The INSIDER daily digest -- April 21, 2023

This Friday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, the military services' readiness budgets and more.

Adm. John Aquilino, who leads Indo-Pacific Command, testified yesterday at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing:

Lawmakers dig into INDOPACOM's unmet needs

Lawmakers scrutinized U.S. Indo-Pacific Command's list of unfunded priorities during a Thursday budget hearing, focusing on funding requests to support the development of three future missile systems as well as electromagnetic spectrum capabilities and additional operations in the region.

Aquilino signals support for Taiwan-focused weapons transfers

The head of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command today signaled support for the use of presidential drawdown authority to "surge" capabilities to defend Taiwan and enhance deterrence in the region.

The No. 2 top military service officials testified before the House Armed Services readiness subcommittee this week about their respective fiscal year 2024 readiness budgets:

Space Force to take over Army's Theater Missile Warning

The Army will transfer its key missile warning functions to the Space Force in fiscal year 2024, Vice Chief of Space Operations Gen. David Thompson told lawmakers in congressional testimony on Wednesday.

Document: House hearing on military readiness

The Ground-based Midcourse Defense System could resume testing soon:

DOD readies re-start of GMD testing after RKV termination with major flight test later this year

The Defense Department this year plans to break the "strategic pause" imposed on the Ground-based Midcourse Defense program after the 2019 termination of the Redesigned Kill Vehicle project with the maiden flight of a guided missile against a target using a booster that utilizes only two of three available rocket stages.

Air Force acquisition chief Andrew Hunter testified before the House Armed Services seapower and projection forces subcommittee this week:

Air Force sees gap between end of KC-46 deliveries and newest tanker

The Air Force expects a gap period between the end of KC-46 tanker aircraft production and the delivery of the next-generation replacement and plans to close that gap by recapitalizing its current tanker fleet, a top service official told Congress yesterday.

Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman testified before the Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee this week:

Space Force proposes absorbing Reserves now handling space ops

The Space Force has sent Congress a legislative proposal to take the Air Force Reserve component handling space missions and integrate it into the active-duty Space Force, according to the head of the service.