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 APRIL 2022 VOLUME CVI, NUMBER 821
EDITOR IN CHIEF
Stew Magnuson
(703) 247-2545
SMagnuson@NDIA.org
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Brian Taylor
(703) 247-2546
BTaylor@NDIA.org
MANAGING EDITOR
Jon Harper
(703) 247-2542
JHarper@NDIA.org
SENIOR EDITOR
Yasmin Tadjdeh
(703) 247-2585
Cover Story 14 YTadjdeh@NDIA.org

n The Navy’s MQ-25 Stingray drone program is on track to usher in a new era of STAFF WRITER
manned-unmanned teaming. Service officials are still pondering whether the aircraft Meredith Roaten
(703) 247-2543
carrier-based tanker will be armed with offensive strike weapons. Cover: Navy photo
MRoaten@NDIA.org
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
For more details,
Mikayla Easley
Due to a paper shortage brought on by a paper mill strike, National Defense please read
“Editor’s Notes” (703) 247-9469
has been forced to temporarily cut the number of pages in the magazine.
on page 4. MEasley@NDIA.org

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A P R I L 2 0 2 2 • N AT I O N A L D E F E N S E 1
 Perspective BY HAWK CARLISLE
NDIA’s Future: A Hawk’s Eye View
n As I depart the National Defense Industrial Association, I’m
incredibly proud of all it has accomplished during the past five
years.
Our amazingly talented staff and exceptionally dedicated
volunteer leaders expanded NDIA’s thought leadership and
supported warfighters through this award-winning magazine,
white papers on acquisition and resourcing, NDIA’s annual
Vital Signs report and incredible events such as the Special
Operations Forces Industry Conference (SOFIC), the Interser-
vice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference
(I/ITSEC), the Future Forces Capabilities Conference and
Exhibition, Undersea Warfare conferences, Navy Gold Coast
and the Ground Vehicle Systems Engineering Technology
Symposium.
I am perhaps most proud of the way the entire team worked
to help the defense industrial base navigate the pandemic
while maintaining best-in-the-world support of our warfight-
ers. However, our work is far from finished.
While I’m disappointed I won’t lead NDIA’s next phase,
Russia’s attack on Ukraine crystalizes the imperative to main-
tain national security capabilities to ensure
warfighters, and the warfighters of our friends,
allies and partners, enjoy decisive advantage
across the spectrum of conflict. This impera-
tive requires a strong, active, nonpartisan
association scrupulously uninterested in any
individual company while ruthlessly dedicated
to every business working to sustain and grow
that advantage.
I’m confident NDIA will continue its focus
on divisions, chapters and affiliates, updating
governance and providing materials to make
volunteer leadership less burdensome. Our
volunteer leaders are the central nervous system of NDIA,
Women In Defense and the National Training and Simulation
Association and we owe them tailored, responsive support to
help them plan and execute events promoting collaboration
between government, industry and academia.
I’m confident NTSA will continue as the pacesetter for
modeling, simulation and training in national security. From
advanced simulators to the metaverse, NTSA events ensure
government and industry collaboration to deliver the most
realistic training possible within and across units, services and
combatant commands.
I’m confident WID will continue to strengthen the industrial
base by ensuring 51 percent of our population can reach their
potential in the national security sector. By providing profes-
sional development and resources to women seeking advanced
education, WID will help provide women with the tools they
need to flourish and thrive in the post-pandemic “new normal.”
And as we emerge from the pandemic and the “Great Re-
Evaluation,” WID will engage with all stakeholders to highlight
national security as the career of choice for talented women
who want to defend freedom and our way of life.
2 N AT I O N A L D E F E N S E • A P R I L 2 0 2 2
I’m confident NDIA will continue to provide resources to
our Emerging Technologies Institute, so it can identify road-
blocks preventing the nation’s best innovative technologies
from getting into the hands of our warfighters as quickly as
practicable so our soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and Guard-
ians can integrate these capabilities in ways we cannot yet
imagine. ETI will convene stakeholders from government,
industry and academia to define challenges such as microelec-
tronic chip supply limitations, and drive collaboration to find
solutions.
I’m confident NDIA will continue to represent all sizes
and sectors of the defense industrial base when educating
policy makers on Capitol Hill, in the administration and in
the Pentagon about the impacts of existing rules, regulations
and legislation. On topics ranging from equitable adjustment
to cybersecurity to creating a level playing field for small busi-
nesses to supply chain diversity and security, NDIA will relent-
lessly engage substantive discussions with policymakers to
deliver policies and laws that encourage and enable a vibrant,
robust, resilient industrial base.
I’m confident NDIA will continue to estab-
lish and oversee working groups to tackle the
toughest national security challenges we face
and deliver executable strategies and programs
to overcome these challenges. NDIA’s Defense
Workforce Project working groups will pro-
pose tangible policies and programs to ensure
the United States has trained, educated, clear-
able individuals who want to work in all areas
of national security, from policy making to uni-
formed military service, to think tanks to weld-
ing, electrical and plumbing positions building
our next-generation weapons systems.
The Electromagnetic Spectrum Working Group will work
with stakeholders from academia, the defense industry and the
telecommunications industry to find creative ways to share the
electro-magnetic spectrum while ensuring warfighters can train
as they intend to fight while the economy maximizes the ben-
efits from 5G and Next G.
The Intellectual Property Working Group will identify poli-
cies and processes to balance companies’ fiduciary responsibili-
ties to create profit for their shareholders with the Defense
Department’s requirement to make every taxpayer dollar
deliver maximum value while organizing, training and equip-
ping our warfighters for current and future conflicts.
As I prepare to take on my next challenge, I’m grateful to
have led such an amazing team of staff and volunteer leaders
as we took NDIA into its second century. I know turbulence
is a fact of flight and of life, and I know sometimes the best
adventures don’t turn out the way you would like. But I will
treasure my time as NDIA’s leader and I’m excited for the
iStock illustration
association’s continued success. ND
Retired Air Force Gen. Hawk Carlisle is president and CEO of NDIA.
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 Editor’s Notes BY STEW MAGNUSON

Why Is This
Magazine So Thin?
n The April issue of National Defense is by far the skinni-
est since the magazine was established in 1920. A paper
shortage exacerbated by a paper mill strike has forced us
to make some difficult choices.
After shaving eight pages off the March issue, we were
faced with a starker choice of cutting subscribers or cut-
ting pages in April. We chose to drastically reduce pages
so everyone receives an April issue.
Unfortunately, we have chosen to temporarily cut some
features such as “Government Contracting Insights” and
“Up Front” and have reduced the number of news briefs
and features.
“NDIA Policy Points” for April and May will be avail-
able online only. Look for it at https://bit.ly/PolicyPoints.
May is normally one of our largest issues of the year
because of its distribution at the Special Operations
Forces Industry Conference being held in person this year
in Tampa, Florida. However, the sacrifices made in April
have helped us ration paper, and we will have a larger
May issue.
All this will eventually end and we will go back to
normal-sized magazines.
Along with supply chain issues, another COVID-era
trend is workers taking the opportunity to move on dur-
ing the growing economy. That sadly has come to the
magazine as well with the departure of two of the best
reporters in the defense business, Managing Editor Jon
Harper and Senior Editor Yasmin Tadjdeh.
Yasmin came to the magazine as its first editorial assis-
tant after graduating from George Mason University. Like
most hired for that position, she started with journalism
skills but no knowledge
of the world of defense
technology and busi-
ness. It’s a steep learn-
ing curve, but over her
nearly 10-year career at
the magazine, she rose
to the position of senior
editor, won numerous
awards for her reporting
and originated the “Algorithmic Warfare” column.
Jon came to the magazine from Stars and Stripes as a
staff writer, but was soon named managing editor. Along
with his management and copyediting abilities, his in-
depth cover stories won numerous prestigious awards. A
good managing editor makes his staff writers and editor in
chief look good while taking little of the credit, and Jon
was as good as it gets.
We thank Jon and Yasmin for their hard work and dedi-
iStock photo

