actions rapidly transfer weapons to Ukraine directly from U.S. stocks, weapons provided through the USAI, like those in this package, may take many months or several years to arrive on the battlefield.

“Unlike Presidential Drawdown authority (PDA), which DOD has continued to leverage to deliver equipment to Ukraine from DOD stocks at a historic pace, USAI is an authority under which the United States procures capabilities from industry or partners,” DOD said. “This announcement represents the beginning of a contracting process to provide additional priority capabilities to Ukraine."

The latest package, DOD said, “underscores the continued U.S. commitment to meeting Ukraine’s most urgent requirements by committing critical near-term capabilities, such as air defense systems and munitions, while also building the capacity of Ukraine’s Armed Forces to defend its territory and deter Russian aggression over the long term.”

This Monday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on an upcoming U.S.-European air and missile defense exercise, future Army helicopters and more.

From May 8 to May 26, 20 ships from 13 nations will converge in the North Atlantic between Norway and Scotland to demonstrate allied interoperability in a live-fire joint and combined Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) environment, using NATO command-and-control structures:

Major U.S.-European air and missile defense 'live-fire rehearsal' set for North Atlantic

U.S. and European naval forces next week will kick off the 2023 iteration of Formidable Shield, a U.S. 6th Fleet and NATO integrated air and missile defense exercise that will fold in F-35 fighter aircraft from the United States and Norway as well as ground units with advanced air defense and long-range strike capabilities.

Doug Bush, the Army's top acquisition official, said recently that the Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft program is eight months behind schedule, due in part to quality-control-related delays with the engines at the sub-vendor level:

While their prototypes wait for engines, FARA competitors touting their technology

As Bell and Sikorsky await the delivery of the Improved Turbine Engines for their respective prototypes in the Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft competition, each company is making its best case to the Army for why its technology is preferred.

The Sentinel nuclear missile is three years into a seven-year engineering and manufacturing design phase:

GSC commander 'cautiously optimistic' on Sentinel delivery date

The commander of Air Force Global Strike Command is "cautiously optimistic" the service will be able to field Sentinel nuclear missile capabilities on the current timeline despite schedule concerns raised in recent weeks.

The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States is "revising its regulations" to propose adding eight new military installations to its real estate jurisdiction:

CFIUS proposes expansion that could block Chinese land purchases near U.S. military bases

The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States intends to propose its authority be expanded to include oversight of eight additional military installations where nearby land has been bought or eyed for potential purchase by foreign investors, including those with ties to China.

A prototype X-band radar project is one of three microelectronics efforts planned in FY-24 using operational systems development funding through this proposed $1 billion package:

DOD seeking FY-24 funding to develop prototype X-band domestic cruise missile defense radar

The Defense Department is planning a new-start project in fiscal year 2024 to develop select technologies needed for a prototype X-band domestic cruise missile defense radar -- a sensor needed to provide point defense of a limited number of critical targets.

The House Armed Services Committee begins crafting its fiscal year 2024 defense authorization bill this week at the subcommittee level. Meanwhile, senior Pentagon officials are scheduled to speak on Capitol Hill.

Tuesday

The Senate Armed Services strategic forces subcommittee holds a hearing on the missile defense budget.

The Special Competitive Studies Project hosts the Ash Carter Exchange on Innovation and National Security featuring several senior Pentagon officials.

Wednesday

The House Foreign Affairs Committee holds a hearing on "Modernizing U.S. Arms Exports and a Stronger AUKUS."

The Mitchell Institute holds an event with Space Training and Readiness Command chief Maj. Gen. Shawn Bratton.

The Center for Strategic and International Studies hosts a discussion on the contested space domain.

Thursday

The Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee holds a hearing on the defense budget with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley.

Senior Defense Department chief information officers speak at a DefenseScoop DefenseTalks event.

The House Oversight national security, the border and foreign affairs subcommittee holds a hearing on "Challenges and Solutions in Naval Surface Ship Construction."

