The Insider

The week ahead
By Tony Bertuca
October 9, 2023 at 5:00 AM

The Association of the United States Army holds its annual conference in Washington this week, while Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is traveling to Brussels to meet with the Ukraine Defense Contact Group.

Monday

AUSA holds its annual conference in Washington. The event runs through Wednesday.

Tuesday

The Atlantic Council hosts a discussion with Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall.

The Air and Space Forces Association hosts a discussion with the deputy director of the National Reconnaissance Office.

The Center for Strategic and International Studies hosts a discussion on space intelligence.

The Intelligence and National Security Alliance hosts a virtual discussion with the director of intelligence for U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.

https://www.insaonline.org/detail-pages/event/2023/10/10/default-calendar/fireside-chat-with-rdml-thomas-henderschedt-usn

The Hudson Institute hosts a discussion on spectrum availability and American security.

Wednesday

The Global Taiwan Institute hosts its annual symposium featuring the principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs.

The Foundation for Defense of Democracies hosts a discussion with U.S. Southern Command chief Gen. Laura Richardson.

Thursday

The Center for Strategic and International Studies hosts a strategic landpower discussion with the commander general of U.S. Army Pacific.

The INSIDER daily digest -- Oct. 6, 2023
By John Liang
October 6, 2023 at 1:39 PM

This Friday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on the Pentagon beginning to run low on funding to replenish U.S. weapons stocks sent to Ukraine, an Air Force Research Laboratory project on a digitally certified airplane and more.

The Pentagon will continue to use the more than $5 billion in presidential "drawdown" authority required to transfer weapons to Ukraine, though there remains only $1.6 billion to replenish what is taken from U.S. stocks:

DOD to transfer U.S. weapons to Ukraine while running low on replenishment funds

Though Congress, hobbled at the moment by House GOP intraparty dysfunction, remains divided over support for Ukraine, the Defense Department says it still intends to transfer billions of dollars in U.S. weapons to that country at a regular "cadence," despite the fact DOD is running low on the congressionally appropriated funds needed to replenish them.

On Sept. 22, the Air Force Research Laboratory awarded a $19 million contract on behalf of the AFWERX Prime program to Istari Digital for an effort dubbed Flyer Øne:

Air Force kicks off project to demonstrate major new first: a digitally certified airplane

The Air Force hopes to demonstrate a radical new industrial feat that could signal a major leap forward for the aerospace industry by designing an aircraft and certifying its airworthiness before ever building a physical component as part of a new project launched last month to prototype a fixed-wing drone from concept through Military Flight Release inside a computer.

Lockheed Martin's top executive spoke this week at the Hudson Institute:

Lockheed CEO: 'Antifragility' key to industrial base strength

The U.S. defense industry needs to invest in antifragility measures to improve resilience during this time of rising geopolitical tension, Lockheed Martin CEO Jim Taiclet said, which will require government buy-in.

The Pentagon's latest selected acquisition report on the National Security Space Launch program talks about the dual-lane approach the Space Force will use to meet warfighter requirements:

Space Force releases final RFP for Phase 3 launch acquisition program

The Space Force yesterday posted the final request for proposals for Phase 3 of the space launch acquisition program, a dual program approach with two separate contract types.

Document: DOD's December 2022 NSSL selected acquisition report

Ely Ratner, the assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs, spoke at a Center for Strategic and International Studies event this week on the upcoming release of the China Military Power Report:

Senior DOD official previews risks cited in upcoming China military power report

The upcoming release of the Pentagon's annual China Military Power Report will state that Beijing has increasingly come to rely on its military -- the People's Liberation Army -- as a tool for coercion and "revisionist" aims in the Indo-Pacific amid the rapid modernization of its nuclear arsenal, according to a senior Defense Department official.

Marine Corps seeks AI chatbot to support geospatial intelligence system
By Nick Wilson
October 5, 2023 at 3:24 PM

The Marine Corps is looking for an artificial intelligence chatbot to complement an existing intelligence system used to collect and process data for battlefield decision making, according to a request for information published Thursday.

According to the notice, the Marine Corps is looking for readily available AI chatbot technology that can receive requests from and output textual responses to personnel using the Distributed Common Ground/Surface System-Marine Corps (DCGS-MC) Geospatial Intelligence (GEOINT) Program.

The DCGS-MC GEOINT system supports battlefield decision-making by providing Marines with “near-real-time geospatially referenced data and products supporting the full spectrum of Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF), joint and multinational partners operations,” the notice states.