cation and wish them the best as they move on to the

next step in their careers. ND

4 N AT I O N A L D E F E N S E • A P R I L 2 0 2 2
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Emerging Technology Horizons BY JOHN FISCHER AND DR. MARK LEWIS
U.S. Needs to Refocus on Energetic Materials
n The list of top defense modernization priorities that were
cited in the 2018 National Defense Strategy forms the basis
of our work at the National Defense Industrial Association’s
Emerging Technologies Institute.
An updated list of technology priorities, recently released
by the office of the undersecretary of defense for research and
engineering, reasserted the importance of those original emerg-
ing technologies and even added a few more topics.
And yet we also know that there are many technical areas
that are not explicitly covered in the emerging technology list,
but are nonetheless critical to national defense and which will
benefit from developments in other emerging fields. One of
these is the ongoing research and development of advanced
energetic materials.
Energetic materials refer to the broad category of explosives,
propellants and pyrotechnics, all essential to the performance
of weapon systems. There is an urgent need for more advanced
energetic materials to enhance the performance and lethal-
ity of modern weapon systems. Despite their importance to
much of what the military does, there has been little in the
way of practical advancement since the end of World War II.
For example, RDX, one of the mainstays
of our explosive inventory, was patented in
1898, and entered manufacturing in 1940;
another common explosive, HMX, is only
slightly more recent, having entered service
only a few years later.
As with a number of emerging technolo-
gies, peer competitors are moving ahead
of the United States in the deployment of
advanced energetic materials, often using
U.S. technology originally developed here.
For example, China since 2011 has been
building weapons with CL-20, an energetic
material invented in the United States 35
years ago that produces less visible exhaust,
but that we ourselves have not used opera-
tionally because of production and environmental challenges.
Even worse, the current U.S. industrial base in energetics
manufacturing is outdated and vulnerable, in some cases rely-
ing upon hostile foreign sources for critical ingredients. There
are fears that the industrial base might not be able to provide
the volume of energetic materials needed to replenish weapons
in a large-scale conflict.
There is hope on the horizon. Several of the Defense
Department’s emerging technologies could play a role in
developing more effective energetics. Artificial intelligence and
machine learning algorithms have shown promise in the phar-
maceutical industry for the identification of new target mol-
ecules to treat illnesses and diseases. This work in creating new
drugs has led to the development of advanced software that
can help identify promising new materials with a wide range
of properties. Such an approach is already being applied to the
development of next-generation explosives and propellants.
6 N AT I O N A L D E F E N S E • A P R I L 2 0 2 2
These tools offer the promise of discovering new molecules
with exceptional energetic properties.
Another emerging technology which holds promise in the
energetic materials field is the use of biological processes for
advanced manufacturing. Living organisms have already been
found that can play a role in the manufacture of certain com-
pounds. As just one example, researchers have identified a bac-
teria species that commonly grows in seawater that could be
modified to produce compounds suitable for use as jet fuel.
Bioengineering principles may offer approaches to produc-
tion of complex molecules for use in next-generation energetic
systems. Bioengineering also offers the potential of environ-
mentally benign manufacturing solutions.
It isn’t enough to simply invent new energetic materials;
they also have to be produced safely and reliably at scale.
Batch processing is the mainstay of production at U.S. muni-
tions plants today, but more modern manufacturing technolo-
gies could be applied to improve production processes. For
example, modern technologies such as continuous processing,
where materials are continuously in motion, and so-called
resonant acoustic mixing where sound energy is used to affect
safe mechanical mixing, offer the potential to
produce energetic materials more efficiently
and more safely.
Applying additive manufacturing processes
to energetics-based systems also offers the
possibility of delivering new warhead and
rocket motor designs with enhanced perfor-
mance. Indeed, several companies are already
using additive manufacturing in this way to
significantly reduce the cost of making com-
plicated internal flow paths.
All of this is to say that energetic materi-
als represent an area of critical defense need
that would benefit greatly from the applica-
tion of modern techniques and advances in
other related technologies. Indeed, several
recent studies sponsored by both the Defense Department and
industry have highlighted the need for urgent action to address
performance, production and supply chain shortfalls in the U.S.
energetic materials enterprise.
For this reason, the Emerging Technologies Institute is
partnering with Purdue University, a university renowned for
its work in energetic materials, to cohost the Breakthrough
Energetics 2022 conference on the Purdue campus May 4-5,
2022. This meeting will be focused on the art and science of
energetic materials invention and production, as well as how
we can create a modern energetics enterprise that will meet
future defense needs. Please consider attending for what will
be a landmark event. ND
John Fischer is principal scientist at the Energetics Technology
iStock photo
Center and Dr. Mark Lewis is the executive director of the Emerging
Technologies Institute.
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 NEWS BRIEFS
BY MIKAYLA EASLEY AND MEREDITH ROATEN
U.S., South Korea Seek New
Defense Tech Partnerships
n South Korea is looking to expand its alliance with Washing-
ton to include defense technology development.
The United States has long seen South Korea as a strategic
military partner in the Indo-Pacific. As the Pentagon seeks to ad-
dress instability in the area and accelerate its defense programs
to match Chinese technological advancements, it should broad-
en its alliance with Seoul to include more industry and govern-
ment collaboration, said retired Gen. Robert Brown, president
and CEO of the Association of the United States Army.
“The world has gotten much more complex and dangerous
than it has ever been, and it calls for more innovative coop-
eration than ever before,” Brown said in February during a
conference co-hosted by Washington, D.C.-based think tank
the Center for Strategic and International Studies and Korea’s
Defense Acquisition Program Administration, or DAPA.
South Korea’s geographic position in Northeast Asia makes it
not only an epicenter of trade, but also creates overlapping geo-
political interests between it and the United States, Brown said.
Additionally, the race for dominance in the development of
emerging technologies — such as artificial intelligence, 5G ca-
pabilities, robotics, biotechnology and leveraging data — is key
to ensuring stability in the Indo-Pacific, he added.
South Korea’s commercial industries have made techno-
logical strides that the United States should tap into for the
growth and development of its own defense industry, said Kang
Eun-ho, minister of DAPA. The defense sector could leverage
8 N AT I O N A L D E F E N S E • A P R I L 2 0 2 2
South Korean companies such as An F-16 Fighting Falcon flies
Samsung, Hanwha and LG, he during a joint exercise with U.S.
and South Korean forces.
noted.
South Korea’s industry can also
ease the United States’ supply chain woes in acquiring semi-
conductors and secondary batteries, Kang noted.
In addition, Seoul’s government has demonstrated its capaci-
ty for research and development, Kang said. The nation is push-
ing for the advancement of certain capabilities that align with
the U.S. Defense Department’s top R&D priorities, including
AI, quantum computing and autonomous technologies.
South Korean officials need more information sharing on
how exactly the two partners can effectively collaborate
between overlapping defense and commercial sectors in order
to create a “win-win situation for both countries,” Kang said.
This could include South Korea filling U.S. research-and-devel-
opment gaps and the United States funding new technology
already in South Korea, he said.
However, both Brown and Kang acknowledged there are
potential challenges for full defense interoperability. Bureau-
Air Force photo by Sgt. Nick Wilson
cratic barriers related to cybersecurity, intellectual property and
export licensing requirements need to be addressed.
“When it comes to making concrete, cooperative results
— where we have engagement from government, but also
industry — we need to be willing to take certain risks,” Kang
said. - ME
 Boeing Gears Up to
Replace B-52 Engines
n ORLANDO, Fla. — Boeing is racing against the clock
to replace the engines of all 76 of the Air Force’s B-52
Stratofortress long-range bombers.
Last fall, the Air Force selected the F130 engine made
by Rolls-Royce North America for the B-52 Commercial
Engine Replacement Program, or CERP. Under the $2.6
billion contract, Rolls-Royce will equip the B-52 fleet
with eight engines each by September 2038, replacing the
bomber’s aging Pratt & Whitney-made engines.
Robert Gass, strategic development and investment
manager at Boeing, told reporters during the Air Force
Association’s annual Air Warfare Symposium in Orlando,
Florida, that the life of the bomber’s current engine — the
TF33 — is a pacing concern.
“Pratt & Whitney made a great engine that has served
the B-52 very well, but it is approaching the end of its life
and we have to act now in order to keep the B-52 viable,”
he said.
With the F130 engine, Gass added, Boeing expects the
B-52 to have an increased range and more endurance, as
well as provide the Air Force with additional operational
flexibility — especially in areas of the world with few U.S.
bases.
Digital engineering will help speed up the F130 engine’s
integration into the B-52, Gass said. Using digital engineer-
ing, Boeing and Rolls-Royce have streamlined the new
system’s design and created 3D models of the B-52 and its
components in order to understand how each part works
together, he said.
“It’s very early in the program, but we have anecdotal
evidence that we’re identifying disconnects and conflicts
earlier than we would have otherwise,” Gass said.
Candice Bineyard, director of Rolls-
Royce Defense Programs, added digital
engineering is being used to understand
how the B-52’s new engine will remain
sustainable through the 2050s, when
the Air Force plans retire the aircraft.
Air Force by Airman 1st Class Duncan C. Bevan, Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Shannon Moorehead
