Air Force instruction on directed-energy system safety

The April 18, 2024 Air Force instruction "provides the requirements for directed-energy system safety certification and guidance for establishing a directed-energy safety program" and "explains the safety verification and certification process for new or modified directed-energy systems."

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DSCA statement on Basler BT-67 aircraft sale to Argentina

In an April 18, 2024 statement, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency announces the State Department "has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Argentina of Basler BT-67 Aircraft and related elements of logistics and program support for an estimated cost of $143 million."

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DIB discusses studies on partnerships and technology adoption at meeting

The Defense Innovation Board held a meeting yesterday in which guest speakers presented their opinions on two ongoing studies surrounding innovation with allies and accelerating technology adoption, with final recommendations on the studies set to be provided at the board’s July meeting. “Board Members will deliver their final recommendations on both studies at their next in-person public meeting in July 2024,” DOD said today . After hearing from several guest speakers during the meeting , who each used their personal...

DOD IG memo on lessons learned from Ukraine war

In an April 15, 2024 memo, the Defense Department inspector general announces it will begin an evaluation "to determine the effectiveness of the DOD's collection and use of observations, insights, and lessons learned from Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the DOD's support to Ukraine, to inform DoD doctrine, planning, training, and equipping."

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DARPA briefing slides on commercial accelerators

On March 27, 2024 the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency released briefing slides on its Commercial Accelerators program.

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GAO report on CFIUS

The April 18, 2024 Government Accountability Office report "(1) describes trends in mitigation agreements from 2000 through 2022, (2) evaluates selected [Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States] member agencies' approaches to monitoring and enforcing compliance with mitigation agreements and reviewing them for continued relevance, and (3) assesses the selected agencies' staffing for monitoring and enforcement."

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CDAO official says secure data sharing is key to winning AI battle

A Defense Department senior artificial intelligence officer emphasized today the vital role that sharing quality and secure data amongst DOD, allies and partners plays in order to combat adversaries in the AI battle. Jinyoung Englund, chief strategy officer for algorithmic warfare in the chief digital artificial intelligence office, said that if DOD wants to win the AI battle, working with partners to advance AI capabilities through data is crucial. “Against the strategic adversary that has no barriers to obtaining, accessing...

OSD still wants Congress to repeal law requiring unfunded priorities lists, despite $30B military request

U.S. military officials have sent Congress more than $30 billion in “ unfunded priorities lists ” separate from their regular budget request, but civilian leaders at the Pentagon support repealing the law requiring that the annual lists be sent to lawmakers, who often use them as a blueprint for increasing the defense budget. “The Defense Department continues to support the ending of statutory requirements for annual unfunded priorities lists,” according to Pentagon spokesman Chris Sherwood. The department first came out...

The INSIDER daily digest -- April 18, 2024

This Thursday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on House lawmakers' consideration of the multibillion-dollar supplemental spending package, plus the Michigan congressional delegation's efforts to ensure fighter aircraft are stationed at Selfridge Air National Guard Base and more. We start off with coverage of the supplemental spending package making the rounds in the House: Johnson releases multipart security supplemental that could endanger his job After months of debate and party infighting, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) today released three...

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