US Navy Seeks Large Storage Facility in the Philippines by 2026

(USNI.org) The Department of the Navy is looking to lease a climate-controlled facility between 19,000 and 33,000 square meters near Subic Bay and Clark for the storage of equipment in the Philippines by 2026 under a ten-year-long lease which could mark the largest prepositioning effort to date between Washington and Manila since 1992.

According to solicitation documents on the proposed lease, this new facility would be utilized for “storage and maintenance of vehicles and vehicle equipment.”

Transair to Resurrect Hawaii Cargo Business After Defeating FAA Shutdown 

(FreightWaves) Hawaiian airline Transair is attempting a comeback four years after one of its cargo jets crashed in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Honolulu and federal aviation authorities grounded the cargo carrier for alleged safety violations. Executives say the airline could resume interisland service by the end of this year, if preparations go according to plan.

US Navy Plans to Order US Army Landing Ship for the Marine Corps

(The Maritime Executive) The US Navy is preparing to resolve its long debate with the Marine Corps over the fate of the Landing Ship Medium (LSM), the amphibious force’s small transport for inter-island warfare in the Pacific. On April 7, Naval Sea Systems Command quietly issued notice that it plans to award Bollinger a sole-source contract to build one lead-ship LSM based on the US Army’s Gen. Frank S. Besson-class.

US Navy USS Toledo Los Angeles-Class Submarine Rejoins Fleet After Modernization to Sustain US Undersea Power

(Army Recognition) On April 19, 2025, the US Navy’s Los Angeles-class nuclear-powered attack submarine USS Toledo (SSN 769) officially returned to operational status following the successful completion of its Engineered Overhaul (EOH) at Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY). This comprehensive and technically demanding process is critical to extending the life of the submarine and ensuring it remains fully mission-capable amid increasingly complex global security demands. The overhaul also reflects the broader strategic necessity of preserving the US Navy’s submarine fleet power as a core pillar of American maritime dominance.

Navy MH-60 Seahawk Replacement Will Leverage Army’s Future Vertical Lift Tiltrotor Plans

(TWZ.com) Ongoing work on the US Army’s Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) tiltrotor is helping the US Navy refine its next-generation Future Vertical Lift-Maritime Strike (FVL-MS) plans. FVL-MS is set to be a family of systems with crewed and uncrewed components to succeed the Navy’s existing MH-60R and MH-60S Seahawks, as well as its MQ-8C Fire Scout drone helicopters.

“Russia Launches Emergency Investigation”: US Navy’s New Sixth-Gen Fighter Sparks Panic Over Global Military

(Sustainability Times) The US Navy is on the brink of a significant advancement in military aviation as it is preparing to award a contract for the development of its next-generation fighter jet, the F/A-XX. Set to be developed by either Northrop Grumman or Boeing, this sixth-generation marvel promises to revolutionize aerial combat. With a projected range 25% greater than the current F-35C Lightning II, the F/A-XX is poised to enhance operational flexibility and reach.

Trump Signs Shipbuilding Order as Navy Leaders Call for 381-ship Fleet

(Military Times) In an April 8 hearing of Navy leadership before the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower, service officials voiced concerns regarding stagnant shipbuilding and what that could mean for success in great power conflicts.

Navy officials in March 2024 stated the service’s goal of growing its fleet of battle force ships to 381 over the next 30 years, a plan that would require investing at least $40 billion each year over the duration of the effort, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

MQ-25 Stingray’s Extreme Range Gives It Massive Potential Far Beyond a Tanker

(The War Zone) Boeing’s MQ-25 Stingray is behind schedule and over budget, but it is still set to up the carrier air wing’s (CVW) aerial refueling game dramatically. According to the Navy, the service is basically getting a flying unmanned gas can that is optimized for cruising efficiently at subsonic jet speeds and loitering for extended periods. While there have been fragmented hints that it could execute other roles in the future, and it is already built with a secondary reconnaissance function via its under-nose sensor ball, its potential far beyond a tanker seems significantly underplayed.

Submarine Surveillance System That’s Rapidly Deployable, Unpredictable Unveiled by Anduril

(The War Zone) Defense contractor Anduril has rolled out a new, readily deployable undersea surveillance system called Seabed Sentry, which uses networks of small and relatively low-cost modular sensor nodes. A novel sonar array with a design influenced by the extendable arms on satellites is the main sensor paired with it now.

Largest Heavy-duty Vessel Ever Built in the US Christened in Galveston 

(Workboat.com) Xenos Marine, Pasadena, Texas, christened its newly acquired 297’x310′ TX-10,000, a one-of-a-kind, heavy-lift engineering ship following a mandatory five-year drydock maintenance. The vessel was christened on March 23, 2025, at Gulf Copper Shipyard, Galveston. The TX-10,000 is US-flagged and Jones Act-compliant, enabling unrestricted operations in US waters.

Top US, South Korean Shipbuilders Partner to Bolster Vessel Production

America’s largest naval shipbuilder, HII, reached an agreement to partner with South Korea’s HD Hyundai Heavy Industries to boost shipbuilding across numerous vessel classes. The landmark agreement, signed as a memorandum of understanding (MoU) at the Navy League’s Sea-Air-Space Symposium at National Harbor, Maryland, covers military and commercial shipbuilding efforts.

Drones to Deliver Cargo During Royal Navy Carrier Strike Group 25 Deployment

700X NAS will deploy with nine Malloy T-150 UAVs on the CSG 25 deployment to the Indo-Pacific, providing ship-to-ship transfers of supplies between the task group.

This long-term operational trial of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the resupply role comes following an extensive range of tests involving HMS Prince of Wales, which will lead the Carrier Strike Group 25 (CSG 25) task force, and various types of UAV.

Air Force Will Soon Test Shipping Cargo Via SpaceX Rockets

The US Air Force announced on Monday that it intends to build two landing pads on a remote island in the Pacific. It wants to land rockets there as part of a test of the Rocket Cargo Vanguard program, which involves shooting rockets into space loaded down with supplies to ship stuff around the planet faster.

The pitch for Rocket Cargo Vanguard is that it could allow the US military to deliver anything anywhere on the planet in “90 minutes or less.”

The Army Wants to Make it Easier to Call Lyft and Uber on Base

The Army is launching a pilot program to standardize procedures and requirements for using ride-sharing companies like Lyft and Uber on six major bases.

“This program demonstrates our commitment to addressing the challenges faced by our military communities,” Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll said in a news release Monday. “Through collaboration with the ride-share industry, we’re able to provide our Soldiers and their families with safe, reliable and convenient transportation options that support their unique needs and enhance their overall quality of life.”

Majority of Americans Support Domestic Shipbuilding as National Security Priority, New Poll Reveals

A new poll released today reveals overwhelming support among Americans for strengthening domestic shipbuilding capabilities, with 72% agreeing that the United States must reduce dependence on foreign ship manufacturers.

The survey, conducted by Morning Consult for the Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM), comes as U.S. shipbuilding capacity has plummeted from producing over 70 ships annually in 1975 to fewer than five ships per year today. Meanwhile, China has ramped up production to 1,700 ships annually.

NTSB: Baltimore Key Bridge Collapse Risk Was 30 Times Above Acceptable Threshold; 68 Other Bridges Need Assessment

(gCaptain) The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) revealed today that the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which collapsed following a vessel strike last year, had a risk level nearly 30 times above the acceptable threshold for critical bridges.

In a significant development, the agency has identified 68 bridges across 19 states that require immediate vulnerability assessments, including the Golden Gate Bridge, Chesapeake Bay Bridge, Verrazano Narrows Bridge, and Greater New Orleans Bridge, among others.

DC Helicopter Route Permanently Closed After Fatal Black Hawk Crash

(Military Times) Helicopters will be permanently restricted from flying near Washington’s DC airport on the same route where a passenger jet and an Army helicopter collided killing 67 people, the Federal Aviation Administration said Friday.

The move comes just days after federal investigators looking into the cause of the crash recommended a ban on some helicopter flights, saying a string of near misses in recent years showed that the current setup “poses an intolerable risk.”

Safety Board Calls to End Helo Flights on Route of Fatal DC Crash

The National Transportation and Safety Board (NTSB) has concluded that the separation distances allowed between helicopter and airplane traffic on the route where a US Army helicopter and a commercial passenger collided in midair on Jan. 29 near Washington “pose an intolerable risk to aviation safety.”

As a result, the NTSB is recommending helicopter flights be immediately prohibited on

“Route 4,″ where the fatal crash occurred.

Coast Guard Infrastructure Crisis: Maintenance Backlog Soars to $7 Billion as Facilities Deteriorate

(gCaptain) The US Coast Guard is facing an infrastructure crisis, with maintenance backlogs reaching $7 billion as of June 2024, according to a new US Government Accountability Office (GAO) report. This is a dramatic increase from the $2.6 billion reported in 2019.

The agency’s nearly 40,000 shore infrastructure assets, including critical facilities like boat stations, piers, and operational buildings, are in “mediocre to fair” condition, according to the Coast Guard’s 2023 internal assessment.

Norway Says It Will Keep Supplying Fuel to US Navy After Company Calls for Boycott

(Reuters) NATO member Norway will continue to supply fuel for US Navy ships, the country’s defense minister said after a call from a private marine fuel supplier to stop doing so in response to the apparent breakdown in US-Ukrainian relations.

“We have seen reports raising concerns about support for US Navy vessels in Norway. This is not in line with the Norwegian government’s policy,” Norway’s Defense Minister Tore Sandvik said in a statement. “American forces will continue to receive the supply and support they require from Norway,” he added.

Trump to Launch New White House Office Focused on Shipbuilding

(NavyTimes) As part of his national address on March 4, President Donald Trump promised to establish a new office of shipbuilding within the White House to revitalize the industry and bolster American naval strength. The vow — which came during the national security section of Trump’s two-hour speech — was included among broader plans to “boost our defense industrial base” for America.

Marines Want New Class of Aviation Support Ships 

(USNI.org) With the impending retirement of the aging Wright-class, the Marine Corps wants a new class of aviation logistics support ships, according to the 2025 aviation plan. The Marines currently have two aviation support ships that serve as floating repair stations with detachments of embarked Marines that can perform up-to-depot-level maintenance on Marine aircraft. Dubbed the Aviation Logistics Support Capability/T-AVB Next, the Marines seek to improve their intermediate sustainment abilities as well as those of stand-in forces with the new platform.

Rune Technologies Raises $6.2M in Seed Funding to Modernize Military Logistics

(Business Wire) Rune Technologies, a defense technology company building software to enable military logistics in contested environments at the tactical and operational levels, announced $6.2M in seed funding. The Rune seed round was funded by investors with deep defense tech experience.

“We can have the most capable fighting force in the world, but if we can’t get ammunition and supplies to the right place at the right time to enable the warfighter, the ability of our military to execute fires and maneuver is irrelevant.” Rune CTO Peter Goldsborough said.

Military Sealift Command Is Wrapping Up 2025 Supply Mission to Antarctica

(The Maritime Executive) The chartered general cargo ship Ocean Gladiator (17,700 dwt) arrived last week at the US’s McMurdo Station, Antarctica in support of the annual resupply mission Operation Deep Freeze (ODF) 2025. The Military Sealift Command highlights the critical nature of the mission which has been conducted annually for the past 70 years since 1955 when the resupply mission was established.

Destroyer Has Become First US Navy Ship to Deploy Artificial Intelligence

(The War Zone) The Navy destroyer USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62) became the first warship to deploy with a program-of-record artificial intelligence (AI) platform. Its creators say the system will help the fleet predict and tackle maintenance needs in a far less disruptive fashion. The system aims to reduce surprise equipment casualties, while ensuring that more of the fleet is available should an all-out war break out, requiring a surge of forces.

New Propeller Allows US Navy KC-130T to Refuel F-35s, F/A-18s

(TheDefensePost) The US Navy Reserve’s KC-130T Hercules aircraft has been cleared to aerial refuel a wider range of aircraft following envelope expansion testing with the new NP200 propeller. The aircraft was earlier cleared to refuel only the V-22 Osprey transport aircraft as it added refueling beyond its primary role of logistics and cargo transport. Its refueling envelope now includes the F-35B/C, F/A-18, EA-18, CH-53K, CH-47, H-60s, and AV-8B.

Poland to Adapt All Civilian Airports for Dual-military Use

(KYIV Independent) All civilian airports in Poland must be modernized and adapted for potential use by the country’s military, Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said on Polish Radio on Feb. 25. Such adaptations would allow them to be used as transport hubs, evacuation points, cargo hubs, or aid points in the event of an emergency.

“Every airport must be adapted and, in some way, adapted to the possibility of cooperating and working with the military,” he said.

Commercial Flights Rerouted After Chinese Navy Announces Last-Minute Live-Fire Drills Near Australia

(USNI.org) Commercial airliners flying over the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand were forced to reroute their flights on Friday morning Australian time because of a People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) action group warning that it would conduct live-fire drills. Australia had earlier announced on Feb. 13 that it was monitoring the PLAN task group. The task group has since sailed into the Tasman Sea, which lies between Australia and New Zealand.

AH-1Z Attack Helicopter’s New Long-Range Missile Seen for the First Time

(The War Zone) The US Navy has released a picture of a US Marine Corps AH-1Z Viper attack helicopter with a previously unseen long-range munition armament. The Marines are known to be in the process of developing at least one new missile, the Precision Attack Strike Missile (PASM), to dramatically extend the range at which AH-1Zs can engage targets on land and at sea. The Corps sees this as key to ensuring the relevance of the helicopters in a future major conflict, especially one in the Pacific against China.

San Diego Will Lose a Huge Navy Warship This Year, but It Will Be Replaced by Another ‘Mini-Carrier’

(San Diego Union Tribune) San Diego Bay will lose an amphibious assault ship this year but gain an equally brawny replacement as the Navy goes through a planned rotation of huge vessels that transport and deploy Marines.

The specific timing of the moves has yet to be released. But the USS America will leave Sasebo, Japan, for its new home in San Diego, while its sister ship the USS Tripoli moves from San Diego to Sasebo. It’s common for the Navy to change its line-up of ships stationed in Japan, its biggest ally in the Indo-Pacific.

Army, Navy Experimentation Efforts Foreshadow Second Wind for Hypervelocity Projectile

(Breaking Defense) WASHINGTON — The munition once slated for use on the US Navy’s failed electromagnetic railgun may be getting a second wind for both the service’s ubiquitous MK-45 5-inch gun, as well as a new Army initiative to defend bases from aerial drones.

The Hypervelocity Projectile, produced by BAE Systems, is a maneuvering, precision guided munition capable of intercepting anti-ship cruise missiles. Its development and experimentation through multiple branches of the Pentagon spans back to 2012 when it was, at that time, destined for use on a key railgun capability to be installed on the Zumwalt-class destroyers.

New Plug-and-Play AI Can Protect Pilots of Non-stealth Planes

(Breaking Defense) WASHINGTON — One of the largest defense companies on the planet just unveiled a small upgrade that could make a big difference in the survival rates of US aircrews. And by deploying an AI device powerful enough to be militarily useful, yet small enough to be retrofitted on a fighter jet, Raytheon’s new Cognitive Algorithm Deployment System (CADS) is a major step towards a long-sought holy grail of “cognitive electronic warfare.”

Fort Liberty Is Renamed Fort Bragg, Effective Immediately

(Army.mil) FORT BRAGG, N.C. – Fort Liberty is renamed Fort Bragg, effective immediately. This renaming honors the legacy of World War II hero, Pvt. First Class Roland L. Bragg and all Soldiers and families who have called Fort Bragg home.

The renaming process will include updating all official documentation, signage, and digital platforms in a deliberate and phased manner.

NTSB: Parted Anchor Chain and Improper Charting Led to Vessel Loss

An inadequate anchoring operation and failure to use available charts to identify depths and a charted rock led to the loss of a cargo vessel operating in the US Virgin Islands, reports the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The bureau issued a report highlighting a series of errors during a storm that contributed to the total constructive loss of a small cargo vessel valued at $1.5 million and a heroic action by the US Coast Guard to rescue 12 people from the stranded ship.

Counter-Drone Stryker Armored Vehicle Armed with Lasers, Rockets, Guns Unveiled

(The War Zone) A new counter-drone focused variant of the 8×8 Stryker light armored vehicle armed with a laser directed energy weapon, laser-guided 70mm rockets, a 30mm automatic cannon, radars and other sensors has broken cover. Defense contractor Leonardo DRS and its industry partners are actively pitching the vehicle to the US Army, which is looking to significantly grow its short-range air defense capabilities in the coming years. That service is also very interested in new laser-armed options, specifically, after lackluster field tests of a different Stryker-based system earlier this year.

US Amphibious Ships Facing New Issues, Half of 32 Ships in Good Condition

A new GAO report shows only half of the US Navy’s 32 amphibious ships are in satisfactory condition, with the rest classified as being in poor material condition. This poses a significant challenge for the Marine Corps, which relies on these vessels for rapid response missions. Many amphibious ships, including assault ships and dock landing ships, suffered from deferred maintenance and repair cancellations, leading to major breakdowns and reduced fleet readiness.

US Navy ‘Hardens’ Aircraft Carrier Defense Against Chinese Anti-Ship Missiles 

(19fortyfive.com) China’s growing arsenal of anti-ship missiles, including the DF-26 and DF-21, poses a significant threat to US aircraft carriers operating in the Pacific. To counter this, the US Navy is deploying a layered defense system that includes Rolling Airframe Missiles, SM-series interceptors, and Phalanx close-in weapon systems. Additionally, stealth refueling drones like the MQ-25 Stingray will extend the range of F-35C and Super Hornet fighters, keeping carriers out of missile range.

Navy Jet Crashes off San Diego Coast; 2 Crew Members Rescued

(Navy Times) Two crew members ejected from a US Navy jet before it crashed Wednesday off the San Diego coast and were quickly rescued by a sportfishing boat, authorities said. On a live webcam of San Diego harbor traffic, someone aboard the Premiere can be heard telling the Coast Guard that the crew members ejected right after takeoff.

Tankers Flood Airspace Off the California Coast for China-Focused Air Combat Exercise

(The War Zone) The latest Bamboo Eagle exercise reflects plans for ever-larger air combat exercises as part of preparations for a high-end fight with China.

At least 20 US Air Force tanker aircraft, 10 KC-46s and an equal number of KC-135s, supported the first day of the latest Bamboo Eagle exercise off the California Coast, according to online flight tracking data. The first Bamboo Eagle occurred last year. The large force exercise series has quickly become one of the most important for the US military, as well as key allies, and has a clear eye on preparing for a future coalition fight in the Pacific with China.

F-15EX Nails Pentagon Test Campaign, Survivability Concerns Remain

(The War Zone) In its latest annual report, the Office of the Director, Operational Test & Evaluation (DOT&E) provides a glowing assessment of the F-15EX Eagle II, the latest fighter to enter US Air Force service. The assessment also offers a word of caution regarding its survivability when faced with potential future threats.

The Pentagon provides an update on the status of the F-15EX, which was approved for full-rate production in June 2024.

Marines Aim to Buy More Carrier-based F-35s, Fewer VTOLs

(Defense One) The Marine Corps plans to double its buy of the carrier-borne F-35C variant and scale back its buy of the short-takeoff-vertical-landing F-35B, according to a new aviation plan from the service. The service’s total F-35 buy of 420 aircraft remains unchanged, but the service will now buy 280 F-35Bs instead of the planned 353 jets, and 140 F-35Cs instead of the planned 67 jets, according to the 2025 Marine Aviation Plan.

Navy, Marines Learning to Make Do as V-22 Restrictions Endure

(USNI) The V-22 Osprey has long legs, but the Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force tiltrotor fleets have been on a short leash since a fatal 2023 crash led to operational restrictions. Naval Air Systems Command lifted a three-month grounding last March after eight airmen died when an Air Force MV-22B crashed off the coast of Japan. Now, the Navy and Marine Corps can fly the Ospreys, but under limitations that cut into the usefulness of the aircraft.

Navy Awards Several Contracts Aimed at Advancing Key Mine Countermeasures Capabilities

(Breaking Defense) The US Navy recently made a series of contract awards to advance the mine countermeasures mission package (MCM MP) slated to deploy on its Littoral Combat Ships. The MCM mission package is comprised of a dozen capabilities that, when working in tandem, are designed to clear the water of buried and bottomed mines. Its development and deployment pave the way for the service’s legacy MH-53E Sea Dragon helicopters and Avenger-class MCM ships to be retired.

Pentagon Still Unsure About Lethality of Dark Eagle Hypersonic Missile

(The War Zone) The US Department of Defense disclosed that it’s still unclear about the lethal effects of the hypersonic missile at the center of the Army’s Dark Eagle Long Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW), which will arm the Navy’s Zumwalt class stealth destroyers and future Block V Virginia class submarines. The surprising knowledge gap comes after the Army achieved the long-delayed first test-firing of a Dark Eagle missile from its trailer-based launcher, something you can read more about here.

USS Gerald R. Ford Was Still Struggling with Its Dual Band Radar Prior to Deployment

(The War Zone) The dual-band radar (DBR) aboard the Navy aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), the ship’s primary sensor system, struggled to perform during a pre-deployment exercise and suffered failures as it grappled with the constant need for radar coverage. The Navy is now seeking to replace Ford’s DBR entirely.

Air Traffic Controller’s Union Says Staffing Levels Are Critically Low 

(Wtop.com) The actions of air traffic controllers are being looked at in the aftermath of the deadly midair crash near Reagan National Airport and the head of their union is warning the entire air traffic control (ATC) system is significantly understaffed. National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) President Nick Daniels said the nation’s air traffic control system is still woefully understaffed.

US Navy Submarines to Be Manufactured in Mobile, Creating Over 1,000 Jobs

(1819 News) Austal USA will invest more than $400 million for a 369,600-sq.ft. expansion of a new submarine module manufacturing facility in Mobile, which will create 1,162 jobs.

“Austal’s ongoing expansion in Mobile is a testament to the skill and dedication of our local workforce,” said Mayor Sandy Stimpson. “This Module Manufacturing Facility will bring additional jobs to Mobile, boost the local economy, and enhance U.S. Naval defense capabilities.”

MQ-25A Stingray 2026 Debut Will Unlock Unmanned Aviation for Carrier Strike Group, Say Officials

(USNI) SAN DIEGO — The Navy’s first unmanned tanker is set to come to an aircraft carrier in 2026, according to the commander of Naval Air Forces. The first low-rate production version of Boeing’s MQ-25A Stingray will do its first flight tests aboard a carrier in 2026, Vice Adm. Daniel Cheever, the commander of Naval Air Forces, said this week at the WEST 2025 conference co-hosted by the U.S. Naval Institute and AFCEA.

Coast Guard Conducts Alien Expulsion Flight Operations Between California and Texas

(USCG) The Coast Guard conducted alien expulsion flights Feb. 2 between California and Texas to enforce US immigration laws, in accordance with the president’s executive orders. Led by the Eleventh Coast Guard District in California, the Coast Guard is coordinating multiple units in support of this Department of Homeland Security-led operation to detect, deter and interdict aliens, drug smugglers and individuals intent on terrorism or other hostile activity before they reach our border.

Destroyer Has Become First US Navy Ship to Deploy Artificial Intelligence System

(The War Zone) The Navy destroyer USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62) became the first warship to deploy with a program-of-record artificial intelligence (AI) platform. Its creators say the system will help the fleet predict and tackle maintenance needs in a far less disruptive fashion. The system aims to reduce surprise equipment casualties while ensuring that more of the fleet is available should an all-out war break out, requiring a surge of forces.

First of 3 New Coast Guard Cutters Arrives to Homeport in Kodiak, Alaska 

(USCG) The crew of Coast Guard Cutter John Witherspoon (WPC 1158) arrived at the cutter’s new homeport in Kodiak. The cutter is scheduled to be commissioned during a ceremony in April. The Witherspoon is the first of three Fast Response Cutters (FRCs) scheduled to be homeported at Coast Guard Base Kodiak and is now the fourth FRC currently based in Alaska.

Pennsylvania National Guard Soldiers Depart for Yearlong Deployment to the Middle East

(Stripes) More than 140 soldiers with the Pennsylvania National Guard left for a yearlong deployment to Kuwait as part of Task Force Spartan to support the U.S. Central Command’s mission of increasing regional security and stability. Families and loved ones said farewell to the guardsmen from 728th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 213th Regional Support Group, 3622nd Sustainment Maintenance Company during a deployment ceremony Feb.2 in Harrisburg, Pa.

Saying Goodbye to the Navy’s Last Aircraft Carrier “Big John” After Nearly 40 Years of Service

(unionrayo.com) The USS John F. Kennedy, a huge aircraft carrier that was for decades a symbol of the US naval world, is about to bid farewell to the sea on its last voyage. Its final destination is Brownsville, Texas, where it will be decommissioned. This ship has served for almost 40 years of this country’s history and this farewell marks the end of an era.

LCS-10 to Be First Ship this Year Suited with Lethality, Survivability Upgrade

(Breaking Defense) The Littoral Combat Ship Gabrielle Giffords (LCS-10) will be the first in the class to receive a series of upgrades this year focused on improving the ship class’s lethality and survivability, according to the Navy officer overseeing the program.

US Navy Capt. JJ Murawski told attendees at the recent Surface Navy Association symposium that the upgrade package, formally called LCS Lethality and Survivability, will initially only be installed onboard Independence-class variants.

Army Tries Out Next-gen Hybrid Tactical Vehicle Prototype in Germany

(Defense News) The US Army is taking a hybrid next-generation tactical vehicle prototype for a spin in snowy Bavarian terrain, according to a report from the US Army Europe and Africa. The GM Defense-developed Next Generation Tactical Vehicle-Hybrid, or NGTV-H, is a diesel-powered, electric light reconnaissance vehicle that the company unveiled at the Association of the US Army’s annual conference in October 2024.

Last MC-130J Delivery Marks End of USAF’s Specialized Hercules Orders

(Aviation Week) The US Air Force in mid-January received the last Lockheed Martin MC-130J Commando II special operations variant of the Hercules, marking the final delivery of the service’s specialized version of the aircraft. The delivery was the 64th for the MC-130J fleet and the 134th total number of MC-130Js, AC-130Js and HC-130Js. The service still awaits deliveries of newly built C-130Js, but no additional specially modified versions are expected.

BNSF Announces $3.8 Billion Capital Plan for 2025

(Trains.com) BNSF Railway plans to spend $3.8 billion on capital projects in 2025, with the vast majority for network maintenance. The figure is nearly equal to the $3.92 billion the company set for capital spending a year ago. The 2025 plan includes $2.84 billion for maintenance, including 11,400 miles of track surfacing and/or undercutting, and replacement of 2.5 million ties and 410 miles of rail.

First Look at Stealth Destroyer’s Hypersonic Missile Launchers

(The War Zone) Newly released pictures offer the first real look at the four new large launch tubes for firing Intermediate-Range Conventional Prompt Strike (IRCPS) hypersonic missiles now installed on the US Navy’s stealth destroyer USS Zumwalt. The other two ships in the Zumwalt class are also set to get the same array of tubes on their bows, which could also potentially be used to launch payloads beyond IRCPS.

New Strategy Aims to Get 80% of Navy Ships Deployable

(Defense One) Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti set a goal for the Navy last fall to have 80 percent of the Navy’s fleet ready to deploy at any given time by 2027. Naval Sea Systems Command released its strategy to support that effort: a five-part plan that includes getting new ships in the water on time while also creating more maintenance opportunities for existing ships. The second part will mean sticking to the schedule for maintenance periods, a continuous challenge for the service.

Army to Competitively Develop Next-Gen Command-and-Control Prototype

(Defense News) After spending a year working on pilot programs for a future battlefield command-and-control capability, the US Army is starting an effort to competitively prototype a next-generation system. Next-Generation Command-and-Control, or NGC2, represents a new approach to providing commanders and units an “open and modular” command-and-control, or C2, ecosystem “across hardware, software and applications with access to a common and integrated data layer.”

T-7 Trainer Production Delayed Again as Air Force, Boeing Adjust Plan

(Military Times) The Air Force is further delaying the production contract for its newest trainer aircraft, the T-7 Red Hawk, and will expand its testing in a major reorganization of the program’s acquisition strategy. The service originally planned to award Boeing a contract to build the first production T-7s in fiscal 2025 and would have bought seven jets this year. Under the Air Force and Boeing’s revised plan, the service will now award that contract in 2026.

USMC to Add Upgraded Autonomy Navigation Suite into ROGUE Fires Program

(Breaking Defense) The US Marine Corps plans to put more robust autonomous navigation on Joint Light Tactical Vehicles that are the basis for an unmanned mobile, anti-ship weapon system, according to the vehicle manufacturer. Oshkosh is under contract to produce Remotely Operated Ground Unit for Expeditionary Fires (ROGUE Fires) for the service. That weapon integrates the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — a mountable, ground-based anti-ship missile launcher with two Naval Strike Missiles — onto the JLTV chassis.

Navy Names Two New Ford-Class Aircraft Carriers After Presidents Clinton and Bush

(gCaptain.com) Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro revealed that two future Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carriers will be named USS William J. Clinton (CVN 82) and USS George W. Bush (CVN 83), marking the first time either former president has been honored with a naval vessel namesake. Secretary Del Toro stated that both presidents “led the United States through some of the most challenging moments in US history.”

Naval Information Warfare Center Awards BlueHalo $50M for UAS Electronic Warfare Sensors

(Breaking Defense) The Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Pacific awarded $49.9 million to space and electronic warfare (EW) company BlueHalo to develop technology and provide support for sensors on uncrewed aerial systems (UAS).

The award calls for BlueHalo to “deliver hardware, materials and components, engineering services, and integration and operational support” for modular payload EW sensors used on UAS by the US Navy and US Special Operations Command (SOCOM). 

Navy Shipbuilding Plan Would Cost $1 Trillion Over the Next 30 Years

(Military Times) For the US Navy to achieve a proposed plan to expand its fleet of battle force ships, the service would need to spend $40.1 billion on shipbuilding every year through 2054, for a total of more than $1 trillion, according to new analysis from the Congressional Budget Office. Over the next 30 years, the Navy wants to grow its current fleet of 295 battle force ships to 381.

Ohio Guided Missile Submarine Deployed Underwater Drones on Award Winning Secret Missions

(The War Zone) It has emerged that the US Navy’s Ohio class guided missile submarine USS Michigan used uncrewed underwater vehicles (UUVs) in the course of operations between October 2022 and January 2024. During that time, the boat and its crew completed at least three secretive “national security” missions, as well as ones involving special operations forces, “in hostile and challenging environments.”

Stealthy AGM-158C Long-Range Anti-Ship Missiles to Arm F-15EX, F-15E

(The War Zone) The arsenals of the US Air Force’s F-15E Strike Eagle and F-15EX Eagle II combat jets look set to grow with the addition of stealthy AGM-158C Long-Range Anti-Ship Missiles (LRASMs). F-15Es and EXs armed with LRASMs would give the Air Force a major boost in its ability to engage enemy warships, which could be particularly valuable in any future high-end fight in the Pacific against China.

Navy Secretary Names Newest Destroyer Intrepid

(Military Times) Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro announced that the service’s newest destroyer will bear the historic Intrepid name, according to the Navy. Del Toro named the newest Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer the future Intrepid on Friday while aboard the former carrier Intrepid, now part of its namesake museum in New York City.

Future USS Iowa Delivered to US Navy

(Navy.mil) The US Navy Submarine Force’s newest attack submarine, the future USS Iowa (SSN 797), was delivered to the Navy on Dec. 22, 2024, marking the 12th battle force ship delivered to the Navy this calendar year. SSN 797 is the 24th Virginia-class submarine (VCS) co-produced by General Dynamics Electric Boat (GDEB) and HII-Newport News Shipbuilding through a long-standing teaming agreement and the 13th attack submarine delivered by GDEB.

Navy, Air Force Cleared to Fly Ospreys After Inspecting Gears 

(Defense News) The Navy and Air Force are cleared to resume flying their grounded V-22 Ospreys after conducting inspections on a crucial gearbox in the tiltrotor aircraft, and some are already back in the air. The military temporarily stopped flying some Ospreys on Dec. 9 after a near crash in New Mexico in November.

Marines Still Targeting 2030 for Hornet Replacement, Despite F-35 Delays

(Defense One) MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, California—While Marines wait for new F-35s, officials say recent delivery delays haven’t altered their goal to fully switch to the fifth-generation stealth fighter jet by the end of the decade. The service is replacing its aging F/A-18 Hornets with F-35s, a massive effort complicated by a year-long pause in deliveries of the newest version of the jet.

“It’s not gonna happen all overnight, but right now, I think the forecast still has us completing it in 2030,” said Col. William Mitchell, commanding officer of Marine Aircraft Group 11, which includes two F-35C squadrons, an F-35B training squadron, two F/A-18C squadrons, and a KC-130 aerial refueling squadron.

Ursa Major Tests Long-range Rocket Motor for Army as Firm Eyes Growth

(Defense News) Raytheon and growing propulsion firm Ursa Major announced they have conducted successful missile flight tests with a long-range solid rocket motor for the Army. In a briefing with reporters, Ursa Major CEO Dan Jablonsky said his company has so far twice flown this motor with Raytheon, an RTX company, at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake.

Tyndall AFB F-35 Pilots Train with New CBRN Gear

(The Aviationist) Tyndall AFB implemented newly developed CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear) gear to increase combat readiness of aircrew by providing proper protection in the event of an attack. The base “is taking a proactive step in increasing its combat readiness by implementing the use of aircrew chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear equipment” according to a press release.

Air Force Eyes Merlin Autonomy System for Entire Tanker Fleet 

(Flyingmag.com) The US Air Force is exploring the use of self-flying tankers for aerial refueling and other missions under a new contract. Boston-based Merlin Labs is the beneficiary of the 19-month, undisclosed value contract that aims to give current and future American tankers the ability to adapt missions on the fly without human intervention.

Marines Reactivate East Coast Squadron with Corps’ Newest Fighter Jet

(Marine Corps Times) The Marines have reactivated a fighter squadron with a lineage that traces back to Guadalcanal as the first East Coast squadron to fly the Corps’ newest fighter jet. Marine Attack Fighter Squadron 251, or VMFA-251, received its first F-35C Lighting II Joint Strike Fighter in mid-September before the unit officially reactivated in a ceremony at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina, on Dec. 5, according to the service.

The US Air Force’s B-52 Stratofortress Bomber Just Got an ‘Upgrade’ 

(19forty-five.com) The B-52 Stratofortress fleet is undergoing critical upgrades to extend its service life through 2050. This includes replacing its 1960s-era engines with Rolls-Royce F-130 powerplants as part of a $2.6 billion program, earning the designation B-52J. A new engine cover solution was also tested to prevent ice damage, a recurring issue that has caused $17 million in damages.

Littoral Combat Ships to Sail with Mk70 Vertical Launchers Strapped to Their Decks

(The War Zone) In a significant step toward finally giving the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) fleet greater offensive capabilities, Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro announced that “many” LCS ships will receive the modular Mk 70 Payload Delivery System, allowing the beleaguered LCS to field the type of substantial firepower that has long eluded them.

The Mk 70 is a containerized launch system based on the Mk 41 Vertical Launching System (VLS) in use on many American and foreign warships.

Two Kennedy Warships: US Navy Honors a Legacy of Service

(19forty-five.com) The US Navy is set to field two warships named after the Kennedy brothers. The USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79), the second Gerald R. Ford-class supercarrier, faces delivery delays but continues to progress under new leadership. Meanwhile, the USNS Robert F. Kennedy (T-AO-208), a John Lewis-class replenishment oiler, has been delivered, enhancing the Navy’s logistics capabilities.

US Coast Guard Icebreaker Returns Home to Seattle Following Arctic Deployment

(USCG.mil) The crew aboard the US Coast Guard Cutter Healy (WAGB 20) returned to Seattle, following a 73-day Arctic deployment supporting scientific research missions, search and rescue operations, and training exercises in the region. The crew aboard Healy, a 420-foot polar icebreaker, conducted three distinct phases throughout the cutter’s 2024 Arctic Fall deployment.

First Belgian Air Force F-35A Lightning II Arrives at Luke Air Force Base

(The Aviationist) Belgium’s first F-35A Lightning II arrived at Luke AFB (Air Force Base) in Arizona on Dec. 3, 2024, marking the beginning of its transition from the F-16 Fighting Falcon. The jet, with the tail number FL002 and the colored roundel of the Belgian Air Force, landed at Luke AFB piloted by the 312th Fighter Squadron’s commander, Lt. Col. Jason Wall.

US Air Force Might Need to Reassess Bomber Force Size 

(The Aviationist) While the US Air Force is gearing up to introduce the new B-21 and retire the B-1B and B-2A, the demand for the bombers is increasing with the mutated geopolitical situation. The head of Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC), Gen. Thomas Bussiere, said the bomber fleet’s size might need to be reassessed as demand for bombers is growing. This could require more B-21 Raider bombers beyond the currently 100 planned, so the bomber force would reach 220 aircraft to satisfy the requirements.

US Navy Increasingly Turning to Commercial Tankers for At-Sea Refueling Operations

(gCaptain.com) The US Navy is increasingly relying on consolidated cargo operations (CONSOL) with commercial tankers to support its global fleet, marking a strategic shift in the service’s fleet refueling operations. Last month, the Overseas Shipholding Group’s tanker Overseas Mykonos transferred fuel to the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), becoming the first commercial tanker to fuel a US Navy aircraft carrier in decades.

Chief of Naval Operations Highlights Robotic and Autonomous Systems with Visit to Orca Extra Large Unmanned Undersea Vehicle

Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Lisa Franchetti toured Boeing’s Orca Extra Large Unmanned Undersea Vehicle (XLUUV) manufacturing facility, met with Boeing contractors and Sailors assigned to Unmanned Undersea Vehicles Squadron (UUVRON) 3, and gave remarks about the importance of having robotic multi-mission submersibles in the fleet, Dec 6. The Orca XLUUV is one of several unmanned maritime systems programs that the Navy is developing and acquiring to expand to the hybrid Fleet.

This Marine Corps Unit Now Has a Ship-killing Missile in its Toolkit

(Marine Corps Times) The Marine Corps’ newest formation has a ship-killing missile in its weaponry. The 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment out of Marine Corps Base Hawaii recently announced the unit had received the Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System, or NMESIS. The NMESIS serves as a critical weapon for Marines who have spent recent years restructuring the service to better assist the US Navy in gaining access to maritime territory defended by adversary missiles and warning systems.

Full Marine Helicopter Detachment Trains from Expeditionary Sea Base for First Time

(Stripes.com) The Marine Corps recently conducted its first live-fire training with a full detachment of helicopters operating from a sea-base ship near Okinawa, showcasing the flexibility of its expeditionary advanced base operations concept. About 100 members of Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 165 (Reinforced) — part of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit out of Camp Pendleton, Calif. — carried out the exercises on Sept. 25 and Oct. 13.

Coast Guard Heavy Icebreaker Departs Seattle for Months-long Deployment Bound for Antarctica

(USCG.mil) The US Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star (WAGB 10) and crew departed Seattle to begin their deployment to Antarctica in support of Operation Deep Freeze.

Operation Deep Freeze (ODF) is an annual joint military mission to resupply the United States Antarctic stations in support of the National Science Foundation (NSF), the lead agency for the United States Antarctic Program (USAP). This marks the 28th year that the Polar Star has supported ODF.

Army Gets Its First HADES Airborne Reconnaissance Jet

(The War Zone) The US  Army has received the first of its new High Accuracy Detection and Exploitation System (HADES) aircraft, based on the Bombardier Global 6500 bizjet. Set to supersede a varied fleet of turboprop intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) platforms, HADES will fly higher, faster, and farther, and for longer periods, while carrying a bigger sensor payload.

USAF’s KC-46 Tanker’s New Remote Start Ignites Aircraft Anywhere Via Mobile

(InterestingEngineering.com) Airmen from the US Air Force’s 22nd Air Refueling Wing Innovation Lab at McConnell Air Force Base have invented a new remote start device for the KC-46A Pegasus, called the Auxiliary Power Unit Start System. The APRUSS uses remote activation, cutting down on mission response times and enhancing mission efficiency by ensuring the aircraft is ready when crews arrive at the aircraft.

Dawn’s Historic Supersonic Jet Achieves 82,500 Feet and Record Speed

(InterestingEngineering.com) Dawn Aerospace has achieved a major milestone in the return of commercial supersonic flight. On November 12, 2024, the company’s 16-foot (4.8-meter) autonomous Mk-II Aurora rocket-powered aircraft broke the sound barrier, reaching a speed of Mach 1. Since the retirement of the Anglo-French Concorde in 2003, commercial supersonic flight has been largely absent from the skies.

Coast Guard Cutter Stratton Returns to California Following 110-day Arctic Deployment

The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Stratton (WMSL 752) returned to its Alameda homeport on Nov. 4, after completing a 110-day patrol in the Arctic Ocean, Chukchi Sea and Bering Sea. Stratton departed Alameda on July 18 and patrolled the Alaskan Inside Passage to Juneau, Alaska, throughout the Gulf of Alaska, the Bering Sea and into the Arctic Ocean. The crew supported US strategic interests in the high latitudes and ensured the safety and compliance of domestic fishery operators.

New Navy Ship USS Nantucket Commissioned While ‘Stern to Stern’ with the Oldest Navy Ship

The USS Nantucket was commissioned at a ceremony in Boston, Mass., on Nov. 16, three years after it was first launched and five years after construction began. The USS Nantucket is a littoral combat ship, or LCS. LCS-class ships are small, agile vessels meant for operating in near-shore environments. The LCS class has two variants — Freedom and Independence, each of which is built by a different industry team. Lockheed Martin leads the construction of Freedom-variant ships like the Nantucket, while Austal USA heads the building of Independence-variant ships.

Marine Corps Codifies Amphibious Combat Vehicle Standards After Rocky Start, New Deployments 

The Marine Corps has announced new standards on training and operations for its Amphibious Combat Vehicle, or ACV, as it continues to deploy the 32-metric-ton machine in key training after early launch troubles. Two ACVs rolled over in the surf during separate amphibious exercises in 2022, causing the Marine Corps to issue a monthslong pause on waterborne operations for the vehicle. No Marines were injured in those mishaps, the service said, but the events pushed the Corps to review safety, training and operations procedures for the ACV moving forward.

US Military’s New Counter-UAS System Tested, Can Detect Up to 500 Targets

The United States showcased the Cerberus XL C-UAS, a reliable system featuring long-range sensors and counter-UAS technology, at a recent military exercise.

The system, which has the ability to detect up to 500 simultaneous targets and operate in extreme conditions, is modular and adaptable for air, ground, and maritime threats, providing multi-domain situational awareness for air security in areas like military sites, airports, seaports, borders, and critical infrastructure, US tech company Teledyne FLIR points out.

US Navy to Develop F/A-XX Next-Generation Fighter Independently of Air Force NGAD

The US Navy is developing a 6th generation fighter jet, called F/A-XX. The Air Force previously said the two programs are interconnected and is sharing its developments, but the Navy now says it will develop its aircraft independently. The revelation was part of an interview released to Aviation Week by Rear Adm. Michael Donnelly, director of the air warfare division in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations.

Air Force Hedges on Next-Gen Tanker Plans

(Defense One) Tomorrow’s tankers might just be today’s tankers with self-protection gear, Air Force officials say—because the service can’t afford to pursue all its next-generation plans. The Air Force has been devising plans to develop a future tanker called the Next Generation Air Refueling System, or NGAS, to use in contested operations in the Indo-Pacific, as China develops new counter-air systems that can threaten tankers at longer ranges. But building a new tanker from scratch doesn’t look possible any time soon, so the service might simply enhance its current fleet of tankers.

Coast Guard Cutter Vigorous Returns Home Following 51-day Deployment in the Eastern Pacific Ocean 

(USCG.com) The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Vigorous (WMEC 627) moored at Naval Station Norfolk, following a 51-day deployment in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. 