“In the event of small maintenance
activities and things that will have to take place, we’re
using our digital now and we’re starting to work through
and visualize how we’ll create those maintenance manu-
als to better help those maintainers when we are into the
production phase,” she said.
At the same time, Gass noted the engine’s moderniza-
tion will allow Boeing to upgrade the B-52’s subsystems so
that it stays up to date until the 2050s. This includes elec-
trical power generation, pneumatics, new structures for
the engine pods, new cockpit displays and digital engine
controls, he said.
Rolls-Royce plans on conducting rapid prototype tests
of the F130 engine later in 2022 at the Stennis Jet Engine
Testing Center in Mississippi, Bineyard said.
During the test, the team will “get an opportunity to
understand exactly how that engine is going to operate as
intended,” she said. - ME
Ghost Robotics
Vision 60 semi-
autonomous
robot dog
Singapore Company Explores
Robot Dogs for Combat
n SINGAPORE — Singapore’s largest technology company is
experimenting with pairing soldiers and robots resembling dogs
for combat.
ST Engineering displayed its vision for the Vision 60 ground
vehicle made by Philadelphia-based Ghost Robotics at the
Singapore Airshow in February. Though the robots are not
quite yet in fighting shape, one day ST Engineering hopes they
could be used to keep soldiers out of the line of fire, said Dave
Eng, commercial director for the land systems division at the
company.
Before the robots can be deployed with troops, ST Engineer-
ing is experimenting to determine the best way to mature and
integrate software, sensors and remote control technologies
within the system, Eng said.
“We are exploring [how] to support the soldier to fight in a
real scenario,” Eng said.
The standard unmanned quadruped — or a robot with four
legs — comes with a simple camera system. ST Engineering
will equip the Vision 60 with more advanced sensors such as
lidar, which uses laser beams to detect surrounding obstacles.
More advanced sensors would allow the robots to move with
almost the same ease as a dog.
“We also inserted lidar on the [Vision 60] to give a better lo-
calization, so that when you go into a very small room or situa-
tion, you can actually maneuver more accurately,” Eng said.
ST Engineering has also integrated cyber-hardening software
to prevent attempts to hack the robot’s controls, he said.
One of the biggest challenges is how to control the robots
in a contested environment, Eng said. Current testing includes
experiments for robots that respond to gestures, vocal cues and
eye movements.
“Intuitive gesture controls … helps the man to control the
robots in a way where the soldier is under heavy stress during a
firefight,” said Han Khoon Tay, principal engineer at Singapore
Technologies Kinetics, a subsidiary of ST Engineering.
The goal is to find out which method takes the most burden
off the soldier, who needs to focus on threats without worrying
if the robot understood their orders, he said. In a combat situ-
ation, for example, there are likely to be loud noises that could
disrupt voice commands.
The technology used by ST Engineering and off-the-shelf
solutions are still evolving, said Letticia Fong, assistant vice
president of corporate communications at ST Engineering.
“This is the ideal end scenario where everything works seam-
lessly together,” she said. “But right now, we are not there yet.”
- MR
A P R I L 2 0 2 2 • N AT I O N A L D E F E N S E 9
 BUDGET MATTERS
BY JON HARPER
Military Sealift Considered
‘Black Sheep’ of Shipbuilding Family
n The U.S. military’s sealift capabilities are key enablers of
expeditionary operations and would be critical in a future great
power war. However, these types of assets are a relatively low
priority when it comes to funding for shipbuilding and conver-
sion, experts say.
Sealift vessels transport approximately 90 percent of Army
and Marine Corps combat unit equipment and supplies in sup-
port of major combat operations, according to the Navy.
However, when it comes to funding, the systems are the
“black sheep” of the sea service’s family of platforms, said Eric
Labs, senior analyst for naval forces and weapons at the Con-
gressional Budget Office.
“In terms of the priorities within the shipbuilding budget,
military sealift is going to be way, way down there,” he said in
February at the National Defense Industrial Association’s Expe-
ditionary Warfare Conference. “They’re going to want to fund
carriers, surface combatants, submarines, even the regular L-
class ships before you start spending money on military sealift.”
Today’s military sealift assets are aging and need to be re-
placed, officials are warning.
“Our ships are 46 years old in the reserve fleet,” Air Force
Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost, commander of U.S. Transportation
Command, said at a recent event hosted by the Center for Stra-
tegic and International Studies. “We have steam ships. You can’t
even find engineers that work on steam ships. We have to keep
… 60-, 70-year-old engineers around to keep running them. We
must recapitalize that.”
Vice Adm. Ricky Williamson, deputy chief of naval operations
for fleet readiness and logistics, N4, said: “We’ve got to sustain
[U.S. forces]. You do that through logistics. I need platforms.”
The Defense Department’s strategy is to buy used com-
mercial vessels and convert them for military use, rather than
building brand new ships.
“There are commercial platforms out there which are much
younger than the platforms we have,” Williamson said. “We can
10 N AT I O N A L D E F E N S E • A P R I L 2 0 2 2
Military Sealift
Command’s large,
medium-speed
roll-on/roll-off ship
USNS Bob Hope
go buy them. The market is very good right now.”
After they are purchased, the vessels are brought to U.S.
shipyards and refitted, refurbished and reflagged.
For fiscal year 2022, the Biden administration requested
$300 million to procure five such platforms. However, lawmak-
ers balked and as of press time had declined to authorize or
appropriate the funding.
“The [House Armed Services] Committee notes that the
Congress provided funding for two vessels in fiscal year 2021
and that the Navy has been unable to successfully contract for
those ships,” lawmakers said in a report on the 2022 National
Defense Authorization Act. “The committee will need to see
the Navy execute the fiscal year 2021 funds and the vessels in
question inducted into the [Ready Reserve Force] before it can
recommend additional funding for this program.”
Out of a $20 billion shipbuilding and conversion account
budget, only a few hundred million dollars is being requested
for military sealift — less than 2 percent.
Labs noted that in the grand scheme of things, military sealift
is relatively inexpensive.
“It doesn’t require a huge amount of resources on an annual
basis, relative to the shipbuilding account and the Navy’s ac-
count writ large, to be able to pay for that,” he said.
“There was reluctance from the Congress in this current
cycle to give more money for that, but I think that the money
is not going to be that hard to find [in the future] because they
don’t require that much if they’re following that … used-ship
sealift path,” he added.
Ronald O’Rourke, naval affairs analyst at the Congressional
Research Service, said buying used ships should mitigate cost
concerns.
“If you were building new strategic sealift ships, then … you
will probably have more of a conversation along those lines
Navy photo
about how to fit that in” the budget given fiscal constraints, he
said. ND
 Algorithmic Warfare BY YASMIN TADJDEH
DoD Tackling Software Development Challenges
n The Pentagon is overhauling its acquisition of critical soft-
ware as it increasingly relies on new systems for automation
and decision making, officials say.
“Delivering a more lethal force requires the ability to evolve
faster and be more adaptable than our adversaries,” said Deputy
Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks in a February memo.
“The department’s adaptability increasingly relies on software,
and the ability to securely and rapidly deliver resilient software
capability is a competitive advantage that will define future
conflicts.”
In the memo, Hicks signed off on a new modernization strat-
egy aimed at accelerating software delivery schedules.
“Transforming software delivery times from years to minutes
will require significant change to our processes, policies, work-
force and technology,” she said.
The strategy will support Pentagon priorities such
as the development of joint all-domain command and
control and artificial intelligence platforms.
“The approach is practical — unify efforts across
DoD and partner with industry-leading software insti-
tutions to produce a portfolio of best-in-class software
capabilities enabled by DoD processes,” according
to the document. “These capabilities must augment
and integrate with other infrastructure components
to include zero-trust architectures, electromagnetic spectrum
capabilities and a growing inventory of connected military
devices.”
Implementation will be led by a software modernization
senior steering group, according to Hicks. The group has been
instructed to deliver an implementation plan within 180 days
of the release of the memo.
Software delivery is “not a one-and-done activity” and
approaching the development of the technology in that way
is harmful, the strategy said. Instead, the document lays out a
modernization framework that includes a minimum set of tech-
nical enablers and processes that must be addressed.
The framework “serves as a common lexicon and organizing
construct for discussing and coordinating software modern-
ization activities,” the strategy said. “It is not intended to be
all-inclusive or final but instead serves as a guardrail to focus
implementation.”
Danielle Metz, the Defense Department’s deputy chief infor-
mation officer for information enterprise, said the Pentagon is
considering how it can transform business processes to ensure
agility is baked into every step of software procurement, includ-
ing contracting, acquisition, testing, evaluation and delivery.
The offices of the chief information officer, undersecretary of
defense for acquisition and sustainment, and undersecretary of
defense for research and engineering are teaming together — in
partnership with the combatant commands and other defense
agencies — to remove impediments and roadblocks to the Pen-
iStock illustration
tagon’s current processes to streamline, improve, update and
revolutionize software acquisition, Metz said during a recent
roundtable with reporters.
The department wants to “democratize the exceptional-
ism” that has been seen in pockets throughout the military —
including the Air Force’s Cloud One program office and the
Navy’s Black Pearl software factory — through the establish-
ment of a department-wide software factory ecosystem, Metz
said.
“We want to be able to make sure that we inculcate that into
the DNA of the department,” she said.
Jason Weiss, the Pentagon’s chief software officer, said the
