US defense industrial strength is our first line of defense
Successful implementation of the National Defense Industrial Strategy may very well be the deciding factor in our future as a global military power.
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Light speed? Officials call for patience on laser weapons while industry begs for bigger buys
A report from NDIA highlights directed-energy suppliers’ struggles to get by on unpredictable “one-off” contracts for prototypes and field tests — but OSD research and acquisition officials warn there are complex tactical questions to work out before they can buy lasers in bulk.
DoD’s first industrial strategy seeks to bolster weapons production ‘speed and scale’
"The current and future strategic environment requires immediate, comprehensive, and decisive action in strengthening and modernizing our defense industrial base ecosystem to ensure the security of the United States and our allies and partners. As this strategy makes clear, we must act now," Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks writes in a forward to the new National Defense Industrial Strategy.
New proposed rule for CMMC 2.0 lays out security requirements, raises some eyebrows
At its most basic level, under CMMC 2.0, defense contractors and subcontractors that have access to controlled unclassified information (CUI) will be required to demonstrate the “maturity” of their cybersecurity programs against a set of increasingly advanced capabilities.
How to use the ‘MRAP mindset’ to get US industrial base on a wartime footing
George Mason University’s Jerry McGinn argues in this op-ed that the Pentagon can move more quickly if it heeds lessons from a previous life-or-death acquisition story.
Pentagon’s first industrial base strategy meant to ‘catalyze generational change’
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.
Pioneering Progress: How a munitions campus propels the US defense industrial base forward
The Defense Department’s recent suggestions that it is poised to create a “munitions campus" would greatly benefit the US and its partners, writes Nadia Schadlow.
Better, but still ‘whack-a-mole’: IT industry adapts to supply chain problems, for now
While key executives tell Breaking Defense they have adjusted to the new normal, experts worry IT supply chain vulnerabilities could be exploited in the future by adversarial nations.
US, NATO weapons stockpile ‘dangerously low’: USAF General
“So we don’t have nearly what we had at the heart of the Cold War. Now you add that we’re giving a lot of munitions away to the Ukrainians — which I think is exactly what we need to do — but now we’re getting dangerously low and sometimes, in some cases even too low that we don’t have enough,” said Gen. James Hecker.
Top defense companies hired 672 former gov officials in 2022: Sen. Warren
The new report from Sen. Elizabeth Warren comes ahead of a congressional hearing.
Increasing resiliency of the defense supply chain requires a resilient supply base
Smaller suppliers need larger primes and Pentagon officials to engage more to keep the US supply chain healthy, write Spirit AeroSystems executives Josh Boehm and Wendy Crossman.
Russia ‘not done’: McConville warns West to invest in defense for long term, diversify supply
“We say ‘supply chain,’ we say ‘kill chain’; I like networks and fabrics, [because] chains are only as good as the weakest link,” said Gen. James McConville. “Many of these systems are going to need a long-term investment."
For AIA, ‘America First’ Means First In Capabilities & Sales
PARIS AIR SHOW: As much as I tried to give David Melcher slack to say the powerful Aerospace Industries Association he leads was finding it more difficult to do business under the chaotic and oft-bewildering Trump administration, he kept saying things were pretty well in hand. “The first year of an administration is certainly more […]
More Maintenance $$ Gets Navy To 355 Ships Sooner: NAVSEA
WASHINGTON: More money for maintenance would allow Navy ships to stay in service longer, the head of Naval Sea Systems Command said today, and accelerate the fleet’s growth to the Trump Administration’s avowed goal of 355 ships by “10 to 15 years with a relatively small investment.” The Navy’s current long-term plan assumes most warships […]
OMB ‘Supports’ Extra LCS, But Where’s The Money?
UPDATE: Source Says WH Will Fund LCS Add; CRS Naval Expert Comments CAPITOL HILL: In a startling turnabout, the Trump Administration now “supports” adding a $541 million Littoral Combat Ship to yesterday’s 2018 budget request, Navy officials told Congress this afternoon. What, exactly, does that mean? The Navy doesn’t know. Minutes before Navy witnesses were to testify […]