Sen. Roger Wicker, the incoming chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, released a report outlining key reforms the Defense Department and Congress could make to improve the acquisition process, as well as corresponding legislation to implement those changes.
The bipartisan spending package, released early this morning, increases defense funding by $27 billion over the previous year’s enacted budget and includes a number of key provisions the department had requested.
Michigan’s defense ecosystem and expertise makes it a special asset for production.
“The Minimum Viable Capability for CJADC2 [Combined Joint All Domain Command & Control] is real and ready now,” said Deputy Secretary Kathleen Hicks. “It's low latency and extremely reliable.” But budget gridlock blocks deployment.
Progress on CCA, the AI-piloted “loyal wingman,” and JADC2 command networks will stall if Congress cannot pass funding for fiscal 2024, the Air Force Secretary warned – while China races ahead.
In this op-ed, AEI's Elaine McCusker and John Ferrari, two former Pentagon budget officials, warn about the national security repercussions of a potential government shutdown.
The SASC version of the fiscal 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), "requires the Department of Defense to address deficiencies in the electronic protection of defense systems," according to an executive summary.
Blending superior optics, advanced stabilization and AI-powered autonomy in a compact and rugged system, ASELFLIR 600 delivers unmatched intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities.
One Republican-backed amendment funds a special inspector general for Ukraine spending, while a Democrat-backed add-on targets "excessive contractor payments."
A savvy DC veteran, Sec. Christine Wormuth didn’t outright call for Congress to go above the budget caps, but, she said, “given that we want to make sure that we are not only able to support Ukraine but that we also replenish our own stocks … a supplemental, I think, would be very helpful.”
"I expect that by the end of my tenure, if I make it all the way to [2026], that you're going to see a substantial on-orbit capability that allows us to compete in full-spectrum operations,” Space Force chief Gen. Chance Saltzman said today.
The bulk of SDA's FY24 request, some $4.1 billion, is in research, development, test and evaluation aimed at getting the first iterations of its planned satellites for both data relay, called the Transport Layer, and missile warning and tracking, called the Tracking Layer, into orbit.
The Space Force's goal is to create a resilient SATCOM architecture by using multiple types of satellites with better encryption and dispersed over various orbits to flummox adversary jamming attempts — with US national security planners fully expecting sophisticated electronic warfare attacks against satellites in future conflicts.
The Space Force is "working with the Air Force and the Intelligence Community (IC) in a complementary way to design, develop, and deploy space-based GMTI systems," the service's FY24 budget documents explain.
While there's broad support on the Hill for space operations, long-time space budget guru Mike Tierney says language in recent policy and appropriations bills suggests lawmakers want Space Force and the Pentagon to "show their work."
While lawmakers worry over lack of oversight, MITRE's Pete Modigliani tells Breaking Defense, "The Middle Tier of Acquisition pathway is one of DoD’s most valuable tools to rapidly deliver capabilities ... to deter China’s threat."