The Insider

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA), who repeatedly has raised concerns about spending by the defunct Task Force for Business and Stability Operations, now is seeking additional information from Defense Secretary Ash Carter.

In a Feb. 5 letter, Grassley asks “a number of questions as a follow up to the testimony provided by Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, Brian McKeon” during a Jan. 20 Senate Armed Services readiness and management support subcommittee hearing on TFBSO.

The senator, who has asked the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction to perform a “top-to-bottom audit” of TFBSO, challenges McKeon's contention that an April 2015 report on task force activities constitutes a “financial audit,” citing its failure to comply with “generally accepted auditing standards.”

Noting that approximately $820 million was appropriated for TFBSO, with $759 million obligated and $638 million expended, Grassley requests documentation of the disposition of “$182 million in unexpended appropriations.”

The senator continues to press the issue of “possible whistleblower retaliation against” Army Col. John Hope, who served as TFBSO's director of operations in Afghanistan and “has been working with both SIGAR and my staff to help us better understand how TFBSO functioned.” Noting discrepancies between McKeon's testimony and historical records, Grassley seeks clarification of McKeon's knowledge of task force operations and his role in evaluating Hope's performance, questioning the accuracy of the official's account of the timeline of events.

It is budget week in Washington and the Defense Department is expected to roll out its official fiscal year 2017 request on Tuesday, followed by an array of Capitol Hill hearings to debate the budget and assess how it stacks up against the global security environment.

Tuesday

Pentagon officials are scheduled to begin briefing its official FY-17 budget request at 1:30 p.m. And finish at 6 p.m.

The Senate Armed Services Committee will hear testimony on worldwide threats facing the United States.

Link: http://1.usa.gov/1TO6qyL

The ComDef 2016 Research and Development conference kicks off. Speakers include Dale Ormond, principal director for research at the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering; Col. Charles Ormsby, military deputy to the deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force for science, technology and engineering; Steven Walker, the deputy director of DARPA; and Richard Hale, DOD's deputy chief information officer for cybersecurity.

The Senate Armed Services strategic forces subcommittee will hear testimony on nuclear acquisition programs and doctrine.

Link: http://1.usa.gov/23SKeYP

The Senate Armed Services Committee will hear from a panel from the National Commission on the Future of the Army.

Link: http://1.usa.gov/23SKeYP

Wednesday

The House Armed Services Committee will hear from a panel of experts on "understanding and deterring Russia" at the Rayburn Building in room 2118 at 10 a.m.

The House Armed Services tactical air and land forces subcommittee will hear from members of the National Commission on the Future of the Army at the Rayburn Building in room 2118 at 2 p.m.

The House Armed Services emerging threats subcommittee will hold a hearing on countering weapons of mass destruction at the Rayburn Building in room 2212 at 3:30 p.m.

The ComDef 2016 Research and Development conference continues, with appearances by Christopher Thomas, administrator of the Defense Technical Information Center, and Col. Scott Wallace, director of DOD's Comparative Technology Office.

CSRA and NCI are set to announce quarterly earnings.

Thursday

The House Armed Services strategic forces subcommittee will hold a hearing on the FY-17 request for atomic energy defense activities at the Rayburn Building in room 2118 at 2 p.m.

The House Armed Services seapower and force projection subcommittee will hear testimony from a panel of experts on carrier air power and the future of naval aviation at the Rayburn Building in room 2212 at 3:30 p.m.

Friday

The House Armed Services readiness subcommittee will hold a hearing on the Air Force FY-17 budget request at the Rayburn Building in room 2118 at 8 a.m.

The House Armed Services oversight and investigations subcommittee will hold a hearing assessing the development of the Afghan National Security Forces at the Rayburn Building in room 2118 at 10:30 a.m.

Tony Moraco, the chief executive of Science Applications International Corp., is set to speak at a breakfast hosted by the Northern Virginia Technology Council.

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

1. The Pentagon's top weapons tester found that the Army's Joint Tactical Radio System's vehicular and handheld radios both struggled with cybersecurity problems during recent tests, though the service insists it is already in the process of fixing these vulnerabilities.

Full story: Pentagon finds cyber vulnerabilities in Army vehicular, handheld radios

2. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said the military will invest fiscal year 2017 dollars into a gun-based missile defense system that will utilize the Army's Paladin self-propelled howitzers, thus giving an official mandate to an idea floated by former defense chief Chuck Hagel some years ago.

Full story: Carter teases project to use Army Paladin projectiles in gun-based defense

3. The Army and Lockheed Martin are continuing their judicial haggling over the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle contract protest, with newly published documents showing their respective arguments over a proposed $16 million "security" that the government wants the company to put up if its request for a preliminary injunction is granted.

Full story: Army, Lockheed haggle over $16 million 'security' in JLTV protest case

This Friday INSIDER Daily Digest includes news on a previously classified Navy SM-6 project and more.

The Standard Missile-6 will have a new capability soon:

Carter reveals secret Navy project to give SM-6 offensive, anti-ship capability

Defense Secretary Ash Carter has unveiled a previously classified Navy project to double the punch of the Standard Missile-6 by giving the defensive weapon -- designed to protect the fleet from enemy cruise missiles and ballistic missiles -- a new, previously undisclosed offensive capability: the means to attack far-away adversary ships.