The House Armed Services cyber, information technology and innovation subcommittee marks up its version of the defense authorization bill.

The House Armed Services strategic forces subcommittee marks up its version of the defense authorization bill.

The House Armed Services seapower and projection forces subcommittee marks up its version of the defense authorization bill.

The House Armed Services personnel subcommittee marks up its version of the defense authorization bill.

The House Armed Services tactical air and land forces subcommittee marks up its version of the defense authorization bill.

The House Armed Services intelligence and special operations subcommittee marks up its version of the defense authorization bill.

Friday

The House Armed Services readiness subcommittee marks up its version of the defense authorization bill.

Seven former defense secretaries have sent a letter to Senate leaders urging them to “act expeditiously” to confirm nearly 200 military nominees that have been blocked from confirmation by Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), who is holding up the process over his opposition to Pentagon travel policies for servicemembers seeking abortion services.

Signatories of the letter sent to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) include former defense secretaries Mark Esper, Jim Mattis, Leon Panetta, Chuck Hagel, William Cohen and William Perry.

“The blanket hold on the promotion or reassignment of these senior uniformed leaders is harming military readiness and risks damaging U.S. national security,” the former defense chiefs wrote.

“Because the Senate is required to confirm every general and flag officer for promotion or for reassignment,” they said, “this practice has traditionally been a pro-forma exercise, except where there have been specific concerns about individual nominees, which were then handled separately.”

Tuberville, however, has issued a blanket hold on military nominations and promotions that has been in place for several weeks, citing his opposition to a Pentagon policy that gives military servicemembers paid leave and travel expenses to obtain abortion services in states where they remain legal. He has likened the Pentagon to an “abortion travel agency.”

The former defense secretaries, without mentioning Tuberville’s name, say the “current hold” is “preventing key leaders from assuming important, senior command and staff positions around the world.”

They note the hold is impacting “important command positions” like leading the 5th Fleet in Bahrain and the 7th Fleet in the Pacific, “which are critical to checking Iranian and Chinese aggression, respectively.”

The former defense chiefs also highlight other expected vacancies that will need to be filled, including the next military representative to NATO and the director of intelligence at U.S. Cyber Command.

“Leaving these and many other senior positions in doubt at a time of enormous geopolitical uncertainty sends the wrong message to our adversaries and could weaken our deterrence,” they wrote.

Additionally, they wrote, the blanket hold will impact nearly 80 three- and four-star commanders ending their terms in the coming months who will not be able to be replaced, including the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

“There are also real-world impacts on the families of these senior officers,” they wrote. “Most cannot move and resettle their families; their children cannot enroll at their next schools on time; and spouses cannot start new jobs at the next duty station. We can think of few things as irresponsible and uncaring as harming the families of those who serve our nation in uniform.”

Senators seeking policy changes, they said, should do so through legislation, not the holding of military nominations and promotions.

“We, therefore, strongly urge the Senate to ensure the continued readiness of the U.S. armed forces by lifting the blanket hold and promptly voting to confirm these uniformed nominees,” they wrote.

Tuberville, meanwhile, has shown no sign of backing off his hold, last month blocking an attempt to begin advancing nominees through unanimous consent.

This Thursday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on the Pentagon's Defense Industrial Base Cybersecurity program, the Government Accountability Office's latest congressional testimony on military readiness and more.

The Defense Department issued a proposed rule Wednesday that would allow more defense contractors who hold sensitive DOD information to become part of the Pentagon's Defense Industrial Base Cybersecurity program:

Defense ISAC leader identifies link between Pentagon proposed rule for DIB program and CISA incident reporting regime

Steve Shirley, executive director of the National Defense Information Sharing and Analysis Center, sees an opportunity for the Defense Department and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to work together on incident reporting as the Pentagon starts to expand its voluntary information sharing program and CISA implements a regime for critical infrastructure.