“The Marine Corps is reaching out to vendors to see what technology is available to provide an artificial intelligence chatbot capability to receive, parse and output information pertaining to Marine Corps geospatial processes, requirements, and workflows through natural language processing,” the RFI continues.

The service is planning a vendor demonstration in the first quarter of fiscal year 2024, the notice adds. Responses to the notice are required by Oct. 20.

The Marine Corps’ FY-24 budget request includes $27 million for DCGS-MC GEOINT.

According to budget documents, FY-24 plans include a technical refresh that will upgrade the system’s software and procure new “common geospatial workstations” to support use by the service’s new Marine Littoral Regiments.

The INSIDER daily digest -- Oct. 5, 2023
By John Liang
October 5, 2023 at 2:14 PM

This Thursday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on the Space Force's National Security Space Launch program, the Pentagon's soon-to-be-released China Military Power Report, the Marine Corps' Advanced Reconnaissance Vehicle program and more.

We start off with news from the Pentagon's latest selected acquisition report on the National Security Space Launch program:

Space Force releases final RFP for Phase 3 launch acquisition program

The Space Force yesterday posted the final request for proposals for Phase 3 of the space launch acquisition program, a dual program approach with two separate contract types.

Document: DOD's December 2022 NSSL selected acquisition report

Ely Ratner, the assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs, spoke at a Center for Strategic and International Studies event this morning on the upcoming release of the China Military Power Report:

Senior DOD official previews risks cited in upcoming China military power report

The upcoming release of the Pentagon's annual China Military Power Report will state that Beijing has increasingly come to rely on its military -- the People's Liberation Army -- as a tool for coercion and "revisionist" aims in the Indo-Pacific amid the rapid modernization of its nuclear arsenal, according to a senior Defense Department official.

An upcoming "demonstration event" for the Advanced Reconnaissance Vehicle program will be held at Camp Pendleton, CA, with "Fleet Marines participating to get feedback on the potential vehicle designs and capabilities," according to a Marine Corps spokesperson:

ARV program prepares for 'demonstration event' as prototype competition continues

The Marine Corps is preparing to hold an Advanced Reconnaissance Vehicle demonstration event later this month, marking the latest action in the service's continuing evaluation of three prototypes in a contest that will determine the maker of the future ARV family of vehicles.

Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks last month announced the Replicator program and said it would rapidly produce a swarm of autonomous drones to counter the Chinese military:

Replicator to support AFCENT's Task Force 99 operations

The Pentagon's new Replicator drone program will play a crucial role in supporting Air Force Central Command's Task Force 99 operations, according to the command's top official.

We close out with news on artificial intelligence:

Senators introduce bill for 'Governing Council' to oversee DOD AI priorities

Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Mike Rounds (R-SD) launched bipartisan legislation yesterday to establish the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer's Governing Council intended to oversee the Defense Department's future AI priorities.

U.S.-India challenge launched for startups to fix underwater comms issues
By Georgina DiNardo
October 4, 2023 at 5:00 PM

At the India-U.S. Defense Acceleration Ecosystem Advisory Group meeting in early September, the first two INDUS-X challenges were announced, with the second one launching today, focusing on addressing issues related to underwater communication.

The second challenge, called the iDEX Underwater Communication Challenge, aims to find new hardware and software technologies with the ability to support high-bandwidth underwater communication and will provide the winner with $150,000.

The first challenge, the iDEX Maritime Intelligence, Surveillance and Recognizance Challenge, intends to identify tracking and oil spill detection technologies, also with a total award amount of $150,000.

Both challenges are open to U.S.-owned and operated startups at the early-mid stage or are considered non-traditional until Nov. 10, according to the Defense Innovation Unit.

The first virtual meeting of the INDUS-X Senior Advisory Group between the Defense Department and the Indian Ministry of Defense was held on Sept. 5.

DIU Director Doub Beck, Deputy Assistant Defense Secretary for South and Southeast Asia Lindsey Ford and Anurag Bajpai, joint secretary of the Indian Minister of Defence, co-chaired the meeting with participants discussing the current initiatives to supply both countries' militaries with capacities to “defend a free and open Indo-Pacific.”

The group did not limit where initiatives can come from, opening the discussion up to non-governmental stakeholders.

On Aug. 25, Hacking4Allies and IIT Hyderabad held a program to commercialize, recruit talent and expand for 50 Indian start-ups. A few days later, on Aug. 29, Pennsylvania State University and IIT Kanpur held a virtual meeting of U.S. and Indian academics, government officials and industry officials to talk about emerging technologies in new domains, like AI, space and cyber, according to DIU.