Pentagon currently has 29 software factories across the services.
“We’re starting to see some serious groundswell of traction
around that,” he said. “We’re seeing lots of lessons learned start
to percolate to the top and a lot of collaboration taking place.
… We are going to be looking at and listening to those software
factories to determine what policy changes [we need] to priori-
tize.”
However, the ecosystem won’t create burdensome
requirements or bureaucratic red tape for existing
software factories, Weiss said.
“I see us as reinforcing and providing more
momentum and encouragement for the software fac-
tories as opposed to them having to change the way
that they are executing today,” he said.
As the Pentagon looks to scale technology from the
various factories, officials hope they can create efficiencies and
cost savings. For example, one core capability to target could
include source code management, according to Weiss.
“Do we need every single software factory to go out there
and procure and manage and operate their own source code
repository?” Weiss asked. That’s an example “of where we can
actually start to see economies of scale in terms of both opera-
tional capacity and cost reductions for the department across
these software factories.”
If the Pentagon can achieve that, that will allow the ecosys-
tem to continue to grow while allowing the factories to operate
with higher degrees of scale and precision without having to
start from scratch at every point, he said.
The new strategy is a subset of the Defense Department’s
Digital Modernization Strategy and replaces the Pentagon’s
cloud strategy that was released in 2018.
“Given software’s role and pervasiveness across all aspects of
mission capabilities and supporting infrastructure, implementa-
tion success of this strategy will rely heavily on our partnerships
across the department,” Weiss said.
Beyond acquiring new technologies, the guidelines reinforce
the need to attract and retain workforce talent, Weiss noted.
The Pentagon must hire the right individuals to fill leadership
positions and individuals need to engage in “upskilling” efforts.
“No one can be left behind in this journey” including military
service members and civil servants, he said. “In this era of com-
petition and the race for digital dominance, we simply cannot
settle for incremental change anymore. The department must
come together to deliver software better and operate as a 21st
century force.” ND
A P R I L 2 0 2 2 • N AT I O N A L D E F E N S E 11
Industry Perspective BY WAHID NAWABI
Creating a New Paradigm for U.S. Force Overmatch
n Since the end of World War II, the United States has
achieved force overmatch by deploying a range of very large,
highly complex and extremely expensive assets that ranged
from fighter jets and aircraft carriers to satellites and subma-
rines.
And while this overmatch did not always translate into vic-
tory on the battlefield, it was undeniably effective in containing
the Soviet threat and bringing the Cold War to an end.
Today, this overmatch is no longer absolute, thanks to the
rise of peer and near-peer adversaries. If the United States is to
continue to dominate the battle space, the military must think
creatively about new ways of achieving overmatch, reducing its
reliance on large, expensive and vulnerable military assets, and
prioritizing resiliency, flexibility and interoperability.
In the conflicts of the 21st century, victory is as likely to
come from smaller and more distributed fighting units unleash-
ing swarms of lethal drones with extremely high levels of preci-
sion as it is from a stealth bomber or
aircraft carrier a thousand miles away.
For the last 30 years, the United
States has been the world’s only super-
power. However, its ability to sustain
this status is an open question.
China and Russia have emerged as
much more capable rivals, developing
their own major weapon systems, find-
ing ways to exploit weaknesses in U.S.
platforms, and projecting their power
aggressively in areas such as the Taiwan
Strait and Ukraine. China has modern-
ized its navy and developed highly capable fighter aircraft while
Russia has streamlined and reorganized its armed forces.
And while the conventional military capabilities of second-
tier powers like Iran and North Korea have stagnated, each of
these countries has cultivated niche capabilities to offset U.S.
overmatch.
While the United States remains the strongest military power
in the world, its ability to maintain supremacy — especially
against these formidable competitors — has eroded. The chal-
lenge it faces today is to find new, more effective and affordable
ways to achieve force overmatch.
The way forward depends on the ability to understand the
drawbacks of the extensive reliance on large, centralized plat-
forms and adjust accordingly. The vulnerabilities of our current
strategy have been well-documented in such publications as
the National Defense Strategy and the Congressional Future of
Defense Task Force report.
As these reports have stated, large assets have always been
inviting targets, but more capable adversaries are much more
likely to defeat or disable them, dramatically degrading our
overall capabilities.
Large assets distort the force structure. They absorb large
numbers of personnel and require higher echelon units for pro-
tection, operation, supply and maintenance.
12 N AT I O N A L D E F E N S E • A P R I L 2 0 2 2
They have historically been siloed in the different services,
making it difficult to achieve true multi-domain operations and
collaborative command and control.
They tend to be blunt instruments, making them inappropri-
ate for the nuanced responses required for gray zone conflicts.
They absorb a disproportionate amount of financial resourc-
es, undermining the nation’s ability to field a more comprehen-
sive suite of capabilities. Funding for these assets, driven by the
confluence of powerful prime contractors and politicians, tends
to become self-perpetuating.
They require long development cycles that can extend over
decades. As a result, by the time they are deployed, their tech-
nology is no longer on the cutting edge. Furthermore, the ability
to upgrade and improve these systems is constrained by deci-
sions made early in their development cycle.
Initiatives like joint all-domain command and control, or
JADC2, and reports such as “Distributed Operations in a
Contested Environment,” by the RAND
Corp., suggest guiding strategies that
the United States should adopt to retain
force overmatch.
A key element is multi-domain opera-
tions, resting on a foundation of interop-
erability. The 2018 National Defense
Strategy states that to “compete in this
complex and contested security envi-
ronment, the U.S. must be prepared to
operate across a full spectrum of conflict,
across multiple domains at once.”
Distributed operations are a second,
essential element in any effort to extend force overmatch. The
RAND report focuses on the Air Force and is motivated by
the increasing vulnerability of large, centralized bases to air and
missile threats from peer and near-peer adversaries. However,
its lessons can readily be applied to all services. It recommends
a system of distributed basing and a realignment of the Air
Force presentation model to implement this new structure. This
would entail the service delegating more authority and provid-
ing planning capability at lower echelons.
Such a change is not unprecedented in other organizations.
Forty years ago, computational power depended on expensive
and powerful mainframe computers, but they were so prohibi-
tively expensive that few industries could afford them.
In the 1990s and 2000s, there was a shift in the computing
industry from centralized mainframe computers to massive
banks of distributed servers connected by local and wide area
networks. This new architecture provided organizations massive
resiliency, flexibility and cost savings while paving the way for
cloud computing.
From both practical and cost-effectiveness points of view,
this new era of computational architecture also makes it much
easier to keep pace with Moore’s law: as new hardware comes
iStock photo
along, subsystems can be swapped out. An analogous shift is
absolutely vital to reenergizing U.S. military forces.
 Trying to create an intelligent, multi-domain, distributed joint are at a disadvantage when it comes to designing small, agile
force while relying exclusively on large assets is impractical if systems. The large primes also lack the financial motivation to
not impossible. If we are to outperform our peer and near-peer switch focus from big, lucrative projects.
competitors, we must turn to smaller, more agile weapons — There will always be a place for large assets developed by
especially unmanned aerial vehicles and robotic ground systems the primes, but if the objective is to produce a nimbler force, a
— that lend themselves more readily to distributed, multi- more suitable choice is nimbler suppliers.
domain operations. For unmanned aerial systems, there are a number of dynamic
As with the evolution of information technology, the concen- mid-sized tech companies that have already made great strides
tration of computational power in an ever-smaller footprint and in disruptive innovation and multi-domain interoperability.
advances in networking will drive the development of these There are companies that have invested heavily in AI for
small systems. But in this case, the rise of artificial intelligence decision-making and wayfaring in GPS-denied environments
and the ability to conduct autonomous operations regardless of and whose groundbreaking, modular, low-cost systems are
GPS availability, will also play a decisive role. already widely adopted for distributed applications.
The advantages of these smaller systems are straightforward. The nation’s future will depend on companies of this size
They are more resilient because they are distributed. and competence that have already made significant progress in
They are also more attritable because they are less costly and pioneering a new, more powerful route to force overmatch. ND
more numerous than larger assets. Adversaries can destroy mul-
tiple units without significantly degrading force capacity. Wahid Nawabi is chairman, president and CEO of AeroVironment Inc.
They can accommodate a more distributed force structure (www.avinc.com).
2022_Mar_NA_PDF_Print National Defence Advert_Final.pdf 1 14/03/2022 13:17:42
by virtue of their small size and agility.
Thanks to embedded AI, they can also
act as a force multiplier, compensating
for the additional personnel required as
the force structure migrates from a high-
ly centralized model to a distributed one.
The systems lend themselves to multi-
domain operations, and they can be
more easily adapted across the military
services. They can be networked together
to operate in swarms while providing
multi-domain interoperability, including
among allies.
They are appropriate for situations
that require a more nuanced, commen-
surate force projection because they
offer a greater array of flexible, tactical
options.
The systems are relatively inexpensive C

