The Insider

By Tony Bertuca
May 16, 2016 at 2:57 PM

Congress is considering both defense authorization and appropriations legislation this week, while defense officials head to the annual Sea-Air-Space Exposition.

Monday

The Navy League's three-day Sea-Air-Space Exposition kicks off at Gaylord National Convention Center. Defense Secretary Ash Carter, Pentagon acquisition chief Frank Kendall and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson are among those set to speak at the conference.

Tuesday

The House Appropriations Committee marks up the fiscal year 2017 defense spending bill.

The House version of the fiscal year 2017 defense authorization bill is scheduled to be debated on the floor.

Wednesday

Booz Allen Hamilton is set to host a call with analysts to discuss its quarterly earnings.

By Marjorie Censer
May 16, 2016 at 11:36 AM

Defense and intelligence contractor Altamira Technologies announced earlier this month it has purchased Prime Solutions, a cybersecurity company focused on intelligence agency work.

Altamira said in its announcement the acquisition will help it expand Prime Solutions' capabilities to a larger set of customers and deepen its relationship with the National Security Agency.

By Marjorie Censer
May 16, 2016 at 11:35 AM

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Lockheed Martin last week formalized an agreement focused on autonomous systems, robotics and human/machine teaming, the company said today.

The deal creates a "multi-year framework" between the two for "collaborative research, exchange of visiting scientists, support of student Undergraduate Research Opportunities, fellowships, and internships at Lockheed Martin," the contractor said.

The news comes as the Pentagon is urging contractors to focus more attention and dollars on next-generation technology.

By Lee Hudson
May 16, 2016 at 8:30 AM

The Marine Corps recently held its first quarterly review of the fleet management program, which is a way to look at equipment across the program executive office for land systems portfolio.

William Taylor, PEO land systems said, May 10 during the Tactical Wheeled Vehicles Conference in Reston, VA, his office is in the "crawl" phase of the program.

"We've agreed to the initial metrics set, we've been collecting data . . . and we'll see where it goes from here, the effort looks promising," he said.

Each program office has a representative on the council and Taylor is the chair, Marine Corps spokesman Manny Pacheco told Inside the Navy May 11.

The council allows the Marine Corps to look for common solutions for problems that may be occurring to more than one vehicle. For example, the Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement and the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle may booth have faulty ballistic glass. Instead of each program manager resolving the issue separately the council allows for collaboration, Pacheco said.

Potential investment areas for industry include ballistic glass solutions, fuel efficiency initiatives and lightweight material solutions, Taylor said.

By Courtney McBride
May 16, 2016 at 8:05 AM

Some must-reads from this week's edition of Inside the Army:

1. The Army plans to use the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, slated to begin deliveries late this year, to serve as its Light Reconnaissance Vehicle on an interim basis, according to two generals with knowledge of the situation.

Full story: Officials: JLTV to fill role of light recon vehicle 'for the foreseeable future'

2. Senate defense authorizers propose to cut funding for the Army's Warfighter Information Network-Tactical and the service's Distributed Common Ground System.

Full story: Two key Army IT programs see cuts in draft Senate defense-policy bill

3. The Army is in the midst of revamping its approach to measuring readiness, and a formal plan to that end could be submitted to Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley as soon as this month, says the director of operations, readiness and mobilization in the service's G-3/5/7 directorate.

Full story: Army readying 'revolutionary' changes to readiness model

4. The Army plans to develop a mobile weapon system designed to destroy low-flying enemy drones and -- later -- people, rockets and bullets, according to a newly published solicitation for industry.

Full story: Army wants vehicle-mounted weapon for hunting aerial drones

By Lee Hudson
May 16, 2016 at 8:00 AM

Some must-reads from this week's issue of Inside the Navy:

1. The Senate Armed Services Committee has passed a defense policy bill that not only directs a Nunn-McCurdy review of the Navy's carrier Advanced Arresting Gear but prohibits procurement funding for the effort.