Deployed in support of Joint Interagency Task Force–South and patrolling within the Coast Guard Eleventh District area of responsibility, Vigorous’s crew conducted counter-drug missions to prevent the flow of narcotics and other illicit smuggling into the United States by transnational criminal organizations.

US Navy to Extend Service Lives of 12 Destroyers

(Breaking Defense) The Navy announced it will extend the service lives of 12 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, resulting in an anticipated 48 years of combined additional operational service from those vessels between 2028 to 2035, according to a statement from Secretary Carlos Del Toro. These ships are the oldest destroyers in the fleet ranging from the Barry (DDG-52), which will be extended for three years, to The Sullivans (DDG-68), also slated for a three-year extension.

CSX Launches Double-stack Service at Port of Baltimore

(FreightWaves) CSX launched double-stack service to and from the Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore thanks to clearance projects that have been completed north of the Howard Street Tunnel. “This is a great day for the Port of Baltimore and a great day for Maryland,” Gov. Wes Moore said. “As the Port of Baltimore continues to grow, this transformational project will help increase business activity and create thousands of new jobs.

California, Major Airlines to Work to Boost Sustainable Aviation Fuel Use

(Reuters.com) The State of California and a group representing major US passenger and cargo airlines reached an agreement to sharply boost the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The California Air Resources Board (CARB) and Airlines for America, an industry trade organization representing American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, FedEx and others, committed to increasing the availability of SAF for flights within California to 200 million gallons by 2035. That would meet about 40% of intrastate travel demand and is more than 10 times current levels.

US Ports by Volume: How Maritime Cargo Trends Are Stacking Up

(SupplyChain Dive) For supply chain managers seeking to understand demand trends, port volumes are a helpful indicator. Maritime gateways handled 40% of international freight value in 2022, according to the Department of Transportation. As a result, keeping track of seaport volumes can be a good barometer for establishing years- and months-long trade trends nationwide.

Marines Score Aviation Firsts with F-35 Squadron, Drone Test and More

The Marine Corps recently notched a series of aviation firsts with an advanced drone under development and its newest jet, as the service works toward achieving more nimble and responsive air combat power. The Corps’ XQ-58A Valkyrie drone completed a test flight last week at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., marking the platform’s first integration with other military branches, according to a Marine Corps release.

New Philly Shipyard Owners Promise ‘Big Time’ Investment

(USNI.org) A top executive of a Korean conglomerate that’s buying a Philadelphia shipyard pledged to bring the facility back its 1940s prominence.

“We will be investing in Philly big time,” said Michael Smith, the newly named chief executive officer of Hanwha Defense USA. The yard is primarily known now for building Jones Act ships. US requires ships engaged in domestic maritime trade to be built in the United States. The yard produces about 50 percent of the largest domestically built commercial vessels, including tankers and container ships, according to the company.

Navy Logistics Modernization Effort Ready to Take Next Step

(Federal News Network) PEO-MLB is leading a logistics IT modernization effort that will modernize and make more user-friendly applications that shipyards, ships, aviation and other organizations rely on to manage parts, equipment, and products across the Navy.

“We’re optimizing a commercial off the shelf (COTS) product to achieve that performance profile. The sailors are telling us how they want this tool to be configured. So, we have determined that, yes, the tool can meet all our requirements from a technical standpoint. Now it’s a matter of improving the user experience so that it’s easy for them to use,” Baur said at the AFCEA NoVa Navy IT day.

Electric Boat to Scale Back Sub Work Due to ‘Major Component’ Delays

(USNI.org) The prime contractor behind the Pentagon’s top acquisition priority is slowing its rate of producing submarines due to a lack of “major components.” General Dynamics CEO Phebe Novakovic said GD Electric Boat work on the Columbia-class nuclear ballistic missile submarines and the Virginia-class nuclear attack boat would slow to keep pace with a supply chain that’s lagging construction.

Austal USA Launches Construction of New Submarine Module Manufacturing Facility

(NavalNews) Austal USA started construction for a new manufacturing facility for submarine modules (MMF3), scheduled to be fully operational in late 2026, which will significantly increase Austal USA’s capacity to support the US Navy Submarine Industrial Base (SIB). The new building will provide 369,600 sq. ft. of indoor manufacturing space purpose-built to manufacture submarine modules to support the US Navy’s goal of delivering one Columbia-class and two Virginia-class submarines annually.

No Pilots, All Cargo: Airbus Tests Loading of Autonomous Helicopter

(Marine Corps Times) Airbus US Space and Defense has conducted its first demonstration as part of a program to build an autonomous, uncrewed version of the UH-72 Lakota transportation helicopter for the US Marine Corps. The Lakota variant, which Airbus calls the UH-72 Logistics Connector, is the company’s bid for the Marines’ Aerial Logistics Connector program,

Army Moves Ahead on Plans to Replace Storied Bradley Fighting Vehicle

(Defense News) Two industry teams competing to design a Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle replacement have completed preliminary design reviews, clearing a hurdle ahead of the next milestone in 2025, Maj. Gen. Glenn Dean, Army program executive officer for ground combat systems, said. In June 2023, American Rheinmetall Vehicles and General Dynamics Land Systems were selected to continue into a detailed design phase of the XM30 Mechanized Infantry Combat Vehicle.

Army Closes in on Autonomous Boats to Ferry Supplies into Battle

(Defense News) The Army is developing requirements to distribute supplies to troops on the battlefield in a contested environment using a network of autonomous boats and aircraft, according to the general in charge of logistics modernization.

IMO Proposes ‘Pricing Mechanism’ for Ships to Reduce Ghg Emissions

(American Journal of Transportation) United Nations’ International Maritime Organization (IMO) is considering a ‘pricing mechanism’ to accelerate international shipping’s transition away from greenhouse gases (ghg) and toward zero emissions. The proposal came out of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) session at IMO Headquarters in London. The IMO announced October 10 the development of mid-term measures to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions to meet the ambitions set out in the 2023 IMO Strategy on Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships.

Army Speeds up Development of Multipurpose ‘Launched Effects’

(Defense News) With funds freed up from the US Army’s aviation rebalance earlier this year, the service will move more quickly on Long-Range Launched Effects (LE) development and procurement, according to the Army’s program executive officer for aviation. LE is a program by the US Army to develop unmanned systems that can be launched from aircraft and vehicles to perform a variety of tasks, such as targeting, reconnaissance, surveillance, network extension or kinetic strike.

Military Drones Revolutionize Medical Supply Chain by Delivering Blood to Remote Areas

In military and medical logistics, autonomous Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS) are used to transport and resupply blood far forward, presenting realistic and challenging scenarios for combat medics during military training exercises in efforts to build readiness and incorporate innovative advancements in the field. This marks a pivotal enhancement in the intersection of military innovation and emergency healthcare, bolstering life-saving capabilities in critical situations.

A-29 Super Tucano Joins Air Force Test Pilot School Fleet

A trio of A-29 Super Tucano aircraft arrived at Edwards Air Force Base where they will join a fleet at the USAF Test Pilot School. The arrival marks the first newly assigned aircraft for the school in nearly 30 years. These A-29s were originally acquired by Air Force Special Operations Command, but divested after mission requirements changed. The Air Force Test Center views these excess aircraft as a unique opportunity to expand the flight test and training capabilities at Edwards AFB.

BAE Systems to Produce 48 More AMPVs for US Army

BAE Systems has secured a $184 million contract modification to build 48 additional Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicles (AMPVs) for the US Army. The modification is part of a full-rate production agreement awarded to the company in August 2023. Production of the new AMPVs will take place at BAE facilities in Alabama, Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina.

Mass Maritime Academy Welcomes New Training Ship ‘Patriot State’ to Buzzard Bay

The Massachusetts Maritime Academy celebrated the arrival of its new training ship, the Patriot State, in Buzzards Bay on October 11. The ship is the second of five purpose-built, state-of-the-art training vessels commissioned for America’s five state maritime academies. The US Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) spearheaded this program, which provides world-class training for future mariners while supporting humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions.

Navy Awards GD Electric Boat $1.28B in Contracts While Service Continues Sub Negotiations 

The Navy issued General Dynamics Electric Boat two contract modifications worth $1.28 billion to keep submarine suppliers operating while the service and the shipyard continue contract negotiations for 17 planned submarines. The service issued two separate contract modifications on October 8 – one for $878 million for future USS Baltimore (SSN-812) and SSN-813, both Block V Virginia-class attack submarines, and another $350 million for long lead materials for Block VI Virginia-class boats.

Navy Bounces Back, Surpasses Recruiting Goals for Fiscal Year 2024

(Navy Times) The Navy surpassed its recruiting goals for fiscal year 2024 after failing to hit its accession targets for the first time ever last year. The Navy has lagged behind the other services in attracting new recruits, and at one point projected it would miss its recruiting targets by roughly 6,700 for fiscal 2024, which ended Sept.30.

Marines to Receive New System for Zapping Drone Swarms Out of the Sky

(Marine Corps Times) Eprius, a defense company that makes high-powered microwave systems to melt drones, announced a new product iteration last week. Its long-pulse, high-power microwave technology, known as Leonidas Expeditionary, can drop swarms of drones with massive and pointed walls of electromagnetic energy. Epirus has already delivered high-powered microwave systems to the Army as part of a $66 million contract last year.

Pentagon Pressing on with F-35 Engine Upgrade

(FlightGlobal.com) The Pentagon is reaffirming its commitment to delivering an engine upgrade for the Lockheed Martin F-35 stealth fighter. Propulsion supplier Pratt & Whitney received a $1.3 billion contract from the US Department of Defense (DOD) to continue development work on the Engine Core Upgrade (ECU) for company’s F135 turbofan, which powers the F-35.

Philly Shipyard Cuts Steel on First of Three LNG-Fueled Containerships for Matson

(gCaptain.com) Jones Act shipbuilder Philly Shipyard, Inc. (PSI) has commenced construction on the first of three Aloha Class LNG-fueled containerships for Matson Navigation Company, Inc. The project, valued at approximately $1 billion, will see the delivery of these state-of-the-art vessels in 2026 and 2027. The new ships, measuring 854 feet (260 meters) long, will be among the largest Jones Act containerships ever built.

Navy Making Final Selection For F/A-XX Stealth Fighter, Plans For 2030s Service Entry

(Twz.com) The US Navy expects its sixth-generation fighter to enter service in the 2030s, bringing with it the ability to operate alongside drones and fly missions at long ranges — capabilities seen as essential for future conflict with China. The Navy’s ambitions mean that the service may introduce its next-generation crewed fighter before the US Air Force, which is now re-examining requirements for its new stealth combat jet.

Army Hits Recruiting Target for the First Time in 2 Years

(MarineCorpsTimes.com) After several dismal recruiting years, Army officials announced the service has exceeded its recruiting goals for this fiscal year. Army Secretary Christine Wormuth made the announcement Wednesday that the Army had surpassed its 55,000 recruit goal for Fiscal Year 2024.

Army Awards Two Contracts to Build Cargo Robot Prototypes

(DefenseNews.com) The Army has picked American Rheinmetall Vehicles and HDT Expeditionary Systems to build prototypes of equipment-carrying robots, the service announced Tuesday. Several companies were competing to build the second increment of the service’s Small Multipurpose Equipment Transport (S-MET), robot, including General Dynamics Land Systems, an Anduril and Hanwha team, and Teledyne FLIR.

Nimitz-Class Aircraft Carrier USS Harry S. Truman Is Headed Into the ‘Danger Zone’

(NationalInterest.org) The US Navy’s USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) has been deployed to the Eastern Mediterranean as tensions in the Middle East escalate. The supercarrier’s deployment follows the recent return of USS Theodore Roosevelt and continues the US military’s strategy of maintaining a strong naval presence in the region. USS Harry S. Truman will replace USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) and provide critical support alongside other US naval forces. 

First-of-its-kind Hypersonic Missile Killer Program Gets US Greenlight

(InterestingEngineering.com) The United States Missile Defense Agency (MDA) has decided to proceed with Northrop Grumman’s Glide Phase Interceptor (GPI) program, the first-of-its-kind defensive countermeasure against hypersonic missile threats. Working with the MDA for the past three years, Northrop says it has produced a design capable of defeating existing and emerging hypersonic threats. 

Russian Su-35 Shown ‘Headbutting’ American F-16 At Very Close Range Off Alaska

(twz.com) North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) has posted a video of an 18th Fighter Interceptor Squadron (18th FIS) F-16C executing an intercept on a pair of Russian Tu-95MS Bear-Hs and their fighter escorts off Alaska. The video in question shows a Su-35S Flanker executing a very close-range ‘headbutting’ maneuver, M cutting in front of and across the Viper’s path. It’s the most dramatic video we have seen of such a close encounter since a B-52 crew experienced a similar incident over the Black Sea a few years ago.

F-35 to Unleash New ‘Stealth Munitions’ on Enemy Warships

(RealClearDefense.com) The US F-35 Lightning II is preparing for a more significant role, following recent tests that demonstrated the aircraft’s ability to carry the AGM-1 58C Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile or (LRASM). Designed to provide precise anti-ship capabilities, the LRASM equips the F-35 with a powerful tool for future maritime conflicts.

Air Combat Command Activates 3 Air Task Force Units

(AF.mil)  Air Control Command held an Assumption of Command ceremony for three Air Task Force units of action assigned to ACC at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Sept. 23. The ceremony marked the official activation of ACC’s ATFs. ATFs are the next step the Air Force is taking toward Combat Wings as units of action to present to combatant commands.

Marine Corps Marksmanship Gets Overhaul for First Time in a Century

(TaskandPurpose.com) A major overhaul of how Marines learn to shoot and track their skills will begin to roll out across the service in the next few months, according to a Marine Corps-wide Marksmanship Campaign Plan released Monday. The Campaign plan, published by the Marine Corps Training and Education Command, sets deadlines for new training to be up and running across the force and mandates major renovations for shooting ranges that don’t yet comply with the new marksmanship standards.

Marines Get $113 Million for New Base Camp

(Newsweek.com) A joint venture between construction firms Granite and Obayashi has been awarded a contract to build new facilities at Marine Corps Base Camp Blaz in northwest Guam to support the Marine Expeditionary Force 9^th Engineer Support Battalion. Construction includes erecting low-rise facilities to support the Marines, construction of an auto organization shop, an electrical/communications maintenance shop, organic storage, a vehicle wash rack, and a vehicle laydown area.

New B-21 Bomber Now Flying Up to Twice a Week

(Air & Space Forces) The B-21 Raider bomber, which began flight testing last November, is now generating sorties as frequently as twice per week at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., and ground testing of two similar aircraft is well underway, program officials said at AFA’s Air, Space & Cyber Conference. An official video of the B-21 flying for the first time was released at the conference.

US Has Accepted 36 Upgraded F-35s Since Lifting Delivery Pause

(Defense News) The US officially accepted 36 new Lockheed Martin-made F-35 Joint Strike Fighters since lifting a yearlong delivery in July, and 29 have been ferried to their new homes. Beginning in July 2023, the Pentagon refused to accept enhanced F-35s due to problems with the aircraft’s upgraded Technology Refresh 3 hardware and software. Modifications also are needed for the more expansive Block 4 package that will allow the F-35 to carry more weapons, better identify targets and conduct electronic warfare. 

Lockheed Nearing Test of Sea-launched JAGM, Pitches for US and Australia

(Breaking Defense) Lockheed Martin plans to conduct a vertical launch, live fire demonstration of the Joint Air-to-Ground Missile (JAGM) next year as it rolls out a plan to evolve the munition into a family of “multi-domain missile systems,” one the company hopes to sell to the US and Australia in the future. The vertical launch system enables JAGM to be launched from medium and large surface vessels as well as tactical ground vehicles.

Marines Reopen Second WWII-era Airfield to Prep for Future Combat

(Defense News) A recently refurbished World War II-era airfield is the second such site the Marine Corps has reactivated this year for air training and operations. In August, the Marine Corps announced the $28 million overhaul of the airfield at Camp Davis, North Carolina, less than 25 miles from Camp Lejeune. That move followed the service’s June recertification of an airfield on the Pacific island of Peleliu.

New Missile Allows Marine Pilots to Strike Far, Avoid Air Defenses

(Defense News) Marine fighter pilots now have a missile that can strike targets up to 230 miles away, keeping aviators out of the range of many enemy air defense systems. In late August, personnel at Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 11 and Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 232 out of Miramar, Calif., became the first to run ordnance operations with the missile — the AGM-158A — using F/A-18 Hornet aircraft.

Army Deploys to Alaska Island Amid Rise in Russian Military Activity

(Army Times) The US military has moved about 130 soldiers along with mobile rocket launchers to a desolate island in the Aleutian chain of western Alaska amid a recent increase in Russian military planes and vessels approaching American territory. Eight Russian military planes and four navy vessels, including two submarines, have come close to Alaska in the past week as Russia and China conducted joint military drills.

Navy Takes ‘Really Big Swing’ with Private Investment to Boost Sub Industrial Base

(Breaking Defense) The US Navy unveiled its “collaboration” with a private investment fund aimed at boosting America’s capacity to crank out modern submarines, in this case with an “ambitious” development of a shipyard in Alabama. The United Submarine Alliance Qualified Opportunity Fund LP, or USA Fund, purchased the 355-acre Alabama Shipyard outside Mobile “where it will prioritize US Navy maritime infrastructure investments and sustainment activities with the goal of developing an additional 75 percent of the site to support submarine production, workforce training.

Second National Security Multi-Mission Vessel, ‘Patriot State,’ Christened at Philly

(gCaptain.com) TOTE Services and Philly Shipyard christened the second of five National Security Multi-Mission Vessels (NSMVs), named Patriot State. The ceremony took place at Philly Shipyard in Philadelphia, Pa., and was attended by high-ranking officials, including the Secretary of Transportation and the Secretary of the Navy.

The US Navy Has a New Warship That Could be Better Than Aircraft Carriers

(Nationalinterest.org) The US Navy’s San Antonio-class amphibious transport docks (LPDs) offer a versatile alternative to large nuclear-powered supercarriers. These 684-foot vessels can carry 66 officers, 633 Marines, and various aircraft and vehicles, providing a flexible platform for expeditionary warfare. The latest addition, USS Richard M. McCool Jr. (LPD-29), was commissioned in Pensacola, honoring Capt. Richard M. McCool Jr., a Medal of Honor recipient.

This Army Division Just Ran Cybersecurity for a Far-away Brigade

(ArmyTimes.com) One of the Army’s most modernized armored brigades and its parent division recently conducted the service’s first long-range, fully remote cybersecurity operation at the division level. The 3rd Infantry Division’s network operations and security cell remained at Fort Stewart, Ga., in July, covering the first 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team’s cyber 6 as the Raider Brigade conducted a two-week rotation at the National Training Center, Fort Irwin, Ca.

The Army Has Graduated 25,000 Soldiers through Pre-basic Prep 

(ArmyTime.com) The Army has graduated nearly 25,000 recruits from its Future Soldier Prep Course who have gone on to become soldiers. The program started in 2022 to get low-performing recruits up to standards to attend basic training. The course has run primarily in Fort Jackson, South Carolina, and gives new recruits who might not make the physical or academic cutoff to qualify for Army basic training up to 90 days to improve.

F/A-18 Super Hornet Appears with Unprecedented Heavy Air-To-Air Missile Load

(Twz.com) Boeing announced the delivery of the first two operational F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fighter jets in the Block III configuration to the US Navy. That service will now use these aircraft to help complete an ongoing test and evaluation program for these updates, as well as support the development of new tactics, techniques, and procedures to go with them. The Navy expects to begin sending improved Super Hornets to actual frontline units before year-end.

Japan’s New ‘Aircraft Carrier’ Is Coming to America for F-35 Training

(Nationalinterest.org) Japan is sending its modified Izumo-class helicopter carrier, JS Kaga, to the US West Coast for flight operations with the F-35B Lightning II between October and November 2024. Some experts consider the vessel a quasi-aircraft carrier.

US Army Aiming for One More Hypersonic Weapon Test by Year’s End

(Military Times) The US Army is aiming for one more major test of its Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon by the end of 2024 to decide whether to field it to the first unit next year. The Common Hypersonic Glide Body, which is the all-up round developed jointly with the US Navy, conducted a key successful test earlier this year. The Navy will integrate the round into a ship-launched capability, while the Army will integrate it into a ground launcher.

Soldiers Set to Get One Shoulder-Fired Round to Replace Multiple Weapons in Move to Ease Loads, Training

(Military.com) Soldiers will soon train on fewer systems and haul less gear downrange thanks to the Army’s adoption of an advanced new shoulder-launched munition. The service awarded a $494 million contract to Swedish defense contractor Saab in late August to furnish soldiers with the XM919 Individual Assault Munition, a single-shot multi-mission round that’s designed to combine the capabilities of the M72 Light Anti-Armor Weapon, M136 AT-4, and M141 Bunker Defeat Munition into a single weapon system.

Marines Testing Low-Profile Vessels, Oil Industry Support Ships to Resupply Distant Outposts

(USNI.org) The Marines are testing vessels inspired by narco-boats and support ships used to supply oil rigs to see how they could resupply Marines fighting across the Indo-Pacific, the commander of the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory said. The Marines’ Autonomous Low-Profile Vessel is a semi-submersible capable of being operated remotely from thousands of miles away.

First Submarine Fully Integrated for Coed Crews to Join Navy Fleet Next Week

(Stripes.com) The first submarine fully integrated for mixed gender crews will join the Navy fleet next week during a commissioning ceremony in its namesake state of New Jersey. The future USS New Jersey, a fast-attack submarine, will become a deployable part of the Navy’s force during the ceremony at Naval Weapons Station Earle in New Jersey on Sept. 14, culminating five years of construction that represents a historic shift in how Navy submarines are designed.

Sidelining Civilian-crewed Navy Ships Could Harm Overseas Operations, Analysts Say

(Stripes.com) A Navy proposal to put more than a dozen support ships out of service to ease a crippling shortage of qualified civilian mariners could damage US efforts to counter its competitors in Africa and the Middle East. The plan calls for putting the expeditionary sea bases USS Hershel “Woody” Williams and USS Lewis B. Puller, along with 15 other Military Sealift Command support ships, on a lengthy hiatus so the civilian crews staffing them can be retasked.

Space Force Aims to Track Enemy Aircraft with Satellites by 2030s

(Defense One) The Space Force intends to deploy satellites that can track aerial and ground targets at the beginning of the next decade, according to a top service official. The US military has tracked targets in the air, a mission known as AMTI, with the Air Force’s E-3 Sentry, which will be replaced by the future E-7 Wedgetail.

China Claims Breakthroughs in Autonomous Vehicles

(Defense One) Autonomous vehicles represent an estimated $2 trillion global market and are expected to triple in value over the next decade. The Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Shanghai Institute of Microsystems and Information Technology (SIMIT) claims to have made two breakthroughs in autonomous vehicles’ ability to perceive their surrounding environment and track movements.

US Army Receives First EAGLS Laser-Guided Counter-Drone System

MSI Defense Solutions has delivered the first EAGLS counter-drone system to the US Army. Six systems have been contracted in support of the “forward deployed forces facing emerging and persistent uncrewed aerial systems threats.” The Naval Air Systems Command awarded the contract through the Rapid Acquisition Authority, including associated engineering and maintenance support. 

Marine Corps MQ-9 Reapers to Operate in Okinawa for Intelligence, Surveillance Ops

Up to six US Marine Corps MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles will operate from Kadena Air Base in Okinawa for a year to carry out Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions around the southwest region of Japan, according to a Japan Ministry of Defense and Foreign Ministry public document.

New US Coast Guard Air Station Receives First Jayhawk Helicopter

The US Coast Guard has delivered an MH-60T Jayhawk all-weather medium-range recovery helicopter to its latest air station at Naval Base Ventura County in Point Mugu, Ca. Designated as CGNR 6055, the aircraft is the first of three MH-60Ts to be integrated at the base. The Coast Guard Aviation Logistics Center in North Carolina will produce the systems, using US Navy low-flight-hour HH-60H Pave Hawk and SH-60F Seahawk airframes.

Navy Set to Meet Active-Duty Recruiting Goals After Missing Two Straight Years

For the first time in three years, the Navy will likely meet its recruiting numbers. The Navy set a recruiting goal of 40,600 active-duty sailors for Fiscal Year 2024, an increase over the previous year despite the sea service falling short. The Navy is on track to meet the goal, according to Rear Adm. Jeffrey Czerewko, commander of Naval Education and Training Command.

Air Force Delivers Its First EA-37 Electronic Attack Aircraft to Home Base

The Air Force’s first mission-ready EA-37 Compass Call aircraft flew into Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., last week, the start of a major upgrade to the service’s electronic warfare fleet. Air Combat Command boss Gen. Kenneth S. Wilsbach, 16th Air Force commander Lt. Gen. Thomas Hensley, and 55th Wing commander Col. Mark Howard all flew on the new aircraft to deliver it to its new home.

Game Changer Lockheed Unveils Poland’s First F-35

Lockheed Martin rolled out the F-35, the first of the stealth fighters for Poland, in a ceremony at the aerospace factory here as Polish military representatives, US officials and other dignitaries looked on. “This aircraft is going to be a great contributor to Polish, and not only Polish, regional safety, [as well as] NATO credibility [and] deterrence,” said Maj. Gen. Ireneusz Nowak, general inspector of the Polish Air Force.

AFIMSC Introduces Combat Support Instructor Course to Increase ATF Readiness

The Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center is developing a course designed to equip combat air base squadron leaders with the skills needed to teach and lead combat support warfighters through every phase of the Air Force Generation model. The new Combat Support Instructor Course was introduced at the first of two 2024 Installation and Mission Support Weapons and Tactics Conferences.

Northrop Shows off New Digital Radar Tech in First Flight

Northrop Grumman announced the successful first flight of its Electronically Scanned Multifunction Reconfigurable Integrated Sensor, or EMRIS, aboard a US military aircraft. The development paves the way for eventual deployment of new radar capability that will enable future jets to avoid a wider array of threats. 

SNC Wins Army Contract for HADES Spy Plane

(Breaking Defense) Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) won a high-flying Army contract to convert a business jet into a deep-sensing spy plane, beating out an industry team up featuring L3Harris, Leidos and MAG Aerospace. Under the High Accuracy Detection and Exploitation System (HADES) program, SNC will be charged with integrating sensing technologies aboard the Bombardier Global 6500 business jet for airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions as the service phases out a legacy fleet of turboprop aircraft. 

This System Could Allow Small Army Teams to Hit 1,000 Targets per Hour

(Army Times) A collection of premier operational Army units has conducted at least 10 rounds of experiments with a targeting system that is now used in US Central Command and is being applied to solve logistics problems globally. The Maven Smart System is a combination of sensors and software that allows users to quickly assess a battlespace, gather reams of data and analyze that data using artificial intelligence to identify targets and strike.

US Puts World’s Largest Carrier Fleet to Work

(Newsweek) More than half of the 11 US Navy aircraft carriers—which is the largest fleet in the world—were underway over the weekend as Washington faced a sea power gap while juggling multiple fronts. A “multi-carrier formation” transited the Atlantic Ocean for an ordnance transfer with two supply ships on Saturday. The “flat-tops” in the formation were USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, USS Harry S. Truman, and USS Gerald R. Ford. 

Navy Outfits Aircraft Carrier with First Drone Operations Center

(Stripes.com) The Navy recently outfitted an aircraft carrier with the first drone operations center, furthering the service’s high-tech pursuit into remotely piloted aircraft. The MQ-25 Stingray warfare center was installed aboard the USS George H.W. Bush, which is based at Naval Station Norfolk, Va. The MQ-25 Stingray is a tanker drone designed to refuel manned fighter jets in midair.

Navy Could Sideline 17 Support Ships Due to Manpower Issues

(USNI.org) Military Sealift Command has drafted a plan to remove the crews from 17 Navy support ships due to a lack of qualified mariners to operate the vessels across the Navy. The MSC “force generation reset” identified two Lewis and Clark replenishment ships, one fleet oiler, a dozen Spearhead-class Expeditionary Fast Transports (EPF) and two forward-deployed Navy expeditionary sea bases that would enter an “extended maintenance” period and have their crews assigned to other ships in the fleet.

After China, US Unveils Rifle-Toting Robot Dogs

The US Army showcased its ground-breaking quadruped unmanned ground vehicle (Q-UGV) armed with an assault rifle during Operation Hard Kill at Fort Drum, New York. The demonstration was held nearly three months after China showed off its own version of a weapon-carrying robot dog at the onset of its joint military exercise with Cambodia.

The Army Is Set to Expand Basic Training, Fueled by New Recruiting Momentum

The Army is set to expand the number of new recruits it can send to basic training starting in October. Fort Sill in Oklahoma and Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri will get two additional basic training units each that can train an additional 4,000 new recruits each year combined. Army officials are confident they will hit their goal of 55,000 new recruits this year.

Better Mobility ‘Key’ to Army Operations in the Extremes of the High North: Official

The looming challenges posed by China and Russia in the Arctic have been raising questions about whether the US Army’s ground fleet can operate in an extreme environment with difficult terrain, rapidly changing weather patterns and temperatures reaching minus 60 degrees Fahrenheit. To operate up there, Army officials said the service needs to up its mobility game.

General Dynamics Electric Boat Launches Attack Boat Idaho

General Dynamics Electric Boat launched the latest attack submarine last week, Naval Sea Systems Command announced. The future USS Idaho (SSN-799) was launched from the Connecticut shipyard into the Thames River on Aug. 6. The attack boat will now be pier side for final outfitting ahead of delivery to the Navy. The submarine will be the 26th Virginia-class fast attack submarine to deliver to the fleet.

Massive New Navy Ship Leaves San Diego Bay for its First Sea Trials

The USNS Robert E. Simanek, a 784-ft. expeditionary sea base, left the General Dynamics-NASSCO shipyard in San Diego Bay on Aug. 14 for its first sea trial. The Simanek is the fifth ESB that NASSCO has built for the Navy, which intends to use the vessels to help deploy troops and equipment in areas of the world where the U.S. doesn’t have easy access to land bases and seaports. 

Pentagon Awards $32.9 Million Contract for More Upgrades at Philippine Fighter Base

The Defense Department has announced additional improvements at a Philippine fighter base as part of an effort to deter China by rebuilding airfields across the Pacific. The $32.9 million contract was awarded to Acciona CMS Philippines LLC calls for a new parking apron, shoulder and taxiway at the Cesar Basa Air Base in mid-2026, the Pentagon announced.

Exercise Agile Flag Creates Mission Ready Airmen

The 9th Reconnaissance Wing participated in exercise Agile Flag 24-3 throughout Southern California from July 31 to Aug. 11. This year’s iteration included the Command and Control force elements from the 23rd wing, and the 9th RW. Exercise Agile Flag plays a critical role in Air Combat Command’s transformation as the command evolves to provide relevant, combat credible forces through the Air Force Generation cycle. 

Soldiers Work with Marines as the Corps Ramps Up its Air Defenses

For the first time, Marines with Marine Air Support Squadron 3, Marine Air Control Group 38, out of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing at Camp Pendleton, CA, hosted the Army’s air defense artillery fire control officer course. The three-week course, which ran in July, focused on those fire control officers’ role within the Army’s MIM-104 Patriot surface-to-air missile system.

U.S. Container Ports Face Record Cargo Surge Ahead of Possible Port Strike

Monthly inbound cargo volume at major U.S. container ports is expected to approach record levels as retailers expedite shipments ahead of a potential strike at East and Gulf Coast ports, the National Retail Federation (NRF) announced last week. The contract between the International Longshoremen’s Association and the United States Maritime Alliance, covering East Coast and Gulf Coast ports, is set to expire on September 30.

Unique US Navy submarine Returns to Base After Two-year mission

A unique sub-variant of the Ohio-class guided missile submarines, the converted nuclear-powered ballistic missile boat USS Florida, returned at the end of July 2024, to base at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Georgia, following a 727-day deployment to 5th, 6th, and 7th Fleet areas of operations.

Newport News Shipbuilding Constructing 2 New Quality of Life Facilities for Navy Submariners

(USNI.org) Shipbuilding is on contract to build two new facilities for U.S. sailors assigned to submarines undergoing overhauls at the Virginia shipyard, USNI News has learned. HII will build the new facilities close to the Newport News dry dock. The two buildings, slated to cost $9 million, will feature a galley and housing for sailors in one facility and workspaces in the other, a spokesperson for Naval Sea Systems Command told USNI News.

Lockheed Martin’s ‘Affordable’ New Hypersonic Missile

(NewAtlas.com) Lockheed Martin has released more details about its Mako hypersonic missile that the company is building for the US Air Force and international customers. The multi-mission missile that flies at Mach 5+ can be launched from a wide variety of aircraft. In development since 2017, the Mako was an entrant in the US Air Force’s Stand-in Attack Weapon (SiAW) program and was intended to be a missile that was both hypersonic and affordable.

Air Force Weighs Options to Make up for B-52 Cost, Schedule Breaches

(Defense News) The Air Force is working to make up for schedule delays and cost overruns on two central components of its plan to keep the B-52 flying into the 2060s. The 1960s-era B-52, whose missions have ranged from nuclear alert during the Cold War to precision strikes against the Taliban, is the workhorse of the Air Force’s bomber fleet. The service is undergoing a $48 billion overhaul to keep it operating for another 30 to 40 years alongside its newest bomber, the B-21.

Air Force Says Restoring Nukes on Some B-52s Would Cost $4.5 Million

(Defense News) The Air Force estimates it would cost about $4.5 million to restore nuclear weapon capabilities on approximately 30 B-52 bombers. The House and Senate armed services committees included the recommendation in their respective defense policy bills for fiscal 2025. The bombers in question had previously been equipped with the ability to carry nuclear weapons but were converted to conventional aircraft about 10 years ago to comply with a key U.S.-Russia arms control treaty known as New START.

As Recruiting Rebounds, Army to Expand Basic Training, Rebuild for War

(Army Times) Buoyed by an increase in recruiting, the Army will expand its basic combat training in what its leaders hope reflects a turning point as it prepares to meet the challenges of future wars. The added training will begin in October and comes as the Army tries to reverse years of dismal recruiting when it failed to meet its enlistment goals. New units in Oklahoma and Missouri will train as many as 4,000 recruits every year.

U.S. Army Europe and Africa Best Squad Competition 2024 Vies to Find Army’s Best

(Army.mil) U.S. Army Europe and Africa (USAREUR-AF) is set to put its finest to the test as squads from across Europe and Africa converge in Grafenwöhr, Germany, Aug. 1-9, to compete in the 2024 U.S. Army Europe and Africa Best Squad Competition.

Canadian Shipbuilder Davie Wants to Invest in the U.S.

(USNI.org) Canada’s largest shipbuilder, Davie, is inspecting sites and seeking a U.S. partner “to make a long-term commitment to American shipbuilding” and expand its capacity, the White House announced Aug. 2. This was one of the announcements made by the Biden-Harris Administration on expanding domestic shipments.

Navy Is on Track to Rearm Warships at Sea in 2-3 Years

(Stripes.com) The Navy is one step closer to rearming ships at sea, a capability that would keep warships in the fight rather than forcing them to return to port during combat. Last week, the first successful land-based demonstration of the Transferrable Rearming Mechanism, or TRAM, was announced by the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Port Hueneme, CA. The system will enable Navy destroyers and cruisers to reload missiles into vertical launching systems while at sea — a task that now must be done pier side.

Marines Hit Operational Status with Second Carrier-Capable F35-C Unit

(Marine Corps Times) A West Coast Marine F-35C Lightning II squadron has achieved initial operational capability. The Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 311, Marine Aircraft Group 11, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, hit that key milestone July 31. The status means a unit can employ, maintain, and train on the jet.

Air Mobility Command Tries AI to Speed to Speed Up Airlift Planning

(Defense News) Complex logistical calculations can take hours or days. With Air Mobility Command’s new ARTIV software, it takes between five and 10 minutes, according to retired Air Force General Paul Selva, whose company uses AI technology to improve defense planning logistics.

It’s hard enough to figure out logistics when planners have plenty of time. When imminent war or humanitarian disaster requires airlift ASAP, they must wing it.

“That process is typically short-circuited, because whatever the crisis is, it’s in motion before the operational planners are able to complete their work,” said Gen. Selva.

Air Force, Space Force Unveil Tool for AI Experimentation

(Air Force Times) The Air Force and Space Force launched a generative AI tool, encouraging airmen and guardians to experiment with using the technology for tasks like summarizing dense reports, IT assistance and coding. The tool, called the Non-classified Internet Protocol Generative Pre-training Transformer, or NIPRGPT, could help the services better understand how AI can improve access to information.

Air Force Launches New ‘Foundations’ Courses for Enlisted Airmen

(Air and Space Forces) The Air Force launched the enlisted Foundations courses in July. The program is meant to fill the years-long gap in enlisted professional military education (PME) between established schools such as the Airman Leadership School and the Noncommissioned Officer Academy. 

‘Not Prepared’: Congressional Panel Calls for Huge Defense Buildup

(Army Times) America’s odds of fighting a major war are the highest in 80 years, and its military isn’t prepared for one. This was the finding of a bipartisan panel tasked by Congress to review U.S. defense strategy. The nearly 100-page report reveals a crisis of confidence in American national security.

Army Focuses on New Recruitment Strategies

(Federal News Network) Army leaders are reconsidering their recruitment strategies to attract talent by providing a personalized experience, simplifying the soldier’s journey, and creating a positive space for the soldier’s support system. Col. Kris Saling, director of innovation for Army Recruitment Command, is at the forefront of rethinking the Army experience. His team has taken a digital approach and adapted tools like an interactive talent map for growth and development.

The Army Is Reducing Job Choice for New Recruits in 2 Critical Fields

(Military.com) New Army recruits cannot enlist in some specific jobs in the field artillery and defense fields that center around different weapons and maintenance, as well as surveillance and communications systems.

Marine Corps Wants Rifle-Mounted Jammers, ‘Buckshot-Like’ Ammo to Help Grunts

(Military.com) The Marine Corps is on the hunt for electronic warfare attachments, “buckshot-like” ammunition, and advanced optics for its standard-issue rifle to help dismounted troops track and defeat incoming drones. There are plans to field several new attachments to troops at the squad and platoon level to mount on their 27 Infantry Automatic Rifles.

Naval Aviator Becomes First American Woman to Secure Air-to-Air Kill

(Militarytimes.com) An F/A-18 Super Hornet pilot from Strike Fighter Squadron 32 became the first American woman to engage and kill an air-to-air contact during the squadron’s recent deployment aboard the aircraft carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower in the Middle East. The incident was one of more than 20 where Strike Fighter Squadron 32 deployed air-to-air missiles against Iran-backed Houthi air attack drones.

Executing Today’s Global Airlift Mission: 62^nd Airlift Wing Adopts Advanced Human Performance Program

(Army.mil) As a part of the 62nd Airlift Wing’s Human Performance Program and with the help of funding provided by the Mission Execution Excellence Program (MEEP), a group of 12 Airmen were selected to be some of the first to be issued and selected to distribute wearable human performance tracking devices in the form of rings at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

Michigan, Navy and Pentagon Announce Partnership to Train Workers for Defense Production

(Military.com) Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer joined Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro, the U.S. Department of Defense, and the U.S. Department of Labor to announce the launch of a $50 million partnership focused on workforce training for defense manufacturing. The Michigan Maritime Manufacturing Initiative, also known as M3, will train workers at local community colleges in skills for maritime construction. It is part of a Biden-Harris Administration strategic initiative to meet the Navy’s goal of increasing submarine production.

U.S., Partners Experiment with New Weapon Systems During RIMPAC 2024 SINKEX

(USNI.org) The U.S. military is experimenting with potential future weapon systems at the ongoing Rim of the Pacific 2024 exercise in Hawaii, using a weapon known as QUICKSINK during the biennial drill’s sinking exercise. U.S. forces used QUICKSINK – born out of collaboration between the Air Force Research Laboratory and the U.S. Navy – in the recent sinking exercise that featured former amphibious assault ship USS Tarawa (LHA-1) as the target.

Pilots Revised Ship Strike Protocol in Months Before Vessel Collapsed Key Bridge

(Military.com) In the crucial four minutes when the container ship Dali lost power and struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge, the two pilots aboard ordered an anchor dropped, asked for emergency help from nearby tugboats, warned surrounding vessels, and called a pilot dispatcher on a cellphone. The dispatcher notified the Maryland Transportation Authority, which promptly shut down vehicle traffic onto the bridge, and the Coast Guard. This rarely used protocol was discussed with port stakeholders just 13 days before the incident.

HII Awarded $78M for Quality of Life Improvements at Newport News

(USNI.org) The Navy issued HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding a $78 million contract modification for quality-of-life improvements that includes an 80,000 sq. ft. facility for sailors who are working on aircraft carriers undergoing their mid-life refueling overhaul, according to Naval Sea Systems Command. The building, which will include office spaces, a fitness center, and counseling offices, is slated for completion by June 2026.

U.S. and Philippine Coast Guards Conduct Bilateral Search and Rescue Exercise

(dvidshub.net) The U.S. Coast Guard and the Philippine Coast Guard joined together to conduct a bilateral U.S.-Philippine search and rescue exercise in the South China Sea, July 16. Operations included a joint sail and conducting search and rescue (SAR) training, personnel transfer evolutions, and bilateral sailing.

Army Unit Deploys Hypersonic Weapon in Navy-led Exercise

(USNI.org) An Indo-Pacific-assigned U.S. Army unit designed to counter anti-access area denial networks deployed its Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon, known as Dark Eagle, for the first time June 25-27. The Navy-hosted exercise demonstrated the missile’s ability to integrate and contribute to the kill chain.

Pentagon Resumes Purchases of New F-35 Jets After Year Delay

(TheHill.com) The Defense Department has resumed the purchase of F-35s from defense contractor Lockheed Martin after more than a year of pausing the acquisition of newer versions of the fighter jets. Two of the newer F-35 Lightning IIs were delivered recently to Dannelly Field, Ala., and Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., the F-35 Joint Program Office.

Volunteer or Voluntold: Marines Announce Special Duty Assignment Campaign for Active Reserves

(Military.com) The Marine Corps announced a campaign to draw certain Marines into special duty assignments, an annual push to fill some of its most critical jobs. The campaign is aimed at Active Reserve Marines, a small component within the Corps that serves full-time in the reserves and provides support for reserve units.

Army Rehearses Deploying Bradleys Anywhere at a Moment’s Notice

 Soldiers in the 3rd Infantry Division are prepared to deploy anywhere in the world, at any given point. This summer, they’re running a force deployment readiness exercise to practice that emergency capability with a company-size number of M2A4 Bradley Fight Vehicles, according to a division spokesperson.

FAA Short-staffed on Air Traffic Controllers, Technicians During Peak Travel Season, Union Warns

 (Federal News Network) The Federal Aviation Administration is facing staffing challenges during the peak travel season. Dave Spero, president of the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, which represents some FAA employees, said the agency is also short on technicians, which can result in longer equipment outages and more flight delays. It can take a newly hired FAA technician years to fully complete their training, said Spero.

One-third of US Military Could Be Robotic by 2039: Milley

(Army Times) The 20th chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, believes growing artificial intelligence and unmanned technology could lead to robotic military forces in the future. “Ten to fifteen years from now, my guess is a third of U.S. military will be robotic,” said retired Army General Mark Milley at an Axios event launching the publication’s Future of Defense Newsletter.

USS Theodore Roosevelt and its Carrier Strike Group Arrive in Middle East

 (Task and Purpose) Three weeks after its deployment was announced, the USS Theodore Roosevelt and its supporting carrier strike group are now operating in the waters off Yemen. The U.S. Navy ships are the latest contingent to be sent to the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden to deal with the months-long conflict against Yemen’s Houthi militants. 

Using New Missile, Marine Corps Attack Helicopter Sinks Mock Vessel During Pacific Test

(Military.com) A Marine attack helicopter struck and sank a mock ship in the Pacific last week using a new air-to-ground missile. An AH-1Z Viper crew attached to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 262 fired the live missile in the Philippine Sea near Okinawa as a vessel towed a mock ship, sinking it into the ocean.