The group also reported their intent to generate defense capital through private investment for stronger innovation and integration support between the two countries’ defense sectors.

DIU and iDEX aligned the topics of the two challenges with the Roadmap for U.S.-India Defense Industrial Cooperation so that startups in both countries can create shared defense technologies, with the opportunity for procurement to the most promising solutions, according to DIU.

The INSIDER daily digest -- Oct. 4, 2023
By John Liang
October 4, 2023 at 2:00 PM

This Wednesday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on artificial intelligence, Army helicopters, Marine Corps organic precision fires and more.

We start off with news on artificial intelligence:

Senators introduce bill for 'Governing Council' to oversee DOD AI priorities

Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Mike Rounds (R-SD) launched bipartisan legislation yesterday to establish the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer's Governing Council intended to oversee the Defense Department's future AI priorities.

Under the Army's Improved Turbine Engine Program (ITEP), General Electric Aerospace's T901 flight test engine was accepted by the government on Sept. 28, according to a Wednesday service announcement. A second T901 engine is currently "going through the acceptance process," according to the Army:

Army says two FARA prototype engines are on track for delivery this month

The first two engines that will power the Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft prototypes are scheduled to be delivered by the end of this month, the Army announced Wednesday.

The Marine Corps' Force Design 2030 update, published in June, directed service officials to identify options for expediting organic precision fires acquisitions and training by September 2023, saying the service is "moving too slow in OPF":

Marine Corps advances plan to accelerate fielding OPF

The Marine Corps has completed a plan to accelerate the fielding of organic precision fires, advancing a priority highlighted in the latest Force Design 2030 update and moving ahead with efforts to rapidly procure vehicle-mounted and man-packable OPF systems.

The Pentagon's latest Selected Acquisition Report on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program has new figures for how much operating and sustainment costs will be over the aircraft's lifespan:

F-35 full-rate production decision may come this quarter as O&S projection tops $1.5T

The Defense Department may finally make a full-rate production decision for its F-35 Joint Strike Fighter before the end of the year, but operating and sustaining costs are now expected to top $1.5 trillion over the platform's lifetime.

Document: DOD's December 2022 F-35 selected acquisition report

Lockheed Martin is investing in a robotics company:

Lockheed investment arm backs AI autonomy start-up Vayu Robotics

Lockheed Martin's venture capital arm has teamed with other investors to provide $12.7 million to Vayu Robotics -- a "non-traditional robotics company" that is making its public debut with this development -- to scale development of artificial intelligence-backed autonomy technologies for potential use across a wide range of markets.

Lockheed gets contract to build early capability PrSM
By Nickolai Sukharev
October 4, 2023 at 12:49 PM

The Army has awarded Lockheed Martin a contract to build early capability versions of the Precision Strike Missile, the Defense Department announced Friday.

Lockheed Martin will build the Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) in the Early Operational Capability Lot 3 form for $67.5 million by an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2026, with the work being done at the company’s facility in Grand Prairie, TX, the announcement reads.

Friday’s announcement follows a 2022 contract for Lockheed to build the Early Operational Capability Lot 2 form.

The Army expects to conduct operational testing on the PrSM in 2024 with low-rate initial production, full-rate production and initial capability testing scheduled for 2025, according to the Government Accountability Office's 2023 Weapons Systems Annual Assessment.

Slated to replace the Army Tactical Missile System, the PrSM is a ground-to-ground ballistic missile designed to hit targets up to 400km and can be launched from HIMARS and M270 multiple launch vehicles.

According to Defense Department budget documents, the PrSM will cost $1.2 billion, with 110 to be procured in fiscal year 2024 and 190 in FY-25.

Earlier in 2023, the Senate Armed Services Committee urged the Army to procure 400 PrSMs per year while the service has considered issuing multiyear contracts for the system.

In August, the Army confirmed the PrSM program was on track and meeting the expected benchmarks.

Australia and the United Kingdom are also expected to acquire the PrSM.

CENTCOM sends seized Iranian weapons to Ukraine
By Tony Bertuca
October 4, 2023 at 12:03 PM

U.S. Central Command announced today it has transferred millions of rounds of ammunition to Ukraine previously seized from the Iranian military, a move that could help alleviate weapons shortages as the Pentagon warns it is running out of money to help Kyiv continue its fight against an ongoing Russian invasion.