Electronic warfare will be a topic of congressional debate in the coming months:

Senators introduce bill to speed acquisition of EW capabilities

A bipartisan pair of senators have introduced a bill to help the Pentagon develop electronic-warfare technology as other nations are enhancing their capabilities in ways that narrow the United States' competitive edge.

Keep an eye out for the findings of a Navy study group looking into problems with the F-18 oxygen system:

Navy establishes team to determine F-18 physiological episode root cause

Since 2009, the Navy has noticed an increase in hazard reports due to physiological episodes in the Super Hornet and Growler aircraft and established a Physiological Episode Team to determine the root cause, the Navy revealed this week.

Spare parts will be a big problem for the Marine Corps' Joint Strike Fighter:

Spare parts inventory is Marine Corps' greatest concern for sustaining F-35s

The greatest concern for the Marine Corps' aviation chief is the lack of spare parts to sustain the Joint Strike Fighter.

Document: House hearing on Navy fighter aircraft

More F-35 news from the Pentagon's latest OT&E report:

Gilmore: F-35 suitability, availability improving, but not fast enough

Although the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter's operational suitability is lower than desired by its users -- and though it still has a long way to go in achieving the program's availability goals -- the platform has shown improvement in almost all suitability measures over the last year, according to the Pentagon's top weapons tester.

A primer on what to expect from the Air Force's Space Fence in 2016:

Space Fence radar team heading into challenging year on solid footing

With key software development and radar production on the near-term slate for the Air Force's Space Fence program, 2016 is likely to be its busiest and most challenging year, according to program manager Dana Whalley.

The Air Force's MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aircraft will see delays in testing:

Thermal and power management issues persist on MQ-9 Reaper

Competing test priorities have tied up resources for MQ-9 Block 5 testing, allowing stubborn thermal and power management problems to persist on the MQ-9 Reaper, according to the Pentagon's director of operational test and evaluation.

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

1. With key software development and radar production on the near-term slate for the Air Force's Space Fence program, 2016 is likely to be its busiest and most challenging year, according to program manager Dana Whalley.

Full story: Space Fence radar team heading into challenging year on solid footing

2. Competing test priorities have tied up resources for MQ-9 Block 5 testing, allowing stubborn thermal and power management problems to persist on the MQ-9 Reaper, according to the Pentagon's director of operational test and evaluation.

Full story: Thermal and power management issues persist on MQ-9 Reaper

3. Although the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter's operational suitability is lower than desired by its users -- and though it still has a long way to go in achieving the program's availability goals -- the platform has shown improvement in almost all suitability measures over the last year, according to the Pentagon's top weapons tester.

Full story: Gilmore: F-35 suitability, availability improving, but not fast enough

This Thursday INSIDER Daily Digest features news on the Navy's FY-17 budget, defense acquisition reform and more.

Defense Secretary Ash Carter gave a preview of what the Navy will be asking for in FY-17:

Carter: Navy will invest $2 billion in Tomahawk missiles, maintain production line

In a massive win for contractor Raytheon, the Navy is reversing plans to terminate production of the company's trademark Tomahawk missile, as the fiscal year 2017 budget will instead project an investment of $2 billion to buy 4,000 Tomahawks over the future years defense program, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said this week.

Keep an eye out for new acquisition reform legislation coming out soon:

House authorizers prep next round of acquisition reforms

The House Armed Services Committee, which last year worked with its Senate counterpart to secure landmark reforms to the Defense Department acquisition process, plans to build on those efforts with new legislation next month.

The Pentagon's inspector general has begun a new investigation:

DOD IG starts study on whether components are fixing cyber readiness issues

The Pentagon's inspector general is launching a study this month on whether the Defense Department is fixing problems found during cyber readiness inspections.

Document: DOD IG memo on 'audit of corrective actions on command cyber readiness inspection deficiencies'

The Defense Business Board will be working on a new study:

Work tasks DBB with studying test and evaluation best practices

The Defense Department's No. 2 official has tasked an influential advisory panel with looking into the best practices for test and evaluation in an aim to ensure they are being used most effectively.

Document: DBB terms of reference memo for 'best practices for the business of test and evaluation'

A look at defense contractor Serco's future strategy:

With hire of Dacquino, Serco zeroes in on customer 'intimacy'

With the appointment of contracting veteran David Dacquino to a newly created position, Serco has adjusted its structure to ensure it remains close to its customer.

(Need more defense business news? Check out our Notification Center, where you can sign up to receive email alerts whenever a related story is posted.)

More coverage of the latest DOT&E report:

Gilmore: enhanced statistical analytic techniques, survey design needed

The Defense Department's top weapons tester is calling for enhanced statistical analytic techniques, better survey design and analysis, and improved modeling and simulation in an aim to make sure the information provided to decision makers is the best possible.

Gilmore calls for overarching Joint Information Environment test strategy

The Pentagon's top weapons tester is calling for defense officials to continue to develop an overarching test strategy for the department's information technology operating network, the Joint Information Environment.