Biden to Pardon Veterans Convicted Under Former Military Law that Banned Gay Sex

(Stars and Stripes) President Joe Biden announced he would pardon U.S. veterans convicted by the military during a 60-year period that banned gay sex. “Despite their courage and great sacrifice, thousands of LGBTQI+ service members were forced out of the military because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Some of these patriotic Americans were subject to court-martial and have carried the burden of this great injustice for decades,” Biden said in a statement. The granting of pardons won’t automatically change convicted veterans’ records but allows those impacted to apply for a certificate of pardon that “should help them unlock access” to receive withheld benefits, an official said.

More of the Air Force’s Toughest Enlisted Jobs Qualify for Bonus Pay

The Air Force is bumping up the number of challenging jobs for which airmen and guardians can earn bonus pay in the coming year. Enlisted airmen in 78 job specialties will be eligible for special duty assignment pay in fiscal year 2025, which starts Oct. 1, the Air Force said in a press release. That’s an increase from last year, when the Air Force approved bonuses for 70 critical fields, ranging from an extra $75 to $450 a month.

Attacks Against Defense Industrial Base Increasing, NSA Chief Warns

The Pentagon is pushing ahead with zero-trust plans to automate defenses against future threats. China, Russia, and others are taking aim more frequently at companies that serve the U.S. military, Gen. Timothy Haugh, the head of U.S. Cyber Command and the National Security Agency, told the crowd at TechNet Cyber.The defense industrial base—the companies that produce goods and services and conduct research for the Defense Department—includes over 160,000 domestic and foreign companies that employ 9 percent of the U.S. workforce.

Navajo Corporal Becomes First Marine Authorized to Wear Traditional Native Hair

Cpl. Bradford Flores is honoring his culture by growing his hair out — and the Marine Corps authorized it. Flores, a Native American service member and anti-tank missile gunner, is the first Marine to receive a religious waiver allowing him to grow his hair long in accordance with his Navajo heritage.

Survey Finds a Decline in Well-Being Among Military Families Amid Stress and Loneliness

More military families are reporting that their well-being has declined over the past three years, citing financial strain, loneliness, and the stressors of military life as reasons why they would not recommend military service, according to a survey from the Military Family Advisory Network. Out-of-pocket expenses during frequent military moves, housing and child-care costs and barriers to spouse employment contribute to situations where military families can never get ahead, according to the group’s president and executive director.

Troops May Face Inflated Drug Costs Under Tricare, Lawmakers Say

A bipartisan group of 24 congressional lawmakers is questioning whether the Pentagon’s pharmacy contract may be driving up drug costs and limiting access to medication for Tricare beneficiaries, while overcharging independent pharmacies and taxpayers. The lawmakers are concerned that the Defense Health Agency has decided to retain Express Scripts as the sole pharmacy benefit manager for Tricare, the military insurance system serving 9.6 million troops, retirees, and their families.

Military Needs Better Recipe for Feeding Troops, Auditors Say

When it comes to feeding troops, the food chain is not the only chain that matters. The military must also address issues atop the chain of command to ensure service members get the nutrition they need, government auditors say. While the Defense Department has worked to improve nutritious options at military dining facilities to retain a fit and healthy force, gaps continue to limit officials’ ability to manage and evaluate the effectiveness of nutrition programs.

U.S. Prepares to Open New Training Site for Foreign F-35 Pilots

(Military Times) A new F-35 training site under construction in northwest Arkansas is preparing to welcome fighter pilots from around the world this fall. Ebbing Air National Guard Base will become the latest U.S.-based site dedicated to training foreign pilots across the globe F-35 Joint Strike Fighter enterprise, which now encompasses more than 3,500 jets in 18 countries.

Valiant Shield Ends with Target Practice in North Pacific

(Stars and Stripes) A military exercise by the U.S. and Japan ended with the sinking of a decommissioned warship in the North Pacific Ocean. The forces involved in Valiant Shield, June 7-18, sank the former amphibious transport dock USS Cleveland more than 40 nautical miles from the nearest land. The exercise involved 10,000 U.S. and Japanese troops in Japan and on Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and all six branches of the American military, including more than 20 surface ships and 200 aircraft.

Pentagon Tech Hub to Launch Dozens of New Projects with FY24 Funding

The Defense Innovation Unit plans to spend most of its nearly $1 billion fiscal 2024 budget to accelerate existing projects and add new ones in technology areas like counter uncrewed aerial systems and space transport. The increase was approved for the Pentagon’s commercial technology hub to support its expanding mission to help the DoD quickly foster and field commercial capabilities in large numbers.

Airmen Flying B-52 Bombers Should Be More Comfortable, Lawmakers Say

(Air Force Times) Life aboard the military’s oldest bombers could become a little cozier under new legislation proposed on Capitol Hill. The House’s version of the 2025 defense policy bill wants to improve living accommodations aboard the B-52 Stratofortress, the Air Force’s long-range, nuclear-capable bomber in use since the 1960s. 

Chinese Military’s Rifle-toting Robot Dogs Raise Concerns in Congress

(Federal Times) Congress is worried that robot dogs with machine guns will be bounding onto the battlefield. During a debate over the annual defense authorization bill, House lawmakers inserted language in the military policy to require a new DoD assessment on “the threat of rifle-toting robot dogs used by China” in future conflicts.

Marines Cut Time for Career Transition Program, Citing Readiness

(Marine Corps Times) The Marines are cutting the time jarheads can spend in a crucial military-to-civilian career transition program by as much as half the time the program previously allowed Manpower and Reserve Affairs is reducing the time Marines can spend in the SkillBridge program to three to four months, compared to six months in the previous program.

House Defense Bill Takes Aim at Telework for DoD Employees, Contractors

(Federal Times) House lawmakers are seeking to use their version of the fiscal 2025 defense spending bill as an opportunity to tighten restrictions on telework for federal workers. The $833 billion bill was approved in a 217-199 vote and included a provision that would bar the Defense Department from paying for the costs of telework or remote work for any employee or contractor on a recurring basis.

U.S. Test-Fires Two Unarmed Minuteman III Ballistic Missiles

(Defense News) The U.S. military test-fired two unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles recently. The tests, which involved the Air Force and Space Force, took place from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, Air Force Global Strike Command. The Command oversees two legs of the U.S. nuclear triad, which is made up of land-, submarine- and bomber-launched nuclear weapons.

Air Force, Space Force Unveil Tool for AI Experimentation

(Air Force Times) The Air Force and Space Force launched a generative AI tool to encourage airmen and guardians to experiment with using the technology for tasks like summarizing reports, IT assistance and coding. The tool, called the Non-classified Internet Protocol Generative Pre-training Transformer, or NIPRGPT, would help the services better understand how AI could improve access to information.

Russian Flotilla Off Florida Coast Sparks Deployment of U.S. Navy Destroyers, Planes

(Military.com) The Pentagon deployed three Navy destroyers and maritime patrol aircraft last week to keep tabs on a group of Russian ships that conducted missile exercises and reportedly got within 30 miles of the Florida coast.

Advocates Urge Lawmakers to Up Pay Rates for Vets Unable to Work

(Stars and Stripes) Veterans advocacy groups urged House lawmakers last week to update eligibility rules and payment rates for the “individual employability” program that gives a tax-free monthly benefit to veterans who are unable to work but lack a 100 percent disability rating from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Under the program, veterans are eligible for full VA disability benefits after providing a work history of five years or more that shows problems obtaining and keeping employment.

U.S., Allies Kick Off Exercise Valiant Shield 2024

(USNI News) The U.S military, along with allied and partner forces, began exercise Valiant Shield 2024 (VS24) in Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, and at sea around the Mariana Island Range Complex. VS24, which runs June 9-18, is a multinational, biennial field training exercise focused on interoperability in a multidomain environment.

Space Force Urges Certain Air Force Reservists to Become Full-Time Guardians

(Military.com) The Space Force is taking applications from Air Force reservists in certain career fields to become full-time, active-duty Guardians. From June 1 to November 30, Air Force reservists in space-related career fields can transfer and become Guardians under the Space Force Personnel Management Act.

New Army Policy Expands Reimbursement for Spouse Business Costs

(Army) The U.S. Army is expanding its financial support for military spouses by enhancing the reimbursement program for business costs and relicensing fees. The new directive permits reimbursement of up to $1,000 for business-related expenses, in addition to the already authorized $1,000 for relicensing fees resulting from a relocation. For details, go here.

Pentagon Looks Beyond Primes for Cheaper Drones

(Defense One) The Pentagon has picked four non-traditional defense contractors to develop drones that can be produced en masse and “on-call,” acknowledging that industry giants might not be up to providing the relatively inexpensive uncrewed systems that are looming larger in modern war. Anduril Industries, Integrated Solutions for Systems, Leidos Dynetics, and Zone 5 Technologies were selected to develop an “enterprise test vehicle” that can be built quickly and cheaply.

House Approps Bill Funds Single Virginia-class Sub, Cuts Landing Ship Medium in 4 Warship Buy

(USNI) In a split from the House Armed Service Committee, the House defense appropriators want to buy a single Virginia-class nuclear attack submarine in a draft of the Fiscal Year 2025 defense spending bill. The bill funds a $31.6 billion shipbuilding budget that includes two Flight III Arleigh Burke guided-missile destroyers, one San Antonio-class amphibious warship and the single Virginia-class attack boat that the Navy asked for in its budget submission.

How the Space Force Plans to Surge a Commercial Fleet During Wartime

(Defense One)  A new program, the Commercial Augmentation Space Reserve or CASR—based on the concept of the Civil Reserve Air Fleet—will ensure the Space Force can rely on commercial vendors’ space systems throughout a “spectrum of conflict,” said Col. Richard Kniseley, director of the Space Force’s year-old Commercial Space Office.

Op-Ed: Senator Kelly Throws U.S. Maritime Industry a Lifeline — Let’s Seize It

(gCaptain)  Following encouraging remarks from the Secretaries of Transportation and the Navy, Senator Mark Kelly delivered a compelling speech at the National Maritime Day ceremony. He emphasized the necessity to revitalize both the United States Merchant Marine, shipbuilding and the broader US maritime industry. 

Amid Rising Threats to Critical Infrastructure, CISA Developing ‘Physical Security’ Goals

(Federal News Network)  The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is known for putting out cybersecurity advisories and guidance that help network defenders stay aware of the latest digital threats and best practices. But the infrastructure security division at CISA is also working on ways to raise awareness about all-encompassing “physical security” threats to critical infrastructure sectors.

Rethinking U.S. Africa Policy Amid Changing Geopolitical Realities

(Texas National Security Review)  Since 2020, Africa has seen more political unrest, violent extremism, and democratic reversals than any other region in the world. the continent has served as a stage for the escalating great-power competition between China, Russia, and the United States. U.S. engagement with Africa has long been deprioritized in Washington, but there are a few actions the United States can take to reinvigorate democracy and stabilize the region.

Newport News Yard Seeks Experienced Workforce for Nuclear Shipbuilding

(Defense News)  HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding is taking its recruitment efforts on the road as it looks to bring in more employees to expand its nuclear shipbuilding workforce. The yard plans to hire 3,000 skilled tradespeople this year, but it needs to bring in 19,000 over the next decade. The existing training pipelines in the Hampton Roads region is unable to funnel enough new employees toward Newport News.

Memorial Day 2024

• History Channel: Memorial Day
• Flags for the Fallen
• Memorial Day weekend 2024 could break travel records. Here’s what to know.
• Arlington National Cemetery Honors Fallen With Flowers of Remembrance

Trucks are Rolling Across the US Pier into Gaza, But Challenges Remain

(Army Times)  Trucks carrying badly needed aid for the Gaza Strip rolled across a newly built U.S. pier and into the besieged enclave for the first time Friday as Israeli restrictions on border crossings and heavy fighting hindered the delivery of food and other supplies.

Almost 2 Months After It Destroyed Baltimore’s Key Bridge, the Dali Cargo Ship Has Been Moved and Docked. Here’s What’s Next

(CNN)  After 55 days stuck in the Patapsco River, the Dali cargo ship was hauled away from the site of its catastrophic crash into the Francis Scott Key Bridge – a crucial step toward fully reopening the busy Port of Baltimore

Military Movers Urge DoD, Congress to Pause Household Goods Contract

(Federal News Network)  Many of the companies who currently handle military household goods moves have been vocal in their criticism of DoD’s new contract to overhaul the system. Up until now, they’ve been pressing the department to make changes to the Global Household Goods contract (GHC). Now though, under the auspices of a new coalition called Movers for America, they’re looking to stop its implementation altogether.

PODCAST: From Polar Presence to Port Security: A Conversation with the Coast Guard Commandant

(War on the Rocks)  United States Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Linda Fagan to discuss the Coast Guard’s global activities, from the Arctic to the Indo-Pacific to the growing digital security challenges to America’s ports.

An Army Drone Branch? Idea Advances in House Subcommittee

(Defense One)  The Army would gain a drone branch under proposed language in the 2025 defense authorization bill, a move intended to further professionalize the field and put it on par with the service’s other disciplines. 

NIST Aims to Cut ‘Tech Speak’ From Cyber Workforce Framework

(Federal News Network)  After recent changes to the framework that defines cyber roles across government, leaders at the National Institute of Standards and Technology are already looking ahead to keep the needle moving on strengthening the federal cyber workforce

Opinion: As US-backed Philippines Asserts Itself Against China, War Games Risk Heating Tensions at Sea

(South China Morning Post)  Joint Philippines-US naval drills have become an annual event. But as an expert in international relations, I believe this year’s drills mark an inflection point in the regional politics of the South China Sea. The latest joint maneuvers come amid two developments that could go some way toward influencing the future trajectory of tensions in the South China Sea. 

Congress Faces Another Countdown, this Time FAA Reauthorization

(Federal News Network)  The debate continues in Congress surrounding one of the nation’s busiest airports. D.C.-area lawmakers want to nix an attempt to add flights to Reagan National Airport. Hanging in the balance is a re-authorization for the Federal Aviation Administration. 

Marines, Navy Crafting Long-Term Fixes for Amphibious Warship Shortages

(USNI News)  While the long-term future for the amphibious fleet is secured with a Navy commitment to 31 amphibious warships in the Fiscal Year 2025 budget, the short-term problem of getting Marines to sea is less settled.

The Navy is Embedding Info-Warfare Officers into Recruiting Commands

(Defense One)  The Navy is ramping up recruiting for information warfare and cyber operators nationwide to contend with previous retention challenges, the Navy’s IW boss said. It’s part of a new initiative to attract and retain young tech talent.

Florida Man Sentenced for Selling Counterfeit Computer Systems for Fighter Jets

(Task & Purpose)  A Florida man was sentenced to 78 months in prison this week for a scheme selling counterfeit computer software that ended up being used by the Army, Navy and Air Force, among others. Onur Aksoy, 40, was sentenced at the start of May for selling tens of thousands of counterfeit Cisco computer software to several entities in the United States, including parts of the U.S. military’s supply chains.

The Forgotten Part of the Contest: Army Logistics in the Pacific

(War on the Rocks)  As Gen. Omar Bradley is credited as saying, “Amateurs talk strategy. Professionals talk logistics.” Unfortunately, when it comes to how the American defense community plans for and talks about the future of competition and conflict in the Pacific, it isn’t measuring up to Bradley’s metric. 

Defense Innovation Unit Moves to Ease Commercial Drone Certifications

(Defense News)  The Defense Innovation Unit wants to improve its process for vetting commercial drones, with the goal of making it easier for companies to sell their systems to the U.S. military.

US Finally Breaks Ground On Its First-Ever High-Speed Rail

(Popular Science)  Builders have officially broken ground on a new $12 billion train that could zoom travelers between Las Vegas and Los Angeles in just under two hours by the end of the decade. The new train, which is considered the first “high-speed” rail in the United States, could cut down commute time for travelers and reduce greenhouse gas emissions that would otherwise be emitted from cars and planes.

Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo on U.S. Microchip Production, Blocking of Sales to China, Russia

(CBS News)  What does the secretary of commerce do? Until now, mainly promote U.S. businesses abroad. It had not been a high-profile job til Gina Raimondo turned the second-tier agency into a center of job creation, manufacturing, and national security.  

Europe is Already Planning for What Happens If Ukraine Loses. It’s Ugly.

(Defense One)  A Ukrainian loss, which could happen very soon if U.S. weapons don’t arrive, would ramp up Russian efforts to destabilize the governments of NATO countries and increase defense spending across the alliance, among other disastrous effects, according to Estonia’s Defense Minister.

Biden Admin, U.S. Ports Prep for Cyberattacks as Nationwide Infrastructure is Targeted

(CNBC)  A top Biden cybersecurity official urged the nation’s ports in a joint call to have their data encrypted, rapidly patch any vulnerabilities in critical systems, and have a well-trained cyber team as hacks targeting key U.S. infrastructure increase.

China is Battening Down for the Gathering Storm Over Taiwan

(War on the Rocks)  Chinese war drums beat on as pundits hotly debate if or when Beijing will try to seize Taiwan by force. There is no apparent countdown to D-day for initiating a blockade or invasion, but major strategic indicators clearly show that General Secretary Xi Jinping is still preparing his country for a showdown.

Navy Looks to Apply Jet Readiness Gains to Surface Ship Fleet

(Defense News)  The U.S. Navy’s supply corps will spend the next two years applying lessons from the service’s aircraft fleet to surface ship readiness.

The State of Defense 2024

(Defense One)  Defense One is proud to present State of Defense 2024, a service-by-service look at how the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Space Force are modernizing and positioning for the year ahead. 

Marines Work with New Ships, Interceptors and Drone Platforms

(Marine Times)  The Marine Corps seeks to purchase eight new ships over the next five years, in the current budget proposal, to move littoral regiments around islands in the Pacific as it aims to counter the Chinese military.

Great Power Competition Will Drive Irregular Conflicts

(War on the Rocks)  If the United States is drawn into a new war in the next few years, what will that look like? The Department of Defense is overwhelmingly emphasizing preparing for conventional warfare with China or Russia. This is a risky strategy in one key respect: Historically, irregular warfare has been a major part of great-power competition.

Pentagon Tested Generative AI to Draft Supply Plans in Latest GIDE 9 Wargame

(Breaking Defense)  Supply officers at the military’s operational combatant commands tested ChatGPT-like software to help them write logistics plans, as part of the latest Global Information Dominance Experiment, GIDE 9. Their verdict: Generative AI showed huge potential to help them sort through masses of mind-numbing details and outline options to offer their human commander — a crucial aspect of the nascent revolution in command-and-control known as CJADC2.

US Army’s Fresh Look at Watercraft Includes Unmanned Options

(Defense News)  The U.S. Army has reexamined its watercraft needs as it prepares for potential complex operations in challenging environments like the Indo-Pacific theater, according to the head of Army Futures Command.

Biden Administration Announces Requirement for 2-Person Crews on Freight Trains

(The Hill)  The U.S. Department of Transportation issued a final rule Tuesday increasing the minimum size for train crews to two people, a longtime ask for rail worker unions, which nearly led to a strike in 2022.

Air Mobility Commander Pushes for Connectivity for Outdated Mobility Fleet

(Defense One)  The Air Force’s mobility fleet needs to be better connected to the joint force if it’s going to be ready to fight in the Pacific, according to Air Mobility Command’s leader Gen. Mike Minihan who said, “We have more connectivity in our cars and on our cell phones than we do in the forward edge of the mobility platforms right now—and we have got to aggressively depart from that.”

Spotlight on Service Budgets:

• Navy Wishlist Seeks Red Sea Missiles, Backs Submarine-Industrial Base
• Space Force’s Unfunded Wishlist comes to $1.15B, Including Several Classified Programs
• Marines Expect ‘Big Year’ for Drone, Ship and Logistics Testing
• Air Force’s Wishlist Includes Money for Parts and Readiness
• Army, CENTCOM Ask Congress for Spending Jump for Counter-Drone Mission
• How the Pentagon Found $300M for Ukraine, But is Still Deep in the Red

How to 3D-Print a School in a War Zone

(CNN)  With its soft gray lines and sleek, curving exterior, Project Hive looks less like a school and more like a wellness retreat or modern art museum. It’s the first 3D-printed education center in Europe and the first building to be 3D-printed in a war zone, according to Jean-Christophe Bonis, founder of Team4UA, the non-profit responsible for the pilot project.

How to Keep China Out of the Pentagon’s Weapons

(Defense One)  Two summers ago, when Honeywell told the Pentagon it feared that a subcontractor had improperly put Chinese metals in some F-35 jet engines, the reaction was swift. We were lucky that time. Next time, could sabotaged or defective Chinese parts, or secret surveillance devices, be slipped into weapons or communications systems by unwitting vendors further down the defense supply chain? 

‘MV Roy P. Benavidez’ Sets Sail on Gaza Pier Mission

(gCaptain)  The U.S. Maritime Administration’s (MARAD) Ready Reserve Fleet vessel, MV Roy P. Benavidez, set sail on Wednesday on a mission to construct a temporary pier to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaz

Use ‘Hedge Forces’ to Break the Pentagon’s Force-Structure Death Spiral

(Defense One)  After decades of pursuing ever-more-sophisticated ships and aircraft, spurred most recently by the need to pace the People’s Liberation Army, the Defense Department has fielded a force that is now too expensive to grow. 

Northrop, DARPA Envision Moon ‘Railroad’ for Lunar Logistics

(Defense News)  The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is working with Northrop Grumman to flesh out a concept for a moon-based railroad network. The envisioned network could transport humans, supplies, and resources for commercial ventures across the lunar surface.

Coast Guard Commandant Fagan Highlights Polar Security Cutters, Indo-Pacom Expansion

(USNI News)  While a Polar Security Cutter was not on the Fiscal Year 2025 budget, Commandant of the Coast Guard Adm. Linda Fagan said the program was still her top acquisition priority. The Coast Guard is also looking to expand its operations in the Indo-Pacific, with an ask of $263 million to increase presence and maritime governance, according to the Coast Guard’s fact sheet on its budget request.

Army 4-Star Eyes New Opportunities, Exercises Focused on Sustainment, Logistics in Indo-Pacific

(Breaking Defense)  Although the US military plans to participate in a variety of Indo-Pacific-centered exercises in the coming years, a four-star Army general is eyeing one in particular that will let the joint force to test how well it can keep itself supplied in a fight — both across the vast waters of the Pacific and further from the front back home.

Army Event to ‘Detangle’ Joint Force Logistics at Outset of Wars

(Defense News)  The U.S. Army will hold a seminar this summer to improve the joint force’s ability to quickly and effectively manage logistics and sustainment at the outset of a large-scale war, according to the Army Materiel Command commander.

Rocket Cargo is go! Air Force’s Experimental Resupply Program Moves Closer to the Launch Pad

(Breaking Defense)  The investment in transitioning Rocket Cargo “is focused on utilizing vehicles that traverse from or through space to transport DoD materiel anywhere around the world within tactically responsive timelines,” the Space Force’s FY25 budget request says.

Congress Unveils Long-Awaited Funding Bills Ahead of Shutdown Threat

(The Hill)  Congressional leaders have revealed long-awaited bipartisan bills to fund parts of the government for most of the year, setting off a bicameral sprint to avert a looming shutdown this Friday. The weekend rollout entails six full-year spending bills to fund a slew of agencies until early fall, including the departments of Agriculture, Interior, Transportation (DOT), Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Veterans Affairs (VA), Justice (DOJ), Commerce and Energy.

Opinion: How Interoperability Benefits Military, Civil and Commercial Domains

(C4ISRNet)  Whether applied to military, commercial or consumer domains, interoperability can benefit every step of the supply chain by reducing overall costs and enabling rapid integration, as well as by improving the long-term sustainability and maintainability of fielded systems.

Marines Pass Full Financial Audit, a First for Any US Military Branch

(Defense News)  The U.S. Marine Corps passed a full financial audit for the first time, a milestone that comes after almost two decades of trying to prepare the Corps’ records and several failed audits along the way.

Army Activates New Watercraft Formation in Japan

(USNI News)  In the service’s latest move to bolster its presence in the Indo-Pacific, the U.S. Army activated the 5th Composite Watercraft Company at North Dock, Yokohama, in Japan. Also known as the 5th Transportation Company, the unit is at the forefront of the Army’s maritime transportation efforts in the region as a composite watercraft company. 

PODCAST: Beyond the Manifesto, Mobility as the Joint Maneuver Force, Risk as an Art, and Leadership

(Air Force Doctrine Podcast)  Hear from General Mike Minihan, the Commander of Air Mobility Command (AMC) on what some see as his provocative “Mobility Manifesto.” Gen Minihan challenged his Airmen to “explode in theater, sense and seize opportunities, and focus on lethality.”

Marines’ East Coast Supply Unit Gets Reshuffled and Renamed

(Military Times)  The Marine Corps’ supply battalion on the East Coast has absorbed other units and gotten a new name as part of a servicewide effort to modernize logistics. The changes come as the Marine Corps is preoccupied with contested logistics — how to supply and sustain Marines in zones where an adversary is working to disrupt those processes.

Houthis Step Up Attacks Hitting Second Ship and Possibly Downing US Drone

(The Maritime Executive)  The Houthis accelerated their attacks after a lull claiming four efforts in the past 24 hours emphasizing that they have been targeting U.S. and UK shipping interests. The wave of attacks came as the EU on Monday also confirmed it is accelerating its response saying that it expects to have at least four warships in the area in the coming weeks.

As Baltics See Spike in GPS Jamming, NATO Must Respond

(Breaking Defense)  For more than a month, aircraft flying in the Baltic region have been experiencing varying degrees of interference with GPS signals, according to public aircraft tracking databases. Previous reports have identified Russia as almost certainly behind the activity. Such jamming presents a risk to thousands of commercial aircraft, and as international pressure has so far failed to halt the interference, it’s time for NATO to act — proportionally.

USAF Tried an Electric Plane. Now It Wants to Buy

(Defense One)  The U.S. Air Force wants to buy battery-powered planes after it deployed BETA Technologies’ ALIA aircraft to one of the service’s bases. During testing, the aircraft flew over 55 missions, including cargo and logistics missions and a simulated casualty evacuation. The Defense Department, the world’s largest industrial producer of greenhouse gases, sees electric aircraft as a way to ease both maintenance and operational logistics in the Pacific.

Europe’s Marines in the Future European Littoral Operating Environment

(War on the Rocks)  Europe’s amphibious forces are at an inflection point when they will have to define their role in the future combat operating environment. These forces, which have traditionally represented a mechanism through which rapid reaction could be delivered on both Europe’s own maritime flanks and at reach, will be presented with challenges at sea and on land.

Head of US Space Force’s Commercial Hub Talks Vendor Opportunities

(Defense News)  Since its establishment last spring, the U.S. Space Force’s Commercial Space Office has been busy making connections with industry and creating pathways to deliver off-the-shelf capabilities and services to users. Col. Richard Kniseley, who leads the office, recently sat down with C4ISRNET to talk about the office’s accomplishments over the last year and its priorities for 2024.

Lawmakers Call on Biden to Create a New Maritime Policy Czar

(USNI News)  Citing China’s aggression in the maritime space and the United States’ deteriorating shipbuilding infrastructure, a bipartisan group of lawmakers is calling on President Joe Biden to create a maritime czar to organize American seapower and maritime policy.

With CMMC Looming, Military Services Explore Ways to Extend Secure Environments to Small Businesses

(DefenseScoop)  The U.S. Army and Navy are exploring arrangements to extend secure environments to their smaller defense industrial base partners who can’t afford to earn a cybersecurity accreditation with the Pentagon but provide innovative services the branches still want to leverage.

How the US is Preparing for a Chinese Invasion of Taiwan

(Reuters)  When U.S. and Australian troops practiced amphibious landings, ground combat and air operations last summer, they drew headlines about the allies deepening defense cooperation to counter China’s growing military ambitions. But for U.S. war planners preparing for a potential conflict over Taiwan, the high-profile Talisman Sabre exercises had a far more discreet value: They helped create new stockpiles of military equipment that were left behind in Australia after the drills ended.

New Coast Guard Base in Charleston Slated to Be Service’s Largest Homeport

(WCSC Television) The Coast Guard recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new Base Charleston. The 64-acre campus, along the Cooper River, will support the five Charleston-based national cutters, their crews, and the support personnel with completion expected in late 2026. The base is slated to become the service’s largest homeport and a base for global operations, training and support.

Pentagon Restarts Meetings to Implement New Industrial Strategy

(Defense News)  A week after releasing its first industrial strategy, the Pentagon is sprinting to meet with companies on how to put it into action. The meetings will focus both on feedback to the strategy and on how to best implement it, said Justin McFarlin, who leads Pentagon industrial base development and international outreach, in an interview with Defense News.

How the Navy is Using Deployed Ships to Improve Maintenance

(Defense One)  The Navy is using data from warships deployed in the Red Sea to improve its predictive maintenance and modernization efforts. “We have opportunities to leverage real-world data given what the team is doing in the Red Sea right now,” said Rear Adm. Fred Pyle, director for the surface warfare division in the office of the chief of naval operations.

Ukraine Running Low on Ammunition Without US Aid, Pentagon Says

(The Hill)  Ukrainian forces are running out of ammunition in their fight against Russia, with Moscow using that shortfall as a chance to probe weaknesses in Kyiv’s military, a senior Pentagon official said Tuesday.  

Readiness Redefined, But Not Measured

(War on the Rocks)  To accurately determine the readiness of its pilots, the Air Force should create an Ascension-to-Retirement Competency Profile that tracks every pilot’s attainment of skills through training, and then the retention of those skills while serving in operational units. This will enable higher individual readiness levels, objective squadron readiness assessments and more effective training. 

Despite Warnings, Plenty of Vessels Continue to Use Red Sea Route

(The Maritime Executive)  Recent attacks on shipping in the Red Sea have made a big dent in traffic on the busy waterway, but it is by no means vacant – even after abundant warnings from government coalitions, industry groups and maritime security consultancies to avoid the area. 

Another Possible Challenge for DoD’s $18B Moving Contract: No Movers

(Federal News Network)  For the moment, the Pentagon’s transition to a new multibillion dollar contract for household goods moves is being held up by IT integration issues. But the long-planned overhaul faces a much more dire challenge: the possibility that almost no one in the current moving industry will take part in the new arrangement.

Congressional Leaders Announce an Agreement on Spending Levels, a Key Step to Averting Shutdown

(Associated Press)  Congressional leaders have reached an agreement on overall spending levels for the current fiscal year that could help avoid a partial government shutdown that could occur as early as Jan. 19 for some agencies and Feb. 2 for others.

US Air Force Logistics Officer Talks Basing, Drones in the Pacific

(Air Force Times)  After decades of relying on major military hubs from Hawaii to South Korea, the Pentagon is laying the groundwork for more dispersed operations across the Pacific region. As other defense officials negotiate with foreign leaders for access to bare-bones airfields and more established bases overseas, the Air Force’s logistics, engineering and force protection branch is figuring out how to turn those sites into valuable Air Force lily pads in a maritime-dominant region for the decades ahead.

War is from Mars, AI is from Venus: Rediscovering the Institutional Context of Military Automation

(Texas National Security Review)  For nearly a century, the artificial intelligence (AI) revolution has been just over the horizon, and yet that horizon is always receding. Dramatic advances in commercial AI once again inspire great hopes and fears for military AI. Perhaps this time will be different…

Here are the Major Flashpoints in US Battle Against Iranian Proxies

(The Hill)  Since late last year, various Iranian-backed groups have struck U.S. troop positions in Iraq and Syria, tried to bomb merchant vessels in Middle East waterways, and aimed rockets at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. As war continues in the Gaza Strip, officials worry of a broader conflict. Read where the biggest potential powder keg moments are taking place. 

Delaying Aircraft Carrier Order Would Hurt Supply Chain, Shipbuilder Says

(Defense One)  Suppliers of critical parts for Ford-class aircraft carriers could suffer if the U.S. Navy delays a planned buy of the multibillion-dollar ships warned executives from HII, the only U.S. company that builds aircraft carriers. According to one executive, nearly half of the company’s suppliers “already risk going cold.”

Red Sea Protection Effort Faces Early Hurdles

(Defense One)  Since October, Houthi militants have launched missile and drone attacks at U.S. forces in the region and Israeli targets, and in the weeks since more than 15 commercial ships have come under attack from Iranian-backed Yemeni militant group. On Dec. 18, Secretary of Defense Austin announced Operation Prosperity Guardian, a multinational security mission to ensure safe transit through the region. However, while Washington hoped the new operation could have similar success to international anti-piracy efforts in Somalia, there are clear differences in the Houthi threat to shipping.

Proposed CMMC Rule Contains No Surprises, But Raises Some Initial Questions

(Federal News Network)  The Defense Department packed a lot of detail into its proposed rule for the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program, released just before the holiday break. But CMMC experts also see a lot of lingering questions that DoD will have to address in 2024 before finalizing the rule.

US Announces New Weapons Package for Ukraine

(Defense News)  The U.S. on Wednesday announced what officials say could be the final package of military aid to Ukraine unless Congress approves supplemental funding legislation that is stalled on Capitol Hill. The weapons, worth up to $250 million, include an array of air munitions and other missiles, artillery, anti-armor systems, ammunition, demolition and medical equipment and parts. The aid, provided through the Presidential Drawdown Authority, will be pulled from Pentagon stockpiles.

Army Links Helicopters, Boats and AI for Casualty Evacuation

(C4ISRNet)  Casualty evacuations during recent wars faced their own challenges — enemy fire, dust storms and austere pickup points. But battlefields of the future look far more daunting, so soldiers and aviators with the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade are developing a new way to move casualties around the battle space using helicopters, Army watercraft, Navy vessels, advanced communications and data.

Looking Ahead to 2024

• Will Rocket Cargo Work? Data Collected in 2024 May Hold the Answer.
• Projected 2024 Industry Trends Position Rail as Optimal Shipping Option
• Pentagon’s Acquisition Deputy Plumb Talks Stockpiles, Industrial Base
• International Airline Group Expects a Banner Year for Travel in 2024
• Semiconductor Supply Chain Outlook
• Ukraine’s Long Shadow: Four factors Shaping European Defense in 2024
• Eight Contract Opportunities to Watch in FY24

Here are the 422 Military Leaders Finally Confirmed by the Senate

(MilitaryTimes)  After a nearly 10-month impasse over Defense Department nominations in the Senate, the chamber advanced the promotions of more than 400 officers on Tuesday, filling leadership roles across the military services.

Relief for Defense Subcontractors Drowning in a Sea of Contract Clauses

(Federal News Network)  For smaller suppliers, selling to DoD still isn’t a walk in the park – but things are getting a little simpler. Last month, the department enacted a long-awaited rule change that prohibits prime contractors from flowing unnecessary contract clauses down to their subcontractors. 

House Panel Advances PIPES Act, Targeting Pipeline Safety

(Transport Topics)  Legislation designed to boost safety and efficiency along pipeline systems to improve supply chain connectivity was approved Dec. 6 by a committee in the U.S. House of Representatives. The Promoting Innovation in Pipeline Efficiency and Safety, or PIPES, Act would authorize slightly more than $800 million over four years for the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.

Opinion: The Pentagon Needs Fresh Ideas for Evading Taiwan Logistics Pitfalls

(Defense News)  The Indo-Pacific remains an unforgiving theater of operations, and, when combined, the four tyrannies of distance, water, time, and scale interact to undermine U.S. deterrence against China—most notably, the deterrent effect of airpower. Pentagon planners need to understand this interactive effect and seek solutions that address the entire problem, not just each individual component.

US, Allies in Talks on Naval Task Force to Protect Shipping in Red Sea

(MilitaryTimes)  The White House said Monday that the U.S. may establish a naval task force to escort commercial ships in the Red Sea, a day after three vessels were struck by missiles fired by Iranian-back Houthis in Yemen.

PODCAST: The Defense Department and the Rise of Commercial Spacepower

(War on the Rocks)  A recent podcast hosted a top-notch panel for a conversation on the increasing importance of commercial stakeholders in the exercise of military power in and from space. 

DoD Unveils Responsible AI Toolkit

(Federal News Network)  The Pentagon unveiled a responsible artificial intelligence toolkit as it continues to push using the technology responsibly across the Defense Department and to find more use cases for it, while trying to mitigate harm.

Feds Told to Start Rating ‘Unrated’ Trucking Companies for Safety

(FreightWaves)  Major trucking companies and brokers who book their freight are pressuring the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to attach a safety rating to carriers operating without such a rating — a situation that exists for over 90% of the freight market.

Biden Administration Announces Massive Logistics Plan

(FreightWaves)  The Biden administration has announced a huge plan to tackle issues plaguing the U.S. supply chain that covers several cross-government partnerships. In announcing the plan Monday, White House officials said the strategy of using both domestic tools and international partnerships can help diversify and strengthen the U.S. supply chain. 

Army Acquisition Chief: As Industry Innovation Races Ahead, Service Struggles with Resources, Training

(Breaking Defense)  While the Army is seeing more innovation from the commercial sector, it’s still struggling with resources when it comes to training and affordability, while at the same time trying to understand how to best utilize emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, according to the service’s top acquisition official.

How are CRs Impacting Agencies?

(Federal News Network)  While a government shutdown has been averted for the second time this year, the pattern of continuing resolutions (CRs) is still impacting military service members, civilian federal workers and their families. The focus can often be on the numbers and getting funding passed, but appropriations and continuing resolutions have a human impact too.

Is the US Navy Fit for Purpose? 

(The National Interest)  Today, the Navy operates 291 warships. This is far below the fleet goal of 355 ships set in 2016, and given the existing threat level, the actual number needed is higher. The Navy is the instrument of choice for exercising national power. Can it be counted on in the future?

Biden Signs a Bill Averting a Government Shutdown for Now, with Israel and Ukraine Aid Still Stalled

(Associated Press)  President Joe Biden signed a temporary spending bill a day before a potential government shutdown, pushing a fight with congressional Republicans over the federal budget into the new year, as wartime aid for Ukraine and Israel remains stalled.

Citizen Sailors: The Missing Link in Maritime Force Structure

(War on the Rocks)  While the U.S. Navy’s shifting battle fleet requirement gets the most press, the attendant manpower shortfall gets significantly less attention. The force structure of the Army and Marine Corps expanded to meet the challenges of the Long War. But, despite significant investments in unmanned technology, the Navy’s current projected need for 3,000 to 10,000 additional personnel over the next 30 years seems woefully inadequate given the prospect of high-end naval combat in the Western Pacific. 

Security Remains a Challenge as Pentagon Broadens 5G Plans

(Defense One)  5G communications could help U.S. military pilots fly better sorties and allow ground units detect and outmaneuver their adversaries—but only if U.S. telecommunications companies can find ways to keep that battlefield data safe from China, a top Pentagon communications official said.

Shifting Perspectives: Reframe Readiness with a Focus on Availability

(Defense News)  In the complex world of military preparedness and sustainment, metrics are integral to strategic decision-making, resource allocation and fleet health assessments. Traditional readiness measures have always been the bedrock of informing a commander about the readiness level of a unit. But do these metrics adequately serve the needs of the sustainer to assess a fleet’s health?

Airlines Predict Record Thanksgiving US Holiday Travel

(Reuters)  Major U.S. airlines and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said Monday they expect record air travel over the Thanksgiving holiday air travel period. Airlines for America, an industry group representing American Airlines United Airlines, Delta Air Lines and others, forecasts 29.9 million passengers between Nov. 17-27, an all-time high and up 9% over the 27.5 million in the same period last year — and up 1.7 million passengers over pre-COVID record levels.

DOD’s New AI and Data Strategy Gives Industry a Challenge: Share

(Defense One)  The Pentagon’s new data, analytics, and AI adoption strategy focuses on data shareability, with the aim of better enabling all-domain command and control. But the biggest challenge, DOD’s chief digital and AI officer said, will be getting tech companies to work together instead of keeping their data to themselves. 

Defense Deputy Secretary Hicks Urges Congress to Pass 2024 NDAA

(Federal News Network)  To help the military meet its recruitment and retention goals, Congress needs to pass the National Defense Authorization Act and an appropriations bill for fiscal 2024, Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks said Tuesday. Hicks highlighted two challenges facing the military: ensuring a healthy civilian-military relationship and recruitment and retention. She said these must be addressed going forward to help the military take care of its people.

Getting Serious About Enhancing U.S. Defense Partnerships 

(War on the Rocks)  The role of U.S. allies and partners lies at the center of the U.S. defense strategy, as their military cooperation provides the United States with an edge that near-peer competitors like China and Russia cannot match. Yet, despite years of efforts by senior Department of Defense officials to make the defense acquisition system more agile and flexible, the system retains a culture inherently resistant to foreign cooperation because it was built for a prior era of U.S. technological dominance.  

Manufacturing Woes Could Sink US Sub Fleet. Can 3D Printing Save It?

(Defense News)  The Navy has already used additive manufacturing to print small repair parts on ships at sea, including circuit covers and radio knobs that would be difficult and expensive for the service to access while deployed. But by next year, as the workload for the U.S. submarine-industrial base ramps up to its highest level in 40 years, the Navy will 3D-print metal parts as standard components for installation on new-construction submarines.

DOD Officials Detail Department’s Goals in Middle East

(DOD News)  America’s efforts in the Middle East are in support of Israel’s right to defend itself from terrorism and to contain the violence, said one senior defense official. “As we’ve communicated previously, the U.S. remains committed to ensuring the security and well-being of its allies and partners, particularly in the face of escalating threats across the region.” Part of this commitment is the changes Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III ordered in U.S. defense posture in the region. 

US Renews Warning It Will Defend Philippines After Chinese Ships Collided with Vessels

(The Hill)  The United States on Monday renewed a warning that it will defend the Philippines against any armed attacks after the island nation accused Chinese coastguard ships of “intentionally” hitting its vessels in the South China Sea over the weekend.  The Sunday incident took place while Philippines ships were headed to a small outpost on the Second Thomas Shoal on a resupply mission in a disputed part of the sea. 

Understanding National Security Strategies Through Time

(Texas National Security Review)  Since 1986, Congress has required each president to write a national security strategy. How has this security document changed over the years, and where are the continuities and breaks between administrations? A look at the content and structure of the national security strategies that have been released since 1986 can help answer these questions.

US Troops Overseas Thwart Multiple Drone Attacks in Just Days

(Military Times)  Hours after news outlets first reported Thursday on two separate drone strikes on bases housing U.S. troops in Syria, the Defense Department confirmed that the destroyer Carney shot down multiple missiles fired by Houthi insurgents in the Red Sea the same day.

Space Force Finalizes Plan for Commercial Surge Capacity During Crisis

(C4ISRNet)  The Space Force has finalized a plan for harnessing commercial satellite capabilities in times of crisis through a Commercial Augmentation Space Reserve. That strategy, approved in this month by Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall, outlines a framework for how the Space Force will scale up its use of commercial capabilities including satellite imagery and communications during a conflict to augment military systems.

Thunderdome Expansion, Implementation Plans Among Next Steps in DoD’s Zero Trust Journey

(Federal News Network)  The Defense Department’s journey toward zero trust took an important step yesterday with the expected delivery of 43 plans of actions from the services and agencies. These roadmaps spell out the steps each of the services will take to achieve the target environment by 2027.

$1.3B in Army Vehicle Parts Were Stored Outside Or In Other Risky Ways, Report Finds

(Defense One)  A Pentagon logistics program improperly stored $1.8 billion worth of repair parts for Army tanks and armored vehicles, including storing hundreds of thousands of parts outside, according to a report issued this week. Of these, 67 percent, or $1.3 billion worth of goods, were stored in ways that had “critical” deficiencies, according to storage guidelines under the Care of Supplies in Storage regulations. 

China May Struggle in Electromagnetic Spectrum Fighting, Pentagon Says

(Defense News)  The Chinese military is wrestling with shortcomings in fights where access to and control of the electromagnetic spectrum is hotly contested, according to a U.S. Department of Defense assessment. The spectrum is a critical resource in modern conflicts, as its manipulation enables navigation, communication, deception and even weapons guidance. A dizzying amount of electronic jamming and spoofing is expected in a fight between world powers.

