Inside Defense

The Navy is running 24 months behind schedule in its effort to upgrade its three Zumwalt-class destroyers with the Conventional Prompt Strike hypersonic capability, according to a new Government Accountability Office report , which notes challenges facing both the ships and the developing weapon system. The Navy and Army are both working on the hypersonic capability -- the Navy through CPS and the Army through its Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon program -- with a combined $50 billion investment.

DOD instruction on test and evaluation of cyberspace effects and enabling capabilities

The July 17, 2026 Defense Department instruction "establishes policy, assigns responsibilities, and prescribes procedures for procurements using [DOD] nonappropriated funds (NAF)."

The July 17, 2026 Government Accountability Office report finds the Defense Department "doesn't have a comprehensive plan to help the Army and Navy coordinate on" purchases of the Conventional Prompt Strike hypersonic missile.

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The Army is surveying industry for "production-ready" mortar systems that can mount to an Infantry Squad Vehicle-Utility variant and fire either 81mm munitions, 120mm munitions or both with four early prototype deliveries expected before fiscal year 2028, a new notice announces. “Respondents are expected to provide information on systems capable of supporting an accelerated development, integration, testing, and fielding schedule,” the notice states.

This Friday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on Hanwha Philly Shipyard building a missile defense monitoring vessel, the Army's Next Generation Short Range Interceptor program and more.

Hanwha Philly Shipyard has been selected to build a new Missile Range Instrumentation Vessel (MRIV), a Missile Defense Agency testing support ship slated to play a role in the Golden Dome for America initiative.

House China select committee Chairman John Moolenaar (R-MI) has written to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick in opposition to loosening restrictions on imports of Chinese-made memory chips, warning that "defecting" to Chinese suppliers even during a temporary global chip shortage threatens to undermine U.S. security. “America’s position as the global leader in artificial intelligence is a national achievement and we appreciate recent efforts to safeguard it.

Presidential artificial intelligence advisor David Sacks says the U.S. must quickly halt a shift toward restrictions on data centers and controls on the rollout of advanced AI, amid reports that China’s new Kimi K3 frontier model matches or exceeds some capabilities of the best American models. “This is concerning. For the first time, a Chinese model Kimi K3 has taken #1 on the Frontend Code Arena and is scoring at or near the frontier on other benchmarks,” Sacks, former White... Not a subscriber?