to produce — even in the aggregate M

— and they can be designed from the Y

start to be upgradeable, with swappable

modular subsystems. CM

Making this change will require a fun- MY

damental shift in thinking and strategy

— a shift not natural or easy for military Superior solutions for transporting and storing
CY

leaders accustomed to thinking about fuel, exhaust fluid and lubricants – with global
CMY

large centralized assets. approvals for diesel, gasoline, Jet A1 and JP8.
K

The Defense Department has Our range includes auxiliary fuel tanks for
attempted to promote this migration extended runtime and refueling equipment and
before, launching the Future Combat vehicles, including:
Systems initiative in 2003. This Army
program envisioned brigades equipped
with new manned and unmanned
vehicles linked by an unprecedented fast
and flexible battlefield network. After an Bulk fuel transfer and recirculation
expenditure of $32 billion and very little Pumps, telemetry and retail fuel dispensers
to show for it, the department canceled Hi-spec linings and filtration for aviation
the program in 2009.
A key reason for its failure is that large
defense contractors, with large legacy
systems and a large-system mindset, WESTERN-GLOBAL.COM/DEFENSE
24hr response line: TOLL FREE +1 833 919 3260

A P R I L 2 0 2 2 • N AT I O N A L D E F E N S E 13
DROGUE
WARRIOR
MQ-25 DRONE PROGRESSING
TOWARD NEW ERA OF
NAVAL AVIATION
BY JON HARPER
The Navy’s MQ-25 Stingray drone program racked
up major achievements over the past year and is on
track to usher in a new era of manned-unmanned teaming.
However, service officials are still pondering whether the air-
craft carrier-based tanker will be armed with offensive strike
weapons.
In 2018, Boeing was awarded an $805 million engineering
and manufacturing development contract to build the Stingray.
Experts say the new unmanned aerial system — the first
large, fixed-wing drone that will operate from a ship and sup-
port manned planes — will have an outsized impact on the
future of naval aviation.
“The MQ-25 will establish the basics of operating an
unmanned aircraft in the carrier environment, laying the
groundwork for all future carrier-based UAS operations,” Capt.
Sam Messer, unmanned carrier aviation program manager, said
in an email to National Defense. “It will also serve as an early
example of manned-unmanned teaming — an operational con-
cept that provides our warfighters with tactical advantages to
win the fight.”
Advanced technologies that will support the program and
facilitate future missions include a deck handling device,
ground control station and communication links.
The MQ-25 will be different from the iconic drones of the
post-9/11 counterterrorism wars, such as the MQ-1 Predator
and MQ-9 Reaper, in that it will fly autonomously and not be
remotely piloted.
The way the platform operates will be similar to how com-
mercial airlines leverage autopilot capabilities — except there
won’t be any humans inside the Stingray, said Dave Bujold,
MQ-25 program director at Boeing Defense, Space and Secu-
rity’s autonomous systems division.
“They’re not hand-flying every stick and throttle move,” he
explained in an interview. Instead, the Stingray will use a way-
point system after it is catapulted off a carrier.
“It knows where it’s supposed to go right after takeoff, and
it goes there. And then from there, it continues all along its
authorized mission,” he said.
Aerial refueling will be “well scripted,” and pilots on the
receiving end will have communication links with the ground
station overseeing the MQ-25’s mission, just like they have
with manned tankers today, he noted.
When the Stingray returns to the carrier, it will use the joint
precision approach and landing system, or JPALS, which is the
same technology that manned aircraft use.
14 N AT I O N A L D E F E N S E • A P R I L 2 0 2 2
An unmanned Boeing MQ-25
Stingray test aircraft refuels a
manned F-35 joint strike fighter.
“It autonomously will touch down on the deck and catch
the hook on the wire,” Bujold said. If it misses the wire, the
platform will accelerate, take-off again and reenter the landing
pattern, just as a manned jet would in that scenario.
The first MQ-25 test aircraft, the T1, had a string of achieve-
ments in 2021.
In June, the Navy and Boeing conducted the first ever air-to-
air refueling with an unmanned tanker when the T1 extended
its drogue and gassed up an F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet.
Both aircraft were flying at “operationally relevant speeds
and altitudes,” according to Boeing.
In August, during a six-hour flight test, the T1 refueled an
E-2D Advanced Hawkeye battle management aircraft. The
platforms were flying at 220 knots and an altitude of 10,000
feet when they linked up, according to Naval Air Systems
Command.
The following month, the test aircraft refueled an F-35C
joint strike fighter.
In December, another major development occurred when
the T1 underwent an initial unmanned carrier aviation dem-
onstration onboard the flight deck of the USS George H.W.
Bush.
During the demo, personnel drove the aircraft around the
Bush’s flight deck while at sea to check its handling qualities
and the functionality and capabilities of the deck handling sys-
tem. This included taxiing into and connecting to the catapult,
clearing the landing area and various other maneuvers, accord-
ing to Messer.
“The demonstration was very successful and was significant
because the Navy has a rigorous, well-established process by
which aircraft move around the deck of an aircraft carrier —
and the goal with MQ-25 is to maintain current carrier opera-
tions cadence for seamless integration,” he said.
Separately, Lockheed Martin showcased a prototype of the
MQ-25 ground control station, which provided the Navy with
“a unique opportunity to assess design constraints and capture
feedback on the human systems interface,” Messer added.
Bryan Clark, director of the Center for Defense Concepts