Coast Guard Short 3,500 Personnel in FY 2023, Fagan Says

(USNI News)  The Coast Guard is dealing with a shortfall of about 3,500 junior, non-rated members, said the top leader of the service. Due to the shortfall, the Coast Guard is starting to identify billets it cannot fill as it goes into its assignment season, commandant Adm. Linda Fagan told an audience at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. CSIS hosted Fagan as part of its Maritime Security Dialogue with the U.S. Naval Institute. The Coast Guard now has to look at how it mans the fleet and meets its missions with the workforce it has, not the workforce it wants, Fagan said. 

Army Faces Logistics, Alliance Hurdles in the Pacific

(Defense One)  As the Army rushed to send weapons and munitions to Ukraine in February last year, it had some helpful factors in its favor: ample equipment already stored in Europe, civilian transportation companies eager to help, and relatively short distances to move the gear. In the Pacific, it’s another story. 

Pentagon’s First Industrial Base Strategy Meant to ‘Catalyze Generational Change’

(Breaking Defense)  The Defense Department’s first ever national defense industrial strategy, slated for release in December, will create a roadmap for the department on how it plans to prioritize and modernize its industrial base as it learns from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, an official said this week. There are four key areas the strategy focuses on: having resilient supply chains, workforce readiness, flexible acquisitions and a focus on economic deterrence and economic security. 

The Four Questions the US Military Should Be Asking About Operation Swords of Iron

(War on the Rocks)  Operation Swords of Iron — the Israeli military response into Gaza, in the aftermath of the deadly, Hamas-led, Oct. 7th terrorist attacks — is likely still in its infancy. But for American military observers of this conflict, this war, much like previous Israeli wars, will likely yield a host of lessons. And while it is still too early to say precisely what those lessons are— much less to what degree, if any, the United States military will internalize them — it is not too early to identify the right questions to be asking as the conflict unfolds.

What Role Should Industry Play in Military Space Operations? The Space Force is Working on a Strategy for That

(Defense One)  The U.S. Space Force is working on clearer guidelines for how it works with commercial companies—including during a potential conflict in space—and plans to have a new strategy by the end of the year. 

If It Does Get Passed, the Defense Authorization Bill Has Quite a Few Surprises

(Federal News Network)  Conference work on the National Defense Authorization Act for 2024 proceeds, even as nothing else in Congress seems to be working. As always, the NDAA has provisions affecting Defense contractors. But good intentions may not be matched by good legislation. 

New Rule Sets Stage for Banning Risky Technologies From Government Supply Chains

(Federal News Network)  Federal contractors will need to closely monitor a government acquisition website for directives that ban products and services due to security concerns, similar to the Huawei ban, under a new rule published this month and set to go into effect in early December.

Opinion: The Army Needs a Near-Term Strategy for the 2020s

(Defense News)  The U.S. Army must move faster to deter near-term threats. Although the Army has a strategy to modernize the force by 2030, that is just seven years away and potentially four years too late if the Chinese Communist Party attempts to retake Taiwan by force by 2027, as our military commanders suggest.

The Army Doesn’t Know Where a Lot of Its Excess Arms and Gear Are

(Defense One)  The U.S. Army has warehouses packed with weapons its soldiers no longer need. But the service doesn’t know where they all are, nor what condition they’re in. Now, amid increased demand from U.S. allies and partners, Army leaders are pushing for an updated database of those stored weapons.

I just returned from South China Sea. The CCP is not yet done there

(Fox News)  The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is not done in the South China Sea. In fact, they are doubling down on militarizing outposts in the South China Sea, acting aggressively toward U.S. allies and partners, and repeating lies about its “ten-dash line” to claim ownership of the region.

Opinion: How to Ensure the Defense-Industrial Base and Supply Chain Resiliency

(Defense News)  The U.S. Department of Defense needs to transform its industrial base management approach from reactively dealing with challenges as they arise toward a posture of consistent proactivity and management for resiliency.

How a New Generation of Merchant Marine Ships Can Chart a Course for Government Efficiency

(Roll Call)  Last week the State University of New York Maritime College received a historic delivery — a state-of-the-art new training ship christened Empire State. The arrival of this vessel, the first of five cutting-edge National Security Multi-Mission Vessels, heralds a new era not just for the U.S. Merchant Marine, but potentially for procurement processes across the government.

Transportation Subject to Multiple Threats by a Range of Actors, DHS Warns

(Homeland Security Today)  The 2024 threat assessment from the Department of Homeland Security says domestic and foreign adversaries likely will continue to threaten the integrity of U.S. critical infrastructure—including the transportation sector—over the next year, in part because they perceive targeting these sectors would have cascading impacts on U.S. industries and the American way of life. 

America Prepares for a Pacific War with China It Doesn’t Want

(Foreign Policy)  The United States is working to ensure its military capacities can be intermingled with local allies and partners in “integrated deterrence.” This requires sustaining forces thousands of miles from the United States, sitting at the end of intricate supply chains that China has every interest in breaking.

Pentagon Arms Ukraine with ‘Industrial-Size’ 3D Printers

(Defense Scoop)  You can add “industrial-size” 3D printers to the list of items the U.S. has provided Ukraine to help it combat Russian forces. The newly delivered equipment will allow Ukraine to up its game with additive manufacturing to generate spare parts for its battlefield forces, according to Pentagon acquisition chief William LaPlante.

Junk Fee Crackdown in California Would Hit Hotels and Short-Term Rentals

(Skift)  California legislators have passed two bills that could impact how the state’s 6,000 hotels and thousands of short-term rentals inform consumers about so-called junk fees, such as resort fees and housekeeping fees. Many hotel companies and online travel agencies would likely seek uniform price displays across the U.S. for simplicity’s sake.

The US Navy is Spending Billions to Stabilize Vendors. Will It Work?

(Defense News)  The Navy says industry will have additional capacity to start increasing the size of the attack sub fleet by the early 2030s. To get there, the sea service anticipates spending $6.3 billion to bolster the submarine-industrial base — on top of the annual cost of buying and repairing submarines. But has the first tranche of investments yielded enough progress to warrant the Navy’s optimism?

Congress has 11 days to Pass 12 Funding Bills—and That’s Not Likely

(Defense One)  Congress has just 11 days when it’s in session before the next federal fiscal year begins on Oct. 1, 2023. And in that time, it will need to enact all 12 appropriation bills to ensure that government agencies and departments have funding to keep programs going – or face a potential government shutdown.

New Cyber Office Demonstrates Importance of Tackling Maritime Cyber Threat

(The Maritime Executive)  The US Navy recently established the Maritime Cyber Warfare Officer (MCWO), as directed by the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The MCWO designator puts an emphasis on cyber specialization among Navy officers and demonstrates the Navy’s recognition of the evolving nature of warfare.

Britain Tests Transport Drone’s Ability to Land, Take Off From Ship

(Defense News)  A twin-engine transport drone has landed on the deck of a British aircraft carrier in what the Royal Navy said is a first for the service.

Spotlight on the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)

• FAA Invests Another $121M to Reduce Chance of Close Calls at Airports
• FAA Investigating Thousands of Pilots for Failing to Report Health Issues
• FAA Seeks to Close Regulatory Charter Loophole
• Small Part of FAA Reauthorization Act Would Get Rid of Upfront Airfare Pricing Including Taxes, Fees

Military Logistics May Not Be Exciting, But It’s the Only Way the Latest Weapons Will Do Any Good

(Federal News Network)  Should the United States need to project kinetic power far away, the decisive factor would be logistics. Yet, according to a detailed study by Brookings, the military has neglected logistics in recent years.

Move Soldiers Less: A Divisional System in the US Army 

(War on the Rocks)  The Army spends over $1.8 billion on permanent change-of-station moves annually. Adopting a divisional system could save money for the military and improve satisfaction and retention among servicemembers — many of whom leave under pressure from family members who want geographic stability.

Geopolitical Tension with China Would Hit U.S. Critical Technology Sectors Hard, New Study Shows

(Defense One)  Many of the largest tech companies in the United States are so intertwined with China that they likely would not survive a massive geopolitical crisis between the two countries, research from data services company J.H. Whitney shows.

Improvements Made to Military-to-Maritime Program

(WorkBoat)  The Coast Guard says that improvements it has made to streamline the ability of those with military experience to land jobs in the maritime industry are starting to pay off.

First Military Move Shipments Under New Private Management Set to Begin Next Month

(Military.com)  The company that will soon be responsible for all U.S. military troops’ worldly possessions during moves begins its phased takeover of the Defense Department’s household goods shipment operation in September.

Logistics Interdiction for Taiwan Unification Campaigns

(War on the Rocks)  If China attacks Taiwan, its ability to move the requisite levels of troops and supplies in a contested environment will be critical in determining its success. This makes logistics interdiction is an important, yet understudied, consideration.

FMCSA Highlights Truck Parking, Safety at NTDC

(Transport Topics)  According to the head of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, efforts to expand access to parking for the nation’s truck drivers remain a priority. USDOT has indicated that major freight corridors are ideal candidates for resources designed to increase parking capacity.

Air Force Deal Sets a Precedent Others Should Follow

(Defense One)  Taxpayers and troops alike should celebrate the Air Force’s new deal with Lockheed Martin and Boeing. By acquiring the technical data rights for two new helicopter programs, the service will be able to better maintain equipment at a much more reasonable cost. Its sister services should follow the Air Force’s lead.

DARPA to Explore Technology Needed for Moon-Based Economy

(Defense News)  The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is kicking off a seven-month study of the infrastructure and baseline technology needed to develop a moon-based economy within the next decade. The Efforts are focused on “fusing” various infrastructure sectors—transit and mobility, energy, and communications, among others—that have technological overlap into hubs that could be built up in the future, as economic activity on and around the moon increases.

FMCSA Will Consider Rollbacks to Truck Driver Rest-Break Rules

(Freight Waves)  Regulators will consider rolling back federal preemption decisions on truck driver work rules by issuing waivers to those who can show that stricter state rules in California and Washington are more safe.

Op-Ed: How Maritime Can Help the Defense Sector Be Sustainable

(MarineLog)  According to a study by the International Maritime Organization, global shipping fleet accounts for 2.5% of all global CO2 emissions, whilst defense accounts for 80% of the U.S. government’s emissions overall. With this in mind, the defense industry must work to reduce negative environmental impacts while also aiming to future-proof against climatic disasters. 

US May Put Armed Troops on Commercial Ships in Strait of Hormuz

(Military Times)  The U.S. military is considering putting armed personnel on commercial ships traveling through the Strait of Hormuz, in what would be an unheard of action aimed at stopping Iran from seizing and harassing civilian vessels, four American officials told The Associated Press.

Sprawling Pacific Exercise Revealed Air Force Needs Some Doctrine ‘Refresh’: General

(Breaking Defense)  Following the conclusion of Air Mobility Command’s (AMC) largest readiness exercise in its history held for the first time in the Indo-Pacific, officials are starting to unpack lessons learned, with a key takeaway being the need to “refresh” Air Force doctrine to better coordinate logistics forces, according to a top service official. 

US Air Force to Issue New Refueling Tanker Request in September

(Defense News)  The U.S. Air Force expects to release its formal request for information for a KC-135 tanker recapitalization in September, which will pave the way for an official acquisition strategy for the program it previously referred to as a “bridge tanker.”

Opinion: Hiding in Plain Sight: Warfare in the Electromagnetic Spectrum

(Military Times)  The reality of 2023 is that our connectivity to, dependence on, and risk because of the electromagnetic spectrum, or EMS, has never been greater. Because the Department of Defense will never have protected access to the EMS, U.S. adversaries such as Russia, China, and Iran have the capability to detect, restrict, or deny the EMS at the time and place of their choosing. 

Ukraine is Evacuating Wounded Soldiers by Loading Them onto Large Drones, in What is Likely a Battlefield First, Report Says

(Business Insider)  Ukraine is using cargo drones to evacuate soldiers wounded fighting against Russian forces in what is likely a first on any battlefield. While it is unclear how many times Ukraine has used drones to transport injured troops or in what parts of the country it has done so, the large drones are able to carry 397-pound weights for up to 43 miles.

Recommended Op-Eds:

• Air National Guard Will Play a Key Role in Rebuilding US Air Power
• It’s Time to End the ‘Era of the Great Distraction’
• How Washington Can Lead From Behind in Europe
• Let’s Celebrate a Half-Century of GPS by Catching Up to China

New York Times: US Officials Search for Hidden Chinese Malware That Could Affect Military Operations

(CNN)  The New York Times reports US officials are searching for Chinese malware hidden in various defense systems that could disrupt military communications and resupply operations. The administration believes malicious computer code has been hidden inside “networks controlling power grids, communications systems and water supplies that feed military bases,” according to officials.

What’s Next for Air Mobility, According to Gen. Mike Minihan

(Air Force Times)  As the head of Air Mobility Command, Gen. Mike Minihan’s top priority has been preparing the Air Force’s airlift and aerial refueling enterprise for a new era of military operations in the Pacific. This year Mobility Guardian, the command’s massive biennial training exercise, tested how well airmen could handle a short-notice, two-week deployment to the region.

The Old Days of Defense Recruiting Are Gone. Here’s 6 Things Industry Can Do to Catch Up.

(Breaking Defense)  The defense industry has a reputation of being very traditional in how it approaches recruiting and talent management. But post-COVID, the workforce has changed. Here are six suggestions for how the industry itself needs to change to keep up.

Spotlight on Maritime Threats:

• White House Says Russia is Preparing for Attacks on Civilian Ships in Black Sea
• US Sending Jets, Warship to Gulf to Protect Ships from Iranian Seizure
• Largest Japanese Port Suffered a Russian Ransomware Attack Halting Cargo Operations
• Report: Fuel Discrepancies Disabled Over 600 Ships Costing Supply Chain $5B

How the Defense Department Can Improve Surge Capacity in the Supply Chain

(Federal News Network)  In war, the only thing worse than getting there late is running out of ammunition. No one has infinite stockpiles. The drawdown in support of Ukraine has shown the need to boost the surge capacity of the defense industrial base. Now the George Mason University Center for Government Contracting has offered a list of ways to deal with the capacity deficit. 

Army Shift from Brigades Back to Divisions Raises Concerns Among Retired Generals

(Military.com)  Change is afoot in the Army: Divisions are returning to prominence. From recent reporting to rumors and offhand comments made during briefings, an image is beginning to emerge of the Army of the future. Bursting with enablers and officers, full general staffs, additional brigade and battalion headquarters with more staff, and funding, the divisional headquarters may soon replace brigade headquarters as a unit’s heart.

Pentagon Innovation Hub Wants to Field Commercial Tech at Scale

(Defense News)  The Defense Innovation Unit is about to enter its technology scaling era. Founded in 2015 to help create a bridge between Silicon Valley startups and the Pentagon, the organization’s early work has focused on building partnerships and proving the value of commercial technology for military needs. Now, according to DIU’s new director, Doug Beck, it’s time to make a deliberate shift toward fielding the most military-relevant commercial technologies at a large scale.

House Approves FAA Reauthorization Bill

(The Hill)  The House has overwhelmingly approved a bill to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for five years. Lawmakers in the Senate are considering their bill to reauthorize the FAA. Differences in legislation must be hashed out by the two chambers by Sept. 30, when the current FAA authorization terminates.

US Marine Corps Begins Developing Smaller Pre-Positioning Ship

(Defense News)  The U.S. Marine Corps is taking the first step to define its next-generation maritime pre-positioning ship, which will be smaller than the vessels currently serving that purpose, but still able to support distributed maritime operations.

Can Cargo Be Delivered ‘To, From, and Through’ Space? DOD Wants Ideas Soon.

(Air & Space Forces Magazine)  Space is taking on more responsibilities for the U.S. military, from command and control to missile warning. Next on the agenda: cargo.

Pentagon Offers New Explanation for Why It Cancelled Huge Travel Modernization Project

(Federal News Network)  A month after the initial decision, a new explanation has emerged for the Pentagon’s sudden decision to cancel the $374 million program it’s been working on for the past several years to replace its much-maligned Defense Travel System (DTS).

California, Truck Manufacturers Strike Deal on Zero-Emission Plan

(The Hill)  California and some of the nation’s biggest truck manufacturers have reached an agreement aimed at smoothening the industry’s transition to 100 percent zero-emission sales by 2036.

U.S. Plans Naval Logistics Hubs in India to Counter China

(Nikkei Asia)  The U.S. seeks to transform India into a center for resupplying and maintenance of naval vessels in the South Asia region, where it has been stretched thin with such capabilities.

CISA Finalizes Key Guidance for Agencies to Secure Cloud Services

(Federal News Network) The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is releasing finalized guidance for agencies today detailing how they can secure widely used cloud-based business applications and gain greater visibility into threats lurking on their networks.

Army Aims to Fix Storage Program that Sent Defective Humvees to Ukraine

(Defense One)  The Army is re-evaluating how it stores equipment abroad after the Defense Department’s inspector general found that an Army unit and a contractor sent Humvees with rotted tires to Ukraine. 

Senate Defense Bill Pushes for Spending Over Debt Ceiling cap

(Defense News)  The Senate Armed Services Committee voted 24-1 to advance its $886 billion defense authorization bill with nonbinding language geared at boosting the Pentagon budget above the spending caps mandated in the recent debt ceiling deal. The additional funds would allow for the continued support for Ukraine, additional munitions production and additional naval vessels and combat vehicles.

Opinion: Government is Wildly Unprepared How AI Can Be Abused By Criminals

(Fox News)  Sophisticated AI algorithms have the potential to commit large-scale fraud across multiple sectors. Trained on public or leaked data sets, they can predict the structure of sensitive information such as Social Security numbers, creating synthetic identities and generating fraudulent healthcare claims, defense contracts, tax returns, and aid applications.

In the Dark: How the Pentagon’s Limited Supplier Visibility Risks US National Security

(War on the Rocks)  While awareness in the Department of Defense is rising, the lack of visibility into defense supply chains makes easy targets for adversaries seeking to insert undetected risks into supply chains — silently biding time until they choose to exploit them. It is time for the Department of Defense to take bold steps to gain full visibility into defense supply chains to help mitigate the risk of acquiring U.S. equipment from foreign adversaries and/or shoddy suppliers.

The US Merchant Marine Is a National Security Necessity

(Fair Observer)  The US, once one of the world’s foremost shipping economies, has become almost entirely dependent on foreign firms to transport goods to and from its mainland. This is a vulnerability of which China is well aware. If the US does not overhaul its shipping system soon, it may be caught unprepared by a hostile naval power.

Commentary: Stop Spending Defense Production Act Money on Foreign Suppliers

(Defense News)  For the second year in a row, and just as the fiscal 2024 National Defense Authorization Act process peaks in Congress, the Biden administration’s Defense Department seeks executive branch authority to spend U.S. taxpayer Defense Production Act money with foreign suppliers, in addition to American ones.

C-17 Tests Magnetic Navigation System That Works When GPS Doesn’t
(Air & Space Forces Magazine)  An Air Force C-17 transport jet recently tested a new technology that could help aviators stay on course even if the satellite-based Global Positioning System (GPS) that much of modern-day aviation relies on is compromised.

DoD Official Envisions Faster ‘Secure Pipeline’ to Help Small Business Tech Contractors Protect Information
(Breaking Defense)  The Defense Department is considering extending a “secure pipeline” to small businesses to help them protect the department’s controlled unclassified information (CUI) while also speeding up their software deliveries, according to an official in the DoD Chief Information Office (CIO).

Opinion: U.S. Navy Should Pursue Commercial Containerships
(The Maritime Executive)  The U.S. Navy should pursue commercial containerships and compatible containerized mission systems. These ships and systems will allow the U.S. Navy to rapidly field new technologies, expand the maritime industrial base, grow the ranks of experienced seafarers, and provide surge capacity in times of national need.

The Art of Supply Chain Interdiction: To Win Without Fighting
(War on the Rocks)  In response to drone proliferation and growing risks posed to U.S. ground forces, the U.S. Army tasked the Asymmetric Warfare Group, and later the Threat Systems Management Office, to procure similar drones to those used overseas for counter-drone training. The Army’s voracious appetite for drones and associated parts upended the supply chain and successfully skewed the market to interdict the enemy supply chain without firing a shot.

Security Standard Revisions Should Not Delay CMMC Prep Work
(Washington Technology)  Revisions are underway to the security guideline at the heart of the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification and that process is another reminder that no company should wait until CMMC’s final release to comply.

CERTS Tax Relief Bill is Reintroduced in Congress
(Bus & Motorcoach News)  The United Motorcoach Association is praising the reintroduction of the Coronavirus Economic Relief for Transportation Services (CERTS) Tax Exemption Act. This legislation addresses a key inequity between CERTS grants and other COVID-19 relief programs and will help the motorcoach industry continue its recovery.

DOD Sends New Cyber Strategy, Informed by Russian Invasion, to Congress
(Breaking Defense)  The Pentagon has sent its new classified cyber strategy, which has been informed by lessons learned from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and supersedes the department’s 2018 iteration, to Congress.

Spotlight: Risk of a National Debt Default

• ‘Devastating’ Debt Default Threatens Troop Pay, Defense Programs
• Debt Breach Could Damage Defense Industry, Air Force Official Says
• Here’s What Could Happen to the Military If the US Defaults on Its Debt
• US Cities with Military Bases Rick Economic Damage in Debt Ceiling Fight
• A Default Isn’t a Shutdown, But Agencies Could Treat It That Way

Pentagon Outlines Upcoming Contractor Cybersecurity Plan
(Defense One)  By November, Pentagon cybersecurity leaders aim to lay out just how private contractors will be expected to work with government agencies to safeguard data and ward off attacks.

Cargo Preference Essential Element For Us Merchant Marine, National Security
(Seapower Magazine)  Recently, there have been renewed calls by some to do away with – or greatly diminish – the requirements that govern the sea transportation of cargo that is owned, procured, furnished, or financed by the US Government – better known as Cargo Preference. But a removal of the current 50% requirement would have immediate and devastating effect on the US flag fleet.

DLA Accelerates Move Away From COBOL Warehouse System
(Federal News Network)  For the Defense Logistics Agency, the handwriting was on the wall that it was time to move to a modern warehouse management system. DLA’s Karyn Runstrom, the acting chief information officer, said the agency is inching ever closer to turning off the legacy system.

On National Maritime Day, Leaders Highlight Need for More Mariners
(The Maritime Executive)  On National Maritime Day, America’s maritime leaders take a moment of pause to recognize the critical role that U.S. mariners play in commerce and national defense. In peace and war, American mariners deliver, and they will always remain at the heart of the industry.

After Ship Seizures, US Moves to Increase Patrols Off Iran
(Defense One)  The U.S. military is about to get busier in and around the Strait of Hormuz as officials attempt to send Tehran a signal to behave after Iranian forces seized two oil tankers.

DoD Needs More Commercially Available Goods to Speed Acquisition
(Federal News Network)  With shortages from production down through the supply chain, the Pentagon’s acquisition leadership wants to close the gap by purchasing more commercially available products. To make that work, contracting officers must overcome not just buying issues but budget and planning issues.

Europe Should Not Try to Go It Alone on Defense
(War on the Rocks)  Just over a year into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, there is a growing sense that Europe’s reawakening on defense policy has already faltered. As disappointment sets in over Europe’s perceived inability or unwillingness to increase defense spending, the question of who is to blame for this state of affairs has crept into the public debate. One trendy culprit has been the United States.

For Command Post Survival, US Army Wants More Mobility and Concealment
(Defense News)  The U.S. Army wants to make its command posts nimbler and more easily concealable to survive intense, widespread fights of the future, and it’s pulling lessons from the invasion of Ukraine to inform the effort.

Rethinking Tradeoffs Between Europe and the Indo-Pacific
(War on the Rocks)  How should the United States and its allies in Europe and the Indo-Pacific prioritize across these two key regions? Europe and the Indo-Pacific are separate but increasingly interconnected theaters that require prioritization across three dimensions: time, capabilities, and policy areas.

NATO Confirms Risk of Russian Attack on Subsea Infrastructure
(The Maritime Executive)  A senior NATO official has confirmed reports that Russia is using research vessels and covert “spy ship” trawlers to survey subsea cables and pipelines in Western Europe, potentially as a prelude to a future attack.

Want More Pentagon Innovation? Try This Experiment
(Defense One)  With Russia’s brazen invasion of Ukraine and China’s increasingly hostile actions in the Indo-Pacific, both bending the international rules-based order to fit their malign interests, confronting innovation challenges in defense will require a fresh approach. A key element of America’s strategy must be to counter our adversaries’ rapid acquisition and exploitation of leading technologies.

Use Allies in Shipyard Modernization
(U.S. Naval Institute)  The Navy’s inability to repair its capital ships and return them to the fleet is a clear danger to the nation’s tenuous grasp on naval superiority. It must do better and quickly, using even nontraditional methods to increase shipbuilding capability.

Inside the Race to Arm Ukraine Before Its Counteroffensive
(Time)  For the first time, a country that’s outmanned and outgunned by a much larger invading foe is being openly armed and trained almost entirely by its allies. And, the operation to get Ukraine what it needs has had tp overcome many challenges posed by supply-chain issues, diminished manufacturing capabilities, and international logistics.

Air Force Navigation Satellite Experiment Applying Lessons From GPS
(Space News)  The U.S. Air Force Navigation Technology Satellite-3 — a flight experiment seven years in the making — is undergoing final tests ahead of a projected 2024 launch. The $250 million experiment aims to deliver novel technologies for space-based positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT). It’s also seen as a test case for the management of the so-called PNT enterprise, which includes the satellites, the ground system and the receivers that allow users to talk to the satellites.

Pete Buttigieg Eyes Expansion of Supply Chain Data-Sharing
(Transport Topics)  The Freight Logistics Optimization Works — or FLOW — a voluntary forum through which freight sector stakeholders can share information on supply chain issues is poised to expand, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg recently told members of Congress.

FMC Commissioners Support Bill to Strengthen Antitrust Powers
(The Maritime Executive)  For the third time in less than a month, a bill has been introduced before the U.S. House of Representatives that targets the business practices of the shipping industry—this one called the Ocean Shipping Competition Enforcement Act.

Senate Passes Measure to Roll Back Truck Emissions Rule
(Roll Call)  The Senate narrowly passed a joint resolution that would roll back an EPA regulation setting stringent standards for smog-forming emissions from heavy-duty trucks. The Congressional Review Act joint resolution was driven by arguments that the Biden administration regulation would contribute to supply chain woes and inflation after the trucking industry warned it would significantly increase costs for big rigs.

Navy Shipbuilding Plan Draws Lawmakers’ Ire Anew
(Defense One)  Like its predecessor, the U.S. Navy’s 2024 long-range shipbuilding plan is a tardy, multiple-choice document that appears to fall short of the legal requirement for amphibious warships. And some lawmakers are not happy.

US Army Official Reveals Watercraft, Networks as Logistics Focus Areas
(Defense News)  The U.S. Army will focus on developing watercraft, power-generation capabilities, and a more effective command-and-control network as part of its newly formed modernization team meant to ease the movement of equipment, weapons, and people in challenging environments, according to the service’s undersecretary.

Steps to Take Now for Defense Acquisition Reform
(Federal News Network)  Defense acquisition reform may seem like a topic that never changes, but a group of former Pentagon officials said they have solutions that will not only work, but work quickly. The Atlantic Council’s commission on defense innovation adoption released its interim report Wednesday with a list of 10 ways the Defense Department can immediately modernize acquisition.

US Has Planes, Boats on Call for Emergencies, Why Not Satellites?
(C4ISRNet)  With the Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF) and its maritime equivalent — dubbed the National Defense Reserve Fleet — as models for how to take advantage of commercially-owned capacity in times of need, the Space Force is in the early phases of designing its own version, the Commercial Augmentation Space Reserve.

Sea Power is Essential to Countering Communist China
(Defense News)  The last few years have marked the return of great power competition, primarily between the United States and China—and China is on a fast track to displace America as the world’s dominant naval power.

Army Readies for Record-Setting Logistics Exercise in Pacific
(Defense News)  The U.S. Army is preparing to put its logistics tail to the test in the Indo-Pacific, considered the most challenging operational theater in the world by service officials. This summer, the service will hold a large-scale exercise in Australia dubbed Talisman Sabre.

U.S. Maritime Industry Needs Better Business Case to Offer More Support to DoD, Says Panel
(USNI News)  The U.S. commercial maritime industry needs more business incentives to make changes that support the Defense Department’s requirements for sea lift, said a recent industry panel.

Air Force Flies C-17 as Command and Control Platform in ACE Experiment
(Air & Space Forces Magazine)  Airmen took a C-17 from the 62nd Airlift Wing on a new mission earlier this year by using the transport jet as a mobile command-and-control station for coordinating simulated air and ground operations at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. The experiment could pave the way for field commanders to have more options for controlling a battlespace as the Air Force retires its current fleet of aging command and control (C2) platforms.

Building a New American Arsenal
(War on the Rocks)  The war in Ukraine has confirmed what was already widely known: America’s industrial base atrophied following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Despite efforts to reshore and bolster the manufacturing base, reaching the production capacity needed to replenish stockpiles and prepare for the possibility of full-scale conflict with China remains improbable.

3 Years or Less: Space Force’s ‘Simple Formula’ for Quicker Launches
(Defense One)  The U.S. Space Force wants to shorten contract timelines to three years or less from start to launch, so it can build a space architecture that “can be counted on” in conflict.

Army Materiel Command Boss Says Logistics are Key to Future Warfare
(Defense News)  The U.S. Army is renowned for its logistics capability, but is acknowledging how much more challenging and contested it will be to move weapons, equipment and people from fort to port, and into theaters of operation. The newly confirmed head of Army Materiel Command, Gen. Charles Hamilton, is focused on overcoming logistical problems, improving how the service predicts operational needs, and more precisely carrying out the delivery and maintenance of supplies and equipment.

The Navy is Eyeing Missile-Hauling Drone Boats as Escorts for Transport Ships
(Task & Purpose)  The Navy is asking lawmakers to fund an experiment that would see the service slap surface-to-air missiles onto unmanned surface vessels (USVs) as a potential future defense for military transport ships underway, according to the service’s latest budget request.

China is Preparing Merchant Ro-Ro Ferries for Amphibious Warfare
(The Maritime Executive)  The role of civilian roll-on/roll-off (RO-RO) ferries in a PLA invasion of Taiwan deserves its growing notoriety. With port access secured or coupled with developing logistics over the shore capabilities, RO-RO ferries could deliver significant volumes of forces across the Taiwan Strait, offsetting shortfalls in the PLA’s organic sea lift. Some analysts have even described mobilized civilian assets like RO-ROs as a “central feature of [the PLA’s] preferred approach” to a cross-strait invasion.

DoD’s Office of Strategic Capital Open for Business
(Federal News Network)  After a year in development, the Defense Department’s Office of Strategic Capital (OSC) announced its plans to move into business partnerships, and it’s starting with the Small Business Administration (SBA).

SpaceX Mission May Herald Era of Low-Cost, Reliable Space Transport
(C4ISRNet)  The Pentagon’s interest in using space launch vehicles to quickly transport cargo and personnel around the globe has its origins in the space race of the 1950s, though technology, feasibility and cost constraints have kept the concept out of reach for decades. A SpaceX mission scheduled to launch in March could be a significant step toward changing that.

Marines Update Logistics Doctrine from 1997 ― Here’s What’s Inside
(MarineTimes)  The Marine Corps has published Marine Corps Doctrinal Publication 4, an updated version of logistics doctrine from 1997. The new doctrine rehashes some of the concepts from Installations and Logistics 2030, but it is focused less on concrete plans and more on the philosophy of logistics.

The Pentagon’s 2024 Budget Proposal, In Short
(Defense One)  The Pentagon’s share of the fiscal 2024 budget request sent to lawmakers totals $842 billion—a defense-spending figure that jumps past $886 billion with the Energy Department’s nuclear weapons work and other federal projects. It includes the largest-ever requests for procurement of weapons; research-and-development spending; and space-related activities, according to a senior defense official who characterized the spending plan as a continuation of the Biden administration’s China-focused defense strategy unveiled last year.

Air Force Wants Its Next-Gen Tanker Fling by 2040

(Inside Defense)  The Air Force is soliciting industry feedback on “innovative” technologies and capabilities for its planned tanker of the future, with an eye toward getting it into service by 2040.

Shipbuilding Industry Looks to 3D Printing to Accelerate Pace

(Defense News)  Instead of choosing between a schedule delay or the added expense when a missing component threatened a project’s progress, the shipbuilder and the Navy worked together to design, qualify, and 3D print the part in just four months, meeting their deadline. Though the circumstance was unusual, the Navy and its suppliers hope it will one day be the default instead of the dated casting procedure.

What Tanks in Ukraine Tell Us About America in the Pacific

(Defense One)  Germany’s insistence that the United States move first in the decision to send tanks to Ukraine tells us much about security dynamics in Europe, but it also has implications for America’s strategy in the Indo-Pacific: it reveals the futility of hoping that Europe might soon stand on its own so that Washington can focus more on the Pacific theater.

Marine Corps Officially Opens Guam Base, With an Eye Toward China
(Marine Corps Times)  The Marine Corps on recently held an activation ceremony for its base on Guam, which ultimately will be home to about 5,000 Marines and will serve as a “strategic hub” in the Indo-Pacific. The activation of Camp Blaz comes as part of the Marine Corps’ long-standing plans to move approximately 9,000 Marines from Okinawa, Japan — now home to more than 18,000 Marines — to outside of Japan beginning in 2024.

House Passes Bill to Improve FAA System That Grounded Flights
(The Hill)  The House has passed a bipartisan bill aimed at reviewing and recommending improvements to the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) NOTAM pilot alert system that recently went haywire. The NOTAM Improvement Act would create a task force under the FAA to offer solutions aimed at boosting the system’s stability and keeping it safe from cyber attacks.

Pentagon Launches Management Reform Institute to Address Challenges
(Defense News)  The U.S. Defense Department, a mammoth federal agency long criticized even from within as inefficient and overly complex, is embarking on a new step toward improving how it conducts its affairs. The department launched the Defense Management Institute, an independent research entity aimed at advancing the Pentagon’s management, organization, performance improvement, and enterprise business operations.

The Future of the $900-Billion U.S. Trucking Industry Could Be Decided in California
(Los Angeles Times)  As California regulators explore new rules to put self-driving semi-trucks on the road, labor unions are rushing to the state Legislature to ask for a new law they say will protect their jobs — the start of a debate that could shape the future of the nation’s nearly $900-billion trucking industry.

Ukraine Faces Logistics Hurdles Ahead of Tank Deliveries
(Stars and Stripes)  Nearly a year into the war in Ukraine, Western allies finally agreed to send Kyiv the battle tanks it says it so desperately needs. The first battalion will have roughly 40 tanks, including newer German Leopard 2A6s, and could arrive by spring. But the broader package pieced together this week by the United States and other European nations includes a hodgepodge of tank models, each with different delivery times and unique logistical hurdles.

Is China About to Destroy Encryption as We Know It? Maybe
(Defense One)  A new research paper claims to offer a quantum-powered code-breaker of spectacular power. “If it’s true, it’s pretty disastrous,” says one expert.

EXCLUSIVE: Commerce’s Draft Space Traffic Management Service Goes Beyond DOD’s Baseline
(Breaking Defense)  A draft version of Commerce Department’s long-awaited plan for a free space traffic management service for commercial and civil space operators goes beyond the data and analysis currently provided by the Defense Department, including margins of error regarding satellite orbital paths and “more advanced” calculations of the probability of crashes.

Shipping Groups Back Bipartisan Trucking Overhaul Bill
(DC Velocity)  SHIP IT Act would bring more drivers into the sector by streamlining regulations, offering tax credits, expanding parking.

Tankers in the Pacific Fight: A Crisis in Capability
(Center for International Maritime Security)  The Department of Defense is projected to need on the order of one hundred tankers of various sizes in the event of a serious conflict in the Pacific. Not only does the U.S. lack the tonnage required to support a major conflict in the Pacific, it has no identifiable roadmap to obtain it.

Aviation Industry in Crosshairs for Next Biofuel Push
(Roll Call)  Sustainable aviation fuels, or SAF (pronounced “SAFF”), which are made from a range of plants and other organic matter, have proved successful as a replacement or additive for traditional, petroleum-based jet fuels. The Biden administration has thrown its support behind SAF, setting a goal for the U.S. to produce enough to meet 100 percent of jet fuel demand by 2050.

What to Watch 2023: America Must Begin Growing Its Merchant Marine
(Center for Maritime Strategy)  It’s incontrovertible that America would not have prevailed in WWII without its merchant marine. Despite this, today we find that our maritime logistics force is inadequate. In a high-end conflict, readily available American vessel capacity would only meet 65% of sealift needs and there is a shortage of at least 1,900 mariners.

Watch 24 C-17s Roll Out from an Air Force Base in a Matter of Minutes
(Task & Purpose)  The C-17 Globemaster III transport jet is an incredibly versatile aircraft. It can serve as an airborne hospital for aeromedical evacuation, it can drop bombs and it can, of course, haul a lot of cargo. Recently, the Air Force launched 24 of them at once. That’s enough to carry 4.1 million pounds of cargo or 2,448 paratroopers. And it’s around 3,300 tons of aircraft taking off in just a matter of minutes.

EDITOR’S SPOTLIGHT
Goodbye 2022:

• The biggest military stories of 2022
• Top Logistics News Stories of 2022
• Here are the biggest supply chain stories of 2022
• Top Stories 2022: U.S. Navy Acquisition
• Most Read War on the Rocks Articles of 2022

Hello 2023:

• Why the U.S. economy will avoid a recession, but freight will slow in 2023
• Survey: top supply chain risk of 2023 is semiconductor shortage
• New in 2023: US troops in Europe to continue deployments, training
• Shippers Remain in Control of Rates, but 2023 Could Bring Balance

Roadblocks Cleared for $6.2 Billion Reform of Household Goods Moves
(Military Times)  Nearly four years after defense officials announced they had begun the process to consolidate all household goods moves under a single contract, the last roadblock has been cleared. The $6.2 billion contract aimed at improving household goods moves for service members has gotten the final green light.

China Developing Own Version of JADC2 to Counter US
(C4ISRNet)  China is pursuing a new military construct known as Multi-Domain Precision Warfare to align its forces from cyber to space, an effort U.S. officials say is fueled by a need to counter the Pentagon’s Joint All-Domain Command and Control initiative.

The Military Is About to Launch a Constellation
(The Atlantic)  Sometime this coming March, a network of 10 small satellites winged with solar panels is scheduled to launch into Earth’s low orbit. Though likely invisible to the naked eye, the satellites will be part of a future herd of hundreds that, according to the Space Development Agency, or SDA, will bolster the United States’ defense capabilities.

Fiscal 2023 Funding Negotiations Continue on Capitol Hill
(Transport Topics)  Congress intends to work on fiscal 2023 funding legislation through the end of the month. The Senate is expected to consider a measure that funds the government through Dec. 23 and averts a federal shutdown. The House approved this short-term bill Dec. 14, mostly along party lines. Federal funding authority expires Dec. 16.

Congress May Set Up a “National Commission on the Future of the Navy”
(The Maritime Executive)  After years of stop-and-start discussion about the future direction of the fleet, the U.S. Navy may soon get a congressional panel dedicated to reviewing its force structure.

How to Avoid the Next Crisis: A New Approach to Supply Chain Agility
(Supply Chain Quarterly)  To succeed in a dynamic business environment, companies need a structured approach to enhancing supply chain agility. They should start by identifying what digital tools, physical assets, and processes can help them avoid disruptions while capitalizing on opportunities.

‘Can We Actually Build It?’ Defense Industry Leaders Look Ahead to Uncertain 2023
(Defense One)  With Pentagon budgets headed for a new record, defense officials and industry executives wonder: Can contractors fulfill all the outstanding weapons orders?

Fighting and Winning in the Electromagnetic Spectrum
(War on the Rocks)  The electromagnetic spectrum is a critical aspect of American and Western airpower, which has led some to dub it the next high ground. Despite this, the joint force is not investing in capabilities to ensure dominance in the electromagnetic spectrum.

Editor’s Spotlight: Military Recruiting and Training

• Tough Military Recruiting Environment is About More than Low Unemployment, Experts Say
• Recruiting Crisis? Not at Space Force
• Can the Air Force Train Nearly 1,500 Pilots This Year?
• Panel of Three-Star Generals to Lead Military Training Modernization

Compromise NDAA Released with $857.9 Billion Topline
(Breaking Defense)  The House and Senate Armed Services Committees have released compromise language for the National Defense Authorization Act, with committee leadership agreeing to add $45 billion to the Biden administration’s initial budget request. The $857.9 billion topline is higher than either the HASC ($839 billion) or SASC ($847 billion) had sought in their initial versions. It includes $816.7 billion for the Pentagon and $30.3 billion for nuclear activities in the Department of Energy, authorizes a 4.6 percent pay raise for both military servicemembers and the Pentagon’s civilian workforce, while calling for increased spending for a number of key weapon systems.

Fake Parts: A Pentagon Supply Chain Problem Hiding in Plain Sight
(Defense News)  For about half the summer, 18 newly completed F-35 fighter jets sat outside Air Force Plant 4 while U.S. Defense Department officials tried to untangle the supply chain mess that had stuck them there. The high-profile incident spotlighted a quandary for Pentagon leaders, one the department has struggled to address and was warned about for more than a decade: how to keep counterfeit parts and other unauthorized material from sneaking into the department’s sprawling supply chain.

Rail Workers Warn of Exodus After Congress Forces Through Deal
(The Hill)  Last week the economy was almost upended by a nationwide strike before lawmakers intervened to enforce a deal many workers found lacking. Now there is fear that railroad workers could leave the industry after Congress forced through the contract that does not provide them any paid sick days, an exodus that would ripple through an economy reliant on freight railroads to transport goods.

Why the United States No Longer Leads on Free Trade
(War on the Rocks)  The Net Assessment podcast looks at America’s trade policy. Is free trade the economics of the past? If so, what is the economics of the future, and where does America stand in the new global order? Listen to hear about these topics and much more.

Threatened Coastal Railroad is San Diego’s Only Link to National Military Rail Network. What If It Shuts Down?
(The San Diego Union Tribune)  Coastal erosion in Del Mar and a slow-moving landslide in San Clemente threaten the only rail connection to Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton and Naval Base San Diego, the principal home of the Pacific Fleet. With these bases being the largest on the West Coast and a jumping-off point to the rest of the world, this is an issue of national security.

DoD Fails Audit, Sees Ukraine as ‘Teachable Moment’ in Accountability
(Defense News)  As the Pentagon racked up its fifth comprehensive audit failure, its chief financial officer on Tuesday said Ukraine’s fight against Russia offers a “teachable moment” for the U.S. military to accurately tally its weapons and property.

Watch this US Air Force Cargo Plane Launch a Cruise Missile in Norway
(Defense News)  The U.S. Air Force has for the first time in an overseas test used its Rapid Dragon system, in which cruise missiles on pallets are launched from the back of a mobility aircraft.

Pentagon Plans New Initiatives to Tackle Long-Term Sustainment Costs
(Federal News Network)  Sustainment expenses make up about 70% of the average weapons system’s total lifecycle cost. DoD leaders have fretted over that imbalance forever, and have long understood that decisions made early in a system’s design have a lot to do with its total ownership price. But the Pentagon has a couple of new strategies it hopes will address the problem.

DISA’s Plea to Industry: Bring Us Battlefield-Ready Tech
(Defense One)  The Pentagon’s lead IT agency wants to do more buying and less making. The agency “is relying on industry as a critical partner to deliver solutions,” said Don Means, who leads the Defense Information Systems Agency’s Operations and Infrastructure Center. “We don’t want to have to develop them when the industry is already doing them” because that means capabilities can be delivered faster.

More Than 100 C-130s Are Down, Likely Because Mechanics Scratched Their Propellers, Air Force Says
(Defense One)  A maintenance procedure used by Air Force mechanics to document inspections likely damaged hundreds of C-130 propeller blades over a decade, according to service officials. Maintenance technicians examined the propeller blades for cracks or other damage scratched permanent marks on each blade to document the inspection had taken place.

