SASC Frets DoD Missile Warning Satellite Efforts May Be Flailing

SASC Frets DoD Missile Warning Satellite Efforts May Be Flailing
SASC Frets DoD Missile Warning Satellite Efforts May Be Flailing

The first Next-Gen OPIR satellites, designed to replace the current SBIRS missile warning constellation beginning in 2025, are likely to be delayed, says GAO in a new report.

CAPE’s TacAir ‘Affordability’ Insights Out In Fall

CAPE’s TacAir ‘Affordability’ Insights Out In Fall
CAPE’s TacAir ‘Affordability’ Insights Out In Fall

The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is “critical to being able to execute the emerging operational concepts” being honed by the Joint Staff for future conflict, Joseph Nogueira, acting CAPE director, says.

DoD Estimates New Missile Defense Program To Cost $17.7B

DoD Estimates New Missile Defense Program To Cost $17.7B
DoD Estimates New Missile Defense Program To Cost $17.7B

NGI kicked off in 2019 after the cancellation of an earlier $5.8 billion plan to replace the existing Exo-Atmospheric Kill Vehicle, which defends the US mainland against long-range ballistic missile attacks.

Biden Nominates Two Women To Lead DoD Modernization

Biden Nominates Two Women To Lead DoD Modernization
Biden Nominates Two Women To Lead DoD Modernization

Rep. Anthony Brown, a 30-year Army veteran and member of the House Armed Services Committee, said in a statement that “Wormuth has the experience and knowledge necessary to lead the United States Army through the complex and multifaceted challenges we face today.”

Long Range Strike Hot Potato Now In OSD Hands

Long Range Strike Hot Potato Now In OSD Hands
Long Range Strike Hot Potato Now In OSD Hands

“It’s ultimately a political decision, and … this demands a strong and fully staffed OSD,” said Mackenzie Eaglen, of the American Enterprise Institute. “That doesn’t seem likely until much later this year.”

What’s In A Name? Billions In Cuts Depend On Defining ‘Legacy’

What’s In A Name? Billions In Cuts Depend On Defining ‘Legacy’
What’s In A Name? Billions In Cuts Depend On Defining ‘Legacy’

As defense budgets face post-COVID cuts, everyone wants to axe “legacy” systems. But the services define “legacy” very differently from defense reformers.

‘Clean Sheet’ F-16 Replacement In The Cards: CSAF Brown

‘Clean Sheet’ F-16 Replacement In The Cards: CSAF Brown
‘Clean Sheet’ F-16 Replacement In The Cards: CSAF Brown

“In the budget for FY 23, that’s where I see that we’ll really make some key decisions” about the tactical air fleet, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. CQ Brown says.

Lockheed WILL Force Down F-35 Flight Costs: Ulmer

Lockheed WILL Force Down F-35 Flight Costs: Ulmer
Lockheed WILL Force Down F-35 Flight Costs: Ulmer

Asked during his briefing here whether 25 by 25 was achievable, Greg Ulmer, head of the F-35 program for Lockheed Martin, said the company would prove itself just as it had by lowering the cost of an F-35A to below $80 million one year early.

Mattis Upguns Infantry: Task Force To Invest Over $1B

Mattis Upguns Infantry: Task Force To Invest Over $1B
Mattis Upguns Infantry: Task Force To Invest Over $1B

PENTAGON: Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, a former Marine Corps rifle platoon leader, wants better technology and training to keep frontline foot troops alive. He sent a Feb. 8 memo (below) to the Joint Chiefs, service chiefs, combatant commanders, and other top officials to create a Close Combat Lethality Task Force, applying the kind of top-level…

Space Corps Would Fix Troubled OCX, FAB-T, Argue Top StratForces Lawmakers

Space Corps Would Fix Troubled OCX, FAB-T, Argue Top StratForces Lawmakers
Space Corps Would Fix Troubled OCX, FAB-T, Argue Top StratForces Lawmakers

WASHINGTON: Space Corps. It sounds cool. You get visions of space marines and pilots saving the universe. In their latest blast against the Air Force, though, Reps. Mike Rogers and Jim Cooper are more, well, down to earth. They argue that the failings of big-ticket programs such as OCX and FAB-T offer ammunition that a Space…

Trump Picks Technocrats, Not Billionaires, For Top Pentagon Posts

Trump Picks Technocrats, Not Billionaires, For Top Pentagon Posts
Trump Picks Technocrats, Not Billionaires, For Top Pentagon Posts

WASHINGTON: President Trump will nominate Boeing executive Patrick Shanahan for Deputy Defense Secretary, one of six key Pentagon appointments announced today. All six have extensive service in government or, in Shanahan’s case, the defense industry. That’s a stark departure from the two billionaires with no prior government service Trump initially picked as secretaries of the Army and Navy, Vincent Viola and Philip…

New ICBMs Could Cost Way Above $85B: CAPE’S Morin

New ICBMs Could Cost Way Above $85B: CAPE’S Morin
New ICBMs Could Cost Way Above $85B: CAPE’S Morin

CAPITOL HILL: The Pentagon’s official estimate of $85 billion to replace the Minuteman III ICBM — already 37 percent above the Air Force’s $62 billion figure — is itself a low-end estimate, the head of Cost Assessment & Program Evaluation says. CAPE almost never offers alternative estimates of a program’s cost, said director Jamie Morin,…

Thornberry’s Buying Bill Adds Bureaucracy, Helps Biz With IP

Thornberry’s Buying Bill Adds Bureaucracy, Helps Biz With IP
Thornberry’s Buying Bill Adds Bureaucracy, Helps Biz With IP

CAPITOL HILL: Rep. Mac Thornberrry’s proposed legislation to help fix Pentagon procurement was unveiled with a background press briefing by staff members, who touted its benefits of “transparency” and “accountability.” But some staff believe the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee’s legislation may not be as exciting or as fundamental as was said in the briefing.…

Army Wants Out From Under OSD Oversight

Army Wants Out From Under OSD Oversight
Army Wants Out From Under OSD Oversight

WASHINGTON: In a move likely to elicit strong Congressional reaction, the Army is asking for the right to develop and build weapons without detailed oversight from the Office of Secretary of Defense, including the congressionally-mandated Director of Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E). The Army, which led the push for greater and more independent acquisition authority, is the…