and Technology at the Hudson Institute, and former special
assistant to the chief of naval operations, said the demonstra-
tion onboard the Bush was “hugely significant.”
“The challenge that the Navy would always bring up is
we’ve got to figure out how to make this work on the flight
deck,” he said. “The fact that they’re able to now do that and
integrate it into kind of a crowded flight deck is a big deal,
because that really means that they’ve … completed all the
major tasks that are necessary to have the MQ-25 be a viable
carrier-[based] operational aircraft.
“They’ve already demonstrated the aerial refueling of various
platforms. Now, it’s a matter of testing to make sure it delivers
on what the contract requires in terms of its characteristics. …
They’ve largely finished the hard part of evaluating autonomy,”
he added.
An immediate aim of introducing the Stingray into the fleet
is to allow more F/A-18 Super Hornets to focus on fighter
missions rather than tanking duties.
Clark said the MQ-25 will provide a major gain in capabil-
ity because the platform can extend the range of fighter jets
to about 1,000 miles. Armed with standoff weapons, those jets
could engage targets located 1,500 miles away from the carrier.
“That’s a big deal because … the carrier can probably stay
in locations where it’s relatively safe,” he said. “For example,
the Chinese don’t have very many 1,500 nautical mile [range]
weapons that can come out and hit the carrier. So, the MQ-25
enables the carriers to operate in places where it’s survivable.
… It is pretty game changing from that perspective.”
With the Stingray, the Navy aviation community will “leap
ahead” of the Air Force when it comes to integrating manned-
unmanned teaming into operations, he added. “That’s the
big advance that the MQ-25 represents … in how manned-
unmanned aircraft operate together.”
The demonstration onboard the Bush completed the
planned activities for the T1 prototype. Production of the first
engineering, manufacturing and development aircraft is now
Navy photo
underway along with modifications to prepare mission spaces,
install control stations, and modify existing network, com-
mand, control and communications systems to support opera-
tional use of the MQ-25, Messer said.
The service will also continue to assess refueling of other
carrier-based aircraft such as the CMV-22 Osprey tiltrotor
troop transporter.
Meanwhile, work continues with the new ground control
station as the Navy moves toward initial ground and flight
tests where an MQ-25 will be controlled for the first time
from that platform.
Notably, the first group of warrant officers who will be
designated as unmanned air vehicle operators are currently in
training. After their training is completed, they will be assigned
to MQ-25 Fleet Replacement Squadron VUQ-11.
In September, Boeing broke ground on a new high-tech,
300,000 square-foot facility near MidAmerica St. Louis Air-
port in Illinois where it will build Stingrays.
“That factory is really sized to close on the program of
record as quickly as we can,” Bujold said.
The Navy plans to buy more than 70 aircraft as part of
the program of record. Boeing hopes there will be additional
orders including from potential international customers, he
said.
The MQ-25 is scheduled to achieve initial operational capa-
bility in 2025, with full operating capability expected in the
2030s.
A key question that has yet to be answered officially is
whether the Stingray will be armed with missiles or other
offensive systems — as some lawmakers and other observers
have been advocating.
When asked if the Navy is currently considering adding
strike weapons or electronic warfare capabilities, Messer said
the initial focus is to introduce the platform into the air wing
where it can serve its primary role as a tanker and then a “sec-
ondary” role as an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance
platform. However, the MQ-25 “does have payload capacity
for mission growth in the future,” he noted.
Bujold said getting the Stingray to the fleet as quickly as
possible so it can perform tanking missions is “job one.”
However, “I expect that this platform will become a very
versatile multi-mission platform, and I think the Navy gave
it away when they named it MQ” with the “M” indicating a
multi-mission capability, he said when asked if he anticipates
additional payloads will be added to the platform such as ISR
systems or strike weapons. “It’s an opportunity space.”
Clark said the Navy is already looking ahead to what the
MQ-25 could do beyond tanking.
“I think they will put weapons on them,” he said.
With its high fuel capacity, the platform has a range of 1,500
nautical miles. Although it might not be very survivable in a
contested airspace or in a dogfight because it wasn’t designed
for speed, maneuverability or stealth, the system will be capa-
ble of performing offensive missions at standoff ranges or in
uncontested areas, he suggested.
The platform could also be used to deploy smaller drones or
other “air-launched effects,” according to Clark.
“It has a mission bay and it could carry weapons” such as
anti-ship missiles, Clark said. “You could add sensors to it. …
You could use it to hit fixed targets, or just do surveillance and
target acquisition on behalf of other platforms. So, the Navy is
looking ahead at how the MQ-25 — once it’s integrated with
the air wing — can offer these other capabilities.” ND
A P R I L 2 0 2 2 • N AT I O N A L D E F E N S E 15
Navy, Marine Corps Modernize
Aviation Amid Fiscal Pressures
BY MIKAYLA EASLEY
Facing high-end threats abroad
and fiscal pressures at home,
Navy and Marine Corps aviation forces
are preparing for the next generation of
warfare.
The sea services’ aviation components
own a variety of capabilities essential
to the Defense Department’s vision
for future joint all domain operations
— including the striking power of the
Navy’s carrier air wings, as well as fire-
power and heavy lift for Marine Corps
ground forces.
To ensure those capabilities can main-
tain an edge over U.S. adversaries in
future strategic environments, the Navy
is emphasizing new platforms that will
allow the service to operate at longer
ranges and faster speeds in the next 10
to 15 years, said Rear Adm. Shane Gaha-
gan, program executive officer for tacti-
cal aircraft programs.
“The ranges that we need based on
the threats that are out there — [which
should] have kinetic and non-kinetic
effects — are only increasing over the
years. They’ve pushed naval aviation
farther and farther out,” he said during
a recent panel at the National Defense
Industrial Association’s annual Expedi-
tionary Warfare Conference.
Gahagan pointed specifically to long-
range weapons, such as hypersonic mis-
siles, as technology the Navy is pursuing.
Hypersonics are expected to be highly
maneuverable and travel at speeds great-
er than Mach 5, and pose a major chal-
lenge for enemy air defenses.
In addition, the Navy may need to
boost aircraft procurement in the future
to avoid shortfalls and sustainment prob-
lems, according to a report by the Center
for Strategic and International Studies,
“U.S. Military Forces in FY 2022.”
“For many years, naval aviation has
16 N AT I O N A L D E F E N S E • A P R I L 2 0 2 2
been procuring mature systems with
predictable costs and schedules,” Mark
Cancian, a senior advisor at CSIS, said in
the report. “Long-established production
lines have recently finished … [and] new
systems will eventually replace them, but
there will be a gap.”
Notably, the Navy plans to end pro-
duction of the F/A-18 Hornet combat
jet in 2022. The procurement of other
aircraft such as the F-35 Lightning II
joint strike fighter won’t compensate for
the loss of the F/A-18, according to the
report.
Gahagan said the service has plans for
a sixth-generation fighter to be devel-
oped under its Next-Generation Air
Dominance program intended to replace
the Navy’s fleet of F/A-18 E/F Super
Hornets by the early 2040s.
In the meantime, Gahagan noted the
service life of F/A-18 E/F airframes is
being extended to 10,000 flight hours
under the Block III program, which
includes added capabilities such as new
displays, visual targeting assets and abili-
ties to link data.
The Marine Corps also sees modern-
ization as critical for future operations,
said Brig. Gen. Matt Mowery, assistant
deputy commandant for aviation.
“We need to be faster, be able to go
farther and be able to have more effects
out on the leading edge of the battle
space,” Mowery said during the panel.
The Corps’ push for modernization
is part of Commandant Gen. David
Berger’s Force Design 2030 — a plan to
ready the service for potential conflicts
with adversaries such as China in the
Indo-Pacific region. Along with procur-
ing new platforms, the strategy calls for
divesting of unneeded legacy systems.
For aviation, this includes a reduction
in rotary-wing squadrons and potentially
the number of fixed-wing fighter jets
per squadron, according to the
service’s Force Design 2030
annual update.
“Instead of [strictly]
thinking about ... platform
replacements, [it’s] more of a
capability requirement,” Mow-
ery added. “Over the last two
years, we’ve really done a lot
of analysis and reflection and
coordination with the other
services to really think about
where we are going and what
is the requirement that we
need.”
For example, the service plans to
develop its future rotary-wing fleet using
a family-of-systems approach that will
encompass the Marine Corps’ entire
inventory of platforms that take off and
land vertically, Mowery said. This could
include replacements for the AH-1Z
Viper and UH-1Y Venom helicopters, he
added.
In the future, the family of systems
may also encompass technology like
large unmanned logistics system-
airborne, Mowery said. The platform is
one of the varieties of cargo transport
systems the Marines are developing and
acquiring, according to the Department
of Navy’s Unmanned Campaign Frame-
work published in 2021.
“As we look at the distances that we
[have to] cover out in the Pacific, to
have something unmanned that can do
very repetitive work [is] riskworthy, but