Small Shipyards Consolidate Amid Navy Program Delays
(Defense News)  Bollinger Shipyards this week said it will acquire shipyards VT Halter Marine and ST Engineering Halter Marine Offshore from parent company ST Engineering, a deal one expert said may have been spurred by the Navy’s slow pace in awarding the contracts expected to go to smaller shipyards.

Focus on Labor Issues:

• How to Bridge the Cyber Gap: Mentoring Strategies for the Next Generation
• Over 300 Business Groups Push Biden to Intervene in Possible Rail Strike That Could Cripple the U.S. Economy
• Labor Shortage Still Pinching Aerospace and Defense Sector
• ‘No Jobs Available’: The Feast or Famine Careers of America’s Port Drivers.
• For the Larger Navy US Needs, American Shipping and Shipbuilding Must Be Revived

Cyber Wars (Video)
(Full Measure)  If you think you’re worried about your passwords, online scams, or getting hacked, it may pale in comparison to the concerns of America’s businesses. By one estimate, malicious cyber activity costs the world a staggering $940 billion annually. And two countries in particular are behind the most damaging kind of attacks. Go online and inside the world of tech defense.

The National Defense Strategy Ducks Many Issues—Two Stand Out
(Forbes)  The Biden administration’s first National Defense Strategy highlights daunting challenges from China and Russia including missile and cyber-attacks. But it leaves aside or ignores many issues including two key ones: America’s inadequate industrial base and the failure of the executive and senior military leaders to get the public’s attention.

KC-46 Flies Without Co-Pilot as AMC Explores Limited Aircrew Operations
(Air & Space Forces Magazine)  A KC-46 tanker from McConnell Air Force Base, Kan., flew without a co-pilot Oct. 25, part of Air Mobility Command’s push to study limited aircrew operations. Two flights took place with just a pilot and a boom operator.

50,000 Companies on Hold Because of GSA’s UEI Validation Problems
(Federal News Network)  It’s now November, and the General Services Administration still hasn’t fixed the Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) transition to the new validation service that began in April. And as many as 50,000 companies and grantees still are waiting to fix validation issues that is causing delays in awards and in getting paid.

Smuggler Tech: Low-Profile Boats Could Resupply the Marine Corps
(The Maritime Executive)  The Marine Corps is faced with an intensified challenge of contested logistics as it employs its novel concept of Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations (EABO). Supplying these bases will be difficult since their location is expected to frequently shift, and reliance on the conventional global logistics chain may not be responsive in a contested environment.

Making Infrastructure Spending Really Smart for the Next 100 Years – The Geographic Approach
(Forbes)  When people talk about “smart infrastructure,” here’s what they’re talking about: Iowa’s roads in the winter. Iowa synthesizes data from a dozen different sources in a way that would have seemed like science fiction even a decade ago, providing a vivid, intuitive picture of what’s happening where. Innovative, useful, and now indispensable—it’s something much more. It’s exactly the kind of new tool we will need to adapt as the U.S. undertakes the most sweeping overhaul of its infrastructure in nearly seven decades.

Space Force to Seek Budget Boost Beyond 2023, China’s Capabilities are ‘Close to Ours’
(SpaceNews)  Gen. David “DT” Thompson, U.S. vice chief of space operations, said the Space Force is likely to see continued funding increases to counter China’s rapid advances in its space program.

Sustainable Aviation Fuel: Investing in the Future
(War on the Rocks)  Private industry and government have an opportunity to invest in another new kind of fuel to provide for the national defense: sustainable aviation fuel. There are challenges, but the opportunity for the United States is significant.

Fixing the U.S. Semiconductor Supply Chain
(Harvard Business Review)  The persistent global shortage of semiconductors has prompted governments and chip manufacturers around the world to take actions to expand production and prevent such shortages from occurring again. But in formulating their plans, they should include measures to ensure that future supply chains for computer chips are resilient.

How Ukraine is Shaping the Future of Acquisition (VIDEO)
(Defense News)  A group of experts weigh in on how the current war between Russia and Ukraine will influence the future of acquisition.

Integrated by Design: Building a Partner Air Force
(War on the Rocks)  The demands for American military training is high. Yet, the program the United States has used to train partners around the world to fly is being cut without a replacement. The U.S. Air Force has an interest in building the capacity of partners and allies to expand U.S. reach and influence, but the security force assistance programs that tasked air advisors to help train foreign militaries is at risk of being cut, leaving the United States unable to keep up with foreign demand for operational training.

Divisions, Corps to Replace Brigades as Army’s Wartime Formation of Choice
(Defense One)  The Army’s brigade combat teams may have been the signature units of recent wars, but service leaders believe future conflicts will be dominated by divisions and even corps, officials said Monday.

New Strategy to Quicken Tech Development Amid Digital Transformation
(Defense News)  The U.S Army is rolling out a strategy focused on software, data and artificial intelligence practices, a move officials believe will clarify for industry what the service needs to transform into a high-tech, digital-forward force and how, exactly, it plans to get there.

How to Make the Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness Work
(The Diplomat)  If the U.S. truly wants to improve maritime domain awareness, it needs to engage partners through pre-established mechanisms and find ways to creatively deal with data management and information sharing obstacles.

Industry Weighs Impact of Proposed Independent Contractor Rule
(Supply Chain Quarterly)  Stakeholders say changes to the current rule are unnecessary as they prepare to review and provide comments on Biden administration proposal.

Hackers Maintained Deep Access Inside Military Contractor’s Network, U.S. Officials Reveal
(CyberScoop)  U.S. cybersecurity, law enforcement, and intelligence officials revealed on Tuesday that sophisticated hackers infiltrated a likely U.S. military contractor and maintained “persistent, long-term” access to their system.

Air Force Grounds Most C-130Hs Due to Cracked Propeller Barrels
(Defense News)  The Air Force has grounded most of its older C-130H Hercules cargo planes and variants due to a problem with their propeller barrels. Air Mobility Command confirmed a wide swath of its C-130H fleet, which numbered 128 at the beginning of fiscal 2022, is unable to fly, and it’s unclear how long it will take to replace all the defective propeller assemblies.

Proposed Legislation Could Expand Education Benefits, Veterans’ Access to Commercial Driver’s Licenses Amid Trucking Shortage
(Stars and Stripes)  Two senators have introduced a bill that would allow schools with trucking programs to expand veterans’ access to commercial driver’s licenses as the trucking industry faces a shortage of drivers across the country.

Putin’s Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Week Looks Even Worse Through a China Lens
(Defense One)  Vladimir Putin just had a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad week. And it wasn’t just about losses in Ukraine or having to announce conscription at home. A series of meetings—and what was said and wasn’t said at them— has revealed just how much Russian influence is weakening even in its once spheres of influence, and how China is taking advantage.

US May Establish New Command in Germany to Arm Ukraine: Report
(Defense News)  A new mission is being established at U.S. European Command’s headquarters in Germany to oversee how the U.S. trains and equips Ukrainian troops, according to a report by the New York Times.

Several Military Branches Poised to Miss Recruitment Targets for Fiscal 2022
(Federal News Network)  Leaders across all military services warned Congress about low recruitment levels for the Air Force, Army, Navy, and Marine Corps.

Defeat China’s Navy, Defeat China’s War Plan
(War on the Rocks)  The U.S. bomber force could be a mortal threat to China’s maritime power if U.S. policymakers and military planners begin to properly prioritize it. By making China’s maritime assets the main target for the U.S. bomber force, then arming it accordingly, Washington would be well positioned to win a counter-maritime campaign in the western Pacific.

The U.S. and Europe are Running Out of Weapons to Send to Ukraine
(CNBC)  In the U.S. weapons industry, the normal production level for artillery rounds for the 155 millimeter howitzer — a long-range heavy artillery weapon currently used on the battlefields of Ukraine — is about 30,000 rounds per year in peacetime. The Ukrainian soldiers fighting invading Russian forces go through that amount in roughly two weeks.

Nord Stream Leaks Underline Gray-Zone Risks
(Defense One)  Around noon local time on September 27, Denmark’s armed forces released footage of leaks in the Baltic Sea. And it wasn’t just any leaks: Russia’s Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 natural-gas pipelines are leaking gas into the Baltic Sea. Damaging a neighbor’s environment can be easy, cheap, and deniable.

Russia’s War Mobilization Is Pointless As Long As Its Army Lacks Trucks
(Forbes)  Russian authorities have begun rounding up the first of 300,000 draftees the Kremlin hopes will make good the steep losses suffered in the first seven months of its wider war in Ukraine. But, the Russian army months ago ran out of reliable supply trucks. Lacking trucks, the army is tethered to its railheads.

Defense Firms Sound Inflation Alarm as Congress Mulls 2023 Budget
(Defense News)  Trade groups representing defense companies large and small are pushing lawmakers to add tens of billions of dollars to the Pentagon’s budget to make up for months of high inflation that is only now starting to level off.

Opinion: Will Deterrence Have a Role in the Cyberspace ‘Forever War’?
(The Washington Post)  At a time of growing concern about possible nuclear threats from Russia, some prominent defense strategists are arguing for a new theory of deterrence. They argue that military conflict is now so pervasive in cyberspace that the United States should seek to shift away from deterrence in this domain — and more aggressively exploit the opportunities it presents.

Is Our Navy Ready for a Looming Pacific War?
(The Hill)  The Department of the Navy exists to deter an aggressor, defeat an adversary and protect American interests. But its budget is limited and the priorities to achieve results require change.

White House Announces New Restrictions on Foreign Investment in US Tech, Supply Lines
(Defense One)  More foreign investments in U.S. companies will require federal approval under a new executive order intended to bar transactions that might allow potential adversaries control of crucial American supply chains or sensitive technology, the White House announced on Thursday.

Sustainment of Stand-In Force
(War on the Rocks)  Stand-in forces could provide joint force commanders with options for sustaining forward positioning in hostile environments. But the biggest challenge for the stand-in forces concept right now is that it puts marines inside high-threat areas with minimal logistics sustainment.

Pentagon Eyes Commercial Solution to Supply Chain Problems
(C4ISRNet)  The U.S. Department of Defense is looking to commercially available software to help address supply chain disruptions, a growing concern as companies large and small deal with the continued fallout of pandemic-related parts availability issues.

Pentagon Planning New Guidance to Help Contractors Squeezed by Inflation
(Federal News Network)  The Defense Department is preparing new guidance that would give its contracting officers more flexibility to reimburse vendors whose costs have ballooned because of inflation, updating an earlier policy document that industry groups complained did too little to prevent contractors from bearing the full brunt of higher prices.

SPACECOM Deputy Says ‘Maneuver and Logistics’ Key in Future Operations
(Breaking Defense)  The capability to rapidly maneuver satellites — and the space-based infrastructure, such as orbiting re-fueling stations, necessary to support that capability — is among Space Command’s top priorities for technological innovation, according to Lt. Gen. John Shaw, deputy commander.

Funding the Indo-Pacific Pivot
(War on the Rocks)  In recent years, lawmakers on the Armed Services Committees in Congress have attempted to work with Republican and Democratic administrations to strengthen the posture of the United States military in the Indo-Pacific and confront the challenge posed by China. Yet U.S. efforts to truly align resources accordingly have been frustrated since President Barack Obama’s administration first acknowledged that a shift was required.

GSA, CISA turning to AI Tools, Standards to Help Secure Federal Supply Chains
(Federal News Network)  Agencies are finding out quickly that there is a lot more that goes into trusting the vendors that they work with than what’s on the outside. New tools are giving agency acquisition and cybersecurity workers something equivalent to an MRI scan of the companies.

Defense Industry to Launch Inflation Relief Push in Congress
(MilitaryTimes)  Defense industry associations are laying the groundwork for a lobbying blitz next week when Congress returns from its summer recess to seek relief for contractors from inflation.

Avoiding Empty Cockpits: Addressing the Air Force’s Pilot Shortage Problem
(Breaking Defense)  Eyeing a possible conflict with China in the coming years, the US Air Force is trying to field next-generation aircraft in sufficient quantities to help deter aggression and achieve victory if deterrence fails. The problem is that the service consistently struggles to retain enough aviators to fly those aircraft.

Pentagon Vision for Synchronized Forces Hinges on Digital Engineering
(Defense News)  Digital transformation is occurring at most companies and organizations across the globe to ensure that the right complex data, products, and processes are delivered at the right place and the right time. Nowhere is this transformation more critical than in national defense.

Pentagon Expands Use of Seas to Send Weapons to Ukraine
(The Washington Post)  The Pentagon has expanded its use of maritime shipping to deliver weapons for the war in Ukraine, U.S. defense officials said, after relying heavily on aircraft early in Russia’s invasion to get arms to Kyiv as quickly as possible.

Five Years to Zero Trust: Pentagon has ‘No Choice’ But to Sprint Toward Network Goals
(Breaking Defense)  The Pentagon’s chief information officer is committed to implementing a zero trust architecture across the entire department in the next five years and will be releasing a new strategy to get there as soon as next month.

Spotlight on the Department of Transportation:

• Buttigieg Announces DOT Dashboard for Delayed, Canceled Flights
• FAA-Caused Flight Delays in New York Preview Potential ‘Crisis’ in Coming Years
• USDOT Announces $233 Million in State-of-Good-Repair-Funding
• ON THE HILL: Sit down with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg (VIDEO)

Additional Defensive Weapons to be Shipped to Ukraine, Official Says
(DOD News)  A major presidential drawdown authority security assistance package is about to be unveiled, according to a senior Defense Department official. This PDA is valued at up to $775 million, the official said, noting that a $1 billion security assistance package was also just released on Aug. 8.

Breaking The Supply Bottleneck
(Defense Acquisition University)  After nearly two years of disruption, supply chains across the globe remain dramatically out of sync, with congestion at seaports marking the latest in a long list of problems. Ocean shipping, facilitated by ports, makes up the lion’s share of global trade, exacerbating the scale of this most recent issue.

Oil Companies Work Around Jones Act to Supply U.S. Fuel Markets
(Reuters)  U.S. oil companies are working around the Jones Act to supply fuel to the U.S. East Coast, according to data from Refinitiv and oil trading sources, as high demand for gasoline and global disruptions in fuel markets sent prices higher.

Russia’s Naval Doctrine May Call for Challenging the West, But Does It Have the Shipyards?
(Breaking Defense)  Russia’s new maritime doctrine signals its intent to challenge the United States and allies on the seas, but there is skepticism about the country’s ability to build a fleet capable of doing that given its limited options for shipyards and weakened supply chains.

An Experiment Showed that the Military Must Change Its Cybersecurity Approach
(Defense One)  Two years ago, a pair of Navy information leaders decided to attack their own networks—and not just once or twice a year during scheduled exercises, but far more frequently, and unannounced. Now they’re trying to get the rest of the Navy—and the Pentagon—to follow suit.

Advanced Engine Industrial Base at Risk of ‘Collapse,’ Air Force Says
(Military Times)  As the U.S. Department of Defense approaches a decision on whether to upgrade or replace the F-35′s engine, Air Force officials are concerned that opting against a full replacement could lead to the “collapse” of the advanced propulsion industrial base in the U.S.

Pushing Back Against China’s New Normal in the Taiwan Strait
(War on the Rocks)  It would be a mistake to dismiss Beijing’s reaction to Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan as just another temper tantrum. It could normalize aggressive Chinese military operations closer to Taiwan, create greater expectations within China for a stronger response in the future, provide experience for the People’s Liberation Army, and make understanding China’s intentions more difficult.

First Look: Freight Rail Shipping Fair Market Act
(Railway Age)   Legislation to reauthorize the Surface Transportation Board (STB) and “create a fair marketplace” for railroads and shippers was recently introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives. While the Association of American Railroads (AAR) called it an “untenable bill that could further exacerbate current supply chain and service challenges,” the American Chemistry Council (ACC) welcomed the “sensible legislative package.”

Army Barracks in Germany is Ground Zero for Flow of West’s Weapons to Ukraine
(Stars & Stripes)  The push to get Western arms into the hands of Ukrainian troops begins here, on the fourth floor of an old Patch Barracks conference hall that has turned U.S. European Command into a nerve center.

Send in the Marines? Reconsider Force Design 2030 Beforehand
(Defense News)  As the Marine Corps is reorienting away from counterinsurgency operations in the Middle East and Southwest Asia to a potential peer-level confrontation in the Indo-Pacific region, its leadership argues: “The Marine Corps is not organized, trained, equipped, or postured to meet the demands of the rapidly evolving future operating environment.” But through Force Design 2030 the Corps has embarked upon a dramatic revision of its force structure.

HIMARS’ Hidden Superpower and Other Acquisition Lessons from Ukraine
(Defense One)  With no U.S. troops on the ground, acquisition professionals are the operators making the difference.

Pentagon Advisers Want DoD to Build Out Agreements Between Small and Large Defense Businesses
(Federal News Network)  For the past thirty years, Congress has continued to renew the Defense Department’s Mentor-Protégé Program — but only as a pilot. Now, after an in-depth look from outside business experts, the Defense Business Board is recommending Congress make the program permanent once DoD makes a few tweaks.

You Go to War with the Watercraft You Have
(War on the Rocks)  If there was a war in the Indo-Pacific, the U.S. military is at risk of repeating Russia’s logistical failures in Ukraine to supply or maintain its troops. An obvious lesson for U.S. planners, policymakers, and legislators should be the importance of logistics to the successful execution of military operations.

After Years of Inattention, Congress Scrambles to Save Defense Supply Chain
(Defense News)  When Ukrainian fighters in May surrendered Mauripol’s sprawling steel plant to Russian forces after a months-long siege, the consequences were widespread. Russia effectively knocked out a plant central to Ukraine’s position as a powerhouse in global neon gas exports. These exports are key to manufacturing the very weapons the United States is sending to Kyiv to defend against Moscow’s invasion.

CMMC Set for Trial Run, But Criticism Abounds for Highly Anticipated ‘CAP’ Document
(Federal News Network)  The Pentagon’s contractor cybersecurity certification program took a major step forward this week with confirmation that voluntary third-party assessments will kick off next month, while at the same time a newly released process document is causing consternation in industry.

Army May Restructure Brigade Combat Teams Amid Recruiting Woes
(Military Times)  As the Army rolls toward a major end strength shortfall driven by a recruiting crisis, the service has been quietly studying where it can afford to cut personnel to ensure its combat formations stay manned even as numbers plunge, its top general told reporters Thursday.

The Navy Is Testing 5G For Future Forward Operating Bases
(Defense One)  The Navy’s SoCal Tech Bridge at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar is experimenting with new 5G networks carried on the back of autonomous vehicles, so that when future robo-amphibs storm the beach, they can bring their own 5G network with them.

US Army’s Floating Equipment Stockpile in Pacific Gets First Test
(Defense News)  The U.S. Army’s floating equipment stockpile in the Indo-Pacific theater was put to the test for the first time in exercises in the Philippines, revealing the changing nature of how the service’s prepositioned stock is used, according Brig. Gen. Jay Bartholomees.

MARAD Awards $20M in Grants to Small Shipyards for Modernization
(The Maritime Executive)  The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration has selected the 2022 recipients for MARAD’s annual Small Shipyard Grant Program designed to support smaller American shipyards.

With Few Able and Fewer Willing, U.S. Military Can’t Find Recruits
(The New York Times)  These are tough times for military recruiting. Almost across the board, the armed forces are experiencing large shortfalls in enlistments this year. COVID-19 and the current white-hot labor market are contributing factors, but longer-term demographic trends are also taking a toll.

At UK Airshow, Defense Execs Warn of Inflation, Supply Chains, and Worker Shortages 
(Defense One)  Along the flight line during the Farnborough Airshow, executives focused on how the pandemic is still very much affecting the aerospace and defense industry. Worker shortages, record inflation, and a broken global supply chain dominated the discussions among large firms, smaller suppliers, and government leaders.

House Passes Defense Authorization with New Arms Transfers Restrictions
(Defense News)  The House on Thursday passed the $840 billion National Defense Authorization Act 329-101 after attaching hundreds of amendments, including ones restricting new arms transfers.

How a Military Base in Illinois Helps Keep Weapons Flowing to Ukraine
(The Baltimore Sun)  Since the war in Ukraine began four months ago, the Biden administration has contributed billions of dollars in military aid to the Ukrainian government. How they reach Ukraine often involves behind-the-scenes coordination by teams at a military base in Illinois, about 25 miles east of St. Louis.

Navy Prints Metal Parts on the High Seas
(Defense One)  The advantages of installing 3D printing across the federal government could be huge, although the technology has been slow to reach that potential. That could finally be changing as the Navy has deployed the first 3D printer onboard a warship that is capable of printing reliable metal parts while underway at sea.

Simple Cyber Reporting Will Enable Better Governmentwide Response, Lawmaker Argues
(NextGov)  U.S. government digital systems and infrastructure can adjust to a changing cyber threat landscape with a centralized incident reporting structure to incentivize incident reporting.

The Battle That Will Determine the Future of American Passenger Rail
(The Washington Post)  Amtrak has money to expand, but it doesn’t own the railroad tracks. A stalled effort along the Gulf Coast is a test of its ability to grow.

Pentagon ‘Endorses’ Reciprocity for CMMC, FedRAMP Requirements
(Federal News Network)  The Pentagon’s internal cybersecurity auditors are already giving companies credit for using services provided under the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program, but the Defense Department still needs to iron out similar reciprocity details with the Cyber Accreditation Body.

Beyond the Gulf: Broadening U.S. Maritime Security Ops in the Mideast
(The Maritime Executive)  Despite rumors to the contrary, the United States is not interested in disengaging from the Middle East. The Indo-Pacific is the new focal point of U.S. foreign policy, but the Middle East remains essential for U.S. interests.

Spotlight on the Defense Budget:

• No Consensus Yet on Military Spending for Next Year, Except for More of It
• House Defense Bill Calls for US-Built Ships to Modernize Strategic Sealift Fleet
• More Money to Buy Weaponry and Fight Inflation in House Defense Bill

CMMC Early Adopter Program to Further Spur Vendor Cyber Actions
(Federal News Network)  The Defense Department has been talking about the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) standards for more than three years. And while the final version 2.0 standards aren’t going to be ready until next summer, the impact of just talking about improving cybersecurity among contractors is real.

From Missiles to Baby Formula, Airlines Provide Vital Airlift for US Government
(American Shipper)  The Biden administration’s emergency airlift to expedite imports of overseas baby formula amid a widespread domestic shortage is the latest example of the U.S. government employing commercial cargo and passenger airlines to help solve a logistics crisis.

NDAA Proposals Address Joint Force Integration in Indo-Pacific
(Air Force Magazine)  Amendments in a House version of the fiscal 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) would strengthen U.S. posture and resourcing at U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.

Navy’s Data-Driven Approach to Sustainment Finds Huge Room for Improvement in Ship Maintenance
(Federal News Network)  The Navy is taking several steps to shorten the time it takes to get its vessels in and out of maintenance at its shipyards, including a huge, multiyear, and multibillion-dollar program to modernize the yards’ outdated infrastructure.

Starship Troopers: Pentagon Wants Rocket-Launched Soldiers Anywhere on Earth in Hours
(Task & Purpose)  The DoD and SpaceX are teaming up to send huge payloads of troops and gear anywhere on earth in an hour. Would you like to know more?

Got Fuel? Fixing the US Military’s Aerial Refueling Architecture
(Defense One)  It’s a military pilot’s nightmare: you arrive for your airborne refueling but no one’s there—just empty sky above the ocean that will soon swallow your fuel-dry aircraft. That’s the situation U.S. pilots are likely to face in a conflict against China unless the Pentagon quickly makes some changes in its investment priorities and operational concepts.

Marines Still Have Big Plans for Seabasing Ships as 2 Head for Mothballs
(Marine Corps Times)  A sweeping slate of proposed ship retirements that would take nine littoral combat ships offline also would end the career of two unconventional seabasing vessels that have less than a decade in service. But Marine Corps seabasing is far from a failed concept, current and former Marine officials said, and similar ships remaining in service are poised to take on new missions ― including support of unmanned surface vessels ― in the near future.

The Bay of Bengal Could Be the Key to a Free and Open Indo-Pacific
(War on the Rocks)  To maintain the status quo in the Indo-Pacific region and keep China’s assertiveness in check, the United States, Japan, and Australia, among others, have advanced the idea of a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific.” Within the Indo-Pacific theater, the Bay of Bengal — situated at the intersection between South and Southeast Asia — is a divider, a connector, and one of the prime battlegrounds.

How Much Does Bad Software Cost DOD? Lawmakers Want to Know
(Defense One)  House lawmakers are looking for more oversight of the Defense Department’s cyber, network, and information technology efforts through a series of reviews that range from evaluating underperforming software to auditing the military’s Joint All Domain Command and Control program, according to proposed language for the upcoming 2023 National Defense Authorization Act.

Russia is “Weaponizing” Supply Chains for Leverage in Negotiations
(The Maritime Executive)  Unfortunately, the hefty price of Russia’s war against Ukraine is being borne by the rest of the world. An economic outlook released this week by OECD maps out the war’s tremendous damage to global supply chains.

Sweeping Transformation of FMCSA’s IT Systems Underway
(Transport Topics)  For the past two years, Pavan Pidugu, chief technology officer for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, has quietly been working behind the scenes to conduct a sweeping transformation of many of the agency’s admittedly decades-old technology systems. Pidugu said his goal is to revamp all of FMCSA’s so-called legacy systems by 2028.

Congress Moves to Establish Electric Vehicle Pilot Program for Defense Department
(Defense News)  The Pentagon would be required to set up a pilot program for transitioning entire non-tactical vehicle fleets at certain installations to electric power, under legislation advanced by the House.

Making the Military Transition into a Logistics Job
(ClearanceJobs) Logistics companies perform better when they have military veterans in supply chain positions. Transportation companies continue to gobble up military truck drivers, maintainers, and supply guys. Other companies with a secondary logistics mission are learning this as well, which is great news if you’re transitioning out of the military with a background in logistics.

Airline Officials Press Biden to End COVID-19 Testing for International Travelers
(The Hill)  Airline industry officials and lawmakers are pressing the Biden administration to drop pre-departure COVID-19 testing requirements for vaccinated international travelers, arguing the mandate is costing the sector billions of dollars in revenue each month.

Fighting to Get to the Fight
(Military Times)  The strength of the United States originates at home. Our values, work ethic, ingenuity, and geographic location have paved the way for America to flourish. Correspondingly, the strength of our military also starts in the homeland.

Marine Corps Reserve Gets New Missions, New Roles and a Whole New Design
(Marie Corps Times)  For decades, the Marine Corps Reserve was a near-mirror image of its active side counterpart. But with the shift called Force Design 2030, launched by Commandant Gen. David Berger and his staff throughout the past three years, the reserves are tailoring its force to do more.

With the US Distracted, Tehran and Beijing Tighten Embrace in the Middle East
(Breaking Defense)  With attention focused on the war in Ukraine, some may have missed Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe’s visit to Tehran. It is the most recent, but hardly the first, public demonstration of the evolving political, economic, and security partnership between China and Iran that presents genuine challenges for the United States and its partners.

Cyber Command Chief Confirms US Took Part in Offensive Cyber Operations
(The Hill)  U.S. Cyber Command Director Gen. Paul Nakasone confirmed for the first time that the U.S. had conducted a series of cyber operations in support of Ukraine “across the full spectrum: offensive, defensive, [and] information operations.”

US Military May Need Innovation Overhaul to Fight Future Wars, Milley Says
(Defense News)  The U.S. military may need to reorganize to fight future wars, which will be profoundly changed by artificial intelligence, robotics, and other advanced technologies, according to Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The DoD’s Cyber Force Must Partner with Industry to Compete at the Speed of Relevance
(Military Times)  During an April 5 posture hearing into the work, the challenges, and the future of U.S. Cyber Command, one of the consistent themes that emerged centered around manpower and how tomorrow’s cyber force will be built and maintained. Gen. Paul M. Nakasone, the head of the command, acknowledged those challenges and said one of his top five priorities is recruiting, retention and training.

Why Are Spare Parts on the Unfunded List? Senator Asks Navy’s Top Officer
(Defense One)  If readiness is so important to the U.S. Navy, why are some spare parts on the service’s unfunded priorities list?

DoD Tells Industry How It Will Handle Cost of Inflation
(Federal News Network)  As the nation is still in the midst of decades-high inflation, the Defense Department is advising its industry partners on who will be shouldering the burden of increased costs in existing contracts.

SPOTLIGHT ON THE INDO-PACIFIC:

• Despite Biden’s Latest, Pentagon Says Nothing Has Changed on US Defense of Taiwan
• The Quad Goes to Sea
• Photos Show China Has Fielded Another Semi-Submersible Transport Ship
• Can America Deter China’s Anti-Navy?

Is Aiding Ukraine Leaving the U.S. Military Unprepared for War?
(The National Interest)  Given the sheer volume of supplies and military equipment which has been flowing from the United States and its allies into Ukraine, it has become a matter of concern whether supporting Kyiv against Russia has come at the expense of broader U.S. military preparedness. The answer, according to Pentagon leadership, is a clear and decisive “no.”

U.S. Transportation Command Kicks Off Operation Fly Formula
(US Transportation Command)  A C-17 Globemaster III military transport aircraft was loaded with 78,000 pounds of cargo at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, kicking off a special mission for USTRANSCOM—Operation Fly Formula.

The Dubious Prospects for Cargo-Delivery Drones in Ukraine
(War on the Rocks)  As Russian forces besieged Mariupol in recent months, some observers called for using drones to resupply Ukrainian forces and deliver humanitarian aid. But, delivery-by-drone is not ready to scale beyond limited experimentation in warzones.

Making a Military Move This Summer? Roadblocks Continue.
(Military.com)  The military moving season will soon shift into high gear, and there’s even more reason for service members and families to be organized and flexible if they’re heading to a new duty station this year.

Biden to Redeploy Up to 500 Troops to Somalia
(The Hill)  President Biden will redeploy up to 500 U.S. troops in East Africa to Somalia. The troops, who are being repositioned from neighboring countries, will help establish a “small, persistent U.S. military presence in Somalia,” according to a senior administration official.

A Severe Pilot Shortage in the U.S. Leaves Airlines Scrambling for Solutions
(CNBC)  The United States is facing its worst pilot shortage in recent memory, forcing airlines to cut flights just as travelers are returning after more than two years of the Covid-19 pandemic. The crisis has the industry scrambling for solutions.

Defense Logistics Agency has ‘Secret Sauce’ for Deploying Software Bots
(FedScoop)  Roughly three years into their journey deploying software-based bots — including many that are unattended — Defense Logistics Agency officials are observing big impacts they never predicted early on.

For Russia and the West, Ukraine War Is a Study in Supply
(Defense One)  Logistics received a moment in the Congressional spotlight on Thursday, as lawmakers praised the U.S. military’s efforts to swiftly move weapons, equipment, and people to reassure European allies and help the Ukrainian military fight Russian invaders.

A Complex Operation is Involved as the U.S. Sends Weapons to Ukraine
(NPR)  Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost, Commander of the U.S. Transportation Command, describes the massive task of shipping weapons to Ukraine to help in the fight against Russia.

What is the Government’s Role in Stabilizing Supply Chains?
(The Maritime Executive)  For the past two years, supply chains have drastically evolved from a fringe topic into a part of the everyday political discourse. Given that the frequency and magnitude of supply chain disruptions is poised to increase, especially from climate-related events, what should be the response from private sector and government?

Cyber at Sea: Protecting Strategic Sealift in the Age of Strategic Competition
(Modern War Institute at West Point)  Mobilizing for war is even more complex when transportation involves a significant maritime component, which is precisely the situation the United States would find itself in should conflict with China break out. What effects on mobility could a cyberattack have and what can be done to make sealift vessels more resilient?

Too Fragile to Fight: Could the US Military Withstand a War of Attrition?
(War on the Rocks)  It has been a long time since the United States fought a high-intensity war of attrition, and the Pentagon, despite its renewed focus on large-scale combat operations, is not ready for it. Current war plans still imagine relatively quick military actions with low casualties that remain within current capabilities. The resources for a longer and more brutal conflict have atrophied or been forgotten.

Austin Makes Case for Military Budget to Senate Committee
(DOD News)  Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III and Army Gen. Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, described to the Senate Appropriations Committee this week, DOD’s strategy and how the budget request supports that strategy.

Pentagon Finds Hundreds of Cyber Vulnerabilities Among Contractors
(C4ISRNet)  A U.S. Defense Department pilot program designed to root out digital vulnerabilities among contractors identified hundreds of flaws over the course of one year, organizers said.

Defense Industrial Base Faces Short and Long Term Challenges
(Federal News Network)  The defense industrial base faces a lot of long-term challenges, many of which have been well documented in studies generated both inside and outside the government. But here and now concerns like inflation and the war in Ukraine have introduced a lot of new ones, ones that need to be dealt with this fiscal year.

Pentagon Reorganizes Industrial Policy Office to Shore Up Defense Firms, Supply Chain
(Defense One)  The Pentagon has restructured its industrial policy office, a move that elevates oversight of the defense industry at a time of widespread supply chain troubles in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

On Ukraine Visit, Blinken, Austin Pledge Return of U.S. Diplomats, More Security Aid
(Reuters)  Washington’s top diplomat and its defense chief used the first official U.S. visit to Ukraine since Russia invaded in February to announce a gradual return of U.S. diplomats including a new ambassador and over $300 million in new military aid to Kyiv.

NAVSUP Can Teach a Thing or Two About Small Business Defense Procurements
(Federal News Network)  The Naval Supply Systems Command keeps machinery and people equipped and ready to go, along with some award winning programs for ensuring small business participation in its procurements.

Space Blocs: The Future of International Cooperation in Space is Splitting Along Lines of Power on Earth
(The Conversation)  Even during times of conflict on the ground, space has historically been an arena of collaboration among nations. But trends in the past decade suggest that the nature of cooperation in space is shifting, and fallout from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has highlighted these changes.

Marine Corps Declares Its Heavy-Lift Helicopter Operational
(Defense News)  The U.S. Marine Corps this month declared its new heavy-lift helicopter operational, following the completion of test, training, and sustainment requirements.

U.S. Military Posture Changes Needed in Europe, Pentagon Says
(Air Force Magazine)  Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has changed the security situation in Europe, and the U.S will have to shift its long-term military posture there as a result—but it’s too soon to say how, according to Pentagon Press Secretary

Navy’s New Shipbuilding Plan Offers Three Paths to Congress
(Breaking Defense)  The Navy’s new long-range shipbuilding plan this year presents lawmakers with three potential procurement profiles for how the service could build the future fleet, depending on the funding Congress provides. Two of the procurement profiles assume no real growth in the service’s budget, while a third alternative includes up to “$75B real growth beyond” the next five years.

NIST is Asking Industry for Comments on the Next Cybersecurity Framework
(Federal News Network)  A call for comments from the National Institute for Standards and Technology gives industry a deadline of next week. NIST is looking for reactions to ideas for critical infrastructure cybersecurity, and it could have a big impact on companies doing business with the government.

Fifth MARAD Training Vessel Construction Confirmed for Philly Shipyard
(The Maritime Executive)  Construction of the fifth training ship under the National Security Multi-Mission Vessel (NSMV) program has been confirmed according to Philly Shipyard. The Philadelphia-based shipyard reported that it received confirmation of the contract from Tote Services, which is the contractor overseeing the program for the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration.

With COVID Mission Over, Pentagon Plans for Next Pandemic
(Military.com)  As its response to the COVID mission winds down, the U.S. military’s next mission is to use the experiences of the units pressed into service against the pandemic to prepare for the next crisis threatening a large population, whatever its nature.

Hicks: Today’s Russia Problem Mustn’t Distract from Tomorrow’s China Problem
(Defense One)  As terrible as Russia’s war in Ukraine is, it pales in comparison to a potential fight against China, the Pentagon’s No. 2 civilian said.

Rails and Regulators Battle Publicly Over Service Issues
(Freight Waves)  The spring meeting of the North East Association of Rail Shippers (NEARS) saw three Class I railroads describing to rail shippers and other stakeholders how they are working to improve rail service.

Air Force Pilot Shortage May Take Decades to Fix, But Service is Making Headway
(Federal News Network)  It may take 20 years or more before the Air Force has its pilot shortage situation back to where it is breaking even. For years, the service has been operating at times with thousands fewer pilots than it needs, and the issue is one that will continue for the long haul, Maj. Gen. Albert Miller, Air Force director of training and readiness for operations, tells Federal News Network.

The Rental Car ‘Apocalypse’ Isn’t Over. Here’s What to Know Before Booking.
(The Washington Post)  The “rental car apocalypse” dawned a little more than a year ago as vaccinated travelers started to venture back into the world only to find fewer vehicles and hiked-up prices. Experts say the scenario is slightly less doom and gloom now—but also far from the pre-pandemic norm.

European Logistics: From One Crisis to the Next
(Logistics Management)  The transport and logistics industry in Europe started into the new year with high expectations. While several issues the Russian attack on Ukraine dwarfs all other problems, as it has immediate consequences not only for Europe, but also threatens our global security and our global supply chains.

Space Force Buys a Digital Twin of Orbital Space
(Defense One)  Space is a fast-moving and constantly changing domain where threats can arrive before troops even see them, so the Space Force is buying new technology to give troops a real-time picture of space to train in.

Could There be a Role for Wing-in-Ground Craft in Naval Warfare?
(The Maritime Executive)  A wing-in-ground maritime attack craft (WMAC) would present an opportunity to field a cost-effective, survivable asset that can punch above its weight and cost. Such a platform would assist the United States naval battlegroups in attriting adversarial surface platforms and shore-based area denial systems to pursue maritime superiority in a contested environment.

Crafting a Humanitarian Surge to Respond to the War on Ukraine
(Homeland Security Today)  Hospitals and health care facilities are sustaining damage as part of Russia‘s bombing. Clearly the humanitarian imperative seeks to end these attacks without escalating the conflict. Toward that end, I propose a humanitarian demonstration of resolve.

Will Western-Russian Confrontation Shake the Middle East?
(War on the Rocks)  Regardless of how things play out in Ukraine over the near-term, it appears all but certain that Russia and the West will find themselves locked in a protracted confrontation for years to come. Will that confrontation be global or confined to Europe? All-encompassing or limited? Regulated by some residual rules or totally anarchic? As answers to these questions begin to crystallize, the Middle East will be a key region to watch.

Generals Say China, Russia Persist in Western Hemisphere Meddling
(DOD News)  Air Force Gen. Glen D. VanHerck, Commander, North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command, and Army Gen. Laura J. Richardson, Commander, U.S. Southern Command, testified before a Senate Armed Services Committee that China and Russia are looking for opportunities to undermine U.S. partnerships in the Americas.

The Plan to Fix Troops’ Household Goods Moves Hits Another Roadblock
(Military Times)  Connected Global Solutions, an unsuccessful bidder for the $6.2 billion worldwide household goods moving contract, has filed a protest in federal court, again delaying Defense Department efforts to fix many of the long-standing problems plaguing service members who must change stations.

The War in Ukraine:

• Russia-Ukraine Crisis to Reshape Supply Chains, Flatten World Trade
• 2 Tankers Fill Up with Russian Oil After 45-Day US Countdown Begins
• Hundreds of Planes Are Stranded in Russia. They May Never Be Recovered
• What a Russia-Ukraine Peace Deal Might Look Like
• How Russia’s War in Ukraine Will Accelerate U.S.-China Competition
• The Pentagon is Saying Diddly Squat About What Thousands of Extra US Troops are Doing in Europe
• Russian Logistics Are So Bad, Its Military is Begging China for MREs

What the Army Can Learn From Operation Warp Speed
(Defense News)  When then-U.S. Army Materiel Command Chief Gen. Gus Perna got a call from Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley asking Perna to delay his retirement to run the operation to develop and deliver COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics to the American population, Perna didn’t hesitate to accept the challenge. In a recent interview, Perna reflects on the achievements of Operation Warp Speed as well as the lessons learned.

2023 Budget Drops on March 28, But Details Will Be Missing
(Breaking Defense)  President Joe Biden’s fiscal 2023 budget will hit the streets on March 28, and it’s looking to be a record-breaking year for defense spending. Despite the good news for the defense industry in terms of funding, the five-year trajectory of defense spending could be unclear for weeks after the budget’s release.

U.S. Troops Will Likely Be in Iraq for Years to Come, Central Command Boss Says
(Military Times)  About six months after the U.S. ended its longest war, the outgoing head of U.S. Central Command hinted that U.S. involvement in Iraq is probably going to go on even longer.

Navy’s Next 30-Year Shipbuilding Plan Could Avoid Details–Again
(Defense One)  The Navy’s next 30-year shipbuilding plan expected to be submitted with the fiscal 2023 budget request could again be short on details, despite negative reactions when they did the same thing last year.

Some States Want to Give Drivers a Gas Tax Holiday. But that Might Not Be a Wise Move.
(CNN)  As Americans reel from skyrocketing gasoline prices, a growing number of states are looking to provide residents with a little relief by suspending their gas taxes. But suspending the state gas tax actually may not do much to help drivers, and it could hurt state budgets and delay road improvements.

Between Retiring Old Aircraft and Modernizing, Guard and Reserve Watch for Readiness Gaps
(Air Force Magazine)  Aging aircraft, limited sustainment funds, and still-in-progress modernization are combining to cause concerns about readiness gaps in the Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard, leaders said during the AFA Warfare Symposium.

Disease Outbreak and National Security: Drawing Lessons from the COVID-19 Crisis to Improve Emergency Response
(Texas National Security Review)  COVID-19 has highlighted the need to think about treating disaster response, in particular to disease outbreaks, as a national security challenge and has thrown a spotlight on the gaps in the statutory framework that authorizes emergency and disaster response.

How Travel is Being Impacted by the Ukraine Invasion
(CNN)  Ukraine’s airspace is closed, as is the airspace of the country’s neighbor Moldova and part of Belarus. A growing list of countries have closed their airspace to Russian aircraft and in return Russia closed its airspace to 36 countries. Meanwhile, the US government’s Federal Aviation Administration told US pilots to avoid “the entire country of Ukraine, the entire country of Belarus and a western portion of Russia.” The conflict could redraw the world air map.

A Top Candidate for FAA Administrator Job on Aviation Challenges Ahead
(Skift)  A top candidate for Federal Aviation Administrator says his deep involvement in investigating Colgan Air Flight 3407 makes clear his longstanding commitment to aviation safety. “The safety focus has been paramount to me,” John Boccieri, a United pilot, vice commander of the Pittsburgh Air Force base, and a former U.S. Congressman, told Skift in his first interview since his name surfaced as a potential candidate to be the U.S.’s next chief aviation regulator.

A New California Law Could Make Your Next Car Rental More Expensive
(The New York Times)  For more than 30 years, California had prohibited rental car companies from charging for additional drivers. Not anymore.

Austin Says Current Operations Give Hints of New National Defense Strategy
(US Department of Defense)  People interested in the new National Defense Strategy can see some of it in play as the United States and its allies face Russian aggression in Eastern Europe, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III said during his recent trip to Warsaw.

The Problems with the Defense-Industrial Base Aren’t About the Contractors
(Defense News)  The report released by the Pentagon this week, titled the “State of Competition within the Defense Industrial Base,” tackles a serious subject that Defense News readers know is vital to national security. However, the report misses an important step by failing to articulate clearly the problems its recommendations are trying to fix.

Is Our Space Partnership with Russia Immune from Earthly Conflicts?
(The Hill)  The International Space Station (ISS) partnership has been a rare bright spot in our relationship with Russia for more than 20 years. Will this cooperation last indefinitely? Is our space partnership immune from Earthly concerns?

Don’t Trust the Process: Moving from Words to Actions on the Indo-Pacific Posture
(War on the Rocks)  Far from being a deterrent to aggression, American military bases in Asia are a tempting target. U.S. Indo-Pacific bases are vulnerable to myriad Chinese attacks. Actions to address these problems have been tardy and insufficient, despite repeated Pentagon statements prioritizing U.S. posture in the region.