Pentagon acquisition chief Bill LaPlante spoke this week on a panel hosted by the Council on Foreign Relations:

LaPlante wants to see 'production, production, production'

Pentagon acquisition chief Bill LaPlante said this week that defense industrial base policy is in the middle of a "pivot" driven by the need to fill capacity gaps highlighted by the ongoing war in Ukraine and the need to prepare to possibly aid Taiwan in the event of a conflict with China.

The Office of the Secretary of Defense plans to assess the Glide Phase Intercept program by looking for evidence that Raytheon Technologies and Northrop Grumman can design a new hypersonic defense system faster than previously estimated:

DOD open to accelerating GPI fielding goal, industry must prove technology can mature faster

The Defense Department will explore the possibility of accelerating the Glide Phase Interceptor program schedule -- currently slated for fielding in 2034 -- if contractors developing competing designs for a hypersonic-killing guided missile provide compelling evidence that yet-to-be-developed technology is sufficiently mature to achieve earlier deployment.

The Government Accountability Office this week submitted testimony to the Senate Armed Services readiness and management support subcommittee stating that the Defense Department "faces several challenges as it works to rebuild and restore readiness across the military while also modernizing its forces":

GAO report offers mixed review of force readiness

The military's resource readiness ratings increased for five years through fiscal year 2021 in the air, ground and space forces but decreased across the sea forces, according to a Government Accountability Office report.

Document: GAO testimony on military readiness

More coverage from that subcommittee hearing:

Space Force lacks ability to provide realistic mission training

The Space Force does not yet have the ability to present realistic threats for trainers or to carry out integrated training for intra and joint services, Vice Chief of Space Operations Gen. David Thompson told lawmakers on Tuesday.

GAO: Army still must address challenges for rail transport of equipment

The Army has yet to address a number of issues related to the maintenance of rail transportation it uses for ammunition, vehicles and other equipment, according to the Government Accountability Office.

A new Army counter-UAS academy is expected to reach initial operational capability in the first quarter of FY-24, and full operational capability in the first quarter of FY-25:

Joint counter-UAS training academy at Ft. Sill on track to begin in first quarter of FY-24

The Army is set to transition its joint counter-UAS training from Yuma Proving Ground, AZ to Ft. Sill, OK starting in the first quarter of fiscal year 2024, according to a service spokesman.

The head of the National Nuclear Security Administration testified on Capitol Hill this week on her organization's fiscal year 2024 budget request:

Workforce still a roadblock to NNSA's 2030 goal of 80 pits per year, administrator says

Skilled and craft worker hiring and retention remain the biggest hurdle to reaching the National Nuclear Security Administration's nuclear pit production goals, Administrator Jill Hruby told Congress Wednesday.

The Defense Department today announced a $300 million security assistance package for Ukraine, including additional ammunition for long-range artillery systems.

The package, funded via presidential “drawdown” authority, will transfer weapons directly from U.S. stocks and is the 37th such action since August 2021.

The package includes:

• Additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS);

• 155mm Howitzers;

• 155mm artillery rounds;

• 120mm, 81mm, and 60mm mortar rounds;

• Tube-Launched, Optically Tracked, Wire-Guided (TOW) missiles;

• AT-4 and Carl Gustaf anti-armor weapon systems;

• Hydra-70 aircraft rockets;

• Small arms and small arms ammunition;

• Demolition munitions for obstacle clearing;

• Trucks and trailers to transport heavy equipment;

• Testing and diagnostic equipment to support vehicle maintenance and repair;

• Spare parts and other field equipment.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces are preparing to mount a spring counteroffensive against invading Russian troops that have fortified their positions in the eastern region of the country.

Gen. Christopher Cavoli, chief of U.S. European Command and NATO, said April 26 that Ukraine has nearly all the weapons it requires to commence the operation.

“According to the modeling that we’ve very carefully done with them, the Ukrainians are in a good position,” he said. “I am very confident that we have delivered the materiel that they need and we’ll continue a pipeline to sustain their operations as well.”