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Happy Friday!
This week the HASC completed its markup of the National Defense Authorization Act, finishing up an unusually reasonable 10pm on Wednesday night.
- Among the notable provisions pending is the promised authorization of an additional Columbia-class sub, paid for by removing one Constellation frigate.
The bill also includes 10 fewer F-35s than requested by DoD, continuing the sad slide of the fifth-gen aircraft.
- This article explains how complex the software development and delivery processes are for the F-35, giving some insights on why the challenges persist.
- This opinion piece argues that we need the incredibly capable aircraft to maintain air superiority, despite its challenges in staying on budget and schedule.
- The HASC markup considered an amendment for DoD to buy the F-35's intellectual property rights. It was rejected on grounds that it would be too expensive.
In Replicator news, Deputy Secretary of Defense Hicks announced that the first drones in the program are being delivered.
- Separately, there are conversations about the appropriate classification level of the Replicator program, which has been frustratingly secretive to members of Congress.
Christine Michienzi has penned an op-ed reflecting news we heard at the symposium: the National Defense Industrial Strategy implementation plan isn't expected until the fall (many months later than originally promised).
- She argues the industrial base should be treated as the fourth leg of the acquisition stool (currently cost, schedule, performance) since nothing happens without our industrial partners, and they have been an afterthought in acquisition planning until recently.
- Continued delay on the implementation plan inhibits the integration needed to get production to the responsive state we need.
The Army published a new directive mandating a shift to using digital engineering and training the workforce in doing so.
- It creates three initial focus areas for digital engineering: ground vehicles, aviation, and sensors.
DoD announced an open announcement from the new DIB consortium calling for white papers on research or prototype project solutions for critical sectors including kinetic capabilities, energy storage and batteries, microelectronics, and workforce development.
DoD released the Regional Sustainment Framework, which will work to repair, maintain, and overhaul equipment in or close to theater rather than returning systems to the United States.
In research, AIRC has published the nine reports they produced in support of the PPBE Reform Commission, some of which were presented at this month's symposium.
In ARP news, check out two recaps of the symposium: a two-minute video (can you spot yourself in the crowd?) and an article hitting some of the notable presentations and comments.
And finally in related news, symposium keynote speaker Cara Abercrombie is moving on from her role as assistant secretary of defense for acquisition to become the acting deputy undersecretary of defense for policy.
- We're grateful to have heard from her while she was in the acquisition job!
This Week's Top Story
Space Force to restructure all missions into ‘integrated’ units to boost readiness: Lt. Gen. Garrant
Theresa Hitchens, Breaking Defense
After seeing good results for force readiness from about nine months of experimenting with the Integrated Mission Delta (IMD) concept, the Space Force next intends to create two more units mixing acquisition and operational personnel — with the intent to eventually convert entirely to the new organizational structure, according to a senior service official.
“In the next few months, you can look for missile warning and space domain awareness as two mission areas [to be restructured], and then in the future satellite communications, for example, and then orbital warfare,” Lt. Gen. Philip Garrant, head of Space Systems Command, told the Mitchell Institute today.
“But the intent is for all mission areas to be in this Integrated Mission Delta approach,” he added.
The Space Force stood up two prototype IMDs, one for electronic warfare and one for positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) last September. Deltas are the Space Force equivalent of Air Force wing and group commands. The IMDs bring together under one commander operators-in-training at Space Operations Command (SpOC) and acquisition specialists for maintenance and sustainment for each mission formerly under Space Systems Command. The prototype IMDs also include cybersecurity and intelligence specialists.
Lt. Gen. David Miller, SpOC commander, in February said that he has seen measurable improvements in readiness from the IMD structure, and that in his mind most, if not all, of his operational units would “require” similar restructuring to provide “unity of command.”
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