‘Lead Wing’ Plan for Air Force Deployments Takes Shape at Nine Bases
(AirForceTimes)  The Air Force’s blueprint for deploying more responsive, better-trained teams is coming into focus this year, as 10 wings across the service, including two at one base, prepare for new roles in combat operations. Last month’s announcement of which units will act as “lead wings” — the main group in charge of a team of aircraft from different bases and wings — sheds light on how the service views future air warfare.

The Indo-Pacific Strategy Needs Indo-Specifics
(Defense One)  The Biden administration’s newly released Indo-Pacific Strategy embraces many of the priorities and initiatives adopted by the Trump administration. Unfortunately, the strategy and its accompanying fact sheet are surprisingly thin on details, methods, and means for confronting America’s most daunting challenge in the Indo-Pacific: the rise of an increasingly belligerent and nationalist People’s Republic of China.

More Companies May Have to Get a CMMC Assessment After All
(Federal News Network)  The Pentagon’s revamped Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program is moving forward under the Defense Department chief information officer, but DoD is rolling back an aspect of the plan that would have allowed some 40,000 companies to self-attest to their cybersecurity practices.

USAF Should Take Advantage of Secondhand Parts Market, Pentagon Nominee Says
(Air Force Magazine)  As the Air Force looks to boost its aging aircraft’s mission capable rates and to control sustainment costs, the Defense Department should encourage the service to take full advantage of the secondhand market for parts, the nominee to lead the Pentagon’s sustainment enterprise told Congress on Feb. 15.

Russia and China Show Solidarity, But Their Interests Are Not All the Same
(CNBC)  Russia and China may be closer than they’ve been in decades, but the two countries don’t have identical interests, according to the director of the Wilson Center’s Kissinger Institute on China and the United States.

The $76 Billion Cost of a Yearlong Continuing Resolution
(Defense One)  Unless Congress acts soon, the Defense Department will operate for the rest of the year under a “continuing resolution,” which handcuffs this year’s funding to last year’s priorities. This would be deeply misguided at a moment when the world is as dangerous as it’s been in decades. 

US Navy Eyes 3D Printing for Submarine Parts to Ease Burden on Strained Industrial Base
(Defense News)  Among the top risks to the critical Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine program is fragility in key parts of the industrial base. Additive manufacturing, better known as 3D printing, could fix that.

CMMC Program Moved to the Office of DOD Chief Information Officer
(FedScoop)  The Department of Defense’s Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program has been moved to the office of the chief information officer, according to a memo signed by the deputy secretary of defense.

Ocean Shipping Reform Act to Strength FMC Reaches U.S. Senate
(The Maritime Executive)  The U.S. Senate is set to take up reform of the federal regulations for the global shipping industry focusing on the challenges that American exporters have been experiencing due to port congestion and disruptions in the global supply chain.

People at the Center: Talent, Education, and Modernization – PODCAST
(War on the Rocks)  The armed services are modernizing across the board, perhaps most importantly in the closely related areas of talent development, education, and data. Maj. Gen. Andrea Tullos of the U.S. Air Force, Brig. Gen. Charles Lombardo of the U.S. Army, and former Deputy Under Secretary of Defense Al Schaffer discuss how these changes might unfold.

FAA, Wireless Companies Agree on Steps to Deploy 5G Towers Near Airports
(The Hill)  The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has announced that it worked out a solution with Verizon and AT&T to deploy additional 5G C-Band towers near airports without disrupting flights.

FAR & Beyond: Addressing the Impact of Inflation on Government Contracts
(The Coalition for Government Procurement)  Supply chain challenges and inflation are having a negative impact on businesses across the economy.  The federal procurement system, a subset of that economy, is not immune to these impacts.

Congress in Jeopardy of Missing Shutdown Deadline 
(The Hill)  Congressional negotiators are in danger of missing the Feb. 18 deadline for passing an omnibus package of the annual appropriations for fiscal 2022. A shutdown is unlikely, but members of the Senate Appropriations Committee from both parties warn that if negotiators blow through the mid-February deadline, it increases the likelihood that Biden will have to settle for a yearlong stopgap funding measure to keep the government open.

What If Moscow Cancels Airline Overflight Rights?
(Defense One)  The world is watching Russia, worrying that it might invade Ukraine or launch military assaults against NATO member states. But Moscow may, true to form, decide to do something completely different. And to throw the West into turmoil, the Kremlin would only need to take one simple administrative measure: suspend Western airlines’ overflight rights.

Military May Take Months to Gauge 5G Safety Risks to Aircraft
(Defense News)  As the commercial airline and telecommunications industries scramble to limit the potential safety risks to aircraft from a rollout of new 5G networks, it may be months before the U.S. military has a handle on whether, or how big, of a problem this might be for its own planes.

The Military is Preparing for a ‘Space Superhighway,’ Complete with Pit Stops
(Defense One)  USTRANSCOM and the Space Force see a future space superhighway system where the US, commercial partners, and allies would be able to make repeat, regular trips to the moon or beyond by using multiple hubs where they could gas up, have maintenance done, and even throw out their trash. Now they’re thinking about getting those orbiting pit stops up and running sooner rather than later. Because it’s not just about making the journey more comfortable, it’s about preventing China from building the hubs first.

Austin Places 8,500 Troops on Heightened Readiness to Deploy to Europe
(DOD News)  Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III has placed 8,500 U.S. service members to heightened preparedness to deploy given Russia’s continuing provocations along its border with Ukraine, according to Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby.

U.S. Army Corps Gets $14B for Ports, Waterway and Costal Investments
(The Maritime Executive)  The White House has announced the next phase of investments planned to enhance America’s waterways and ports to strengthen the supply chain as well as repair damage and provide future defense against flooding and other impacts of climate change.

Military Chiefs Sound Alarm at Proposal to Hold 2022 Spending to Last Year’s Level
(Defense One)  The recent passage of the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act showed overwhelming bipartisan agreement that the Pentagon needs more money. But military leaders are sounding alarm bells as the defense appropriations bill remains stalled amid larger budget fights and support grows for the notion of freezing the rest of the year’s defense spending at last year’s levels.

Modern Logistics System Aids, Tracks Air Force Inventory
(US Air Force)  Want to know how many aircraft tires or satellites are in the Department of the Air Force asset inventory? The Integrated Logistics System – Supply, or ILS-S, has the answer.

Go Small or Go Home: Understanding Affiliation Rules for Set-Aside Contracts
(Federal News Network)  Many small businesses, as well as their teaming partners. do not understand how the Small Business Administration determines whether a company is small or the various ways in which a small business can unintentionally lose its status as a small business. Understanding these concepts is critical to remaining eligible to bid and receive set-aside contracts.

Where Have All the Pilots Gone?
(FLYING Magazine)  We’ve all heard plenty about the shortage of commercial and corporate pilots in the U.S. It’s affected travel, business, and everything in between. We all know it’s happening, but where did these pilots go?

Gen. David H. Berger on the Marine Corps of the Future
(War on the Rocks)  From talent management to force transformation, listen to or read a wide-ranging conversation with Gen. David H. Berger, Commandant of the Marine Corps about what his Service needs to become in order to remain a top-tier fighting force.

Pentagon’s Ponderous Budget Process is Next Target for Congressional Reform
(Federal News Network)  After having spent several years tinkering with the Defense Department’s acquisition rules, Congress is turning its attention to one of the other main factors that bog down the DoD procurement system: The byzantine apparatus the Pentagon and lawmakers use to actually fund each military program.

New National Defense Strategy to Be Released Early 2022
(Defense One)  A new National Defense Strategy is expected to be released early next year following the release of the other strategic documents, according to the Pentagon’s top policy official.

The US Just Ended Combat in Iraq, but Thousands of Troops Will Stay Put for Now
(Military.com)  The U.S. military ended its combat operations in Iraq this week under terms from an earlier agreement, though thousands of troops will remain in the country, for now, the Pentagon said Thursday.

Army Would Have 5 ‘Core Tasks’ in a Pacific Conflict
(Defense One) The Army will have five “core tasks” in an Indo-Pacific conflict, which it can accomplish without a dramatic expansion of its permanent presence, according to Army Secretary Christine Wormuth.

The Household Goods Contract is Protested — Again — with Military Families Caught in the Middle
(Military Times)  Two unsuccessful bidders have filed protests of the recently awarded $6.2 billion contract aimed at fixing the long-standing problems with moving service members’ household goods.

TSA Issues Directives to Rail Sector to Strengthen Cybersecurity
(The Hill)  The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has issued two security directives requiring rail and rail transit groups to implement steps to strengthen cybersecurity of the sector, including a requirement to report cyber incidents to the federal government.

Biden Signs CR to Avoid Government Shutdown, Extend Federal Funding through February
(Federal News Network)  President Joe Biden signed a continuing resolution Friday to keep funding federal government operations for another three months, avoiding a government shutdown that would otherwise have happened on Friday evening. It extends current funding levels through Feb. 18.

Space Force Developing “Freight Train to Space” for Smallsats
(Space News)  The U.S. Space Force plans to demonstrate later this year two approaches to provide rides to space for small satellites and hosted payloads, including a version of a common adapter equipped with a propulsion system.

Biden Approves Global Posture Review Recommendations
(DOD News)  President Joe Biden has accepted the recommendations formed by Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III on the global posture review, said Mara Karlin, performing the duties of deputy undersecretary of defense for policy.

Key Pentagon Posts Remain Vacant Amid Supply-Chain Crisis
(Defense One)  When the coronavirus spread and millions of employees around the country were told to work from home, the Pentagon’s acquisition and sustainment office mobilized to figure out how to safely keep open companies critical to national security. Every day, top officials would hold a conference call with major trade organizations representing the bulk of defense firms to figure out supply-chain chokepoints and exemptions to stay-at-home orders. But the office has been leaderless since Jan. 19 and those government-industry conference calls have stopped.

Here’s How the Selection of a Single Contractor to Arrange PCS Moves Might Help
(MilitaryTimes)  The selection of a single company to arrange military moves worldwide will improve every part of the process for service members and their families, from scheduling the move to filing claims for loss and damage, said the CEO of the company that has just been awarded the $6.2 billion contract.

If the Russian Military Crashes Through a Forest, Will NATO Hear a Sound?
(DefenseNews)  Russian military forces have massed on the border with Ukraine as well as in Russian-occupied Crimea. Some experts consider a major Russian offensive increasingly probable. So concerned is Washington that, earlier this month, U.S. officials warned NATO allies that another Russian invasion of Ukraine may be imminent. The question now confronting NATO is whether and how to react.

Latest Supply Chain Challenge: China’s Terrestrial AIS Data Blackout
(American Shipper)  Since China began implementing its new privacy laws on Nov. 1, many Chinese automatic identification system (AIS) terrestrial providers have stopped transmitting data until they understand the regulations, resulting in an incomplete picture of vessels in the ports.

Defense Policy Amendments Pour in Ahead of Floor Action
(Roll Call)  With the Senate expected to consider its version of the annual defense policy bill as soon as next week, senators have already filed hundreds of amendments.

Chinese Mock-Ups of US Carriers Send a Clear Message, Expert Says
(Stars and Stripes)  Chinese-built mock-ups of U.S. warships and aircraft meant for target practice send a clear message to the United States military, a maritime security expert with a Washington D.C.-based think tank said recently.

Biden’s $1T Infrastructure Bill Historic, Not Transformative
(The Seattle Times)  The $1 trillion infrastructure bill that President Joe Biden signs into law represents a historic achievement at a time of deeply fractured politics. But the compromises needed to bridge the political divide suggest that the spending might not be as transformative as Biden has promised for the U.S. economy.

Quantum Sensor Breakthrough Paves Way For GPS-Free Navigation
(Defense One)  Quantum science—one of the Pentagon’s top research priorities—may be about to deliver on its longtime promise of an alternative to GPS.

NASA, Space Force See Growing Opportunities to Use Commercial Space Services
(SpaceNews)  NASA’s chief economist Alexander MacDonald said aggressive competition for space agency contracts is “one of the most exciting things that we’re seeing.” Competitive forces in the industry are going to help drive down the cost of what he called “core elements of human space exploration.”

Roads, Transit, Internet: What’s In the Infrastructure Bill
(AP News)  The $1 trillion infrastructure plan that now goes to President Joe Biden to sign into law has money for roads, bridges, ports, rail transit, safe water, the power grid, broadband internet, and more.

USTRANSCOM Awards Contract to Improve the Moving Process for Service Members and Their Families
[US Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM)]  USTRANSCOM has awarded the Global Household Goods Contract (GHC), worth an estimated $6.2 Billion to HomeSafe Alliance, LLC, of Houston. The contract provides complete door-to-door global household goods relocation transportation and warehouse services worldwide for Department of Defense (DOD) personnel, U.S. Coast Guard members, and other federal employees.

Federal and State Leaders Laud the Benefits of a Hybrid Cloud Approach
(FedScoop)  As government agencies accelerate their modernization efforts, the cost and complexity of moving that data is prompting leaders to explore hybrid cloud computing. One model that organizations are exploring is the ability to bring cloud capabilities on-premises, where their primary enterprise data, applications, and workloads reside.

The Future of War and America’s Strategic Capacity
[Institute for the Study of War (ISW)] The world is not in an era of change; it is in the midst of a change of era, affecting almost every aspect of individual and communal life. The amount and velocity of change will continue to increase along with the probability of conflict. Correspondingly, the importance of thinking and acting at the strategic level is rising as well. Now a new report by ISW aims to address these realities.

Don’t Assume the US Will Fight China and Russia One at a Time
(Defense One) China and Russia last week conducted their first-ever joint naval patrol in the western Pacific following a combined exercise in the Sea of Japan, highlighting the deepening defense cooperation between America’s preeminent competitors. While U.S. military planners have long hoped and often assumed that any conflicts with China and Russia might come one at a time, that assumption is increasingly questionable and even dangerous.

White House Gives Federal Contractors Flexibility in Enforcing Vaccine Mandate
(The Hill) The Biden administration is giving federal contractors flexibility to decide how to enforce COVID-19 vaccination requirements for workers, according to new guidance from the White House.

House Extends Highway Funding to Dec. 3 Amid Delayed Infrastructure Vote
(The Hill)  The House has passed yet another short-term extension of highway and transit construction programs in order to avert thousands of worker furloughs and halted projects. Another short-term patch was passed about a month ago when House Democrats were unable to clear the Senate-passed bipartisan infrastructure bill that would renew the highway programs for five years.

Buy American: Biden Sees Industry Pushback as Allies Warn of Trade Consequences
(Defense News) Since taking office, President Biden has taken executive action to boost Buy American requirements, but ― in spite of loopholes to protect allied countries ― not everyone is happy about it. The defense industry is pushing back, wary the protectionist policy will trigger a backlash that shuts out American-made weapons and gear from overseas markets.

Bus Industry Raises Alarm, Asks Congress for Pandemic Relief
(The Hill)  Officials representing the private bus industry fear it could disappear unless Congress steps in, a coronavirus pandemic casualty that would wreak havoc on intercity travel, school buses, tourism, military transportation, and disaster relief.

Military Families Can See Moving Company Red Flags on New Website
(Military.com)  The military rolled out a new website service this week for military families on permanent change of station, or PCS, orders that shows whether moving companies are regularly on time or have been suspended at some point.

Army Explores ‘Exportable’ CTC Rotations for Training Pacific Troops
(ArmyTimes)  During the Global War on Terror, rotations to the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, CA, and the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, LA, became a universal experience for Soldiers. But they have also long been a headache for planners, especially those in HI and AK. Now, the Army is bringing JRTC out to HI for its first-ever “home-station Combat Training Center rotation.”

DoD’s Commercial Buying Challenges
(Federal News Network)  One of the many questions that will face the Biden administration this year is how to improve defense acquisition. A central challenge has been the inability of the Department of Defense to attract non-traditional suppliers, who often make most of their revenue in the commercial sector.

KC-46 Gets New Refueling Approvals for TRANSCOM Missions
(Defense News)  The KC-46 Pegasus is now able to refuel the Air Force’s fourth-generation fighter jets during missions for U.S. Transportation Command, expanding the service’s air refueling capacity and the capability of its newest tanker.

White House: Walmart, FedEx, UPS to Go 24/7 to Address Supply Bottlenecks
(The Hill)  Major goods carriers Walmart, FedEx and UPS will move to working 24 hours a day, seven days a week in order to address the global supply chain bottlenecks, the White House announced last week.

How China Is Planning For a Tech Decoupling
(Defense One)  Rising tensions between the U.S. and China and the recognition of a new kind of race for technological advantage has led Washington to tighten restrictions on Chinese companies’ access to critical technologies and to reevaluate the China-U.S. STEM talent pipeline. China is responding with preparations for a lengthy tech competition and decoupling.

How the Army Plans to Deal with ‘Tons’ of Stuff Brought Back From Afghanistan
(Federal News Network)  The Army famously left behind physical assets when the Biden administration ordered the sudden pullout from Afghanistan. But the Army also airlifted tons and tons of vehicles, weapons, ordnance, and other gear.

Four-Star Spotlights Key Problem Areas for the Army in the Pacific
(ArmyTimes)  When Gen. Charles Flynn scans about half the globe to keep his Army forces ready in the Pacific, there are three key areas that pull his attention.

Those are the southeast, western and northern areas surrounding Singapore.

Can’t Sail Away From Cyber Attacks: ‘Sea-Hacking From Land
(War on the Rocks)  The vast bulk of the world’s critical economic and military traffic passes through a handful of narrow strategic waterways known as “maritime chokepoints.” While these waterways have always been prey to pirates, weather, and maritime accidents, these perils are now joined by maritime cyber attacks — whether conducted for ransom, malicious disruption, piracy, or as part of larger geopolitical conflicts.

Mind the ‘Middle Powers’ Gap
(Defense One)  While pivoting from terrorism to great powers, the U.S. should pay far more attention to those countries caught in the struggle between democracy and authoritarianism.

Why Small Businesses Are Essential to US National Security
(Business Insider)  Over the past decade, an alarming trend has emerged as the number of small-business suppliers in the federal marketplace — specifically in the defense marketplace — has declined. If this decline continues at the current pace, our nation is at risk of losing key domestic capabilities.

JAIC Thinks AI Might Solve DoD’s Struggles with Contract Writing Systems
(Federal News Network)  The Defense Department has been trying to move the military services and Defense agencies to a single, modernized contract writing system for a decade now. And although those efforts have seen major setbacks, DoD’s Joint Artificial Intelligence Center thinks it might be possible to build one with AI and to have something to show for it as early as next March.

DHS Adds Cyber Requirements for Transportation Industry
(Federal Computer Week) Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has announced that the government will add requirements for cybersecurity information sharing to companies in the transportation sector.

Bill Would Create Supply Chain Crisis Office Within Commerce Department
(Nextgov)  Bipartisan legislation recently introduced in the House would create a Supply Chain Resiliency and Crisis Office within the Commerce Department to address shortages of critical goods and services, industrial equipment, and certain manufacturing technologies.

Here’s How the New Continuing Resolution Will Frustrate the Pentagon
(Defense News) The Pentagon isn’t facing a government shutdown, thanks to an emergency budget extension passed Thursday. But that doesn’t mean top officials are without budget worries.

Is This the Next US Military Base in Europe?
(Defense One)  Lithuania built Camp Herkus to woo a permanent contingent of American troops. But the Biden administration is far from convinced.

House Passes 30-Day Surface Transportation Funding Extension Amid Infrastructure Stalemate
(The Hill)  The House on Friday night passed legislation to reauthorize funding for highway and transit construction programs that lapsed the day before in an effort to avert thousands of worker furloughs and interrupted projects.

Future-Proofing Merchant Mariners
(The Maritime Executive)  With declarations that the age of unmanned navigation is upon us, merchant mariners may worry that they’ll soon be unemployed. Yet as shipping technology evolves, they’re likely to find themselves in need of retraining rather than out of a job. To burnish their skills, many turn to maritime academies.

DoD, VA Officials Prep for a Possible Government Shutdown Later This Week
(Defense News)  In anticipation of a possible government shutdown later this week, leaders from the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs have begun warning employees of possible office closures, program interruptions, and potential furloughs that will result from a budget lapse.

Operation DGAR: A Collective Effort to Repatriate Stranded Mariners During a Global Pandemic
(gCaptain)  By the spring of 2020, COVID-19 restrictions on travel had stranded hundreds of mariners on 13 commercial and U.S. government-owned ships based on and around the remote island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. What to do? This is how Operation DGAR was born.

What to Expect When You’re Expecting a National Defense Strategy
(War on the Rocks)  The new National Defense Strategy that the Biden administration is writing should reckon with the challenges and the ramifications of rapidly expanding global threats. Conservatives and progressives alike share the goal of better securing the United States and its interests. Read some ideas for how the National Defense Strategy should do this.

U.S. TRANSCOM Again Delays Contract Aimed at Fixing Problems with Household Goods Moves
(Military Times)  U.S. Transportation Command officials have again delayed the award of a new contract aimed at improving household goods moves for military members and their families. The contract will be awarded “no earlier than” late October, said Andre Kok, a spokesman for TRANSCOM.

House Transportation Reps in GOP Press for Truck Parking
(Transport Topics)  With the U.S. House scheduled to consider key aspects of President Joe Biden’s infrastructure agenda this week, a group of Republican lawmakers continues to advocate for additional access to truck parking.

Federal Cyber Agencies Call Zero Trust ‘New Normal’ of Security, Partnering to Implement
(Federal News Network)  Still wondering what the “new normal” will look like? Federal cyber leaders say it looks an awful lot like zero trust — at least on the IT side of things.

You Need to Protect Yourself From Zero-Click Attacks
(Popular Science)  After Citizen Lab, a cybersecurity watchdog group that’s spent years tracking digital threats, examined the contents of a Saudi activist’s phone, researchers quickly discovered that it was infected. But the phone wasn’t infected with just any virus. It was infected with NSO Group’s zero-click Pegasus spyware—software that does not even require people to click on a link in order to get the infection.

US Air Force Developing Combat Tanker-Airlifter that Can Land on Water
(Defense One)  The U.S. Air Force is working on detachable pontoons and other modifications for its MC-130J Commando II that could enable special forces to rely less on land-based runways in future conflicts, the service said Monday.

Auditors, Contractors Hang in the Balance as Defense Overhauls Cybersecurity Certification Program
(Nextgov)  Hundreds of individuals have paid for their place in line to take an exam that would qualify them to perform cybersecurity assessments of defense contractors that may no longer be necessary after the department reexamines its Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program.

Trade Versus Subs: The Risky U.S. Tradeoff in the Asia-Pacific
(Council on Foreign Relations)  In the decades to come which will matter more, a dozen more nuclear subs on the U.S. side of the ledger or a trade pact that could draw many of the world’s largest economies ever-closer toward China?

Lack of Access to Data During Afghanistan Exit Shines Light on Tech Gap
(C4ISRNet)  The U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan prompted Pentagon officials working on the Joint All-Domain Command and Control concept to ask: Do troops have access to data they need on the ground, absent of an adversary capable of disrupting that access? The answer was “no.”

White House Announces Target of 20 Percent Aviation Emissions Reduction by 2030
(The Hill)  The Biden administration has announced a series of industry-backed actions aimed at reducing the climate impact of air travel, with a goal of cutting aviation emissions by 20 percent by 2030.

US: Afghan Evacuee Flights Halted From Two Key Military Bases
(Military Times)  The U.S. has halted all U.S.-bound flights of Afghan evacuees from two main bases overseas for unspecified “health safety concerns,” a move U.S. officials warn will have a severe impact on the evacuation operation.

DoD Wants Transformational 2023 Budget, But Will Take Some Cuts to Pay For It
(Federal News Network)  The leaders of the military services are promising a transformative 2023 budget, even though it seems unlikely that the Biden administration will increase the Defense Department’s budget. What the services are teasing at for 2023 is a realization of about five years of work to modernize the military and develop innovative capabilities that use artificial intelligence, man-machine teaming, hypersonics, long-range precision arms, and other advancements.

SPOTLIGHT ON AFGHANISTAN

• The Kabul Airlift in 5 Charts
• Airline Employees Took On New Mission in Afghanistan Conflict’s Final Days: Getting Evacuees to the U.S.
• What Went Wrong in Afghanistan?
• Calculating the Costs of the Afghanistan War in Lives, Dollars and Years

New Artificial Intelligence Initiatives, Buy American Increase Advancing in House NDAA
(Federal News Network)  The House Armed Services Committee advanced a fiscal year 2022 policy bill this week that would boost military artificial intelligence efforts and increase Buy American requirements, among numerous other provisions added to the legislation. The big news from the committee’s markup came when it voted by a 42-17 margin to increase the FY 22 national defense budget by $25 billion beyond President Biden’s request.

House Committee Votes to Temporarily Postpone Space Command Relocation
(The Hill)  U.S. Space Command won’t be switching from Colorado to Alabama just yet after a recent House panel vote stalled the transfer.

Opinion: Ascendancy: The Space Warfighter Mindset
(Schriever Sentinel)  Ascendancy is the occupation of a position of preeminence, power, or influence. To dominate in space, ascendancy must be our mindset. Space as a warfighting domain is a reality—being a warfighter in the space domain is a realization. Ascendancy starts with awareness but must become actualized.

CMMC Board Chief Talks Assessors, IT Staff
(Defense Systems)  What’s standing between defense contractors and the upcoming cyber assessments? A bit of IT. Matt Travis, the CEO for the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification Accreditation Body, said training and IT access to the Defense Department’s Enterprise Mission Assurance Support Service (eMASS) application, which will house CMMC data, still needs to be finalized for the third-party organizations that will be charged with conducting cyber assessments.

‘Food Fight’: Lawmakers Jockey for $6B in Funding After Afghan Military’s Collapse
(Politico)  Roughly $6 billion that was either approved or will be approved for Afghan military training is now up for grabs after Kabul’s collapse last week, and the jockeying among lawmakers to find a new home for that money has begun. The numbers include almost $3 billion unspent from fiscal years 2020 and 2021, and $3.3 billion requested by the Pentagon to train and equip the Afghan army, air force and national police in 2022.

A Better Approach to Organizing Combatant Commands
(War on the Rocks)  Future conflicts, especially against near-peer countries, are increasingly likely to be global in today’s interconnected world, not confined within the borders of existing U.S. combatant commands. To succeed in the global competition of today and in the potential conflicts of tomorrow, the United States should find a better way to organize its defense, one that is not beholden to implicit but unnecessary assumptions about what a combatant command should be.

Defense Secretary Orders US Airlines to Help with Evacuation
(Defense One)  Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered the Civil Reserve Air Fleet to activate, requesting 18 aircraft from the U.S. airlines to help in the evacuation of Afghans and Americans. This is the third time in history that the military has mobilized the U.S. airlines to help with a military evacuation.

TRANSCOM Boss Vows to Ramp Up What Is Already One of the Largest Airlift Operations in History
(Air Force Times)  The head of U.S. Transportation Command, the military organization spearheading the massive humanitarian evacuation effort in Afghanistan, said Monday he expects to ramp up flights out of the country even further as the Aug. 31 deadline to withdraw all American troops and Afghan allies approaches.

New Navy Approach to Supply Chain Elevates Data-Driven Decisions to C-Suite
(Federal News Network)  Last October, when the Navy began its latest effort to examine its vast supply and logistics enterprise, officials realized they had what was, in essence, a too-many-cooks-in-the-galley problem. In the span of less than a year, a new initiative called Naval Sustainment System-Supply (NSS-S) has made a measurable dent in those problems.

Fuel-Efficient Tech Available for Trucks Via Proposed Legislation
(Transport Topics)  Legislation that would establish a program at the U.S. Department of Energy to assist the trucking industry with the adoption of fuel-efficient technologies recently was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The Space Force Met Its 18-Month Deadline to Get Up and Running. Here’s What’s Next.
(Air Force Times)  When Congress created the U.S. Space Force in December 2019, the Pentagon hadn’t launched a new military service since 1947. Lawmakers wanted the idea to become reality in just 18 months—a deadline met earlier this summer. Now, it turns from tackling the first organizational steps to the meat of becoming an effective warfighting branch.

The Senate Just Passed a Massive Infrastructure Bill. Here’s What’s in It
(Time)  The Senate approved a sweeping $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill on Tuesday that includes a substantial increase in funding for roads, broadband, and energy usage, marking a major step forward in President Joe Biden’s economic agenda as the nation continues to recover from the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.

It’s Time for a National Maritime Strategy
(Breaking Defense)  Like its predecessors, the sea services’ most recent policy statement, Advantage at Sea, concentrates on naval operations and almost completely ignores the US maritime industry. This is a missed opportunity.

China Reportedly Converted Civilian Ferries for Amphibious Assault Operations
(Defense News)  China has converted civilian ferries for use in military amphibious operations, potentially enabling the country to significantly surge its amphibious assault capabilities in a contingency like a Taiwan invasion, according to a new report.

NIST Revises Flagship Cyber Resiliency Guidance
(FedScoop)  The National Institute of Standards and Technology released the first-ever revision to its flagship cyber resiliency guidance with updated controls and a single threat taxonomy Thursday.

Floating Robot Gas Station to Get Pentagon Trial
(Defense One)  The Defense Department is set to trial a full-scale autonomous ocean-going replenishment system comprised of technology-driven kits that transform existing barges into self-moving platforms that can land and refuel military aircraft. They’ll make up a network of smart, floating military gas or resupply stations.

Here’s What’s in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill
(CNN Politics)  A bipartisan group of senators unveiled the legislative text of the infrastructure bill on Sunday night after months of negotiations. In total, the deal includes $550 billion in new federal investments in America’s infrastructure over five years.

From Ports to Rail Yards, Global Supply Lines Struggle Amid Virus Outbreaks in the Developing World
(The Washington Post)  Fresh coronavirus outbreaks are forcing factory shutdowns in countries such as Vietnam and Bangladesh, aggravating supply chain disruptions that could leave some U.S. retailers with empty shelves as consumers begin their back-to-school shopping. The overseas work stoppages are just the latest twist in almost 18 months of pandemic-related manufacturing and transportation woes.

Sea Power Panel Backs Block Buy of Amphibious Ships
(Defense News)  A House panel has advanced a proposal to authorize the Navy to make a block buy of amphibious ships for one more year, meant to save taxpayer dollars, proponents say. The House Armed Services Committee’s seapower subpanel voted to adopt the plans, part of an amendment from Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA). As expected, lawmakers also advanced the broader sea power mark for the sweeping fiscal 2022 National Defense Authorization Act.

The US Army’s New Iron Triangle: The Coming Budget Crunch and Its Implications for Modernization
(Defense News)  The Army believes it must prepare for three challenges, each with distinct implications for the future force. As a result, budget cuts will likely present the Army with something of an iron triangle among these challenges — at best only able to afford a future force prepared for two, but not all three.

Updating Space Doctrine: How to Avoid World War II
(War on the Rocks) What should the United States do if one of its satellites were attacked and the Pentagon had no way to respond in space? The answer to this question is surprisingly revealing about Washington’s space policy.

Senate Panel Adds $25B to Biden’s Defense Budget
(The Hill) The Senate Armed Services Committee has approved a $778 billion defense policy bill, adding nearly $25 billion more to the defense budget than the Biden administration requested. The funding boost would go entirely to the Pentagon, giving the department $740.3 billion compared to the Biden administration’s request for $715 billion.

Lawmakers Want Pentagon to Map Supply Chain Risks, Cut China Products
(Defense News) A bipartisan group of lawmakers wants to require the Pentagon in the upcoming defense policy bill to get a better handle on who sells the military critical technologies to reduce reliance Chinese-sourced products.

Warner Says ‘Time is Now’ for Cyber Incident Reporting Legislation
(Federal News Network) A new bipartisan bill in the Senate would require federal contractors, agencies, and critical infrastructure operators to report cyber intrusions to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency within 24 hours of discovery.

Biden Targets High Shipping Costs as Pandemic Ravages Global Supply Chains
(The Washington Post) President Biden recently called on regulators to crack down on consolidation in the shipping and rail industries, as part of a broad executive order promoting competition throughout the U.S. economy. Freight may seem a prosaic topic for presidential attention. But the smooth movement of goods has perhaps never been more essential, amid the explosion of e-commerce that accompanied the pandemic.

China’s Space Program Is More Military Than You Might Think
(Defense One) On the 4th of July, China celebrated its taikonauts’ first-ever spacewalk outside the country’s first permanent space station, the Tiangong (“Heavenly Palace”). The extravehicular activity marked yet another major step for the country’s ambitious space program and a vivid sign of what is to come.

Biden Nominates New Air Mobility Command Boss
(Air Force Times) President Joe Biden has nominated the military’s No. 2 officer in the Pacific to lead the Air Force’s tanker and transport branch. If approved by the Senate, Lt. Gen. Mike Minihan, deputy commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, would earn a promotion to four-star general and replace current Air Mobility Command boss Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost.

OVERWATCH PODCAST E55: New Technology, Deadlier Weapons, and Disinformation Campaigns: How Russia Sees the Future of Warfare
(Institute for the Study of War) Russian leaders have a very specific vision for the future of warfare, one that US leaders need to understand if they are to effectively counter Russian strategy and technology. This is the second podcast episode in a series examining the Russian understanding of hybrid war.

As New NATO Command Becomes Fully Operational, Top US Military Officer Issues Warning Over ‘Great Power War’
(Defense News) NATO and U.S. military leaders gathered at Joint Force Command Norfolk in Virginia on Thursday to celebrate full readiness of the first operational NATO headquarters in North America. The new command will be responsible for the Atlantic and Arctic regions.

New Pentagon Policy to Accelerate Use of 3D Printing Amid Fresh Cyber Concerns
(Federal News Network) Defense Department officials want to accelerate the adoption of additive manufacturing to solve frontline and logistical challenges alike under a recent policy change, even as the department’s watchdog raises new concerns about how the military secures its 3D printing systems.

Top 100 Defense Companies for 2021
(Defense News) Who are the largest defense companies in the world? Defense News just released its annual rankings.

Opinion: Strategic Sealift Is Broken – Which Direction Are We Headed?
(The Maritime Executive) There has been a slow and steady decline of the Strategic Sealift fleet. Read about issues have caused this decline, including mistakes that have been made in trying to correct them, and hear a few possible solutions to ensure the warfighters have the tools they need to quickly respond to emergent contingencies.

The German ‘New Space’ Industry Is Booming. So Why Isn’t Berlin Buying In?
(Defense News) While NATO allies like the United States and France are dedicating evermore resources to military space assets, Germany has articulated the importance of space, but has yet to put many actual euros behind the statement.

Overcoming the Diego Garcia Stalemate
(War on the Rocks) During a 2017 visit to India, then British foreign secretary, Boris Johnson failed to convince India’s government to restrain its ally Mauritius from launching a diplomatic offensive against Britain over sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago. Johnson and the UK government were most concerned about Diego Garcia, which is leased to the United States as a base for significant military and intelligence capabilities.

The US Desperately Needs a Civilian Cybersecurity Corps
(Defense One) Bipartisan legislation aims to augment the National Guard’s cyber reservists, but a wholly civilian component could be larger and more flexible.

Getting More Out of Defense Dollars
(The Heritage Foundation) Defense budgeteers face a “use it or lose it” situation every Sept. 30—driving all kinds of bizarre and inefficient behaviors. There are, however, ways Congress can help alleviate this situation.

Fix the Pacific Deterrence Fund—and the Deeper Problem It Reveals
(Defense One) The Pentagon’s plan to deter China is rightly coming under fire from Congress and national security experts for double-counting planned procurement and not pursuing the missile defense, interoperability, and training investments requested by two Indo-Pacific Command chiefs. But in addition to falling short of INDOPACOM’s needs, the new defense budget fails to address the more important underlying problem: combatant commanders cannot properly organize and integrate forces in theater to tackle their most challenging operational problems.

Procurement Should Take Ownership Over Transportation and Logistics
(Supply Chain Dive) Supply chain bottlenecks happen frequently. Recent delays in transpacific shipping are a reminder of that, and it’s all the more reason procurement should take responsibility for inbound and outbound shipments.

Lawmakers Tee Up Legislation to Push DoD, Prime Contractors on Supply Chain Vulnerabilities
(Federal News Network) Prime contractors may hold the key to the Pentagon’s lack of visibility into supply chain vulnerabilities laid bare by COVID-19 last year, and House lawmakers are now preparing legislation to address the issue along with other supply challenges.

Democrats’ Two-Step Infrastructure Plan Draws Republican Ire
(Reuters) Hours after President Joe Biden declared “We have a deal” to renew the infrastructure of the United States, the Senate’s top Republican lashed out at plans to follow the $1.2 trillion bipartisan bill with another measure funding what Democrats call “human infrastructure.”

FAA and Air Force Sign Agreement on Commercial Launches from Space Force bases
(Air Force Times) The Department of the Air Force signed an agreement with the Federal Aviation Administration designed to eliminate red tape affecting commercial rocket launches at U.S. Space Force ranges, the agencies announced June 21.

Labor, Driver Shortages Delay Commercial, Military Moves
(Transport Topics) The moving industry is facing mammoth labor and truck driver shortages during the peak military moving season and an explosion of moving demands in the commercial market, possibly delaying unscheduled summer moves until August or September, according to American Trucking Associations’ Moving and Storage Conference.

Robert C. O’Brien: The Jones Act Is Essential for U.S. National Security
(The National Interest) The world is a dangerous place and the original purpose of the Jones Act is still relevant. Just imagine a future without the Jones Act, where Chinese-flagged vessels all controlled, in whole or in part, by the Chinese Communist Party—were able to freely dock at our domestic ports, cruise our coastlines, and travel up and down our inland waterways…

Biden-Putin Summit: Key Takeaways From an ‘All Business’ Meeting in Geneva
(NBC News) President Joe Biden said Wednesday that he made it clear in his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin that the U.S. will act against Russia if it continues with behavior that harms America’s interests—even as Washington keeps trying to find areas of common ground.

Defeat Is Possible
(War on the Rocks) If the United States is to have a reasonable hope of winning a war, it needs to think very seriously about what it would be like to lose. For years, analysts have warned the US and its allies might not prevail in a high-level conflict with a near-peer adversary. While Russia and China fall short of the US in overall military power, they enjoy local overmatch in key theaters that might allow them to defeat US forces.

Austin Signs Internal Directive to Unify Department’s China Efforts
(US Department of Defense) Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III has issued an internal directive to laser-focus Department of Defense efforts to address China as the nation’s number one pacing challenge.

Senate Commerce Committee’s Bipartisan $78B Surface Transportation Bill Advances
(Railway Age) The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation has passed its five-year surface transportation bill authorizing $78 billion for rail, freight, safety and research programs.

Hack the Army Uncovers 238 Cyber “Vulnerabilities”
(Breaking Defense) The third annual Hack the Army event uncovered 238 security vulnerabilities—102 rated “high” or “critical”—in Army tech. “We cannot afford a ‘next time we will do better’ mentality,” said one Defense Digital Service participant.

What 5G Will Actually Do for the U.S. Military
(Defense One) Imagine a city where a self-driving electric car anticipates when and where to pick you up. There is no traffic, because every vehicle is in constant communication with every other car and traffic light. That internet-of-things enabled city of the future looks a lot like the experiments with ubiquitous 5G cellular networking the military is doing today.

DoD Calls for Whole-of-Government Effort to Improve Critical Supply Chains
(Federal News Network) The Defense Department said it will need at least $1 billion over the next five years to strengthen its stockpile of critical materials. The recommendation comes from a report mandated by the White House that looked at supply chain issues at DoD, the Commerce Department, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Energy Department.

The Truth About Tripwires: Why Small Force Deployments Do Not Deter Aggression
(Texas National Security Review) A pillar of American grand strategy since 1945 has been the deployment of forces—sometimes smaller and sometimes larger—abroad. A key logic underpinning smaller deployments is that they serve as tripwires: Attacking them is assumed to inevitably trigger broader intervention, deterring aggression. We question this logic.

U.S. Navy Wants to Decommission Six Littoral Combat Ships
(The Maritime Executive) The U.S. Navy is doing what it can to high-grade its troubled fleet of Littoral Combat Ships, repairing persistent defects in the best vessels while attempting to dispose of the worst – including two Freedom-class ships that are just a few years old.

What Blockchain Tells Us about the Pentagon’s Innovation Struggles
(Defense One) A shared digital ledger whose every transaction is preserved in mathematical amber, blockchain can offer transparency, trustworthiness, and immutability—qualities of obvious value to the world of defense acquisition. But to the U.S. defense industry, blockchain is just another small-company innovation that the Pentagon has failed to grasp, and it is instructive to look at why.

America’s Allies and Enemies Will Take Note of Biden’s Low-Priority Defense Budget
(The Hill) It has not gone without notice that the word “defense” did not appear and that there was no mention of “great power competition” in the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) “Fact Sheet” that accompanied the release of the fiscal year 2022 budget. How allies, partners, and adversaries will interpret the absence of any mention of classic concepts of national security is anyone’s guess.

White House Launches Task Force to Address Supply Chain Disruptions
(NBC News) The White House announced Tuesday that it will establish a task force to address supply chain challenges in key sectors where “a mismatch between supply and demand has been evident.” The task force will focus on “homebuilding and construction, semiconductors, transportation, and agriculture and food” and will be led by the secretaries of commerce, agriculture and transportation, the White House said.

Space Force Seeks $832 Million in Classified Spending, New Missions and More in Annual Wish List
(C4ISRNet) The U.S. Space Force is asking Congress for $832 million over its $17.4 billion budget request for its unfunded priority list, an annual wish list of spending every service sends lawmakers. The request includes additional funding for dozens of programs, repairs to Space Force facilities, and $279 million in classified spending to “develop a warfighting punch.”

TRANSCOM Head Envisions Increased Intra-Theater Lift Demand
(Breaking Defense) America’s new way of war, soon to be articulated in the Joint Warfighting Concept, will require more and different intra-theater lift capabilities, says the outgoing head of Transportation Command GEN Stephen Lyons.

Eyeing China, Biden Defense Budget Boosts Research and Cuts Procurement
(Defense News) U.S. President Joe Biden’s first budget request for the Department of Defense slashes procurement by $8 billion, whacking scores of legacy weapons and systems as a way to deliver a $5.5 billion boost for the development and testing of cutting-edge technologies that could deter China. The $715 billion Pentagon request for fiscal 2022, which was sent to Congress Friday, represents an $11 billion increase and trails the rate of inflation.

Biden’s Budget Includes Boost for Transportation Purposes
(Transport Topics) President Joe Biden on May 28 unveiled a whopping $6 trillion budget proposal, which includes billions for provisions to boost transportation infrastructure. The budget, proposed for fiscal 2022 spending, will be considered by Congress, which actually sets the budget.

Connecting Partnerships for the Co-Production of Full-Spectrum Threat Intelligence
(Center for International Maritime Security) Traditional threats to global challenges of port security are now joined by threats including both physical and cyber-attacks, the potential for littoral terrorist operations—such as the maritime insertion of terrorists for the November 2008 Mumbai Attacks—and the potential for unmanned operations including aerial, surface, and underwater drones. These technological challenges will influence both state and non-state actors leading to new potentials for maritime conflict.

America Will Need the Jones Act Long After the Colonial Pipeline Crisis Is Resolved
(RealClear Defense) The disruption of the Colonial Pipeline was a devastating reminder of America’s vulnerabilities in an age of rapidly evolving threats. But while this should have been a moment for unification around national security priorities, some saw this crisis as an opportunity to propagate misguided and inaccurate attacks on the Jones Act.

Russia’s Latest Hack Shows How Useful ‘Criminal Groups’ Are to the Kremlin
(Defense One) Russian coders have little choice but to work with their government, which in turn denies any knowledge of their activities. That’s why hacking activity shows no sign of slowing.

Russia’s Northernmost Base Projects Its Power Across Arctic
(AP) Russia’s northernmost military base is bristling with missiles and radar and its extended runway can handle all types of aircraft, including nuclear-capable strategic bombers, projecting Moscow’s power and influence across the Arctic amid intensifying international competition for the region’s vast resources.

