DoD officials are extremely aware, almost to the point of paranoia, that even discussing the issue of NRO potentially being subsumed by the Space Force is playing with fire.
Congressional watchdog skeptical on new F-35 logistics system. ALIS is out, cloud-based ODIN is in. But GAO bashing ODIN for same reasons as ABMS: no acquisition strategy / detailed plan. It’s crazy to think that the F-35 reached first flight the same year Eric Schmidt coined the term “cloud” and Amazon started AWS. This is interesting: “The biggest difference between ALIS and ODIN is that the government is leading the ODIN development effort, leveraging the capabilities and the contributions like Kessel Run, Lockheed Martin, the 309th [Software Maintenance Group] out at Hill [Air Force Base], bringing them together to deliver the apps and the infrastructure and the underlying data architecture that’s required,” he said, adding that the work would go to the best performer.”
Related: The Pentagon will have to live with limits on F-35’s supersonic flights. Supersonic speeds risk damage to tail section. It’s “not worth” fixing, and so will change operating procedures. Navy F-35C cannot conduct supersonic intercepts. Astounding. Supposedly: “Supersonic flight is not a big feature of the F-35.”
Raytheon Prevails on LRSO, Lockheed Out. “It is a very-low-observable missile, which will equip the B-52 and B-21 bombers as part of the bomber leg of the nuclear triad.”
DoD, Norway Partner On Ramjets For Navy Hypersonic Missiles. Hadn’t heard of this API: “The agreement is the first to be publicly revealed under DoD’s new Allied Prototyping Initiative (API), led by Mike Griffin’s office for research and engineering.”
US Air Force battlefield network lacks goals, a budget and a plan: GAO. “The USAF reviewed and agreed to the recommendations, says the GAO.” Related: Top Air Force general defends Advanced Battle Management System from critical report. GAO didn’t even make it to ABMS’s December 2019 operational test… that’s where the acquisition strategy is demonstrated.
Amazon Is Running Out of Ways to Stop Microsoft’s JEDI Deal. Here’s a perspective: “AWS generated $35 billion in revenue, or 12% of Amazon’s top line, in 2019. Assuming the JEDI contract pays out $1 billion annually over the next 10 years, it would only lift its AWS revenue by less than 3%.” Bill Greenwalt comments: No Winner Likely In JEDI Court Battle; ‘Just Pull The Plug?
Dov Zakheim: Defense budget cuts following the pandemic will be hard to swallow.
What happens when you incentive the Feds to show how much they’re doing to control Covid: The White House Has Erected a Blockade Stopping States and Hospitals From Getting Coronavirus PPE. Feds are bidding against states for supplies, and seizing/redirecting supplies from hospitals and state gov.
A model to emulate: This new charity offers scientists coronavirus grants in 48 hours. From the excellent Tyler Cowen and Patrick Collison. “Scientists can submit an application for a grant in 30 minutes or less and get a response within two days. They can request between $10,000 and $500,000.” See more at Fast Grants.
Hermeus Tests Scaled Engine To Mach 5. And here’s an opinion against prioritizing hypersonic missiles: DoD Is Running the Wrong Way in the Hypersonics Race.
Air Force partners with NIAR to create B-1B “digital twin”. Very cool: “You would even be able to put on some goggles and take a virtual walk through the airplane.”
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