Breaking Defense's Monday Morning Briefing

A News Roundup for the Week Ahead _________________________________________________________________________

A News Roundup for the Week Ahead Our NGI Team Will Help Keep Our Nation Secure. Presented by Northrop Grumman Missile Defense is critical to protecting our nation. Our unmatched NGI team combines unmatched experience and innovative technologies to address today's threats and tomorrow's challenges. US Could Finalize UAE F-35 Deal By Inauguration Day By Paul McLeary; Friday, January 8, 2021 5:02 PM Congress narrowly failed to block the controversial $23 billion deal the Trump administration forged with the UAE, and the Biden team has expressed skepticism, but the rush is on to wrap it up   AFRL's Golden Horde 'Swarms' Would Increase Fighter Lethality By Theresa Hitchens; Friday, January 8, 2021 4:07 PM "The Air Force has been quite open about the need to develop a new generation of weapons that are smaller and better suited for stealth aircraft operations," says Mitchell Institute's Mark Gunzinger.   Army Tries (Again) To Protect Stryker: Rafael or Rheinmetall? By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.; Friday, January 8, 2021 3:04 PM Miniaturized missile defenses work well on heavy tanks, but efforts to fit such Active Protection Systems on light vehicles like Stryker have failed – so far. Now the Army will test two lightweight options: Rafael's Trophy VPS and Rheinmetall's ADS.   'Spectrum Superiority' Key To All Domain Operations: Gen. Hyten By Theresa Hitchens; Thursday, January 7, 2021 6:03 PM "We have a lot of work to do before we get there," Vice Chair of Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. John Hyten says of the Pentagon's efforts to implement its new Electronic Spectrum Superiority Strategy.   'With So Much At Stake' SASC Rushes To Confirm Biden's SecDef By Paul McLeary; Thursday, January 7, 2021 5:23 PM Lloyd Austin could be voted in quickly, giving the Biden administration a confirmed Defense Secretary quickly after inauguration   Army Secretary Pledges 6,200 National Guard In DC By Weekend By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.; Thursday, January 7, 2021 1:57 PM Despite a heavy-handed military presence at earlier protests, there were no troops in evidence at the Capitol when it was overrun yesterday by pro-Trump rioters. Currently, 834 Guard troops are operational across DC, 741 of them guarding the Capitol and 93 manning traffic checkpoints.   Did The Space Force Just Ruin OTAs For Everyone? By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.; Wednesday, January 6, 2021 6:18 PM Other Transaction Authority awards have soared 712 percent since 2015, helping jumpstart R&D, including on COVID vaccines. But now the Space Force's OTAs have been derailed by a court case against contractor NSTXL – and the whole OTA system is under fire.   SMC, SDA Missile Warning Sat Ground Systems Won't 'Talk' – For Now By Theresa Hitchens; Wednesday, January 6, 2021 4:30 PM "The fiction that SDA and SMC are working together is just that," said a former senior DoD space official. "You know, they make nicey-nicey, but, the reality is that they're not working together."   Navy Secretary: US Plans Patrols Near Russian Arctic Bases By Paul McLeary; Tuesday, January 5, 2021 7:44 PM "It's sort of the same situation in the South China Sea that, when we look at freedom of navigation operations and the ability to operate in international waters, the United States claims the right to be able to do that," SecNav Kenneth Braithwaite said.   NC3 Next Will Improve Nuke Cyber Defenses, Says STRATCOM By Theresa Hitchens; Tuesday, January 5, 2021 6:43 PM The nuclear command control system for nuclear weapons is safe and was not compromised by the massive SolarWinds hack by Russia, the head of Strategic Command says.   Iron Dome Heads For Key US Integration Test By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.; Tuesday, January 5, 2021 1:31 PM With the second battery now bound for the US, the Israeli-made missile defense system must prove it works with American command networks. "We have a very detailed plan to do the integration," Rafael's Pini Yungman told me.   Joint Mid East UAVs: A Long Way to Go By Chyrine Mezher; Tuesday, January 5, 2021 1:23 PM Arab countries — mainly Egypt, the UAE and KSA — must join forces to standardize their defense needs as well as enhance their scientific research budget through a proper joint venture, says Mohamed Al-Kenany, military researcher and defense analyst at the Arab Forum for Policy Analysis in Cairo.   Perspecta's View: DES—Creating a Foundation For The Long Term [Sponsored] By Shurronne Young Davis - Perspecta; Monday, January 4, 2021 4:30 PM Department of Defense (DOD) agencies present challenges that demand more computing power for repeatable processes.   Exclusive: J6 Says JADC2 Is A Strategy; Service Posture Reviews Coming By Theresa Hitchens; Monday, January 4, 2021 4:25 PM The upcoming JADC2 Posture Review "will show the department exactly where we are deficient in executing our mission or missions," Lt. Gen. Dennis Crall says.   As Navy Shifts Gears, Huntington-Ingalls Buys Autonomy Firm By Paul McLeary; Monday, January 4, 2021 4:11 PM Huntington Ingalls, best known for building the Nimitz and Ford-class carriers, amphibious ships and nuclear submarines, is taking notes on the Navy's new plans to build unmanned ships.   Breaking Defense 611 Broadway • New York, New York • 10012 unsubscribe