The announcement, first reported by CNN, follows statements from the Pentagon that it is running low on Ukraine aid funds amid chaos among Republicans on Capitol Hill.

The Oct. 2 weapons transfer, according to CENTCOM, included approximately 1.1 million 7.62mm rounds.

CENTCOM said its naval forces first seized the munitions on Dec. 9, 2022, when they were being transferred by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to the Houthis in Yemen “in violation of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2216.”

The U.S. government later took possession of the munitions as part of the Justice Department’s civil forfeiture claims policy.

“The U.S. is committed to working with our allies and partners to counter the flow of Iranian lethal aid in the region by all lawful means including U.S. and U.N. sanctions and through interdictions,” CENTCOM said. “Iran’s support for armed groups threatens international and regional security, our forces, diplomatic personnel and citizens in the region, as well as those of our partners. We will continue to do whatever we can to shed light on and stop Iran’s destabilizing activities.”

Meanwhile, the weapons are slated to flow to Ukraine at a time when many House Republicans oppose additional aid for Kyiv and recently voted to oust Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) as speaker.

Pentagon Comptroller Mike McCord has sent a memo to Congress warning that the Defense Department has exhausted all congressionally appropriated funding for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative and is slowing down the process by which it replenishes U.S. weapons that have been transferred to Ukraine.

VideoRay buys Blue Ring Imaging
By John Liang
October 4, 2023 at 11:26 AM

VideoRay announced today that it has acquired Blue Ring Imaging, a St. Petersburg, FL-based company that works on 3D visualization, multiview perception and simulation for unmanned systems.

Pottsdown, PA-based VideoRay is the producer of the Mission Specialist Defender robot recently selected by the Navy for underwater mine detection and disposal.

Blue Ring Imaging "will improve situational awareness and object detection capabilities of the Defender," VideoRay said in a statement.

The Blue Ring Imaging purchase "will drive the expansion of VideoRay's capabilities," the statement continues. "VideoRay will incorporate Blue Ring's expertise in artificial intelligence (AI), autonomy, augmented reality/virtual reality (AR/VR), 3D visualization and reconstruction, simulation and man-machine teaming, allowing vehicles to conduct missions more autonomously and effectively. This advanced technology will in many cases eliminate the need for experienced operators, while saving time and money."

Terms of the acquisition weren't released.

House votes to oust McCarthy as speaker
By Tony Bertuca
October 3, 2023 at 4:56 PM

The House voted 216-210 to remove Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) as speaker, rendering the position vacant for the first time in more than a century in a stunning and historic event driven by revolt among Republican hardliners.

Eight Republicans, led by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), joined every House Democrat to push McCarthy out.

Meanwhile, Congress has until Nov. 17 to pass a bipartisan spending package or a stopgap continuing resolution, otherwise the federal government will shut down.

Gaetz led other anti-McCarthy Republicans in speeches on the House floor in which they alleged that the now-toppled speaker reversed himself on agreements with the Freedom Caucus related to spending issues, border security and aid for Ukraine. They also highlighted McCarthy’s role in passing a CR over the weekend that relied on Democratic votes to avert a government shutdown.

DOD chooses three contractors to design JETSON spacecraft
By Apurva Minchekar
October 3, 2023 at 3:25 PM

The Defense Department awarded contracts to three vendors to design spacecraft that use nuclear fission to provide electricity to spacecraft systems, according to a Friday announcement.

The Joint Emergent Technology Supplying On-Orbit Nuclear Power contract was awarded via the Air Force Research Laboratory, DOD noted in the announcement.

According to the announcement, Lockheed Martin has received $33 million to lay out the technical design of the JETSON high-power mission program application, work that is expected to be completed by December 2025.

“This contract provides for the JETSON effort to mature the technical design of the JETSON spacecraft systems and subsystems to a preliminary design review level of maturity and to fully develop the overall program development and test program planning through critical design review,” DOD said.

At the same time, Intuitive Machines, a Houston, TX-based aerospace company, has been awarded $9 million for the JETSON low-power mission program application contract. DOD noted that the spacecraft design must “employ compact radioisotope power system, electric and/or hybrid propulsion and related support systems in critical areas.”

AFRL also awarded Westinghouse Government Service with a JETSON high-power mission program application contract worth $16.9 million to “mature relevant technologies, conduct analyses, trade studies and explore risk-reduction strategies to investigate how a high power, nuclear fission-system could be implemented from a subsystem, spacecraft, and architecture standpoint.”