Can Special Ops Build a C-130 Seaplane?
(Breaking Defense) Air Force Special Operations Command is pushing to refit MC-130J aircraft to be able to take off and land in the water. An amphibious C-130 would give special operations forces another way to insert themselves in areas where US military leaders think will be most contested in the coming years — small island chains in the Pacific where Chinese forces have built a string of small bases contesting claims by rival nations.

The Pentagon Has Never Passed an Audit. Some Senators Want to Change That
(NPR) The Pentagon went through its first independent financial audit in 2017. But after three failed attempts, lawmakers are losing their patience. A new bill could impose financial penalties on the DOD.

37 Defense Industrial Base Companies Affected by SolarWinds Intrusion
(NextGov) Rear Adm. William Chase III, deputy principal cyber adviser to the defense secretary and director of the Protecting Critical Technology Task Force, said during a Senate Armed Services cyber subcommittee hearing that 37 companies reported exposures related to the SolarWinds intrusion. He also said that while the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification would not necessarily have prevented the intrusions, meeting certain CMMC requirements may have helped companies spot hackers’ movements.

Long-Term Partnerships with at Least Six African Countries Expected, SFAB Colonel Says
(Army Times) A recent deployment of Army advisors to Africa saw U.S. troops pull out of Somalia but increase their footprint on the continent, beginning training missions in Senegal, Kenya, and Ghana. COL Michael P. Sullivan, head of 2nd Security Force Assistance Brigade out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina, told reporters that he expects the SFAB mission in Africa to grow.

Active-Duty Troops Could Be Deployed Along the Southern Border Again
(Military Times) Thousands of National Guardsmen who’ve been rotating to the U.S.-Mexico border since 2018 are supposed to go home for good by Sept. 30, the chief of the National Guard Bureau told lawmakers on Tuesday, but because the Homeland Security Department wants that mission to continue, they could be replaced by active-duty troops.

We Should Not Underestimate China’s Military Ambitions
(The Dispatch) Americans, according to recent polls and surveys, increasingly view China as a leading threat to the United States. Waking up to the threat from China is a good thing. But Americans may still not fully appreciate how Beijing has used its growing economy to undertake the largest military modernization effort in the history of the People’s Republic of China.

New Guidance on Acquisition Requirements Coming This Month, Hyten Says
(Defense News) Under DOD’s still-in-the-works joint war-fighting concept, there are four subsidiary topics of focus: information advantage, joint command and control, fires, and contested logistics. By the end of May, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen John Hyten says strategic directives on speeding up the acquisition system for those four key areas will be published.

South Korea Plans to Invest $450 Billion to Become Chip ‘Powerhouse’
(NIKKEI Asia) South Korea is going all out to bolster its critical semiconductor industry, with the government on Thursday announcing a plan by companies to invest 510 trillion won ($451 billion) and beefed-up tax benefits to boost chipmakers’ competitiveness amid a critical global shortage of the key components.

Japan, US, France Hold Military Drill Eyeing China Presence
(Marine Times) Dozens of Japanese, American, and French troops landed amid pouring rain from a CH-47 transport helicopter onto a grassy field at a training area in southern Japan, part of Saturday’s joint scenario of defending a remote island from an enemy invasion.

US-China Rivalry: Will America’s New ‘Floating Base’ Heighten Tensions?
(South China Morning Post) The commissioning of a United States “floating naval base” will extend the military competition between the US and China into areas where China controls ports, according to defense experts.

CNO, Commandant: Services Have a Good Idea of How They’ll Fight, If Congress Helps Them with the Right Spending Plans
(USNI News) The chief of naval operations and commandant of the Marine Corps say they are increasingly clear on how they’d want to fight a peer adversary, what attributes would make their forces successful and what platforms they need to equip that force. Now, they just need help from Congress turning that into a budget everyone can agree upon, they say.

US and Singapore Armies Conduct 40th Annual Tiger Balm Exercise
(US Indo-Pacific Command) Celebrating a 40-year partnership, Exercise Tiger Balm is the longest-running bilateral exercise between the U.S. Army and the Singapore Armed Forces that occurred virtually on Singapore and Oahu, Hawaii, May 6-13, 2021. A U.S. Army Pacific (USARPAC) sponsored exercise conducted annually since 1981, the Tiger Balm aims to enhance regional security, interoperability, and country-to-country military relationships.

Strategic Predictability: Landpower in the Indo-Pacific
(War on the Rocks) The concept of a “free and open Indo-Pacific” could become a fleeting memory. Those committed to the region — especially the Army — should address this challenge. To that end, the Army is transforming landpower in the Indo-Pacific to engage in, and deliver operations across, the land, air, sea, space, and cyberspace domains on, from, and through land.

EU and US Defense Leaders Pounce on New Pet Project: Military Mobility
(Defense News) European Union members have admitted the United States into a project aimed at quickening the flow of military personnel and equipment across the continent, hoping the move will open a new front in trans-Atlantic cooperation.

An Update on a Big Program to Help Cybersecurity of the Defense Industrial Base
(Federal News Network) Even for the government, the Defense Department’s Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program is a complicated apparatus. Get an update from the Chairman of the Accreditation Body Board of Directors, retired Air Force Col. Karlton Johnson.

Why the United States Needs an Independent Cyber Force
(War on the Rocks) The cyber warfare domain is entirely different from the physical domains of air, land, sea, and space that shape the focus and warfighting priorities of the services. Yet too often, the services treat cyber as an enabler of more conventional military operations in their respective domains, rather than an entirely new and unique domain of warfare.

China Plans to Revive Strategic Pacific Airstrip, Kiribati Lawmaker Says
(Reuters) China has drawn up plans to upgrade an airstrip and bridge on one of Kiribati’s remote islands about 3,000km southwest of Hawaii, lawmakers told Reuters, in a bid to revive a site that hosted military aircraft during World War II.

Four Ways a China-U.S. War at Sea Could Play Out
(Bloomberg) There are four distinct maritime “flashpoint” zones, where the Chinese navy may potentially take military against the U.S. and its allies, partners, and friends: the Taiwan Strait; Japan and the East China Sea; the South China Sea; and more distant waters around China’s other neighbors, including Indonesia, Singapore, Australia, and India. 

DHS Announces Extension of REAL ID Full Enforcement Deadline
(Transportation Security Administration) Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas has announced the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is extending the REAL ID full enforcement date by 19 months, from October 1, 2021 to May 3, 2023, due to circumstances resulting from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Sea Power Backers Propose $25 Billion to Fix US Shipyards
(Defense News) As the U.S. Navy grapples with outdated maintenance facilities and a fleet stretched by maintenance backlogs, a bipartisan, bicameral group of lawmakers are proposing a $25 billion cash infusion for public and private shipyards timed for Congress’ debate on a massive infrastructure package.

USAF Logistics Chief Raises Urgent Warning on Surge Capacity
(Aviation Week) A recent internal study shows more than nine out of 10 repairs performed by the defense industry on U.S. Air Force aircraft are by a sole-source vendor, the service’s top logistics official said on April 28.

Commander Says Africa Is Too Important for Americans to Ignore
(DOD News) Africa is a fascinating continent of tremendous possibilities but also tremendous dangers, and the U.S. ignores the nations of Africa at its own peril, the commander of the U.S. Africa Command said during an interview.

Digitizing President Biden’s Supply Chain Strategy
(Supply & Demand Chain Executive) Supply chain was one of the most urgent yet perplexing terms on the minds of business leaders in 2020, along with personal protective equipment (PPE), social distancing, and work-from-home. Its status and importance were cemented with President Biden’s new Executive Order designed to shore up critical components and improve the resiliency of America’s supply chains.

EU Blames China for Endangering Peace in South China Sea
(U.S. News & World Report) The European Union has called out China for endangering peace in the South China Sea and urged all parties to abide by a 2016 tribunal ruling which rejected most of China’s claim to sovereignty in the sea, but which Beijing has rejected.

Speedy ‘Ambulance Ships’ a High Priority for Navy Medicine, Admiral Says
(Military.com) The Navy is investing more than $200 million to configure two of its catamarans to function as high-speed “ambulance ships” for medical emergencies on the water. And the Navy’s surgeon general said Tuesday that the service is “enormously excited” to gain the new capability.

US Military Begins Shipping Equipment in Afghanistan Pullout Prep
(Military Times) The U.S. military has begun shipping equipment and winding down contracts with local service providers ahead of the May 1 start of the final phase of its military pullout from Afghanistan, a U.S. Defense Department official said Thursday.

Free the Data: Vice Chiefs Launch an Acquisition Crusade
(Defense One) America’s sophisticated jets, drones, combat vehicles, satellites, and other gear produce data that the Defense Department can’t access, use, or share in the way that it wants to. Gen. John Hyten, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the services’ vice chiefs are looking to change that.

The USAF’s Bad Bets on Pilot Retention Show It Needs Outside Help
(Defense One) Despite the pandemic, the Air Force is still short of pilots, thanks to low retention and strong airline hiring. This brewing personnel issue is so severe that outside intervention is now required.

USTRANSCOM Prepares for Third-Party Cyber Compliance Assessments
(Federal Computer Week) U.S. Transportation Command is preparing a test program for cyber compliance to hold commercial partners accountable for supply chain risks in preparation for broad adoption of the Defense Department’s Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program, FCW has learned.

Afghanistan Withdrawal Plan Could Involve Small Troop Surge
(Military Times) The Pentagon is pulling out its old Afghanistan drawdown plans and reworking them for a Sept. 11 deadline, per President Joe Biden’s announcement of the end of Operation Resolute Support on Wednesday. The 2,500 troops deployed to that country may see some back-up arriving to help with removing equipment, shutting down operations centers, and maintaining security as the Taliban seeks to take advantage of their focus on closing up shop.

The Army’s Newest $21 Billion Contract Is Not Your Typical Government Contract
(JD Supra) Recently the Army awarded Microsoft the Integrated Visual Augmentation System contract, a potentially $21 billion undertaking to develop next-generation night vision and “situational awareness capabilities” in a Heads Up Display. The contract was awarded under the Army’s Other Transaction authority (OTA) and the sheer size of it is certain to bring renewed attention to this contracting vehicle.

Space Force Wants to Introduce Commercial Capabilities to All Mission Areas
(C4ISRNet) While commercial services have played a significant role in the military’s satellite communications and launch enterprises, the Space Force has not integrated commercial services more widely. However, as the service begins looking at its future plans, it sees industry as a much bigger partner.

Republicans Say Less Than 6% of Biden’s Plan is Traditional Infrastructure. BofA Says It’s More Like Half
(Insider) The leaders of the Republican party have argued that President Joe Biden’s $2.3 trillion infrastructure plan funds too many things that aren’t physical, or traditional, infrastructure, saying that less than 6% of its spending goes to rebuilding roads and bridges.

Commentary: Now is a Great Time for Veterans to Enhance Their Education
(Military Times) There may be no “silver lining” to the COVID-19 pandemic in the traditional sense. But there is an opportunity for veterans and soldiers to embrace new technologies, maximize indoor time on our computers and pursue degrees that will help us serve today and possibly prepare for the private sector with greater income opportunities.

DTMO Releases Defense Travel Dispatch
(Defense Travel Management Office [DTMO]) DTMO has published the Spring 2021 edition of its quarterly newsletter, the Defense Travel Dispatch, featuring travel-related news, best practices, and updates.

The Longest Telegram: A Visionary Blueprint for the Comprehensive Grand Strategy Against China We Need
(War on the Rocks) The defining challenge facing the United States in the 21st century is the rise of China. While Washington has been dozing, Beijing has been dreaming—and China’s dreams are the stuff of American nightmares.

Satellite Images Show Large Russian Military Build-Up in Arctic: Report
(The Hill) Russia is building up military equipment in the Arctic and testing new weapons there as it looks to assert dominance of the region, CNN reported. According to satellite images, Russia is building upon military bases, hardware, and underground storage facilities on its Arctic coastline, with bombers, MiG31BM jets, and new radar systems close to the Alaskan coast.

Let’s Get Real About US Military ‘Dominance’
(Defense One) While the U.S. military may remain the dominant force across all domains in any location on any day of the week during any time of day, recent long-term trends dictate that that should no longer be the operating assumption of American military strategists in their futures analysis.

The Infinite Game: How the US Army Plans to Operate in Great Power Competition
(Defense News) The Army has outlined, in a recent white paper obtained by Defense News, its “critical” role in great power competition to include deterring conflict, upholding US interests and forging and strengthening relationships with allies and partners.

How Air Mobility Command Wants its Airlifters and Refuelers to Fight
(Air Force Magazine) Air Mobility Command has big plans to overhaul its gray-tailed heavies for the high-end fight, turning airlifters into command and control assets and possibly putting air-to-air missiles on tankers. The long-term planning is a shift away from the idea of keeping mobility assets away from a fight, using them instead just as delivery platforms for other combat forces.

Commentary: Pentagon Industrial Policies Need to Focus on Demand
(Defense News) The Biden administration recently started a review of critical US supply chains, following on the heels of multiple manufacturing and defense-industrial base assessments by the previous White House and Pentagon teams. But not addressing the demand side of manufacturing ecosystems in these assessments could prompt unproductive government policies or miss promising opportunities to strengthen US industry.

Biden Unveils Sweeping $2 Trillion Infrastructure Plan
(Freight Waves) The White House has released an outline of President Joe Biden’s vision for infrastructure: a $2 trillion, 10-year American Jobs Plan that includes upgrading transportation infrastructure as well as renewing the electric grid, high-speed broadband to all parts of the US and delivering clean drinking water.

A Marine Logistics Base May Be the Warehouse of the Future
(Defense One) In the warehouse of the future, nothing is ever lost. A massive web of 5G-connected sensors will track every object all the time everywhere, slashing the time required to manage and restock items. The Defense Department has awarded $13 million to a Virginia Tech-led team to build just such a smart warehouse for the Marine Corps.

Blinken and Austin’s Heavy Lifting: Takeaways from Indo-Pacific Tour
(Nikkei Asia) Between them, Blinken and Austin accomplished a great deal on their first international trip as secretaries. “Two-plus-two” visits to estranged neighbors Japan and South Korea, a huddle with strategic partner India, and even a surprise appearance in Afghanistan, followed by a phone call with Pakistan’s most powerful man, all show the U.S. pushing the envelope to work with friends and allies, both old and new, to outmaneuver China in the Indo-Pacific, with an eye on conflicts past and present.

Army Revamping How It Positions, Maneuvers Global Force as It Faces an Assertive China
(Stars and Stripes) The U.S. Army will transform over the next 14 years into a multidomain power capable of operating as an “inside force” within an adversary’s defensive zones, according to a strategy paper released Tuesday by the service. The transformation affects the Army worldwide, but the paper regards the Indo-Pacific region as the most imminent challenge.

The Future of Sino-US Proxy War
(Texas National Security Review) Strategic thought in both the United States and China has focused on the potential for a Sino-U.S. interstate war and downplayed the odds of a clash in a foreign internal conflict. However, great-power military competition is likely to take the form of proxy war in which Washington and Beijing aid rival actors in an intrastate conflict.

China’s Secretive Maritime Militia May Be Gathering at Whitsun Reef
(Foreign Policy) Since at least March 7, 2021, many dozens of large, blue-hulled PRC ships have been lashed together in Whitsun Reef’s lagoon. They have not been seen to do any fishing, but run powerful lights at night. Citing the presence of 220 China Maritime Militia (CMM) vessels, on March 21 Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana publicly demanded their departure from his nation’s Exclusive Economic Zone. But Beijing remains defiant.

How China is Winning the Subsea Internet Cable Competition in Africa
(Maritime Executive) Since its launch in 2013, China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has received extensive attention against the backdrop of growing national debts in many African countries, with discussion focused primarily on the overland Silk Road and the maritime Silk Road. However, the spotlight on China’s Digital Silk Road (DSR) has remained faint, despite its overarching role in realization of the BRI.

A New Great Game Finds the South Atlantic
(War on the Rocks) In March, the South Atlantic witnessed an unusual scene: a U.S. ship turning around and sailing for home, having been refused docking rights and services by the Argentine Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The press paid little attention to this kerfuffle, but it was yet another sign that a tectonic shift is underway. In the South Atlantic, former U.S. security partners are building stronger ties with China, a shift that presents critical future risks for Washington and the inter-American community.

Second Stage of Chinese Telecom Ban Producing Unintended Consequences
(Federal News Network) Phase two of the U.S. government’s crackdown on untrusted Chinese hardware and software in its supply chain is only about six months old. But as some contracting experts both inside and outside of the government warned at the time, the latest implementation appears to be causing unintended consequences because of ambiguities over what it means to “use” equipment made by companies like ZTE and Huawei.

Incorporating the Cyberspace Domain: How Russia and China Exploit Asymmetric Advantages in Great Power Competition
(Modern War Institute) When it comes to America’s focus on great power competition, China and Russia loom large, making the analysis of these two competitors and their strategies a booming business for analysts and practitioners alike. But how these two states and their militaries act in cyberspace is less often discussed and less well understood.

Editor’s note: The article above was recommended to us by our friend Capt. Alex Soukhanov, Managing Director, Moran Cyber, who said “Not protecting our ideas is not protecting our employees, our businesses, and our infrastructure.”

Massive, Army-Led NATO Exercise Defender Europe Kicks Off
(Army Times) One of the largest U.S.-Army led military exercises in decades has kicked off and will run until June, with 28,000 total troops from 27 nations taking part. Defender Europe 2021 will include “nearly simultaneous operations across more than 30 training areas” in a dozen countries.

Op-ed | Don’t Discount the FAA’s Role in the Private Space Race
(Space News) SpaceX has disrupted long-held beliefs of how the space business works and permanently expanded thinking about government contracting with industry. However, as a leader in private spaceflight, SpaceX must also set a better example for the entire industry in working with the regulatory bodies that safeguard and advance private spaceflight’s future.

Army AI Helper Would Suggest Actions in Multidomain Fights
(C4ISRNet) The Army’s future capabilities lab is developing an artificial intelligence tool to help mission planners choose the best moves in multidomain battles. The system will highlight critical points in the mission with risk of failure, such as when military vehicles need to arrive on time at a specific location or when a unit would begin to run out of fuel.

Battle Heats Up Over Pentagon Spending Plans
(The Hill) Jockeying over defense funding is heating up amid expectations President Biden will request an essentially flat Pentagon budget for next year. This past week, a group of progressive Democrats sent Biden a letter calling for him to “significantly” slash defense spending, sparking fierce backlash from Republicans who would like to see the budget increase.

Task Force on Supply Chain Will Make Recommendations for 2022 NDAA
(Federal News Network) In the three months leading up to the year’s biggest defense bill, a group of representatives led by the House Armed Services Committee Chairman plan to come up with ways Congress can change the law to better the nation’s most important supply chains.

China’s Arms Sales Drop as ‘Other Nations Buy American’
(South China Morning Post) China’s arms exports have dropped over the past five years, a decline that experts have attributed to tensions between China and the US prompting some of China’s neighbors to buy more American weapons, according to a new report.

Getting Out of Forever Wars: What Are Biden’s Options in Afghanistan?
(Military Times) US counterterrorism strategy has for a quarter-century been driven by the assumption that security at home depends on fighting the terrorists abroad. How will that square with President Biden’s campaign pledge to “end the forever wars in Afghanistan and the Middle East?”

Redefine Readiness or Lose
(War on the Rocks) In the halls of the Pentagon and on Capitol Hill, military, civilian, and congressional leaders regularly discuss the “readiness” of our armed forces. But what exactly is readiness?

What the SolarWinds Hack Tells Us About IoT and Supply-Chain Security
(Supply Chain Brain) No matter the industry, cybersecurity breaches seem to be escalating in size and scale. The sprawling hacking campaign launched by Russia three months ago—which impacted as many as 18,000 customers of the Texas-based software maker SolarWinds Corp.—is an egregious example of the far reach of a potential supply-chain attack.

GI Bill Vets May Be Less Attractive to For-Profit Schools Under New Law
(Military Times) Lawmakers on Wednesday finalized plans for major changes in for-profit colleges’ ability to recruit and enroll veterans in degree programs, but students are unlikely to see any school restrictions or closings as a result of the move for several more years.

ow the US Military is Preparing for a War with China
(Nikkei Asia) A recent Atlantic Council publication lays out a sweeping blueprint for a U.S. strategy to face China. Whether the new Biden administration fully embraces the paper’s aggressive stance remains to be seen, but elements are under serious consideration.

Eyeing China, Indo-Pacific Command Seeks $27 Billion Deterrence Fund
(Defense News) U.S. military officials have outlined new spending requirements to boost deterrence against China, including new weapons, new construction, and closer military-to-military collaboration with America’s allies in the region.

CISA Tells Agencies to Patch or Unplug On-Premise Microsoft Email Systems
(Federal News Network) New zero-day vulnerabilities in on-premise Microsoft email servers are causing a fire drill across the government. CISA issued an emergency directive Wednesday requiring agencies to update or disconnect the Microsoft Exchange products from their networks until they are updated with the patch released Tuesday.

Abandon Old Assumptions About Defense Spending
(War on the Rocks) In 2010, then-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen said, “The most significant threat to our national security is our debt.” At the time the national debt was climbing fast. But obsession with the debt and the limits that it places on defense spending is actually a bad idea.

West of Diego Garcia, India is Building an Island Base of Its Own
(The Maritime Executive) The small, remote Mauritian island of North Agalega, located in the south-western Indian Ocean, 700 miles north of Mauritius, is currently a hive of construction activity. India sought access to the islands in 2015 to develop as an air and naval staging point for surveillance of the south-west Indian Ocean.

Physics-Based Simulation Can Improve Force Readiness
(Defense News) Lethality, agility, speed, and technology: These words describe our capacity to fight. Yet, much of our latent capacity is held back by reliability issues — the bane of all warfighters.

US Industry Struggles to Strip Chinese Tech from Networks
(Breaking Defense) More than two years after Congress passed two laws to strip Chinese hardware and software from US defense and telecommunications supply chains, industry is struggling to figure out how.

Secretary Pete Buttigieg Suggests Usage Charge as Sustainable Funding Solution
(Transport Topics) Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg acknowledged the lack of sustainable transportation financing sources but suggested an increase to the federal fuel tax rate would not offer a long-term solution. In terms of a sustainable funding mechanism, Buttigieg suggested the merits of a usage charge system—so long as privacy concerns could be addressed.

Smarter Software Could Help Air Force Cut Fuel Bills by a Million Gallons Per Week
(Federal News Network) The Air Force, the government’s largest fuel consumer, wants to use its market power to help spur the development of new innovations like ultra-efficient airplanes and new types of fuel. But if those energy-saving investments pan out, they’re likely to take a while.

Navigating the Shoals of Renewed American Naval Power: Imperatives for the Next Secretary of the Navy
(War on the Rocks) New Navy leadership will soon arrive, but the department should not squander precious time on restarting strategic studies, force assessments, and process improvement programs. Instead, steady and strategic civilian leadership is required to make progress in the marathon implementation of integrated force redesign.

‘Great Power Competition’ Is a Dangerously Simple Frame
(Defense News) To correctly set force posture, the Pentagon needs to look more deeply at the world’s actors, their preferences, and relationships.

Space Force Chief Sees Larger Role for Commercial Industry in Its Missions
(C4ISRNet) In its second year, the US Space Force wants to build deeper connections with commercial industry, according to Chief of Space Operations Gen. Jay Raymond.

TRANSCOM Delays Awarding New Contract Worth Up to $20 Billion for Military Household Goods Moves
(MilitaryTimes) Officials at US Transportation Command have delayed their award of a contract aimed at improving household goods moves for military members and their families to the fall of 2022. The new system will fundamentally change how TRANSCOM does business, by putting the day-to-day management of household goods moves into the hands of a contractor. 

An Influential Group has a List of Ideas for the Future of US Maritime Power
(Federal News Network) With rival nations building up their navies, and in China’s case getting a lot more aggressive, what should the United States’ floating power look like? The Navy League recently released a long list of recommendations for maritime policy.

Biden Takes His ‘America Is Back’ Message to the World in Munich Speech
(NPR) President Biden on Friday sought to turn the page on former President Donald Trump’s “America First” ethos, declaring “America is back” and vowing to rebuild trust with European allies by working on challenges like arms control, COVID-19, and climate change.

Austin Says No Decision Has Been Made Yet on Afghanistan Troop Withdrawal, but ‘Violence Must Decrease Now’
(Stars and Stripes) The United States has yet to decide the future of its military posture in Afghanistan, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Friday, urging an end to violence in the nation where American troops have been fighting for nearly 20 years.

Buttigieg: After COVID-19 Relief, an Infrastructure Policy
(Transport Topics) The nation’s top transportation officer echoed the White House’s strategy of pursuing a comprehensive infrastructure policy agenda after the approval of a new round of COVID-19 aid.

DOD’s Smart Warehouse-Enabling 5G Network Underway
(Defense One) Deployment of the private 5G wireless network that will underpin the Defense Department’s experimentation with an array of cutting-edge technologies through its forthcoming smart warehouse testbed has officially kicked off.

Opinion: Why the Future Will Not Be Virtual
(Aviation Week) The COVID-19 pandemic has accustomed us to living in the virtual world and hearing speculation about the ways in which our actual lives may never resume as before. To all you leaders who, like me, find the progressively virtual world unsettling, I say, “Find your terrain walk.” 

Bill Would Cut Over 100,000 DOD Jobs
(Federal Times) New legislation would require the Department of Defense to cut its civilian workforce by 15 percent by 2025, a move that would result in the elimination of over 100,000 federal jobs based on current numbers.

Want to Redefine Readiness? Here’s Where to Start
(Defense One) At their core, discussions of readiness are a matter of balancing risk and one’s strategic objectives. If the military prioritizes near-term readiness and addressing today’s threats, it risks being unprepared for the future fight.

A Key Step in Preventing a Future SolarWinds
(Just Security) Since news of the SolarWinds incident became public, commentators have offered prescriptions for responding to the incident. But as information continues to emerge about the scope and scale of the incident and policymakers struggle with thorny questions regarding appropriate responses, urgent attention is needed to preventing such large-scale catastrophes in the future.

The US Navy’s Postgraduate School is Taking a Stab at Metal 3D Printing
(Defense News) The Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif., took delivery late last year of a new Xerox 3D metal printer that the school hopes will advance what’s possible to manufacture at sea, easing the burden on the Navy’s supply chain.

A Better Bureaucracy Can Close the Gap Between Defense and Commercial Technologies
(War on the Rocks) As it is currently organized, the US government is ill-equipped to deal with the growing number of national security challenges that exist at the intersection of commercial and defense technology. To solve these problems, the White House needs to ensure there is a single organization that has stewardship of all the issues that cross existing lines between national security, commerce, and technology.

Biden Harnesses Defense Production Act to Speed Vaccinations and Production of Protective Equipment
(The Washington Post) The Biden administration has announced a handful of initiatives aimed at accelerating mass inoculations against the coronavirus and expanding production of rapid tests and surgical gloves to help control the pathogen. This includes taking several steps under the Defense Production Act in a bid to boost supplies of the shots and of other critical equipment.

The United States and Japan Should Prepare for War with China
(War on the Rocks) Last week, China toughened its language against Taiwan, warning that “independence means war.” A few days prior, the Taiwanese Defense Ministry reported 15 aircraft from the Chinese air force inside its air defense identification zone. This uptick in saber-rattling suggests the military challenge posed by China will likely continue, making it one of the Biden administration’s top priorities.

Pentagon Leaders Discuss Challenges of Moving Data To and From the Tactical Edge
(Nextgov) As the Defense Department shifts to become the data-centric organization laid out in its enterprise-wide data strategy, data leaders across the department and the services are working through questions related to how to keep information flowing from the enterprise level to the tactical level and vice versa.

Air Force Study on Future Aerial Refueling Tanker Could Start in 2022
(Defense News) The Air Force could begin to lay out its vision for a future aerial refueling tanker, previously known as KC-Z, as early as next year, says Commander of Air Mobility Command, Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost.

Five Steps to Keep Your Supply Chain Secure
(Forbes) Though the well-publicized SolarWinds hack this past December came as a shock to many outside the security world, most experienced cybersecurity professionals had a different response. To them, the vulnerability that compromised thousands of organizations, including many departments within the U.S. government, was something else altogether: an inevitability.

Satisfaction with Military Moves Went Up Despite Pandemic, DoD Says
(Military.com) The COVID-19 pandemic created a military permanent change of station, or PCS, a year like no other, bringing unprecedented challenges like lockdowns and travel restrictions, increased sanitation requirements, the burden of personal protective gear, and an ever-present threat of coronavirus.

Beijing’s Warning Shot to Biden
(Defense One) As President Joe Biden was delivering his inaugural address on the steps of the U.S. Capitol, the Chinese government delivered a parting shot to the Trump administration: sanctions against 10 of its former senior officials. But the move was not just a parting shot but a warning shot to the incoming Biden administration.

Hand-to-Hand Combat on Computer Networks: How Cyber Threat Hunters Work
(C4ISRNet) When hackers break through the Pentagon’s cyber defenses, it’s the job of elite threat-hunting teams to find intruders or damage.

DoD is Centralizing Space Acquisition, But Still Has Bugs to Work Out
(Federal News Network) The Air Force is reorganizing its space acquisition office to better support the Space Force and other new space entities, but there are still questions surrounding exactly how the Pentagon will consolidate its space procurement.

Austin Confirmed as New Defense Secretary in Historic Vote
(Defense News) Former US Central Command leader Lloyd Austin was confirmed Friday as the next defense secretary, a historic vote that makes him the nation’s first Black chief of the Pentagon. Austin, a four-star Army general who spent more than 40 years in the ranks, was approved by an overwhelming 93-2 vote in the Senate.

To Rule the Invisible Battlefield: The Electromagnetic Spectrum and Chinese Military Power
(War on the Rocks) The fight for electromagnetic spectrum superiority has been ongoing for over a century. As US military’s domination of the spectrum steadily declined over the past two decades, China has been making moves to strengthen its capabilities, and has brought itself to near parity with the US.

Trump Administration Updates GPS Policy
(C4ISRNet) The outgoing Trump administration issued a new policy memo outlining the need to continue providing a worldwide GPS signal while preventing adversaries from using it against the U.S.

Joe Biden Has a Europe Problem
(Defense One) The new president has a daunting list of foreign-policy challenges. Among the biggest will be managing a longtime ally.

Pentagon Launches Online Marketplace to Pair Small Firms with ‘Trusted’ Investors
(Federal News Network) The Defense Department has rolled out a new initiative meant to protect its future supply chain from investors that might seek to turn US intellectual property into foreign military capabilities.

US Army Taps Industry for Autonomous Drones to Resupply Troops
(Defense News) The US Army is tapping industry for drones that can deliver supplies to infantry brigade combat teams in the field, according to a request for information posted to the federal contracting website Beta.Sam.Gov on Jan. 13.

Air Force Recommends Space Command Move to Alabama
(Defense One) US Space Command should move from Colorado to Alabama, the Air Force secretary said on Wednesday, effectively announcing the winner of a hotly contested competition just one week before she is scheduled to resign with the rest of the Trump administration.

Court Upholds FMCSA Exemption of Trucking from California Rest Break Rules
(Transport Topics) The 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s 2018 determination that interstate motor carriers are exempt from California’s stringent meal-and-rest-break rules.

National Maritime Cybersecurity Plan Includes New Contract Mandates, Intel Sharing
(Homeland Security Today) The recently released five-year National Maritime Cybersecurity Plan focuses on new standards for port owners, shippers, and operators and forthcoming mandates that contractors meet cyber standards.

DOD Formalizes Program Giving Companies More Access to Classified Info
(Air Force Magazine) The Pentagon has formally created a group of defense companies that can get broader access to classified initiatives known as special-access programs, hoping that more insight will make contractors more efficient and cost-conscious.

Positive Train Control Ready Ahead of Schedule
(The BRAKE Report) The US Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration announced that positive train control (PTC) technology is in operation on all 57,536 required freight and passenger railroad route miles, prior to the statutory deadline set by Congress.

2021 Could Be a Huge Year for Space. Here’s What’s to Come from NASA, Elon Musk, Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos
(The Washington Post) While 2020 was a bad year and will be remembered for the coronavirus, for space enthusiasts, it was actually quite a good year, providing bits of promising news amid the bleak headlines of disease, economic hardship, and protests. From a rover landing on Mars to more human spaceflight missions, big projects are in the works for 2021.

USAF Begins Basing MQ-9s in Romania
(Air Force Magazine) Air Force MQ-9s have a new permanent home in Romania. U.S. Air Forces in Europe announced Jan. 4 that Reapers and about 90 Airmen are now based at Romanian Air Force Base 71 at Campia Turzii.

Federal Pilot Program Would Open Long-Distance Trucking to 18-Year-Olds(The Washington Post) A federal agency is proposing a pilot program to allow people as young as 18 to drive trucks across the country, an idea enthusiastically supported by trucking companies as a way to open the door to recruitment in high schools but facing deep opposition from safety organizations that say it will lead to immature drivers causing more crashes.

NATO Secretary General: Our Alliance Must Remain Strong Militarily and Politically Across the Globe
(Defense News) COVID-19 has shown that our world is more unpredictable than ever. The only thing we can be certain of is uncertainty itself — and we must learn to deal with it. For NATO, this means we must remain ready to tackle any challenge, at any time, to keep our people safe — including during pandemics.

In a First, Congress Overrides Trump Veto of Defense Bill
(The Associated Press) Congress on Friday overrode President Donald Trump’s veto of a defense policy bill, a first by lawmakers since he took office nearly four years ago, ensuring that the measure becomes law.

In Europe, US Air Force Brings Back Cold War Mobility Concept

(Defense One) For the 100th Air Refueling Wing, pivoting away from counter-terrorism to great power competition means reverting to Cold War concepts such as highly mobile command centers.

A Grand Strategy Based on Resilience
(War on the Rocks) It is nearly inevitable that disruptive events will continue to take place in the future. Given this reality, the notion that resilience should be a cornerstone of American grand strategy has gained increasing attention.

The Logistics News That Shaped 2020
(Logistics Management) Read the stories that best summarize the wild ride of 2020 in logistics and transportation management.

Russian Government Hackers Are Behind a Broad Espionage Campaign That Has Compromised U.S. Agencies, Including Treasury and Commerce
(The Washington Post) Russian government hackers breached the Treasury and Commerce departments, along with other U.S. government agencies, as part of a global espionage campaign that stretches back months, according to people familiar with the matter.

Trump Revives Threat to Veto Defense Bill, Teeing Up Battle with Lawmakers
(Reuters) US President Donald Trump on Sunday repeated his threat to veto a massive defense policy bill, setting the stage for a major battle with US lawmakers at a time when they are racing to hammer out a compromise on more coronavirus relief.

Five Things to Know About Lloyd Austin, Biden’s Pentagon Pick
(The Hill) Retired Gen. Lloyd Austin, President-elect Joe Biden’s choice to be Defense secretary, is seeking to put a history-making cap on a 40-year career that already saw him breaking several barriers along the way. To get there, Austin will need to convince a skeptical Congress to grant him a waiver to the law requiring Defense secretaries to be out-of-uniform for at least seven years.

Congress Fears DOD Not Prepared for NC3 Cyber Attacks
(Breaking Defense) A classified assessment of America’s nuclear command, control, and communications system (NC3) has rung alarm bells on Capitol Hill.  The assessment was mentioned in a provision crafted by the Senate Armed Services Committee for the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act and accepted by the House in their conference deliberations.

The US Army is Adjusting Its Pre-Positioned Stock for More Than Just War
(Defense News) The U.S. Army is taking steps to ensure its pre-positioned stock in the European and Asia-Pacific theaters is right-sized not just for conflict but for strategic competition with Russia and China, according to the service’s new commander in charge of materiel.

Washington Braces for Clash Over Defense Budget
(The Hill) A clash over the $740 billion defense budget is poised to erupt in 2021, with Democrats set to battle among themselves over whether to reduce funding.

Navy, Marines Will Need Recapitalized Sealift, Logistics Capabilities to Succeed in Pacific Operations
(USNI News) The Navy and Marine Corps need to grow their capacity to move people and supplies to and around a contested sea space—using both manned and unmanned ships and aircraft—and the service leaders asked lawmakers today for help in creating a supply chain that can stand up to a peer competitor.

Air Safety Panel Recommends Flight Hour Increase, Emphasis on Maintenance, Steady Funding
(DOD News) The National Commission on Military Aviation Safety released its recommendations yesterday saying aviators need more flight hours, maintenance personnel need better training, and manning and supply chains need more and faster throughput.

The Next Administration Will Need to Fix Military Sealift
(The National Interest) The next administration will need to bite the bullet on recapitalization of the sealift fleet. In doing so, it needs to take a long-term view that includes the need to support domestic shipbuilding and to maintain an adequate number of merchant mariners.

Tankers Likely the First Aircraft to Receive ABMS Upgrades
(Air Force Magazine) The Air Force’s aerial refueling fleet could be the first platform to adopt new technologies developed under the Advanced Battle Management System effort, integrating pods complete with advanced communications and data links to feed information, along with gas, to combat aircraft as early as next year.

Appropriators Strike Deal on Funding Totals to Avoid December Shutdown
(Politico) Top House and Senate appropriators have clinched a deal on a bipartisan set of funding levels, paving the way for a $1.4 trillion spending package to avert a government shutdown on 11 December.

Railroads Approaching Positive Train Control Full Implementation, FRA Says
(Transport Topics) The automatic braking system Congress is mandating for the country’s railroads is almost implemented on the route miles required by law, according to federal regulators’ most recent update.

Starting Dec. 1, Cybersecurity Is No Longer Optional
(Breaking Defense) As the deadline nears for the first 15 contracts awarded in compliance with the new Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification, the Pentagon made it clear that is just the beginning.

New Defense Chief Signals Potential Troop Drawdown: ‘All Wars Must End’
(The Hill) Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller signaled a potential U.S. troop reduction ahead in the Middle East in a memo sent to agency staff on Friday, saying, “All wars must end.”

Why Defense Firms Need to Get Systematic About M&A — Big and Small
(Defense News) After years of growth, defense budgets will likely flatten (or decline). In such a financial environment, the U.S. Department of Defense will consider trade-offs between funding modernization, sustaining legacy equipment, and preserving force structure.

Senate Committee Unveils Fiscal 2021 Transportation Funding Bill
(Transport Topics) The U.S. Senate committee that oversees funding across the federal government unveiled a plan for fiscal 2021 that will ensure operations continue uninterrupted across agencies, including the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

America’s Forgotten Marine Highway Network That Could Green Global Freight Transport
(Forbes) Having a robust plan for how the U.S. will meet this 40% forecast increase in freight while addressing climate commitments set in the Paris Agreement will be a critical priority. It requires out of the box thinking, and a long-forgotten transport network could prove a vital part of the solution.

Esper Fired as Defense Secretary
(Defense News) US Defense Secretary Mark Esper has been fired by President Donald Trump. Christopher Miller, Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, has been appointed Acting Defense Secretary.

Where President-Elect Joe Biden Stands on National Security Issues
(Military Times) After five days of counting votes, former Vice President Joe Biden has been declared the winner of the U.S. presidential election, unseating President Donald Trump. Read a few of his selected positions and how they differ from Trump.

Is Ending Protection of US Maritime a Bad Idea?
(Federal News Network) Should foreign maritime transportation competitors like China be permitted to ply U.S. commercial waters? For a century, the Jones Act has reserved that right for U.S. made ships and crews. Now the idea of ending the protection of the U.S. maritime is gaining traction. Bad idea, according to the vice president for legislative affairs at the Navy League, Jon Kaskin.

Prioritize Building the Flight Line of the Future
(C4ISRNet) Mission readiness depends on secure and reliable connectivity to successfully maintain electronic workflows. But, military airfields and airports located in very large areas typically have minimal connectivity.

In Military Logistics, New Pentagon Leaders Must Balance Low Costs with Resiliency
(Forbes) Obtaining foreign help has always been a centerpiece of American national security strategy. But foreign resources used in the past offered the US government flexibility for a cost that, even then, was unacceptable.

What’s Bad for Government Supply Chain is Bad for Industry Too
(Federal News Network) Hardly a day of Zoom conferences goes by without someone talking about supply chain security. But the government supply chain is ultimately also the supply chain of industry.

As Its Term Winds Down, Trump’s White House Plots a Major Naval Expansion
(Defense News) Sitting inside a restaurant just yards from Bath Iron Works shipyard on a blustery October day, President Donald Trump’s top national security aide has two things on his mind: pizza, and Chinese naval expansion in the Western Pacific. One solves a short-term problem. The other is a long-term menace.

Is Iraq’s Military Good Enough for US Troops to Leave?
(Defense One) After 17 years of fighting Saddam, AQ, and ISIS, officials say support for Baghdad and its security forces remains key to fending off Iran.

Cyber Solarium Commission Outlines Recommendations for Strengthening the Supply Chain
(C4ISRNet) On the heels of its capstone March report, the Cyberspace Solarium Commission has released a detailed follow-up with recommendations for how to secure the information and communications technologies supply chain.

$20 Billion Plan to Outsource Management of Military Household Moves Hits Roadblock
(Military Times) The government’s plan to outsource its management of military household goods moves hit a major roadblock after the Government Accountability Office decided in favor of two protesters of the contract, which had a potential cost of $19.9 billion over nine years.

FMCSA ‘Struggling’ with Under-21 CDL Pilot for Military Vets
(FreightWaves) At a recent American Trucking Associations conference, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Chief Wiley Deck reveals a lack of participation in a program meant to address a shortfall of drivers entering the trucking industry is forcing regulators to adjust.

Military to Play Logistics-Only Role in COVID-19 Vaccine Effort
(DOD News) US military personnel won’t be administering any COVID-19 vaccines to the American people once the vaccines are approved for use. But the US military will lend it’s experienced hand in logistics to ensure the vaccine is available across the nation.

NSA Warns Companies China is Exploiting 25 Unpatched Vulnerabilities
(Breaking Defense) In a warning sent this week, the National Security Agency warned companies that 25 already known exploits were being used by state-based intelligence services, including China’s, and should be patched as soon as possible.

Increasing Sealift Funding, Fixing Tankers Are 2022 Budget Priorities, Esper Says
(Defense News) The Pentagon plans to include funding in its fiscal 2022 budget request to increase military sealift capabilities, including through the use of commercial vessels, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said in comments Thursday.

A 21st-Century Reality Is Dawning on NATO
(Defense One) Last week, Jens Stoltenberg delivered a remarkable speech in Bratislava. It could have been one of the speeches one so often hears from officials at security conferences, one about how the West should buy more tankers and fighter jets so as to better deter Russia. Instead, NATO’s Secretary-General spoke about ports, electricity grids, and telecommunications.

Everybody Matters. Really
(Forbes) No doubt about it. Truly successful organizations typically have happy people. Or put another way, to win in the marketplace you must first win in the workplace.

Preparing the Cyber Battlefield: Assessing a Novel Escalation Risk in a Sino-American Crisis
(War on the Rocks) Do cyber capabilities create novel risks of a future political crisis between the United States and China escalating into a conflict? This article outlines one potential pathway for interstate crises to escalate: the use of force in response to adversary hacking operations that could enable high-end cyber attacks.

Democrats Face Internal ‘Fight’ on Defense Spending, Says Smith
(Defense News) The Democratic split over the size of future defense budgets will come to a head in the new Congress, the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., predicted Tuesday.

The Next Evolution of Supply Chains
(Supply Chain Management Review) The adaptation of supply chains to the new global world economy had already started before the U.S.-China trade war and COVID started, and these events have accelerated the process of redefining global supply chains.

The US Military Is About to Launch Its Largest 5G Experiments Yet
(Defense One) After months of expectation, planning, and consulting with the services and with industry, the Pentagon is finally ready to start testing new concepts for 5G communications at five bases across the country.

A Cyber Cautionary Tale: Unnamed Agency Suffers Sophisticated, Possibly Nation State, Attack
(Federal News Network) A virtual private network vulnerability that has been known since December. Stolen credentials of a power user. A poorly configured firewall. It didn’t take long for the hacker to own this unnamed federal agency.

