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Key defense legislation is moving through committees this week. The HASC has passed its markup of the NDAA. Some features:
- Repeals CAPE
- Establishes Naval Air Warfare Rapid Capabilities Office
- Creates Pilot Program on the Use of Acquisition Authority for Office of Naval Research to Aid in Technology Transition
- Creates Non-traditional Innovation Fielding Enterprise
- Tasks DIU with identifying all the innovation organizations within DoD
- Reestablishes a loser-pays pilot program for costs incurred from bid protests denied by GAO.
The House Appropriations Committee passed its draft defense spending bill, with a topline of $886 billion.
- It puts requirements and prohibitions on multiyear contracts, while allowing multiyear procurement of certain missiles.
- It also requires a report on contract pricing data.
The other theme for this week is international collaboration on defense innovation with partners and the private sector.
- India's prime minister Narendra Modi's visit to the US coincided with announcements of new partnerships to coordinate manufacturing of critical technologies like semiconductors and other strategic dual-use technology. This includes the India-U.S. Defense Acceleration Ecosystem, or INDUS-X.
- Bill LaPlante and Heidi Shyu traveled to Australia to co-chair the 21st Australia – United States Ministerial (AUSMIN) Defense Acquisition Committee (ADAC) meeting last week. Discussions highlighted capability cooperative areas and efforts to increase production.
- And NATO's defense accelerator announced its first innovation challenge with three focus areas: energy resilience, undersea sensing & surveillance, and secure information sharing.
In research, GAO has two reports of note.
- Analysis of the Coast Guard's Offshore Patrol Cutter found that costs increased 40 percent over the past 10 years, and the program is delayed by a year-and-a-half on the first four vessels.
- Assessment of DoD's financial accounting systems for bulk fuel do not fully document end-to-end business processes for purchasing, selling, and recording fuel transactions.
In ARP news, this week's symposium video brings you the plenary panel conversation with the Directors of Acquisition Career Management, chaired by DAU President Jim Woolsey.
And enjoy the NPS video profile of recent grad Domonique Hittner, an acquisition officer in the Army who presented her research on asynchronous collaboration at the symposium.
Enjoy the first official summer weekend!
This Week's Top Story
U.S., India cement partnership with slew of new defense deals
Jaime Moore-Carrillo and Bryant Harris, Defense News
The U.S. and India unveiled several defense cooperation initiatives on Thursday during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit, deepening a strategic partnership forged by shared geopolitical goals but beset by human rights concerns raised by members of Congress.
The new deals, totaling billions, span a number of key industries — including semiconductors, aerospace, and artificial intelligence.
Modi touted the partnership in his Thursday address to a joint meeting of Congress.
“The United States has become one of our most important defense partners,” Modi said, triggering a standing ovation. “When defense and aerospace in India grow, industries in the states of Washington, Arizona, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina and Pennsylvania thrive.”
The day before Modi’s address, Indian and American bureaucrats along with executives from startups and defense contractors congregated for a daylong conference at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to network and showcase new tech in the hopes of facilitating “joint innovation on defense technologies and accelerate the integration of India’s budding private sector defense industry with the U.S. defense sector,” according to the White House.
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