Earlier this year, AFRL released two separate solicitation notices for high-power mission program application and low-power mission program application.

AFRL, in its high-power mission program application notice, stressed it is looking to collaborate with vendors whose spacecraft functionality can “enhance the spacecraft components and subsystems to enable game-changing improvements in agility, resilience, affordability and performance for DOD spacecraft.”

The INSIDER daily digest -- Oct. 3, 2023
By John Liang
October 3, 2023 at 2:07 PM

This Tuesday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, Lockheed Martin investing in a robotics company, the Defense Innovation Unit seeking contractors to develop unmanned aerial delivery vehicles and more.

We start off with a look at the Pentagon's latest Selected Acquisition Report on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program:

F-35 full-rate production decision may come this quarter as O&S projection tops $1.5T

The Defense Department may finally make a full-rate production decision for its F-35 Joint Strike Fighter before the end of the year, but operating and sustaining costs are now expected to top $1.5 trillion over the platform's lifetime.

Document: DOD's December 2022 F-35 selected acquisition report

Lockheed Martin is investing in a robotics company:

Lockheed investment arm backs AI autonomy start-up Vayu Robotics

Lockheed Martin's venture capital arm has teamed with other investors to provide $12.7 million to Vayu Robotics -- a "non-traditional robotics company" that is making its public debut with this development -- to scale development of artificial intelligence-backed autonomy technologies for potential use across a wide range of markets.

The Defense Innovation Unit is seeking contractors to develop unmanned aerial delivery vehicles:

Low-cost unmanned aerial delivery vehicles proposed for mass production

Unmanned aerial delivery vehicles mass-produced cheaply, developed quickly and capable of deploying commercial payloads are in the sights of the Defense Innovation Unit, which posted a "solutions" notice seeking less-costly alternatives to current platforms.

The Army recently issued a request for information seeking industry input for its next-generation night vision system:

Army soliciting feedback for next IVAS variant

The Army is soliciting feedback from industry for the next variant of the Integrated Visual Augmentation System, which it is calling IVAS Next.

The continuing resolution agreed upon by congressional lawmakers this past weekend doesn't include funding for Ukraine:

DOD -- nearly out of Ukraine funds -- slows down replenishment of U.S. weapons

The Defense Department has exhausted all congressionally appropriated funding for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative and is slowing down the process by which it replenishes U.S. weapons that have been transferred to Ukraine, according to a new memo from Pentagon Comptroller Mike McCord.

Document: McCord letter to Congress on Ukraine funding

Proposed rule would update SBA protest classifications
By Georgina DiNardo
October 3, 2023 at 12:45 PM

The Defense Department and other government agencies are proposing an amendment to federal acquisition regulations that would implement regulatory changes made by the Small Business Administration to "update and clarify" requirements related to size and socioeconomic protests, according to a notice in the Federal Register.

The proposed rule to the Federal Acquisition Regulation, which also has the backing of the General Services Administration and NASA, would address the SBA’s new requirements for submission of size and/or socioeconomic status protests in certain circumstances for the set aside or reserve of a multiple-award contract.

The Federal Register published final rules in October 2013, October 2020 and November 2022, reflecting the SBA’s requirements for submission. However, due to lack of clarification, the SBA revised the language in 13 Code of Federal Regulations 121.1004 that was last updated on Sept. 29.

In this new CFR, the SBA specifies thresholds for size protests related to “the set aside or reserve of a multiple-award indefinite-delivery indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract and for orders that are set-aside for small business under an unrestricted multiple-award IDIQ contract.”

Although, the CFR did specify that an exception for a submission can occur if a blanket purchase agreement or an order was placed under a Federal Supply Schedule.

SBA also amended 13 CFR 126.801, 13 CFR 125.28 and 13 CFR 127.603 to allow “socioeconomic protests for set-aside order for HUBZone, SDVOSB, or EDWOSB/WOSB concerns placed under a multiple-award IDIQ contract that is not partially or totally set aside or reserved for that particular socioeconomic category.”

In SBA’s final rule, published Nov. 29, 2022, its regulations to remove references to the service-disabled veteran small business program at 13 CFR part 125 were amended and moved to 13 CFR part 128 and 13 CFR part 134.

If this proposed rule is implemented, the Federal Register notes that agencies expect it would allow contracting officers, SBA and other interest parties to “protest the size of a concern for partial set asides and reserves of multiple-award contracts and orders that are set aside under multiple-award contracts” and “protest an order placed against a multiple-award contract where the contracting officer requested representation for the order.”

