The INSIDER daily digest -- September 2, 2025

This post-Labor Day INSIDER Daily Digest has news on the Navy's F/A-XX fighter aircraft program, the Pentagon's critical technology areas list, the Army's Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor and more.

We start off with a deep dive into the future of the Navy's F/A-XX fighter aircraft program:

Congress presses Navy on F/A-XX's cloudy future; White House questions industry's capacity

Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-VA) -- whose congressional district encompasses the Navy's East Coast Master Jet Base -- says a next-generation fighter will be essential to counter China, but she is questioning the service's current commitment to F/A-XX.

Just because the Pentagon's critical technology areas list has been shortened doesn't mean it's lost any importance:

Pentagon S&T chief: Critical tech list trimmed, but importance remains

The Pentagon's plan to shorten its list of critical technology areas reflects a shift in terminology -- not a downgrading of priorities -- according to Michael Holthe, who is performing the duties of deputy assistant defense secretary for science and technology.

The potential contract ceiling on the LTAMDS program has been raised to $3.8 billion -- which includes $436 million appropriated in fiscal year 2025 for the Army and $397 million for Poland under the Foreign Military Sales program:

Pentagon approves potential $1.7 billion for LTAMDS initial production pivot

The Defense Department has awarded a $1.7 billion modification to Raytheon for production of the Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor, allowing the Army -- and Poland -- to execute new orders for the next-generation, ground-forces radar.

The U.S. Navy and the NATO Sea Sparrow Project Office will hold an industry day on Oct. 14 in Washington to brief industry on efforts to design and develop a new ESSM variant:

NATO Sea Sparrow consortium hosts industry day for new missile variant

The U.S. Navy and international partners are considering developing a new missile variant to serve as a successor to the Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile Block II, which is currently used by 12 North Atlantic Alliance nations to defend warships from ballistic and cruise missiles.

In a recent memo, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth directs the Army secretary to dissolve the service's five-year-old Joint Counter-small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Office (JCO) and to stand up what's coined as the Joint Interagency Task Force 401 (JIATF 401) to "better align authorities and resources to rapidly deliver Joint C-sUAS capabilities to America's warfighters":

Hegseth orders Army to form counter-drone task force, scrap current office

The Army will get rid of its current joint counter-drone office to stand up an interagency task force with more authority to go fast, according to a new memo from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Document: DOD memo on JTIAF 401