Breaking Defense's Monday Morning Briefing

A News Roundup for the Week Ahead _________________________________________________________________________

A News Roundup for the Week Ahead Commanding A Squadron Of Unmanned Aircraft To Work As One. Presented by Northrop Grumman We're defining the future of unmanned aircraft. MQ-Next is an autonomous strike aircraft capable of working as one with other forces and making intuitive decisions.  Learn more. Defiant-X: Sikorsky, Boeing Unveil FLRAA Design By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.; Monday, January 25, 2021 6:31 AM The companies' proposed Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) to replace the UH-60 is a sleeker, stealthier version of the prototype SB>1 Defiant now in flight tests. Can it beat Bell's tiltrotor?   Army Seeks Security For 'Smart' Base Networks By Kelsey Atherton; Friday, January 22, 2021 5:04 PM How can the Army bring the Internet Of Things and 'Smart Cities' technology to its bases, without opening new avenues for cyber attack?   COVID Delays Joint Warfighting Concept: Hyten By Theresa Hitchens; Friday, January 22, 2021 3:26 PM "By this time we were supposed to already have done three major war games and a Globally Integrated Exercise. And we've only done one of them, and that one was less than satisfactory because of all the restrictions we had to put in place for COVID," Vice Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. John Hyten.   Austin Arrives At Pentagon; Votes on State, Treasury Could Come Today By Paul McLeary; Friday, January 22, 2021 12:20 PM The confirmation of the first African American SecDef comes after Avril Haines was confirmed Wednesday as the first woman to serve as Director of National Intelligence   Army Needs 'Unified Network' Linking Tactical & Home-Base Systems: G-6 By Kelsey Atherton; Thursday, January 21, 2021 6:14 PM The Army must link its tactical networks with its "enterprise" networks at home base, Lt. Gen. Morrison said, passing data on everything from artillery bombardments to cyber attacks.   Austin Easily Clears Waiver Votes, Could Be In Pentagon By Friday By Paul McLeary; Thursday, January 21, 2021 5:58 PM House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith issued a statement this morning saying, "while we hoped to hold an open hearing with the Secretary-designate and he had agreed to do so, procedural issues have prevented a hearing," since the HASC has yet to finalize its member roster.   NGA Faces Tech, Policy Hurdles To AI For Target Recognition By Theresa Hitchens; Thursday, January 21, 2021 5:32 PM The IC has major policy questions to decide "before we just go off and build Skynet," says NGA's AI guru Joe Victor.   Austin Signals Shift Back To Focus On Space Resilience By Theresa Hitchens; Thursday, January 21, 2021 3:34 PM The Biden team wants to "start to lean away from … the pugilistic aspects" of Trump-era space policy, says one well-placed insider.   Testing Concerns Won't Delay Tactical Network Upgrades: Army By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.; Thursday, January 21, 2021 2:35 PM The Pentagon's top tester, DOT&E, had urged the Army to take more time. But Army leaders said today they've got plenty of field tests scheduled with real soldiers.   Austin To Scrub US Pacific Posture; More Bases, Troops Likely By Colin Clark; Thursday, January 21, 2021 8:30 AM The United States must do more to counter China's "aggressive and coercive actions," which Biden's presumptive Defense Secretary calls "an increasingly urgent challenge to our vital interests in the Indo-Pacific region and around the world."   White House, DoT Promote More Dough For GPS Alternatives By Theresa Hitchens; Wednesday, January 20, 2021 7:00 AM WASHINGTON: No currently available commercial alternative can provide a stand-alone backup to GPS, concludes a long-awaited study led by the Transportation Department. While some systems can stand in for GPS's timing function, none provide robust enough positioning and navigation capabilities, the study concludes. The study, Complementary PNT and GPS Backup Technologies Demonstration Report, was released Friday…   Biden's Pentagon Ready To Take Hard New Look At Navy Plans By Paul McLeary; Tuesday, January 19, 2021 7:16 PM The Trump administration's belated – and very expensive – plans to reinvent the Navy are about to get a scrubbing by the Biden team.   Austin Pledges New National Defense Strategy; Commits To Strong Civilian Leadership By Paul McLeary; Tuesday, January 19, 2021 6:21 PM Austin and Secretary of State nominee Antony Blinken both praise allies, slam Trump admin. handling of alliances across the globe   Facing Cuts, Army Chief Touts Pacific Role By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.; Tuesday, January 19, 2021 5:21 PM Upcoming Pacific Defender wargames will held showcase Army's investments in long-range missiles, missile defense, logistics, and information warfare, said Gen. James McConville, the Army Chief of Staff.   US War Surge Production Too Slow, CSIS Finds By Mark Cancian; Tuesday, January 19, 2021 4:01 AM The United States could not make enough military equipment fast enough to sustain its military in the event of a major war. While much thought has been given to how a great power conflict might erupt or play out, far less has been written on how the U.S. industrial base could sustain U.S. wartime equipment…   Breaking Defense 611 Broadway • New York, New York • 10012 unsubscribe