over long distances and at an airspeed
that will make a difference on the battle-
field. That may actually be a priority for
us over an H-1 replacement,” Mowery
said, noting that the service will still take
deliveries of the last H-1 helicopters it
purchased.
The expanded role unmanned aerial
vehicles will play in Marine Corps opera-
tions is another tenant of Force Design
2030. The service purchased two MQ-
9A Reapers in 2020 and is looking to
purchase six more in 2022, according to
the Marine Corps’ budget request for fis-
cal year 2022.
The Marines also have finished pro-
curement of the MQ-8 B/C Fire Scout
— an autonomous reconnaissance heli-
copter — while simultaneously divesting
its RQ-21 Blackjack reconnaissance and
surveillance UAV, according to the Force
Design update.
Navy photo
However, Mowery warned of a discon-
nect between the Defense Department
and industry on the exact capabilities
unmanned platforms can offer and when
the technology will be ready.
“The last thing we want to do right
now is shift investments into something
that’s going to be more manpower inten-
sive, … or take a single-seat aviator and
put more on his or her plate because
they’ve got another system or asset up
and flying with them but it’s not truly
autonomous,” he said.
Gahagan agreed with Mowery, add-
ing that the department needs to tell
industry more precisely what it wants
unmanned technology to accomplish.
The Navy has been relatively cautious
in experimenting with UAVs compared
to the other services such as the Air
Force, according to the CSIS report.
More emphasis is being currently placed
on manned aircraft, it noted.
Still, production of the MQ-4C Triton,
a long-endurance intelligence, surveil-
lance and reconnaissance drone, is slated
to begin in 2023. Additionally, the
MQ-25 Stingray unmanned aerial tanker
is also scheduled to achieve initial opera-
tional capability in 2025. (For more on
the MQ-25, see page 12)
The Marine Corps is also behind the
curve when it comes to UAVs, the report
said. It added that Berger wants to better
incorporate drones but “faces decades
of aviation culture built around manned
aircraft.”
Another challenge facing the service’s
ability to acquire drones and other capa-
bilities is the current fiscal environment,
Mowery noted.
As of press time, the federal govern-
ment has yet to enact a full-year defense
appropriations bill for fiscal year 2022
and is operating under a continuing
resolution. Working under a CR for an
extended period of time hinders the
Corps’ ability to acquire the technology
it needs, Mowery said.
“Stable and predictable budgets are
really key to us being able to modernize,
remain relevant for the current fight, and
be ready for this peer fight that we see
in the future,” he said.
Overall, the Department of the Navy
requested $211.7 billion in spending
for 2022. Between the two services, the
Navy asked for $163.9 billion — just 0.6
percent more than in 2021 — while the
Marine Corps requested $47.9 billion,
about a 6 percent increase from 2021, to
help overhaul the force.
Gahagan added: “It’s a balance
A P R I L 2 0 2 2 • N AT I O N A L D E F E N S E
between budgetary decisions of current cient [and have] power management
readiness, future readiness and how do and more reliability on those systems,
you balance where the funding flows to because we’re not going to be able to
be able to work the great power compe- have the iron mountain that we’ve been
tition. We need to maximize and opti- able to have over the last 20 years to
mize current [and] future readiness in draw from,” he said, referring to the large
a budget environment that may not be units and supply depots upon which the
optimum for what we need.” military has grown dependent.
As the Navy looks to procure more Gahagan acknowledged that future
technology, Gahagan said the service will success will require some creativity.
likely put more emphasis on a platform’s “A lot of it’s not about money. It’s
sustainment costs when making contract about just [being] open to different
awards, incorporate cost per flight hour ideas, critical thinking of how to do
as a metric in requirements, and empha- things different, and bringing in best
size live-virtual-constructive training. practices,” he said. “The challenge for
Mowery agreed that distributed opera- industry and naval aviation is how do
tions in areas like the South China Sea we execute the outcome we need [in a]
will necessitate a different approach. constrained budget with the technology
“We’ve got to be more energy effi- moving forward.” ND
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17
Marine Corps Upgrading
Tactical Wheeled Vehicle Fleet
BY YASMIN TADJDEH
NORFOLK, Va. — The
Marine Corps has ambitious
plans for its fleet of tactical wheeled
vehicles as it modernizes its inventory
with new platforms and upgrades exist-
ing systems.
There are “a lot of opportunities for
the Marine Corps as far as investing in
new capabilities we’ve never really used
before,” said Col. John Gutierrez, portfo-
lio manager for logistics combat element
systems at Marine Corps Systems Com-
mand.
One potential opportunity for indus-
try is a new platform to replace the ser-
vice’s medium tactical vehicle, Gutierrez
said during a panel discussion at the
National Defense Industrial Associa-
tion’s annual Tactical Wheeled Vehicles
Conference in Norfolk, Virginia.
Lorrie Owens, program manager for
medium and heavy tactical vehicles,
said the Corps is working through the
requirements for the development and
design of a new medium tactical plat-
form. Last year, the service sent out a
request for information to industry to
conduct market research. Her office will
use the RFI responses to refine require-
ments, she said.
The current platform was originally
intended to start exiting the service this
year, but has been extended until 2042,
Owens said.
“We have really got to start getting
after … the replacement vehicle and
what that’s going to be, because the cur-
rent truck isn’t going to make it another
20 years without some substantial sus-
tainment costs … or the replacement
vehicle coming online,” Owens said.
No decision on a replacement vehicle
has been made, she added, and none
would be forthcoming until details on
the service’s next budget are available.
The Marine Corps would like to move
out on the platform starting in fiscal
year 2024.
The service is currently open to sev-
eral different sizes and configurations
for the vehicle, Owens said. Her office is
particularly interested in electrification
and hybrid technology.
“Fuel efficiency is a hot-ticket item
18 N AT I O N A L D E F E N S E • A P R I L 2 0 2 2
expected to compete in the program.
The program office looked to several
different stakeholders as it crafted the
RFP, Sprang said.
“One of the things we were chal-
lenged on was how do we leverage com-
and that’s kind of the buzzword of the petition to bring technology,” he said.
day,” she said. “That is definitely some- His office reached out to Army Futures
thing that we would like to see in the Command and the Marine Corps’ Com-
future is a more fuel-efficient truck.” bat Development and Integration office
The office hopes to learn more about with questions to provide guidance.
where industry is in electrification tech- “We asked them, ‘What do you want
nologies through the RFI, she noted. to see? How would you prioritize?’ But
“We really wanted to see where indus- we also asked industry, ‘What can you
try was at … from fuel efficiency
modifications to … better fuel JLTV
consumption all the way up to
hybrid” technology, Owens said.
Meanwhile, Jennifer Moore,
program manager for light tactical
vehicles, said the Corps is making
strides within her portfolio, which
includes everything from the joint
light tactical vehicle to ultra-light
tactical platforms.
Moore’s office is working closely
with the Marine Corps’ capabilities
directorate and other organizations
throughout the service, as officials
implement Commandant of the
Marine Corps’ Gen. David Berger’s
Force Design 2030 vision.
“We are tailoring and refining
the fleet that is needed to support
the Marine Corps in the future as
it evolves,” Moore said.
Berger unveiled his Force Design
2030 blueprint two years ago, to
ready the service to deter China
and prepare for potential conflict
in the Indo-Pacific. The strategy
laid out an ambitious plan to cut
end strength, divest from legacy
systems and procure new plat-
forms needed for extra operational flex- bring?’” he said.
ibility. A contract award is expected in Sep-
This year, the focus of Moore’s office tember, Sprang told National Defense
is all about fielding capability, she said. late last year. The winner will have 18
“We field around the world every day.” months to deliver the first vehicles.
The office has replaced 20 percent of Those platforms will go through about a
its Humvee fleet with joint light tactical year of testing, he said.
vehicles, she said. The Marine Corps is According to slides from a November
working alongside the Army to field tens industry day hosted by the JPO, the
of thousands of the Oshkosh Defense- projected value of the contract could be
made platforms through a joint program worth up to $6.5 billion.
office led by Michael Sprang. The joint program office is pleased
Recently, the JPO released a request with the JLTV’s current capabilities and
for proposals to industry for a follow- is not looking for massive changes as it
on vehicle, he said during the confer- pursues the follow-on system, Sprang
ence. Oshkosh Defense, GM Defense, said. However, his team is interested in
Navistar Defense and AM General are some key enhancements. For instance,
 they would like to see upgrades to the
platform’s engine, as well as additional
space in the back of the vehicle for
rucksacks and equipment.
The government has also asked indus-
try to examine technologies that are not
part of the system’s current configura-
tion, Sprang said, adding that the joint
program office would then give them an
evaluated credit during source selection,
he said. These would include ways to
increase corrosion protection and fuel