Full story: Senate authorizers would direct Nunn-McCurdy review of carrier AAG

2.The Senate Armed Services Committee has approved a defense policy bill, that if enacted, would require the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter's follow-on modernization program to be classified as a major defense acquisition program and put a 2019 expiration date on the joint program office.

Full story: Senate authorizers require F-35 Block 4 as a separate acquisition program

3. The Navy is preparing to accept the first-in-class guided missile destroyer Zumwalt from General Dynamics Bath Iron Works this month, but the next-generation ship still has years of combat systems installations and testing before it's ready to deploy.

Full story: Navy to accept Zumwalt ahead of lengthy combat systems activation period

By John Liang
May 13, 2016 at 3:56 PM

Continuing coverage of the FY-17 defense authorization bill as well as the Pentagon's latest report to Congress on China are among the highlights in this Friday INSIDER Daily Digest.

Defense policy bill coverage:

Senate defense policy bill would eliminate AT&L post

In a major move sure to rile Pentagon insiders, the Senate Armed Services Committee has approved a fiscal year 2017 defense authorization bill that would eliminate the position of the Defense Department's under secretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics.

Senate panel institutes Goldwater-Nichols reforms that define COCOM roles, cut officers

As part of their efforts to improve the structure of the Defense Department, Senate authorizers have put forth a number of Goldwater-Nichols reforms that seek to clearly define the role of the combatant commands and cut general and flag officers and the senior executive service employees by 25 percent.

Senate authorizers would penalize military officials for some uses of cost-type contracts

Seeking a larger role for commercial companies, the Senate Armed Services Committee is pushing the Pentagon toward fixed-price contracts it says require fewer "expensive government unique processes."

Senate authorizers calling for Nunn-McCurdy review of GPS OCX

Senate authorizers are calling on the Air Force to conduct a Nunn-McCurdy review of the troubled next-generation Global Positioning System ground station, regardless of whether the program declares a cost breach.

Senate authorizers pass bill that directs Nunn-McCurdy review of carrier advanced arresting gear

The Senate Armed Services Committee has passed a defense policy bill that not only directs a Nunn-McCurdy review of the Navy's carrier Advanced Arresting Gear but prohibits procurement funding for the effort.

Senate defense policy bill requires F-35 follow-on modernization as separate acquisition program

The Senate Armed Services Committee has approved a defense policy bill that, if enacted, would require the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter's follow-on modernization program to be classified as a major defense acquisition program and put a 2019 expiration date on the joint program office.

Senate mark calls for B-21 transparency, restricts RD-180 engines

Senate authorizers this week passed a defense policy bill that would require the Air Force to reveal classified cost information about the next-generation B-21 bomber, restrict the availability of Russian-made RD-180 rocket engines and mandate that the service conduct a competition to develop a replacement for its EC-130H Compass Call fleet.

Coverage of DOD's latest report on China:

Pentagon: China spending, restructuring and pushing for international influence

The Chinese military in 2015 continued to pour significant funding into defense modernization, but also sought to reform and restructure itself internally, while simultaneously looking to extend its influence in the Asia Pacific region, specifically the East and South China Seas, according to an annual report released by the Defense Department.

Document: Pentagon: China spending, restructuring and pushing for international influence

Investigators doing background checks for security clearances can now use social media information:

New directive authorizes use of social media in background investigations

A new directive made effective Thursday authorizes the collection and use of publicly available social media information as part of government security background investigations.

Document: DNI directive on using social media in background investigations

By John Liang
May 13, 2016 at 3:48 PM

The Senate Armed Services Committee this week added a cybersecurity "act of war" provision to its fiscal year 2017 defense authorization bill, requiring the president to "develop a policy for determining when an action carried out in cyberspace constitutes an act of war against the United States."

As our colleagues at Inside Cybersecurity report:

The committee completed its closed-door markup of the National Defense Authorization Act on Thursday and will soon release the contents of the bill.

