Wednesday, November 19, 2025
Wednesday, November 19, 2025
This Thursday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on the Army Transformation Initiative, the Air Force and Department of Government Efficiency finding billions in savings, the Technology Readiness Experimentation (TREX) initiative and a whole lot more.
House and Senate lawmakers are scrambling to ensure the Army Transformation Initiative doesn't impact jobs in their districts:
Congressional authorizers take steps to shield OIB from Army cuts
Members of the congressional armed services committees are using their defense policy bills to protect depots and arsenals threatened by the Army Transformation Initiative -- escalating tensions in the area where Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker (R-MS) predicted a clash between Capitol Hill and the Pentagon.
More on the possible effects of the Army Transformation Initiative:
Army says not all TRADOC personnel will relocate during merger with AFC
Not all personnel are expected to relocate from Ft. Eustis, VA to Austin, TX when Training and Doctrine Command merges with Army Futures Command, which is expected sometime this fall, according to the Army.
Over the past six months, an Air Force-Department of Government Efficiency team reviewed more than 500 contracts and 50 business systems altogether:
DOGE helped Air Force garner more than $10B in savings
The Air Force and the cost-cutting "Department of Government Efficiency" set aside $10.4 billion from projects deemed wasteful to instead focus on Trump administration priorities.
The Technology Readiness Experimentation (TREX) initiative is a biannual DOD event that brings together industry participants to test their solutions in simulated operational environments:
DOD tech chief says prototype and experimentation office 'opens the door' for rapid buys
The Pentagon's rapid prototyping and experimentation office is helping nontraditional tech vendors break through acquisition barriers and quickly test their innovations, the Defense Department's chief technology officer said this week.
Lockheed Martin this week talked about the Common Multi-Mission Truck air vehicle:
Lockheed reveals it has two new low-cost cruise missile variants in testing
Lockheed Martin has conducted flight examinations on not one, but two different designs of the Common Multi-Mission Truck air vehicle it wants to pitch to help replenish the Air Force's munitions stockpile, the company announced this week.
Recent research, development, test and evaluation budget documents show the Army is requesting funding in two different lines for howitzer upgrades in FY-26:
BAE wants its howitzer in a TiC unit
It's no secret the Army wants to modernize its self-propelled howitzer -- it's less clear how it will do so, and while the service's fiscal year 2026 research and development documents reflect a two-pronged approach, BAE Systems is playing both sides.
A proposal brought forth by Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA) would enact a 10-year pilot program at one or more naval installations that would not only meet coastal energy needs but also "inform the development of concepts for the use of nuclear power facilities to support increased energy security for Navy and Marine Corps installations":
House authorizers want pilot program for small modular nuclear reactors, as Navy seeks to continue nuclear energy expansion
An amendment adopted by the House Armed Services Committee in its mark-up of the fiscal year 2026 defense policy bill would enact a pilot program to study how small modular reactors can aid the Navy in meeting coastal installation energy needs -- an action that follows naval efforts to expand clean energy generation on underutilized military land.
An extra $700 million for the E-7a Wedgetail program would be added to the Air Force's $199.7 million request for development and procurement of the aircraft in fiscal year 2026, according to bill text released by the committee this week:
Senate authorizers seek $700M plus-up to E-7A Wedgetail program
The Senate Armed Services Committee would add an additional $700 million to the Air Force's E-7A Wedgetail program, despite Trump administration officials saying they plan to cancel the program.
The A-10 Warthog ground-attack aircraft may live to see another funding year:
Congressional authorizers bar Air Force from divesting entire A-10 fleet next year
The Air Force's fleet of A-10 Warthogs may narrowly escape total retirement once again as members of the House and Senate Armed Services committees push to reverse the cuts proposed in the Pentagon's fiscal year 2026 budget.
Last but by no means least, the latest cyber defense news from our colleagues at Inside Cybersecurity:
House authorizers advance major defense policy bill with vulnerability disclosure, CMMC amendments
The House Armed Services Committee has approved in a 55-2 vote its version of the fiscal year 2026 defense authorization bill, with an amendment to attach vulnerability disclosure legislation from House Oversight cyber subcommittee Chair Nancy Mace (R-SC) to the major defense policy bill.