The INSIDER daily digest -- June 7, 2021

This Monday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on the Pentagon's software development practices, plus missile defense and more.

Inside Defense recently interviewed Tory Cuff, senior adviser for agile acquisition within the Pentagon's acquisition and sustainment directorate:

DOD 'a work in progress' on reforming software practices as 18 programs adopt new acquisition pathway

The Defense Department's acquisition and sustainment directorate is in the early days of measuring whether new reforms are improving the department's notoriously outdated software development practices, with an initial 18 programs now using the new procedures, according to a DOD official.

The Missile Defense Agency's fiscal year 2022 budget request seeks $78 million in advanced component development and prototype to explore an effort under a project called Guam Defense Development, a new-start program that aims to respond to U.S. Indo-Pacific Command's request for an upgraded missile defense capability for the U.S. territory by 2026:

DOD explores connecting Aegis, IBCS and C2BMC for improved Guam missile defense

The Defense Department is exploring the feasibility of stitching together the Navy's Aegis weapon system and the Army's Integrated Air and Missile Defense System with the Missile Defense Agency's Command and Control, Battle Management and Communication system to protect Guam from advanced Chinese missile threats.

The new Joint All-Domain Command and Control framework is in the process of being implemented:

Pentagon begins aligning services under JADC2 strategy

The Pentagon has announced it would begin implementation of the new Joint All-Domain Command and Control framework, which is intended to guide the development and acquisition of emerging technologies and communications systems to connect sensors from all the military services into a single network.

Gen. Arnold Bunch, head of Air Force Materiel Command, spoke to reporters during a recent Defense Writers Group event about his service's Advanced Battle Management System funding cut:

Bunch attributes proposed ABMS funding cut to refined program strategy

The head of Air Force Materiel Command said the reason for the service's proposed 50% cut to the Advanced Battle Management System is a refined strategy that focuses on delivering incremental capability to the field at a more regular cadence.

Keep an eye out for an Air Force solicitation to support possible testing partnerships with industry and help develop concepts for container designs and logistics for onloading and offloading space cargo:

AFRL to release Rocket Cargo solicitation 'very soon'

The Air Force Research Laboratory will soon release a solicitation for the Rocket Cargo program, its newest Vanguard effort, seeking opportunities to leverage commercial testing and demonstration plans as it develops a business case and concept of operations for future point-to-point rocket cargo transport.