But sources close to Sens. Mike Rounds (R-SD) and Angus King (I-ME) – sponsors of the "act of war" proposal – confirmed the provision was added to the defense bill.

"The bill includes language similar to legislation authored by Senators King and Mike Rounds that would require the Administration to develop a policy to determine when a cyber-attack constitutes an act of war," King's office said in a statement.

The proposal has stirred up some criticism – James Lewis of the Center for Strategic and International Studies this week said defining a cyber incident as an act of war "is not a very helpful line to draw."

Rounds said the proposal would not require a rigid definition of acts in cyberspace that constitute an act of war, but would help the government formulate a forward-looking policy that could "go from administration to administration."

"Do it now before we have an emergency situation," he said. "Let the bad actors know that if they cross certain red lines . . . there will be repercussions."

By John Liang
May 13, 2016 at 9:00 AM

Some must-reads from this week's issue of Inside the Air Force:

1. As the Air Force considers how, and whether, commercially hosted payloads might make its future satellite architectures more resilient, the service is looking to industry to develop a key enabling technology meant to help protect sensitive information contained in some military payloads.

Full story: USAF predicts application for hosted payloads despite lack of momentum

2. The Air Force is working with KC-46 Pegasus prime contractor Boeing to speed up the new tanker's Federal Aviation Administration certification process by conducting some exercises in parallel -- part of a larger effort to overcome schedule delays and support Boeing's requirement to deliver 18 tankers by next August.

Full story: Air Force, Boeing streamlining KC-46 certification to avoid RAA delay

3. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency could demonstrate technologies by 2020 that would enable the future launch of hypersonic vehicles, according to the agency's Tactical Boost Glide program manager.

Full story: DARPA aims to complete hypersonic demonstrations by 2020

By Tony Bertuca
May 12, 2016 at 4:50 PM

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is pushing for the next president to take bold steps to reform the Defense Department acquisition system.

"We urge your incoming administration to avoid the temptation of short-term additive fixes and boldly reinvent DOD’s acquisition system," according to the chamber's May 12 "Dear 45" letter signed by retired Marine Corps Gen. James Jones, former national security adviser and chief of U.S. European Command.

"We believe that structurally realigning the military acquisition commands to gain maximum efficiency and that thoughtfully deregulating the procurement process is the key to spurring a revitalized and competitive industrial base to serve U.S. national security and prosperity," the letter continues.

Jones points out to a recent Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments study that showed the Pentagon spent $46 billion on programs between 2001 and 2011 that never became operational.

"So we urge your incoming administration to avoid the temptation of short-term additive fixes and boldly reinvent DOD’s acquisition system," the letter states. "We believe that structurally realigning the military acquisition commands to gain maximum efficiency and that thoughtfully deregulating the procurement process is the key to spurring a revitalized and competitive industrial base to serve U.S. national security and prosperity."

By John Liang
May 12, 2016 at 3:41 PM

Senate authorizers' FY-17 defense policy bill and a new commercial items regulation are among the highlights of this Thursday INSIDER Daily Digest.

The Senate Armed Services Committee has marked up its draft of the FY-17 defense policy bill:

Senate authorizers part ways with House over $18B OCO shift

The Senate Armed Services Committee, diverting from its House counterpart, has approved a fiscal year 2017 defense authorization bill that matches the president's budget submission and does not alter the funding structure set by last year's congressional deal, according to a committee spokesman.

DOD is proposing a revision to governmental buying rules that would help businesses show that they paid for developing certain items:

Industry advocates say new proposal on commercial items is 'positive step'

The Pentagon is proposing a revision to acquisition regulations that would expand the presumption that an item was developed at private expense, potentially diminishing the concerns of some commercial manufacturers.

Document: DOD proposal on commercial items

The Air Force wants contractors to compete for the Huey helicopter recapitalization program contract:

Air Force confirms it will pursue open competition for Huey recap

The Air Force has decided to pursue an open competition for the UH-1N Huey helicopter recapitalization rather than a sole-source alternative that could have shortened the procurement time line by two years, the service announced Wednesday.