Furthermore, the proposed rule is expected to help economically disadvantaged businesses so that factors like gender and disability do not limit the company when it is placed against a multiple-award contract that is not completely in the company’s socioeconomic category, according to the Federal Register.

Finally, agencies expect that the implementation of this proposed rule would be beneficial to the government, contractors and offerors and that any cost to the government is not expected to be significant.

Lockheed to help minimize warfighters' response time during critical events
By Apurva Minchekar
October 2, 2023 at 4:31 PM

Space Systems Command awarded its first Space Enterprise Consortium contract to Lockheed Martin to build technology that can relay data to warfighters to respond during adverse events quickly, according to an announcement issued today.

The Overhead Persistent Infrared Data Exploitation Technology Transition I (ODETT I) Typing and Characterization Algorithm contract will be directed by SSC's Tools Applications Processing Lab in Boulder, CO, according to the command.

“This is our first SpEC ODETT award, and it represents a major step forward in TAP Lab’s efforts to improve our missile warning processes,” Steve Polliard, TAP Lab director, said in the announcement.

“The progress we will gain as a result of this work will directly inform our warfighter and contribute to our nation’s safety,” he added.

SSC’s TAP Lab is focused on leveraging software, algorithms, and applications that will extract data “effectively and rapidly interpreting OPIR data.” In addition, it will also help to classify OPIR events correctly, minimizing the response time to critical events such as “enemy missile launch.”

“To carry out OPIR missions effectively, it's crucial to quickly and accurately identify interesting space events from the data our operators receive,” Polliard said.

The service’s space operators currently support three constellations of OPIR satellites to conduct strategic missile and theater missile warnings, which provide vital intel information to missile defense forces, battlespace awareness to combatant commanders and technical intelligence to perform further analysis, according to Polliard.

Lockheed was awarded a $5.4 million contract for a four-year period, the announcement states.

The INSIDER daily digest -- Oct. 2, 2023
By John Liang
October 2, 2023 at 2:17 PM

This Monday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on commercial telecom companies potentially getting access to a certain part of the 5G spectrum, a couple of Defense Innovation Unit projects and more.

Top military brass have repeatedly warned about the risk of repurposing the 3.1–3.45 GHz portion mid-band spectrum for telecommunications companies to develop the 5G commercial market:

DOD wraps up feasibility assessment on opening lower mid-band spectrum for 5G development

A Defense Department study exploring the feasibility of opening up a stretch of the electromagnetic spectrum -- currently the exclusive preserve of the U.S. military -- for use by commercial telecommunications companies for 5G technology is complete and has been forwarded to the Commerce Department.

Eavor, Teverra and Zanskar Geothermal and Minerals have been selected to work on geothermal projects at four installations across the United States to address potential Defense Department energy disruptions related to severe weather, cyberattacks or other events:

Air Force, Army and DIU collaborate on geothermal energy solutions

The Air Force, Army and the Defense Innovation Unit have completed agreements with three companies to work on geothermal projects to help mitigate energy-related risks to U.S. military missions.

The Defense Innovation Unit, in collaboration with the office of the under secretary of defense for research and engineering’s quantum directorate, has been working on a quantum sensing initiative since late 2020:

DIU highlights progress in quantum sensing for space

The Defense Innovation Unit is touting recent advancements in a quantum sensing initiative it began in 2020, including the delivery of a quantum sensor intended to meet the rigors of space.

The Senate Armed Services Committee held a hearing last week to consider the nominations of Derek Chollet to become under secretary of defense for policy and Cara Abercrombie to be assistant secretary of defense for acquisition:

Key DOD nominees pledge to get after Ukraine, Taiwan weapons backlogs

Two Biden administration officials who have been nominated for senior acquisition and policy posts at the Pentagon said they are committed to streamlining the contracting process for Ukraine and pledged to address the growing backlog to obligate funds appropriated by Congress.

Document: Chollet's answers to advance policy questions

Last but by no means least, a look at what the Pentagon was doing to prepare for a government shutdown hours before House and Senate lawmakers came to a compromise agreement to keep the government funded through mid-November:

DOD plans for shutdown, furloughed civilians and military working without pay

The Defense Department is taking steps to prepare for a government shutdown slated for Sunday night that would furlough thousands of civilians and require military servicemembers to work without pay until Congress can pass a stopgap continuing resolution.