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Cost Estimating NewsBrief: July 29, 2022
Navy moves to align its strategy with National Defense Strategy priorities
(Defense News) The chief of naval operations has updated his strategic vision for the U.S. Navy to tie it more directly to the Pentagon’s National Defense Strategy, in the hopes of making it more likely to be funded and implemented. Adm. Mike Gilday’s updated Navigation Plan 2022 stresses similar priorities to his original January 2021 document: using emerging technologies to create a network of naval sensors and shooters that can counter China, the top long-term strategic threat. But it reframes the role of the service, arguing the Navy is uniquely positioned to conduct aspects of the Pentagon’s 2022 National Defense Strategy and that his modernization priorities would directly support the direction of the NDS. Read More
Military services ‘not aligned’ on JADC2 efforts, Air Force official warns
(FedScoop) The various efforts the military services are undertaking to achieve a more connected way of warfare are disjointed and need more guidance, according to a top Air Force adviser and other observers. The Pentagon’s Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2) concept seeks to connect sensors and shooters, and provide battlefield commanders with the right information to make faster decisions. But each of the military departments have their own JADC2 initiatives: the Air Force’s Advanced Battle Management System, the Army’s Project Convergence and the Navy’s Project Overmatch. Read More
Cloud Computing: DOD Needs to Improve Workforce Planning and Software Application Modernization
(US GAO) Cloud computing allows on-demand access to shared pools of computing resources (e.g., servers). Federal agencies can use cloud computing to access IT resources faster and for less money than it would take to own and maintain them. The Office of Management and Budget requires federal agencies, when feasible, to adopt cloud computing and has established 14 key requirements to help them do so. We found that DOD has addressed 11 of these requirements. But, it hasn’t addressed some workforce planning issues—such as identifying the skills its staff will need for cloud-based services. We recommended (among other things) that DOD address these issues. Read More
Senators warn of insufficiencies in US hypersonic testing infrastructure
(FedScoop) Senate Armed Services Committee members are sounding an alarm on the United States’ capacity and infrastructure to test hypersonic systems, as the nation races against China and Russia to develop and field those advanced defensive and offensive weapons capabilities. Unlike warheads on detectable rockets for ballistic missiles used in previous conflicts, when in-the-making and ultramodern missiles reach and maneuver at hypersonic speeds — or more than 5 times faster than the speed of sound — they become almost impossible to track or deter. America has attempted to master hypersonic flight in fits and starts over the last few decades, but recently sharpened its focus and started massively boosting investments to enable associated assets, largely in response to its competitors’ ambitious programs pushing rapid development. Read More
After years of inattention, Congress scrambles to save defense supply chain
(Defense News) When Ukrainian fighters in May surrendered Mauripol’s sprawling steel plant to Russian forces after a months-long siege, the consequences were widespread. Russia not only notched a victory over the 500 Ukrainians fighting to maintain control, but it also knocked out a plant central to Ukraine’s position as a powerhouse in global neon gas exports. Those exports are key to manufacturing the very weapons the United States is sending to Kyiv to defend against Moscow’s invasion. Read More
Use Lessons from Pandemic When Setting Workplace Plans, OMB Tells Agencies
(FEDweek) This Administration is committed to ensuring the Federal Government is a model employer, improving Federal service delivery and customer experience, and operating efficiently and effectively. As such, in accordance with OMB Memorandum M-21-25, Integrating Planning for A Safe Increased Return of Federal Employees and Contractors to Physical Workplaces with Post-Reentry Personnel Policies and Work Environment, agencies are in the process of implementing and evaluating their post-reentry personnel policies and work environments following conclusion of agency reentry processes for a safe, increased return of Federal employees and contractor employees. Read More
Could the Defense Production Act save Klondike’s ‘Choco Taco?’
(MilitaryTimes) What would you do for a Klondike Choco Taco? Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., says he would invoke the Defense Production Act to keep them on store shelves after the ice cream giant announced it would discontinue the iconic packaged dessert. Read More
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