Breaking Defense's Monday Morning Briefing

A News Roundup for the Week Ahead _________________________________________________________________________

A News Roundup for the Week Ahead It's Impossible To Get The Full Picture. Until It's Not. Presented by Northrop Grumman We provide powerful, scalable networks and capabilities that enable warfighters to act as a joint force across every domain, service and mission. Learn more. USS Vinson Flies F-35s & Quietly Readies For New Refueling Drone By Paul McLeary; Friday, September 25, 2020 3:48 PM Headlines have celebrated the carrier's new F-35s — but the Navy also added upgrades to the Vinson for the MQ-25 refueling drone, which could be a game-changer for future ops.   SMC Saves $53M Reusing SpaceX Boosters For GPS III By Theresa Hitchens; Friday, September 25, 2020 2:54 PM SpaceX has launched with a previously used Falcon 9 booster 38 times, says Michael Ellis, director at SpaceX's National Security Space Launch director.   Longer-Range Missiles & More AI: Project Convergence 2021 By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.; Friday, September 25, 2020 2:42 PM Next fall, the Army aims to test a new artificial intelligence for artillery and fire the prototype PrSM missile to its full 300-plus-mile range — once they find a venue that's big enough.   Urge Congress To Help My Brother, Austin, Get Out Of Syria By Jacob Tice; Friday, September 25, 2020 1:21 PM My brother Austin asked me to go to Syria with him. Four months later, he was taken.   Senate Skeptical Of F-35 Sale To UAE Despite White House Push By Paul McLeary; Thursday, September 24, 2020 5:15 PM "It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that if Israel's the only country in the Middle East that has F-35s, that selling it to someone else no longer produces that qualitative military edge," Sen. Bob Menedez said.   No to Trump: Former VCJCS Selva, 488 Other Former Top NatSec Leaders By Colin Clark; Thursday, September 24, 2020 5:00 PM Ten days ago the Trump campaign released a letter signed by 235 former military officers, including eight four-star general officers.   AFWERX Seeks Next Breakthrough Tech Market For Investment By Theresa Hitchens; Thursday, September 24, 2020 3:01 PM "I think we need something like a PEO that is wholly focused on commercial enterprise," says Air Force acquisition czar Will Roper.   SIA Calls For Space Traffic Rules ASAP By Theresa Hitchens; Thursday, September 24, 2020 2:21 PM SIA says there could be as many as 107,671 satellites on orbit by 2029. There are now slightly fewer than 3,000.   Marine F-35s Share Targeting Data With Army: Project Convergence By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.; Thursday, September 24, 2020 1:37 PM The Army's future-warfare exercise overcame a host of technical glitches to link systems ranging from NRO and NGA spy satellites to Marine Corps fighter jets.   Are The Days Of Manned Fighters REALLY Numbered? By John Venable; Thursday, September 24, 2020 7:01 AM The Observe and Orient steps of the OODA Loop are the heart and soul of dogfighting—the two most critical elements in the OODA sequence. No system in the world can touch a human's ability to capture and process those tasks.      Air Force Eyes 'Autonomous Tanker' For KC-46 Follow-On: Roper By Theresa Hitchens; Wednesday, September 23, 2020 5:50 PM "One of those next strategic questions for the Air Force is going to be: can you defend a tanker against an onslaught of fighters, who know that every tanker you kill is like killing a lot of fighters or bombers or drones that it supports?" says Air Force acquisition czar Will Roper.   Picking 1st ABMS Capabilities A Top Issue At Air Force Corona By Theresa Hitchens; Wednesday, September 23, 2020 5:36 PM The technologies that allowed a tracked howitzer to shoot down a cruise missile in the Sept. 3 ABMS On Ramp was "a Sputnik or Alpha-Go moment where AI did something that could not have been done otherwise," says Will Roper.   Pushing Data 'From Space To Mud': Project Convergence By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.; Wednesday, September 23, 2020 2:55 PM "I have never in my life seen the cooperation between the agencies…the services…[and] across the Army" that's happening in this fall's wargames, Army space expert Willie Nelson told me.   New Ships In Navy Plan = No 'Slaughter Across The Beach' For Marines By Paul McLeary; Wednesday, September 23, 2020 2:33 PM The new ships will come from the Navy budget, and "the Marines are not asking for a nickel more," from Congress, Commandant Gen. David Berger said.   Marine Corps' Builds New Littoral Regiment, Eye On Fake Chinese Islands By Paul McLeary; Tuesday, September 22, 2020 6:01 PM The Corps is looking for a unit that is "very low signature and that give us the firepower that we need to be a relevant force that provides consequences, should we get past the deterrence phase,"  Maj. Gen. Kevin Iiams, assistant deputy commandant of Combat Development, said.   Breaking Defense 611 Broadway • New York, New York • 10012 unsubscribe