The Pentagon inspector general won't be conducting a cyber incidents audit:

DOD IG cancels audit of contractor response to cyber incidents

The Defense Department inspector general's office has terminated a planned audit intended to determine whether contractors were investigating cyber incidents in light of the department putting forth new related requirements, according to a recent memo.

Document: DOD IG memo on terminating cyber incidents audit

(Want more military cyber news? Check out our Notification Center, where you can sign up to receive alerts whenever a related story is posted.)

DARPA wants to give dismounted squads more of an advantage:

DARPA seeks proposals for program to enhance dismounted squads

The Pentagon's advanced research agency is seeking industry's input for a program that would help maximize the performance of dismounted squads in today's complex, multidomain battlefields.

Document: DARPA BAA on squad X experimentation

By John Liang
May 12, 2016 at 11:07 AM

Officials from the Defense Department and South Korean Defense Ministry held the ninth Integrated Defense Dialogue between the two countries in Washington, DC, this week.

According to a joint statement:

Both sides agreed that the U.S.-ROK alliance remains strong and committed to closely coordinating efforts to deter and defend against North Korean aggression. The United States emphasized that the alliance is critical to maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, across the Asia-Pacific, and around the world.

Both sides reaffirmed that North Korea's continuing provocations, such as its fourth nuclear test, multiple ballistic missile launches, and submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) test launches are a serious threat not only to the U.S.-ROK Alliance, but also to regional and global peace and stability. Both sides renewed their call on North Korea to abandon its nuclear program in a complete, verifiable, and irreversible manner.

Read the full statement.

By Tony Bertuca
May 12, 2016 at 9:00 AM

Here's a few must-reads from this week's edition of Inside the Pentagon:

1. Two representatives from defense industry associations on May 11 told Congress they'd like to see the foreign military sales process made more efficient, more transparent and more strategic.

Full story: Industry representatives push for more strategic FMS process

2. The Defense Department inspector general's office has terminated a planned audit intended to determine whether contractors were investigating cyber incidents in light of the department putting forth new related requirements, according to a recent memo.

Full story: DOD IG cancels audit of contractor response to cyber incidents

3. The Pentagon's advanced research agency is seeking industry's input for a program that would help maximize the performance of dismounted squads in today's complex, multidomain battlefields.

Full story: DARPA seeks proposals for program to enhance dismounted squads

By John Liang
May 11, 2016 at 4:11 PM

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-TX) has filed an amendment to the fiscal year 2017 defense policy bill that would reform the National Security Council.

"In recent years, the NSC has been repeatedly criticized for micromanagement of America's national security institutions," a statement issued today by the committee reads. "Many experts complain that the NSC has evolved from an advisory and coordinating body to an operational bureaucracy with no oversight or accountability."

Thornberry's amendment would cap the size of the NSC at 100 people. However, the amendment also contains a provision that would allow the president to have a larger, more operational NSC with more than 100 staff, in which case the national security adviser would become subject to confirmation by the Senate. 

Estimates indicate that the NSC currently has 400 staff, according to the statement.

Thornberry said in the statement:

"All of President Obama's former Defense Secretaries have complained about micromanagement by the NSC. I have personally heard from troops on the frontlines who have received intimidating calls from junior White House staffers. The current NSC has grown so large that the White House cannot even give us a clear estimate of how many people actually work for it. Now we hear reports of NSC staffers running misinformation campaigns targeted at Congress and the press.

"I believe the traditional role filled by the NSC -- of coordinating policy and offering advice to the President -- is essential and should continue. History proves that 100 people are enough to get that job done. However, if the President wants an NSC modeled after the current one -- an NSC that makes operational decisions, builds misinformation campaigns, and absorbs most national security functions within the White House -- it will come with accountability and oversight from Congress."