The Pentagon is Eyeing a 500-Ship Navy, Documents Reveal
(Defense News) The Pentagon’s upcoming recommendation for a future Navy is expected to call for a significant increase in the number of ships, with officials discussing a fleet as large as 530 hulls, according to documents obtained by Defense News.

Air Force Taps AT&T 5G to Boost Network Services at 3 Bases
(FedScoop) The Air Force has inked a deal with AT&T to bring 5G wireless technology to three new bases in support of the service’s enterprise IT-as-a-service and network-as-a-service models.

Global Shipping in Crisis: World Leaders Ignoring the S.O.S.
(Forbes) How many more signals do world leaders need to see to believe that global shipping is an industry in meltdown?

New U.S. Government Rules Mean Rethinking Supply Chain Risk for Public and Private Sector Decision Makers
(Forbes) The United States Government is in the process of rolling out two far-reaching procurement changes aimed at securing the federal supply chain. Individually, each of these initiatives will have a substantial impact on federal purchasing. Together, they are the largest change in federal procurement practices in many years and have implications well beyond the direct provision of products and services to the U.S. Government.

House Stopgap Spending Bill Includes $1.6B for Columbia-Class Subs
(The Hill) The Navy would be allowed to buy the first two Columbia-class ballistic missile submarines under a stopgap government funding measure released by House Democrats on Monday. Typically, stopgap spending bills known as continuing resolutions (CR) bar any changes to existing funding, including preventing new purchases.

Bradley Fighting Vehicles Sent to Protect US Troops in Syria
(Military.com) U.S. Central Command has directed the deployment of Bradley Fighting Vehicles, advanced Sentinel radar systems, and other assets to northeastern Syria to protect the remaining few hundred U.S. troops against Islamic State attack, CENTCOM said in a statement Friday.

Marines and Mercenaries: Beware the Irregular Threat in the Littoral
(Center for International Maritime Security) The world is increasingly urban and littoral. This convergence between urbanization and the littoral, or littoralization, can lead to “the worst of both worlds” and may remake the littorals into hotspots of instability and conflict.

Expect US Election to Have Consequences for American Troops Overseas
(Military Times) President Donald Trump and Democratic rival Joe Biden both say they want to pull U.S. forces out of Iraq and Afghanistan. But their approaches differ, and the outcome of the Nov. 3 election will have long-term consequences not only for U.S. troops, but for the wider region.

DOD’s Forthcoming Data Strategy Focused on Joint Warfighting Approach
(FedScoop) The Department of Defense has been broadcasting its need to use “data as a strategic asset” for years now. But soon, it will give more weight to the phrase with a new data strategy that aims to empower every level of the DOD to more effectively use data.

China Has the World’s Largest Navy. And It’s Getting Better, Pentagon Warns
(Forbes) China has the largest navy in the world. And, according to a new DOD report, it’s not just big, but it’s getting better.

DOD-Dependent Movers Seeing Rebound in Revenue, But Uncertainty Lies Ahead
(Federal News Network) After a disastrous spring, moving companies are bouncing back and seeing revenues above average for August and September.

Pentagon, Defense Contractors Are Out of Step on Tech Innovation, GAO Finds
(Breaking Defense) The Pentagon wanted to fund ambitious research into future tech breakthroughs but contractors spend most of their money on safer bets, GAO has found.

DOT Plans Funding Boost, Regulatory Rollbacks in National Freight Strategy
(Supply Chain Dive) The Department of Transportation has released a National Freight Strategic Plan to help implement the National Multimodal Freight Policy. The plan outlines goals and strategies to guide multimodal freight policies, investments, and programs at the federal and state levels.

China Planning High-Speed Rail Freight Network to Help E-Commerce Sector
(South China Morning Post) China’s state-owned railway operator is planning to accelerate the development of a high-speed freight network in the hope of bolstering the e-commerce network.

The Next Supply Chain Challenge: How to Vaccinate the World
(Forbes) The next ‘real’ supply chain crisis however will be to vaccinate the whole world, safely, efficiently, and fairly. We have to get from formulating, to planning, to manufacturing and finally distributing billions of doses of vaccine.

America’s 355-Ship Navy Does Not Have to Be the Current Fantasy
(Defense News) Current law and presidential policy established 355 ships, including 12 carriers and 66 submarines, as the U.S. Navy force goal. Since few mission categories have support of law, budgets should reflect this priority. They have not.

Can AI Solve the Rare Earths Problem? Chinese and U.S. Researchers Think So
(Defense One) A joint U.S.-Chinese research team has shown that artificial intelligence can help find potent new combinations of materials to replace rare earth metals that are key to military technology.

For US Air Force Pilots, the Toughest Training Flights are Going Virtual
(Defense News) A new simulator campus at Nellis Air Force Base could be key for the U.S. Air Force as it grapples with the question of how it can train pilots against complex threats like Russia and China at a budget-friendly cost.

The Defense Industry Remains in Dire Straits. Congress Must Pass Another Relief Package
(Defense News) Pentagon officials have provided details on its stimulus funding request. It’s clear the defense, shipbuilding and aerospace industrial base—an “essential” workforce as designated by the Department of Homeland Security—is indeed in need of help.

An AI Just Beat a Human F-16 Pilot in a Dogfight—Again
(Defense One) In five rounds, an artificially-intelligent agent showed that it could outshoot other AI’s, and a human. So, what happens next with AI in air combat?

Pentagon Wins Brief Waiver from Government’s Huawei Ban
(Defense News) The Trump administration is granting the Pentagon a temporary waiver of a government-wide ban on contractors using Huawei and other Chinese-made telecommunications equipment, according to a memo obtained by Defense News.

DOD’s IT Supply Chain has Dozens of Suppliers from China, Report Finds
(FedScoop) A report from data analytics firm Govini shows that the Department of Defense‘s IT supply chains has dozens of Chinese companies in it. It is unclear how much work, products, or services come from these companies and in what way, but it still poses a significant risk.

Russia and China Playing Musical Chairs in Zero Gravity
(War on the Rocks) When SpaceX’s recent Falcon 9 rocket mission launched the first human spaceflight from U.S. soil since 2011 and the first ever for a commercial company, Russia saw its monopoly on putting humans in space fade rapidly into the background.

Here’s What Narcos Could Teach Marines, Sailors About ‘Cocaine Logistics’
(Marine Corps Times) The Navy and Marine Corps expect a big future fight in the Pacific, involving China, a lot of missiles, small islands, and far-flung units. Many people turn to history for lessons learned and future guidance, while others lean on high-tech superiority. But another direction might be sitting just south of us and come from a long-running U.S. adversary: narcotraffickers.

Ten Performance Gains the Ford-Class Carrier Will Deliver that a Nimitz Never Can
(Forbes) The USS Gerald R. Ford, the lead ship in a new generation of large-deck, nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, has been criticized for taking too long, costing too much, and not living up to its advanced billing. However, the Ford class is so different from what came before that it is hard to keep track of all the ways in which it will out-perform the carriers populating today’s operational fleet.

An Aerospace Startup Just Won a Contract to Develop an Air Force One Jet that Can Travel at Mach 5. Here’s an Early Look at the Engine that Could Rocket from New York to Paris in 90 Minutes
(Business Insider) The Air Force One of the future might be getting a major speed boost. An aerospace company called Hermeus on Thursday announced a contract with the US Air Force and the Presidential and Executive Airlift Directorate to develop a hypersonic aircraft for the presidential fleet.

House Approves $1.3 Trillion Spending Package for 2021
(The Hill) The House has approved a $1.3 trillion package of spending bills for the 2021 fiscal year. The package includes the spending bills for defense; labor, health and human services, and education; commerce, justice and science; energy and water; financial services and general government; and transportation and housing and urban development.

What Will It Take to Move 12,000 Troops from Germany? Closures, Time and Lots of Money
(Stars and Stripes) Removing 12,000 troops from Germany will likely mean several base closures and cost billions of dollars for an operation that could begin in weeks but take years to complete.

NASA Hails Success of SpaceX’s 1st Astronaut Mission: ‘This is Just the Beginning’
(Space.com) The success of SpaceX’s first-ever crewed mission has NASA very optimistic about the future of human spaceflight.

The Air Force’s Latest GPS Alternative: Earth’s Magnetic Fields
(Defense One) Officials just launched a public challenge to help create the artificial intelligence needed to turn the planet’s magnetic fields into readable maps.

Secretary Elaine Chao Unveils Guidance Document for Regulation of Hyperloop Months Ahead of Schedule and Establishes Eligibility for Project Funding
(GlobeNewswire) US Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao and the Non-Traditional and Emerging Transportation Technology Council have unveiled the guidance document on a clear regulatory framework for hyperloop in the United States. The guidance is the first of its kind in the world.

Milley Assigns Service Roles in All-Domain Ops Concept
(Breaking Defense) Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley has tasked each of the services to develop a specific piece of the overarching concept for future Joint All-Domain Operations (JADO), which envisions seamlessly lethal coordination across land, sea, air, space, and cyberspace.

Commanders Need to Know Innovative Acquisition
(War on the Rocks) Successful commanders were skilled in a lot of areas: leadership style, ability to communicate, forming relationships, and motivating troops. But, perhaps most importantly, the successful commanders all had the ability to navigate government bureaucracy — specifically the acquisitions process.

The Trump Administration Says Its Overhaul of an Unpopular Trucking Safety Law Will Save Taxpayers $4 Billion
(Business Insider) The Department of Transportation announced that planned reforms to the hours-of-service (HOS) law will save American taxpayers more than $4 billion over about 14 years—roughly $287 million a year—by reducing regulatory costs.

US May Need to Nationalize Military Aircraft Industry, USAF Says
(Defense One) The United States might need to nationalize parts of the military aviation sector if the Pentagon does not come up with new ways to buy planes that stimulate more competition in private industry, a top Air Force official warned.

Navy Automates Supply Chain Analysis for Microelectronics
(FedScoop) The small computer chips in just about everything from weapon systems to IT platforms often take a long and winding supply chain journey before joining Department of Defense networks. So, the Navy recently acquired a new supply chain risk assessment tool for quicker analysis of its microelectronics and to serve as an example in monitoring broader supply chains for IT-related products.

Military Sealift is America’s Achilles’ Heel
(Navy Times) A powerful Navy, capable of protecting global commerce and projecting power around the globe, has become the cornerstone of US national defense. This strategy has also meant fighting the vast majority of the nation’s armed conflict far from our shores, protecting the homeland from the terrible destruction that was a defining characteristic of war in the 20th century.

Expanded Cargo Preferences May Be the Easiest Way to Rebuild the U.S. Maritime Industry
(Forbes) The current high-cost structure of U.S. merchant shipping is directly related to the loss of economies as subsidized foreign carriers have driven U.S. ships from the marketplace. If U.S. shipping and shipbuilding made a comeback as a result of expanded cargo preferences, the cost structure would likely change.

Logistics Challenges, Opportunities Discussed During Lexington Institute Webinar
(US Department of Defense) Brig Gen Leonard Kosinski, USAF, Director of Logistics for US Africa Command spoke to international logistics experts during a recent webinar. Kosinski discussed the logistical challenges in Africa and the need to partner with commercial industry to help overcome challenges and leverage lessons learned.

‘Lightning in Her Veins’: How Katie Arrington is Convincing Defense Contractors to Love Cybersecurity
(C4ISRNet) Arrington’s title is clunky: chief information security officer for acquisition in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment. Translated, she’s leading the Pentagon’s effort to add new cybersecurity requirements for the 300,000 companies that do business with the Pentagon. Her challenge, almost every day, is to convince industry it should embrace the Defense Department’s new auditing standards, which are aimed at improving cybersecurity.

USDOT Issues Final Rule for Transporting LNG by Rail Tank Car
(Progressive Railroading) The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), in consultation with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), late last week issued a final rule authorizing the bulk transportation of liquefied natural gas (LNG) by rail.

SECDEF Seeks to Reassure NATO Over U.S. Troop Plans
(Military Times) U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Friday sought to reassure allies at NATO that Washington will consult them on any future troop movements, after President Donald Trump surprised partners at the military alliance by announcing the withdrawal of thousands of personnel from Germany.

Pentagon Wants to Give Contractors an Extra Year to Remove Chinese Tech
(FedScoop) The Department of Defense is considering giving contractors an extra year to rid their networks of technology from Huawei, ZTE, and other Chinese companies.

House Lawmakers Vote to Raise Mandatory Insurance Coverage to $2 Million
(FreightWaves) Lawmakers marking up the U.S. House of Representatives’ version of the surface transportation reauthorization bill have approved an amendment to more than double the required amount of insurance coverage for truck owners from $750,000 to $2 million.

Democrats Unveil $1.5 Trillion Infrastructure Plan
(The Hill) House Democrats unveiled a $1.5 trillion infrastructure plan Thursday that calls for a huge increase in funding to repair roads and bridges while expanding broadband access in rural areas.

Congress Has Less Than a Month to Ward Off Needless Harm to the US Military
(Defense One) The ranking member of the House’s Defense Appropriations panel lays out how it would hurt to start fiscal 2021 with a continuing resolution.

In War, Chinese Shipyards Could Outpace US in Replacing Losses; Marine Commandant
(Breaking Defense) “Replacing ships lost in combat will be problematic,” Marine Commandant Gen. David Berger writes in a forthcoming paper. “Our industrial base has shrunk while peer adversaries have expanded their shipbuilding capacity. In an extended conflict, the United States will be on the losing end of a production race.”

As a Global Superpower, America Depends on World-Class Logistics Providers
(The National Interest) One area where the United States has a significant advantage over any other nation, particularly potential adversaries, is in logistics.

TRANSCOM Pulls Back $7 Billion Contract to Privatize Military Household Goods Moves
(Military Times) A $7.2 billion contract for outsourcing the management of moving service members’ household goods has been pulled back by the U.S. Transportation Command.

Air Force Acquisition Chief Wants to Reshape Defense Industrial Base
(Federal Computer Week) The Air Force’s increasing interest in startups isn’t just to get a taste of innovation but completely change the defense industrial base by pivoting away from the defense prime model (while still working with those companies) and create a new industrial base that more easily allows tech companies to simultaneously work with the Defense Department and the commercial sector.

DOD Unveils Women, Peace, Security Strategy
(US Department of Defense) Global conflict is evolving, and to illustrate that the United States military needs the expertise and viewpoints of all members of society for success. DOD has published the Women, Peace and Security Strategic Framework and Implementation Plan as part of a national effort to promote the safety, equality and meaningful contributions of women around the world, Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Rath Hoffman said.

Senate’s Defense Bill Looks to Pump Money into Shipbuilding Suppliers
(Defense News) Despite howls of criticism from Congress over the Navy’s seven-ship budget request earlier this year, the Senate Armed Services Committee’s markup of the National Defense Authorization Act stopped short of adding extra ships. Instead, lawmakers are opting to authorize the purchase of long-lead-time materials to keep the industrial base healthy.

Why the Jones Act is Still Needed 100 Years Later
(Defense News) One hundred years ago today, President Woodrow Wilson enacted a law that would become known as the Jones Act. Its purpose was to help the U.S. shipping industry recover after World War I. Yet few could have predicted how vital it would become to our national security and economic prosperity a full century later — especially during a pandemic.

D-Day Veterans Few and Far Between as Time Moves On
(Military.com) Saturday marked the 76th anniversary of D-Day. Historians say more than 4,400 Allied soldiers were killed on D-Day, including 2,501 Americans, that fateful Tuesday on the shores of France.

Defense Bill Turns into Proxy Battle Over Floyd Protests
(The Hill) A fight is brewing over the annual defense policy bill as the Trump administration’s response to the protests against racial injustices roils the nation.

House Democrats Release Nearly $500 Billion Infrastructure Bill
(Transportation Today) As the clock winds down on the current surface transportation authorization, Democrats on the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee have unveiled a nearly $500 billion package designed to fix a backlog of infrastructure issues, create jobs, and prop up public transit.

Fog of War: How Clever Technology Enables Military Pilots to See Through Smoke, Dust, Mist & Smog
(Forbes) The Pentagon figures that 58% of the rotorcraft it lost during the occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq were traceable to mishaps caused by what professionals call “degraded visual environments” or DVE. But, until relatively recently, no comprehensive solution was available that would allow military pilots to see through every type of obscurant in every imaginable condition, from a raging sandstorm to a blizzard.

Ships! Ships! All We Need is Ships!
(War on the Rocks) The United States is at a significant crossroads in designing a future fleet to meet its maritime needs. But, the ability to project sea power must be a strategic priority for the entire government and not solely a U.S. Navy challenge to solve.

All Aboard the Sea Train!
(C4ISRNet) The current security environment has incentivized the Navy and the Marine Corps to move from a small number of exquisite, large manned platforms to a more distributed fleet structure comprised of smaller vessels, including unmanned platforms that can conduct surveillance and engage in electronic warfare and offensive operations.

CMMC Accreditation Body Close to Releasing Assessor Training Requirements
(Federal News Network) The leaked or mistakenly-made public details of the assessment and certification processes under the Defense Department’s Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) program shed some initial bright light on the accreditation body’s (AB) thinking.

Exercise to Unite Four Combatant Commands to Test Homeland Defenses for the First Time
(Defense News) For the first time, four U.S. combatant commands are coming together this week for an exercise that simulates how the military would respond to an attack on its home turf.

5,000 National Guard Troops in 15 States and DC Activated to Help Quell Growing Civil Unrest
(Military Times) About 5,000 National Guard troops in 15 states and the District of Columbia have been activated to help quell the current unrest across the Nation. Another 2,000 Guard members are prepared to activate if needed.

EXIM Board Unanimously Approves Amended Financing of U.S. Exports to Mozambique LNG Project and Support of More U.S. Jobs in Additional States
(Export-Import Bank of the United States [EXIM]) The Board of Directors of the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) has unanimously voted to amend the agency’s previously approved September 2019 direct loan supporting U.S. exports for the development and construction of an integrated liquefied natural gas (LNG) project located on the Afungi Peninsula in northern Mozambique. As a result, the transaction now will support an increased number—16,700—of estimated American jobs over the five-year construction period.

Irregular Warfare in a New Era of Great-Power Competition
(Modern War Institute at West Point) America’s strategic emphasis on great-power competition is changing when, where, and how the United States conducts irregular warfare—counterterrorism, unconventional warfare, counterinsurgency, foreign internal defense, and stability operations.

China Announces $178.2 Billion Military Budget
(Defense News) China has announced a 6.6 percent growth in its defense budget for this year, its lowest rate of increase for almost three decades.

ICYMI Force Projection: Port Diversification Generates Strategic Readiness
(US Army) If and when America goes to war, we will fight by, with, and through seaports. These critical nodes at home and abroad are key to projecting the nation’s decisive military force.

Navy Using ‘Digital Twins’ to Speed Innovation to the Fleet
(Federal News Network) The Navy has started to build virtual replicas of the systems that comprise the IT networks aboard its warships, starting with the ships in the U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt strike group. The basic idea is to let developers build and test new ideas on those “digital twins,” letting them get new technology out to the fleet more quickly, and without the risk of breaking mission-critical systems.

The Air Force’s Secret Space Plane Is Part of A Plan to One Day Shoot Microwaves to Earth
(Defense One) Little is known about the X-37B space plane and what, exactly, it’s been doing during missions that now total nearly eight years in orbit. But recently, the U.S. Air Force revealed some of the satellite payloads and experiments it will carry aloft this month, including one that will try converting the sun’s energy into a form that can be sent to Earth.

The Pentagon Should Train for—and Not Just Talk About—Great-Power Competition
(War on the Rocks) The Pentagon has committed to competing with China and Russia—but it’s not training that way. If the United States is to be truly prepared for great-power competition, its forces need to train as they expect to operate in theater.

Virgin Orbit Gets Thumbs-Up for Space Force Launches From Guam
(C4ISRNet) VOX Space has received approval to launch payloads into orbit from Guam, the company announced May 7, and its first launch there will place experimental cubesats on orbit for various government agencies.

How the Navy’s CMV-22B Osprey Helps Make Distributed Maritime Operations a Reality
(Forbes) The U.S. Navy is developing a new warfighting concept called Distributed Maritime Operations that calls for dispersing warships over vast areas and coordinating their operations via a secure communications grid.

Is Automotive CyberSecurity a National Defense Issue?
(Forbes) Recently, the US Congress released a bipartisan draft of a new autonomous vehicle bill. One of the most interesting aspects of the bill was its emphasis on cybersecurity.

Amazon Wants to Train Veterans to Start Their Own Delivery Businesses
(Military.com) While Amazon reported massive growth in the first quarter of 2020, the online sales giant needs more delivery assets. And it wants American military veterans to be those assets.

South Korea: Kim Jong Un Did Not Have Surgery
(Politico) North Korean leader Kim Jong Un did not undergo surgery or any other medical procedure, a South Korean official said Sunday, amid speculation about his health that continues to linger even after he reappeared publicly in recent days.

Defense Travel Dispatch – Spring 2020 Edition
(Defense Travel Management Office [DTMO]) DTMO has published the spring 2020 edition of its quarterly newsletter, The Dispatch.

As Rumor Mill Goes into Overdrive, South Korea Insists Kim Jong Un is “Alive and Well”
(Slate) The rumors about the health of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un went into overdrive this weekend with some media outlets outright claiming he has died while others claim he is very sick and may even be brain dead. Amid all the chatter, some insist the reports of his death have been greatly exaggerated.

The Pentagon’s Cybersecurity Certification Plan Includes Continuously Monitoring Contractors
(Nextgov) The accreditation body overseeing the Defense Department’s Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program—the CMMC-AB—issued a request for proposal that provides insight into how the group plans to keep track of contractors outside of conducting physical audits.

The Future of Tactical Airlifts is Here and It Is Verticle
(War on the Rocks) Commanders will always want more airlift capacity and light airlifters have been effective in the past. However, there are more modern and more capable Marine and Army aircraft filling many of those roles now.

FCC to Approve Spectrum Plan that Pentagon Claims Will Harm GPS
(C4ISRNet) The Federal Communications Commission is poised to approve a draft order that would reallocate a specific portion of the radio spectrum for broadband communications, overruling a decade of strong objections from the Department of Defense. Senior Pentagon leaders warn that such a move will lead to “unacceptable” harm to the GPS system by creating new interference that could disrupt satellites critical to national security.

The Tanker Gap
(Air Force Magazine) The US Air Force’s budget seeks to swap capacity now for capability in the future, but USTRANSCOM is leery.

Plan B for GPS III Ground System Approved for Everyday Use
(C4ISRNet) Just hours after the Space Force announced it would pay hundreds of millions of dollars to replace the computer hardware in its next-generation GPS ground system, the service said the contingency program it has been relying on until that new system is ready has been approved for everyday use.

Trump Administration Must Produce 5G Security Strategy Under New Law
(Fifth Domain) President Donald Trump signed a 5G security bill March 23 that requires the executive branch to develop a strategy to secure and protect 5G and future generation networks.

Navy Shipbuilding: Increasing Focus on Sustainment Early in the Acquisition Process Could Save Billions
(US Government Accountability Office [GAO]) The GAO investigated every class of ships the Navy recently built and found 150 examples of systemic maintenance problems, which might have been prevented with some attention to future maintenance concerns when designing and building the ships. The GAO has made 11 recommendations to help the Navy focus on maintenance concerns earlier.

How China Is Militarizing the South China Sea With a Ton of Missiles
(The National Interest) Beijing has been conducting many tests as well as building military bases. Can China hold on to its artificial islands and threaten America’s carriers in the next war?

How the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act and the Defense Appropriations Act Can Prepare the U.S. for Great Power Competition
(The Heritage Foundation) A new era of great power competition will require the U.S. military to prioritize China and Russia, while maintaining readiness and expanding current capabilities. Upcoming defense authorization and appropriations bills are vital tools for Congress to help implement the National Defense Strategy and address rising threats.

Allies and American Foreign Policy
(War on the Rocks) Brig. Gen. (ret.) Kimberly Field, discusses the notion of grand strategy in the context of alliance relationships. Specifically, she draws on her experience serving as a U.S. representative at the United Nations and as a general officer deployed to Afghanistan as part of the NATO alliance, to examine the role that allies play in supporting and enabling U.S. grand strategic vision.

Doing Right by Forgotten American Heroes of the Merchant Marines
(New York Post) United States Merchant Mariners suffered the highest rate of casualties of any service in World War II. In long overdue recognition, President Trump has now signed into law a bill to award the Congressional Gold Medal to those United States Merchant Mariners who served as the fourth arm of our national defense during World War II.

7 Military Move Changes Coming This Spring
(Military.com) Officials are rolling out a series of small changes aimed at making military moves a little less stressful, just in time for 2020’s busiest permanent change-of-station (PCS) period.

DOD Awards Contracts for Development of a Mobile Microreactor
(Department of Defense) The Department of Defense has awarded three contracts to begin design work on a mobile nuclear reactor prototype under a Strategic Capabilities Office initiative called Project Pele.

What Taiwan Can Teach the World on Fighting the Coronavirus
(NBC News) Taiwan put lessons it learned during the 2003 SARS outbreak to good use, and this time its government and people were prepared.

US Military Scientists Hope to Have Coronavirus Therapeutic by Summer
(Defense News) A US military research program that seeks a new way to boost a body’s immunity to viruses could change how governments and militaries prepare for pandemics—and might even arrive soon enough to help with the COVID-19 outbreak.

SpaceLogistics Teams with DARPA to Service Satellites on Orbit
(C4ISRNet) SpaceLogistics will work with DARPA to develop a robotic servicing spacecraft after the company successfully docked its mission extension vehicle with a commercial satellite on orbit. SpaceLogistics, a Northrop Grumman subsidiary, will be DARPA’s commercial partner for the agency’s Robotic Servicing of Geosynchronous Satellites (RSGS) program.

The Pentagon’s First Class of Cybersecurity Auditors is Almost Here
(Fifth Domain) The Pentagon hopes to have the first class of auditors to evaluate contractors’ cybersecurity ready by April, according to a top Department of Defense official. The auditors will be responsible for certifying companies under the new Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC).

Have Goods, Will Deliver: Materiel Command Modernizing to Build Readiness
(Association of the United States Army) While combat troops have always been the foundation of the Army, our strategic advantage has been our ability to mobilize, deploy, move and sustain the force. From management of installation infrastructure to mobilization operations, and from deployment to sustainment in the field and redeployment, the materiel enterprise has a significant role in building and delivering Army strategic readiness.

The US Military’s Investment Ecosystem is Missing in Action
(War on the Rocks) To succeed in this new environment, the US government should do more to foster defense innovation and strengthen critical industrial manufacturing capabilities, avoiding actions that push companies to move offshore, to allow themselves to be acquired by foreign competitors, or to exit the defense markets completely.

USS Eisenhower Leads Exercise to Clear Atlantic Shipping Lanes
(Breaking Defense) The Navy is doing something it hasn’t done since the 1980s—test its abilities to win in a contested crossing of the Atlantic.

Aerial Refueling, Sealift Capability Vital to Readiness
(DOD News) Aerial refueling and sealift forces require attention so they can meet current and future challenges, the commander of US Transportation Command told lawmakers.

Strengthening the US Defense Maritime Industrial Base: A Plan to Improve Maritime Industry’s Contribution to National Security
(Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments [CSBA]) A new report by CSBA finds that a robust maritime industry, and the policies that support it, are increasingly important in an era of great power competition. However, the maritime industry and the broader national security innovation base face a range of pressures that undermine their long-term viability, ability to innovate, and capacity to support future military operations.

How Do the Candidates’ Infrastructure Plans Compare?
(Transport Topics) A helpful chart compares the infrastructure plans of the candidates who are running for president in 2020.

State of Defense 2020: Special Report
(Defense One) Defense One’s annual service-by-service report takes a look at the big questions facing the US military.

New Adaptive Acquisition Policies for Defense Contractors
(Federal News Network) Contractors may not all be aware of the Defense Department’s new adaptive acquisition framework. But they should be. Eight acquisition policies are going to pop out of it in the next few months.

Sanctions in the Cyber Domain: Old Ways Won’t Win Today’s Wars
(US Army War College) In applying economic sanctions to financially motivated malicious North Korean cyber groups, U.S. policymakers display a shocking failure to understand strategic realities in the cyber domain, essentially fighting the last war.

A Century of Airpower Propaganda Was Just ‘Blown Up’ by an Air Force Think Tank
(The National Interest) A recent study on deterrence had some interesting results. It turns out that when we need to send a message of deterrence, nothing works better than the humble main battle tank.

Why Boeing’s T-7 Red Hawk Trainer is Shaping Up to Be a Breakthrough Success for the U.S. Air Force
(Forbes) If you look inside the T-7 program, it is apparent that something is going on here. Boeing and teammate Saab aren’t just developing a training system, they are fashioning what amounts to a prototype for the digital engineering revolution that is a top Air Force priority.

Report: U.S. Sealift Lacks Personnel, Hulls, National Strategy
(USNI News) An aging and inactive government fleet dependent on a shrinking pool of merchant mariners to get underway is how a new report describes the U.S. military’s strategic sealift capability.

Second Year of Audits Shows DoD Getting Better Grasp of Business Processes
(Federal News Network) After its first two years of full-scale financial audits, the Defense Department is starting to get some of its first concrete indications of how much work lies ahead of it before it can finally earn a clean audit opinion.

Used Ships Could Solve Sealift Readiness Issues
(DOD News) The aging vessels used to move personnel, equipment and supplies around the world pose a readiness concern, according to the Commander of US Transportation Command.

The Military’s Contractor Cyber Standards Are Officially Here
(FedScoop) The Pentagon has issued the final standards under the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC). Version 1.0 marks the first step towards implementing the new cybersecurity standards into all Department of Defense contracts.

DOD Budget Proposal Includes $7.8B in Cuts, Transfers from Defense Agencies
(Federal News Network) The 2021 budget the Pentagon will roll out next week will include $5.7 billion in program reductions across the dozens of agencies that make up the Defense Department’s “fourth estate,” and $2.1 billion worth of additional functions that DoD wants to move from Defense agencies to the military services.

The Air Force and Navy Have Stealth Fighters So Why Not Also Stealth Tankers?
(The National Interest) Key point: Washington needs to ensure its stealth fighters can have the range they need to reach enemy targets. But that won’t work if its tankers aren’t stealthy and give the game away.

Can Warfighters Remain the Masters of AI?
(War on the Rocks) The Department of Defense is engaging in a dangerous experiment: It is investing heavily in artificial intelligence (AI) equipment and technologies while simultaneously underinvesting in preparation for the workforce will need to understand its implementation.

Freight All Kinds: Making Military Logistics Work in the 2020s and Beyond
(FreightWaves) In the private sector, problems with supply chain agility and resilience might lead to a poor quarter or two. For the military, a lack of supply chain resilience can complicate the armed services’ capability to meet dynamic threats, diluting the nation’s global power and perhaps undermining its security.

Pentagon Should Explore Renting Refuelers Amid KC-46 Delays, General Says
(Military.com) The head of U.S. Transportation Command says the Pentagon should seriously explore an air refueling leasing program with the defense industry while the Air Force works with Boeing Co. to fix its newest tanker, the KC-46 Pegasus.

DoD Plans April Contract Award to Fix ‘Fundamentally Flawed’ Moving System
(Federal News Network) Officials at U.S. Transportation Command say they’re getting close to awarding a multibillion-dollar contract to overhaul the system for moving service members’ household goods across the country and around the world.

How the U.S. Navy’s Aging Sealift Fleet Could Lose America’s Next War in Eurasia
(Forbes) For much of U.S. history, the vast oceans separating America from Europe and Asia protected the nation against attack by foreign enemies. Today, those oceans are as much a hindrance as an advantage.

2020 Cybersecurity Predictions: Evolving Vulnerabilities on the Horizon
(The Hill) Cybersecurity threats are seemingly omnipresent in today’s hyper-connected, digital world. In fact — no surprise here — they will only continue to increase in sophistication, frequency, diversity, scale, and scope this year and in the near future.

Transportability Engineering is Vital in an Accelerated Acquisition Process
(U.S. Army Acquisition Support Center) As the design of military systems approaches the limits of the certain transportation assets, meeting the transportability requirements becomes critical.

Saudi Arabia’s Phone Hacking Shows We Need Better Encryption — Not Backdoors
(Defense One) Before the world learned that history’s richest man had been hacked by agents of Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, Saudi dissidents and human rights activists had received similar treatment. But the Bezos hack, and the others like it, show the limits of even good message security in the face of a known attacker.

Time to Revive Joint Concept Development and Experimentation
(War on the Rocks) Close air support has saved countless lives. The key to effective close air support is not the aircraft. It is the communication and coordination between controllers, deployed alongside soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines on the ground, and pilots from all four services in the air. In other words, it is the American military’s ability to conduct joint combat operations.

Treasury Tightens Foreign Investment Review Rules
(Politico) The Treasury Department has finalized two regulations that expand the power of the U.S. executive branch to block foreign investments in real estate or certain businesses involved in critical technology, infrastructure or personal data.

USDOT Announces $900 Million for Freight, Highway Grants
(Transport Topics) Transportation officials nationwide who are seeking a federal boost to help advance major freight or highway projects may find it in the form of a federal grant. The U.S. Department of Transportation announced this week that slightly more than $900 million has been made available for the Infrastructure for Rebuilding America, or INFRA, grants.

A New GPS III Satellite is Online. What Will It Bring to the Fleet?
(C4ISRNET) The first GPS III satellite is officially healthy and available for use by the military and civilians as of Jan. 13, thanks to a ground segment upgrade that provides the military command and control of the new, more powerful navigation satellite.

A Lance Corporal’s Phone Selfie Got His Marine Unit ‘Killed’ at 29 Palms
(Military.com) A junior Marine got his artillery unit into a serious bind after snapping a photo during a massive force-on-force training exercise in California’s Mojave Desert.

Suppose There Was a War and the Merchant Marine Didn’t Come?
(U.S. Naval Institute) In every conflict in U.S. history, the merchant marine has sailed and manned the ships loaded with the beans, bombs, and black oil needed for the fight. But what if the United States had a war and the merchant marine did not come?

Trump Kills Iran’s Most Overrated Warrior
(The New York Times) Suleimani pushed his country to build an empire, but drove it into the ground instead.

IMO 2020: Think Twice Before Finger Pointing
(Seatrade Maritme News) With the implementation of International Maritime Organization Low Sulphur Regulation (or IMO 2020), concerns keep on growing amid recently announced bunker adjustment factors by carriers and the apparently far-from-enough low-sulphur output from global oil refiners.

What Happens If the Air Force’s Command Center for All Its Tankers and Cargo Planes Gets Hacked?
(C4ISRNet) It’s 6 am, and the Air Force’s 618th Air Operations Center is quiet, its members working diligently to plan and control every transport, aerial refueling or aeromedical evacuation mission the service performs around the world. Suddenly, everyone’s computer screens go blank, as does the massive wall-sized projection that tracks air mobility missions worldwide.

FAA Plans New Safety Division as Post-Boeing Max Scrutiny Ramps Up
(CNBC) The Federal Aviation Administration is planning a new division that aims to improve aircraft certification, a development that comes as the agency is under increasing scrutiny for approving the Boeing 737 Max before two of the fast-selling planes crashed.

Bad Idea: Assuming the Small Wars Era is Over
(Defense 360) In seeking greater attention to the pressing challenges presented by peer and near-peer adversaries, those advocating for a strategic reorientation have (even if inadvertently) contributed to the dangerous notion that the United States need not continue to prepare to fight weaker adversaries like non-state militants and irregular forces and to conduct operations that fall below the threshold of major war.

The Army’s New Approach to People
(War on the Rocks) Gen. James C. McConville, the Army’s 40th chief of staff, has given his marching orders: The Army’s top priority is people—more specifically, overhauling talent management. How will future leaders be assessed, selected, and promoted?

SASC Chairman: We Must Build the National Security Innovation Base Our Defense Strategy Requires
(Defense News) Since World War II, the American people have believed our military has had the best of everything, but the technological superiority that kept us 20 years ahead of our competitors has rapidly diminished. In some cases, we’re already behind.

It’s Time to Rethink NATO’s Deterrent Strategy
(War on the Rocks) President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron don’t agree on much. The two leaders do, however, appear to agree on one thing—something is wrong with NATO.

Pentagon R&D Boss: The Challenge of Our Time
(Defense News)  What near-term risks are we willing to take and what current systems are we willing to let go so that we can invest in capabilities that will impose costs on our adversaries and deter them from starting a fight because they know they cannot win?

Hahn Air Gives Blockchain Booking a Test Run
(Travel Weekly)   Hahn Air, the Germany-based interline distribution specialist that also runs a tiny airline has flown what it says are the first passengers in the world whose tickets were enabled by blockchain.

US Senators Introduce ‘Women in Trucking’ Bill
(FreightWaves)   Two U.S. senators have introduced legislation that would require the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to take a formal role in supporting women drivers.

U.S. Postpones Military Exercises with South Korea in Nod Toward North Korea
(Politico) The United States and South Korea have indefinitely postponed a joint military exercise in an “act of goodwill” toward North Korea, according to US Defense Secretary Mark Esper. The move comes even as Japan’s defense minister, whose country feels threatened by repeated North Korean missile launches, told Esper “no one could be optimistic about” changing the North’s behavior.

Mobile Nuclear Power Will Enable a Logistics Revolution for the Army
(War on the Rocks) Future adversaries will certainly concentrate their attacks on fuel supplies as they know that America’s military needs energy to fight effectively. And this energy demand will only grow.

China and US Had ‘Constructive Discussions’ About Phase-One Trade Deal, State Media Says
(CNBC) Chinese Vice Premier Liu He spoke with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer about a phase-one trade deal in a phone call Saturday morning, according to Chinese state media. The two sides had “constructive discussions” about “each other’s core concerns.”

Congress Hunts for Path Out of Spending Stalemate
(The Hill) Top negotiators are set to meet this week to try to break a stalemate over funding the government. Congress has until Nov. 21 to prevent the second shutdown of the year after a 35-day partial closure that ended in February.

‘This Could Get a Little Ugly.’ What to Watch for at the NATO Leaders Summit
(Defense News) When the leaders of the 29 NATO nations gather in London at the start of December, the focus will nominally be on a celebration of the past and a look to the future. But analysts agree that as much as the event is billed as NATO’s 70th birthday, politics could make the situation feel more like a funeral.

Congressional Dysfunction Threatens to Halt Trump Defense Buildup
(Forbes) The assumption typically is that Congress will eventually pass a real budget. This year, though, doubts are rising that a budget can be passed, given wrangling over funding for the president’s border wall and the very divisive impeachment process.

The Defense Travel Management Office (DTMO) Releases Fall Dispatch
(DTMO) DTMO’s quarterly newsletter, The Dispatch, has just been released, featuring an update on travel system modernization, interviews with the team leads for both the Defense Travel Modernization prototype initiative and the DOD Preferred Commercial Lodging program, an overview of the Military Bus program, and more.

The Fight Over 5G Foreshadows the Great Decoupling
(C4ISRNet) How the Pentagon buys basic technology is suddenly a matter of national security. For everything from security cameras to printers to cellphone networks, the whole apparatus of modern office technology has now gained an air of ominous menace.

America’s Great-Power Problems Will Come Back to Haunt It in the Middle East
(The National Interest) In the past, when great powers exited a geopolitically critical region, a strategic vacuum ensued. Trump’s hasty withdrawal of troops in Syria, just like his predecessor’s pullout from Iraq, is no exception.

Report: Cyber Workforce Must Grow 145% to Meet Global Demand
(Nextgov) Demand for cyber expertise is skyrocketing across the U.S. as more organizations start prioritizing their digital security, but today there are only enough cybersecurity pros to fill about 60 percent of those jobs, according to a recent survey.

The Grades Are in for America’s Military Strength
(Defense News) America’s investments in military readiness are paying off, particularly for the Army, but its armed forces would be stretched dangerously thin if they participate in more than one large war at the same time, according to the Heritage Foundation’s 2020 Index of U.S. Military Strength.

Senate Democrats Block Defense Spending Bill Over Trump Wall
(The Hill) Senate Democrats blocked a defense spending bill for the second time this past week, underscoring the hurdles ahead of next month’s government funding deadline.

US Forces Could Learn from Intense Electronic War Battle in Ukraine
(Military Times) Ukrainian forces are under heavy assault by Russian drones and ground systems equipped with jammers and direction-finding technology honed to sniff out Ukrainian military positions—a near-peer battle offering lessons learned for American forces.

Russia Rolls Out Its ‘Sovereign Internet.’ Is It Building a Digital Iron Curtain?
(CNN) A controversial new law has taken effect in Russia: The so-called “sovereign internet” law, which mandates the creation of an independent internet for Russia. In effect, Moscow has given itself the power to erect a sort of digital Iron Curtain around its networks.

First, Manage Security Threats to Machine Learning
(War on the Rocks) Deception is as old as warfare itself. Until now, the targets of deception operations have been humans. But the introduction of machine learning and artificial intelligence opens up a whole new world of opportunities to deceive by targeting machines.

The Army is Finding New Ways to Airdrop Loads Large and Small, Even in Urban Terrain
(Army Times) The Army is testing and developing better ways to get supplies to soldiers in far-flung, austere places in both big and small packages.

US Logistics Boss Talks Risks to the Supply Chain and Protective Measures
(Defense News) Securing the supply chain can seem like a game of whack-a-mole involving cyberthreats, counterfeit goods and a shrinking industrial base. In the words of the DLA Director, LTG Darrell Williams, the supply chain “simply cannot afford to not be protected.”

GSA’s Simple Mantra Driving Modernization: Eliminate, Optimize and Automate
(Federal News Network) The General Services Administration is following a simple mantra to guide its agency-wide modernization effort—eliminate, optimize and automate. So far in just the Public Buildings Service alone, the EOA approach has saved almost $2 billion with a goal of saving $5 billion by 2024.

Trump Says Phase One of China Trade Deal Is ‘Ahead of Schedule’
(Politico) President Donald Trump said Monday that negotiations for the so-called phase one of the United States’ trade deal with China were “ahead of schedule.” The comments come ahead of Trump’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Chile on Nov. 16-17.

Can Pentagon Acquisition Keep Up with Electronic Warfare?
(C4ISRNet) The cat-and-mouse nature of electronic warfare means systems need to always be up to date, but the Pentagon’s acquisition authorities don’t always allow for the Department of Defense to move fast enough, according to one senior acquisition official.

Despite Rising Awareness of Critical US Sealift Shortfalls, Solutions Are Elusive
(Defense News) The head of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command couldn’t have been any clearer when he testified before the House Armed Services Committee in March: The U.S. absolutely must recapitalize its sealift fleet if its going to be able to support a war in the theater.

DLA, GSA to Review Federal Supply Chain for Streamlining Effort
(ExecutiveGov) The Defense Logistics Agency has partnered with the General Services Administration to review and streamline the federal supply chain. The DLA-GSA federal supply class review would tackle the 7 million items from across all 600 FSC categories, DLA said Wednesday.

Five Unintended Consequences of Trump’s Syria Withdrawal
(The Hill) President Trump’s decision last week to withdraw U.S. troops from northern Syria, allowing Turkey to launch an offensive against Kurdish forces, has already had several unintended, albeit foreseeable, consequences.

The Case for a Three Tanker Air Force
(War on the Rocks) The U.S. Air Force is about to execute a plan that could have irreversible consequences, and time is running out to change course. Before it retires the KC-10 “Extender,” its long-distance, high-capacity aerial refueling plane, the Air Force should reconsider.

The US Army is Worried About a Potential Showdown with Russia, and It’s Practicing a New Way to Get to a Fight in Europe
(Business Insider) Soldiers from the 1st Cavalry Division’s 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team started arriving in Europe this week for a nine-month rotation as part of Operation Atlantic Resolve. While the rotation is the fifth by an armored brigade in support of Atlantic Resolve, the unit is the first “in recent memory” to use the port of Vlissingen in the Netherlands.