Monday, September 29, 2025
Monday, September 29, 2025
This Monday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on the Pentagon's contingency planning in advance of a potential government shutdown this week, plus several major weapons procurement contracts awarded in the waning days of the current fiscal year and more.
The Defense Department has released a document that "provides guidance for identifying those missions and functions of the Department of War (DOW) that may continue to be carried out in the absence of available appropriations":
Pentagon announces 'highest priorities' in event of shutdown
The Defense Department's "highest priorities" in the event of a government shutdown this week are operations to secure the U.S. southern border, Middle East operations, Golden Dome for America, depot maintenance, shipbuilding and critical munitions, according to a new Pentagon document.
Document: DOD's contingency plan guidance for government shutdown
A new procurement contract is expected to yield $1.5 billion in cost savings from 2025 to 2029 and marks the first use of multiyear procurement for the CH-53K -- a critical Marine Corps platform replacing the legacy CH-53E Super Stallion as the Pentagon's only rotary-wing, heavy-lift aircraft:
Sikorsky secures $10.9B multiyear deal for CH-53K production
Lockheed Martin subsidiary Sikorsky has received a five-year multiyear procurement contract worth as much as $10.9 billion for up to 99 CH-53K King Stallion helicopters for the Marine Corps.
The Missile Defense Agency recently disclosed a contract modification to extend Guam missile defense work for up to four months at Lockheed's division in Moorestown, NJ, and on Guam through April 2026:
Pentagon awards new Aegis Guam work, setting stage to tie in joint fires in FY-26
The Pentagon has awarded Lockheed Martin $44.2 million to continue adapting the Aegis missile defense system for Guam, funding work on software development, integration testing and other upgrades aimed at countering advanced ballistic and hypersonic threats.
The Space Force wants RG-XX, the next-generation replacement of the Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program (GSSAP), to be delivered faster and with a relatively low cost:
GSSAP replacement RFP coming soon, Space Force official says
NATIONAL HARBOR, MD -- The Space Force may soon request proposals for its next set of "neighborhood watch" satellites for on-orbit space domain awareness, a top official told reporters this week, opening the way for commercial entrants.
The Army will need special licenses to access technical and manufacturing data as well as computer software to allow its own maintainers and third-party contractors to repair the Common Tactical Truck at the depot level:
Army wants technical data rights to mend CTT at depots and in the field
The Army is marching forward on its plan to fold right-to-repair provisions into new contracts after releasing an update to industry that sheds more light on what the future requirement will look like for its Common Tactical Truck program.