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Happy Friday!
This week we're seeing news coming out of two big Congressional events: the House Armed Services released its markup of the National Defense Authorization Act, and the Senate Appropriations Committee held a hearing on defense acquisition programs.
A controversy is developing over how many Virginia-class attack submarines will be in the FY25 budget. HASC is demanding two, in conflict with the Navy's request for only one.
HASC is also proposing a substantial pay raise for junior enlisted service members.
Our top story comes from more HASC proposals: this one for a test and evaluation cell within DIU to continue the work of developing new technologies at scale.
In the SAC hearing, ASN (RDA) Nick Guertin discussed shipbuilding challenges, and his submitted testimony provides a wealth of data on ships, aviation, and the industrial base.
Guertin and other witnesses -- Bill LaPlante, Doug Bush, and Andrew Hunter -- all opened with thanks for the budgets and authorities already granted by Congress, with multiyear procurement getting special appreciation.
Other news from that hearing chronicles the challenges of an acquisition workforce that is challenged to keep pace with the current and future workload.
LaPlante addressed the Nunn-McCurdy breach for the ICBM, maintaining that the program must go on regardless. Part of the justification: the initial cost estimates were seriously flawed.
In other acquisition news, Air Force Assistant Secretary Frank Calvelli wrote a letter voicing concern that the United Launch Alliance run by Boeing and Lockheed Martin is not meeting its contract requirements to get satellites in orbit. The Washington Post article notes that ULA launched three rockets last year, and SpaceX -- the other provider of launch services -- launched nearly 100.
In ARP news, we're happy to share that papers and presentations from the symposium are now available on the symposium website, organized by panel. Some panels are available on YouTube in unedited format. We'll be posting more refined versions of some of those videos in the weeks ahead.
If you attended, don't forget to give us feedback!
This Week's Top Story
Lawmakers propose DIU-managed military testing and evaluation cell
Courtney Albon, C4ISRNET
House lawmakers want the Pentagon to establish a test and evaluation hub they hope will help transition innovative technology to military units at a faster rate.
In its version of fiscal 2025 defense policy legislation, released May 13, the House Armed Services Committee calls on the Defense Department to create the test and evaluation cell within the Defense Innovation Unit.
The effort would begin as a three-year pilot program starting in FY25 with the goal of making it easier for high-need technologies to move through traditional testing and validation processes.
“In carrying out the pilot program, the director of the Defense Innovation Unit shall conduct continuous and iterative test and evaluation of technologies that have the potential to provide warfighting capabilities to the Department of Defense in the near-term and mid-term timeframes,” the provision states.
The proposal aims to address two persistent DOD challenges — a lack of sufficient testing infrastructure and the often drawn-out process to get a high-need prototype into the hands of military personnel.
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