efficiency.
Meanwhile, the Marine Corps is also
sustaining some existing Humvees and
companion trailers — as well as the util-
ity task vehicle, Moore said. The UTV
will be replaced by the ultra-light tacti-
cal vehicle, or ULTV.
The service is working alongside
Special Operations Command on the
ULTV, she said. The platform shares
requirements with SOCOM’s light-
weight tactical all-terrain vehicle.
Partnering with other organizations is
critical as the office pursues new tech-
nology, Moore said.
“Through these joint partnerships,
Marine Corps photo
we’re able to reduce costs, we’re able
to improve our speed and we’re able
to provide a higher quality product not
only to the to the Marine Corps, but
also to our Special Operations commu-
nity,” she said.
There are numerous opportunities
for industry to work with the program
office, and Moore encouraged compa-
nies to reach out to her team.
“We would love to hear from you,”
she said. “We always keep our doors
open. Working with industry, learning
from you is [how] … we are able to
conduct our market research and be
better prepared for responding to those
urgent needs that we received from the
fleet.”
Moore echoed Sprang’s call for
improvements in the areas of corrosion
protection and mitigation, noting that
her office has an entire team focused
solely on the subject.
Her office also wants lighter, scalable
and more capable armor for its vehicle
fleet.
“The Marines may have a need to be
heavy, and they may have a need to be
lighter,” she said. “Having that scalable
capability is absolutely key and we are
able to take advantage of that with the
JLTV, as it is a very scalable platform by
design.”
Officials are also exploring the inte-
gration of electric technologies that
range from hybrid to full electrification,
Moore said.
Her office is also looking to procure
new tarp covers for environmental pro-
tection of its fleet when operating in
desert, Arctic and jungle environments.
Moore noted that while there are
many opportunities, challenges must
also be addressed.
As of press time, lawmakers have yet
to enact a full-year defense appropria-
tions bill for fiscal year 2022. Federal
agencies are operating under a continu-
ing resolution, which generally freezes
program funding at 2021 levels.
“We have fluctuating funding,” Moore
said. “The continuing resolution contin-
ues to create opportunities for us to be
creative.”
Additionally, as the office works to
sustain its fleet of Humvees, UTVs and
legacy light tactical trailers, officials are
also dealing with supply chain chal-
lenges.
“There can be supply chain issues that
are associated not only with … obsoles-
cence issues, but then with COVID-19
and all of the implications that have
been happening across the marketplace
of raw materials,” Moore said. “It is
impacting production abilities as well.”
Meanwhile, Gutierrez noted that
under his portfolio, the Marine Corps
has divested of thousands of mine-
resistant, ambush-protected vehicles.
The iconic MRAPs were rushed into
the field during the wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan to protect troops from
rampant roadside bombs that maimed
troops and civilians alike.
“We’ve been using equipment
exchange programs with great success,
and this last year actually we recouped
over $30 million in exchange credits,”
he said. The service has been employing
an Equipment Exchange Initiative for
years, allowing agencies to exchange and
sell equipment, and apply the exchange
allowance or proceeds to the acquisition
of replacement property, according to
the service.
“This is just the way going forward
and you’re going to see more and more
activities not only within my portfolio,
but across … the [program executive
office] and Marine Corps Systems Com-
mand community using these as a way
to generate both cost savings and some
investment opportunities,” Gutierrez
said. ND
A P R I L 2 0 2 2 • N AT I O N A L D E F E N S E 19
Rising Tensions Fuel Indo-Pacific Arms Sales
BY MEREDITH ROATEN
SINGAPORE — With ten-
sions rising in the Indo-Pacific
and China increasingly intimidating its
neighbors, nations in the region are seek-
ing capabilities that will set them up for
success in potential future conflicts.
Although efforts to recover from the
COVID-19 pandemic have slowed arms
deals, the relatively low turnout at the
Singapore Airshow in February didn’t
stop attendees from laying the ground-
work for enhanced military readiness.
“This is really the target market in the
world right now,” said Daniel Darling,
senior analyst for Australia and Pacific
countries at market research firm Fore-
cast International.
The region is a hotbed for gray zone
warfare — military operations below the
threshold of full-scale conventional war-
fare, Darling said.
“In particular, around Singapore, you
have the South China Sea and the trans-
shipment channels that bring a lot of
pressure to resource-dependent nations,”
he said.
In the Defense Department’s annual
Chinese Military Power report, which
was released in November, Beijing’s anti-
access and area denial capabilities are
strongest within the First Island Chain
— which includes the area near Japan,
Taiwan and the Philippines — but its
leaders have ambitions to extend its
reach even farther.
The People’s Republic of China “is
beginning to field significant capabilities
capable of conducting operations out to
the Second Island Chain and seeks to
strengthen its capabilities to reach far-
ther into the Pacific Ocean and through-
out the globe,” according to the report.
The Second Island Chain encompasses
the islands of Guam and Micronesia.
While the COVID-19 pandemic
hurt defense budgets across the region,
nations feel pressure to build up at least
a minimal deterrent force against Chi-
nese aggression despite the high costs,
Darling said.
The pandemic “definitely inhibited …
defense procurement spending growth
but nonetheless, one thing to keep in
mind is every country in some way is
hedging around China,” he said.
If countries in the region are going to
20 N AT I O N A L D E F E N S E • A P R I L 2 0 2 2
be ready to ramp up military operations
to counter China, aligning their capabili-
ties with the United States could be use-
ful, industry executives at the Singapore
Airshow said.
The stealthy fifth-generation F-35
joint strike fighter is a good example,
according to Lockheed Martin. Operat-
ing the fighter jet opens up opportuni-
ties for new partnerships and alliances
between international customers and
the United States, said Steven Over,
director of F-35 business development
in the region.
“We don’t want to speak for the U.S.
government, but I will tell you that the
customers that we are offering the F-35
[to] view this as a coalition capability
that is interoperable throughout the
region,” he said.
By 2035, there will be more than 300
F-35s operating in the region, the vast
majority of which will be owned by for-
eign partner nations, Over said.
“It’s really about providing a coalition
capability to deter aggression,” he said.
Singapore has four F-35 jets, while
closer U.S. allies such as South Korea,
Australia and Japan have ordered more
than 200 platforms combined, according
to Lockheed.
Furthermore, strengthened relation-
ships with allies and partners, is a crucial
part of the joint all-domain command
and control initiative that is a focus of
the U.S. military. The concept encour-
ages the development of technology that
connects sensors to shooters to enable
information overmatch in a contested
environment. If allies have the same
aircraft, it facilitates JADC2 capability,
said Tim Cahill, senior vice president of
global business development and strat-
egy for Lockheed. However, additional
work needs to be done to standardize
requirements for technologies so it will
be easier for nations’ legacy systems to
work together.
“One of the things that we are doing
as a company right now is actually
investing at a broad level on what are
the set of future standards, particularly
for data,” he said.
Building software early on around
platform data management will prevent
costly add-ons down the road, he noted.
“The things that are really, really going
to be expensive and important, it’s going
to be that software that goes into each
of those nodes, for example, and the
platforms that you’re fielding that have
got the basic sensor capability,” he said.
It should be relatively easy to con-
vince allies to make upfront invest-
ments, said John Clark, vice president of
international business development in
the company’s missiles and fire control
business division.
“The customers are still putting a high
priority on being interoperable with U.S.
military,” he said. “That’s helping us with
making sure that systems talk to each
other.”
However, military partnerships with
A U.S. Marine Corps F-35B
Lightning II conducts an
aerial demonstration during
the Singapore Airshow.
the United States are not assured in
every nation. For example, Singapore
trains regularly with U.S. forces and per-
manently bases squadrons of its aircraft
in the United States. But the country
also has defense agreements with China.
Singapore and Beijing signed a renewed
defense agreement in 2019, which
established a regular dialogue between
defense leadership in addition to part-
nerships in logistics support.
One of the biggest deals of the Sin-
gapore Airshow happened before the
doors opened. Indonesia confirmed an
order for a fleet of 42 French-made Das-
 sault Rafale fighter jets worth an esti-
mated $8 billion.
Following the announcement, the U.S.
Defense Security Cooperation Agency
announced a possible foreign military
sale with Indonesia for 36 F-15ID air-
craft with a price tag of $13.9 billion.
Indonesia is a “force for political sta-
bility and economic progress” in the
Asia-Pacific, according to a February
statement from DSCA. “It is vital to U.S.
national interests to assist Indonesia in
developing and maintaining a strong and
effective self-defense capability.”
Countries in the region are also look-
ing for enhanced reconnaissance aircraft.
Maritime patrol platforms are force
multipliers because of their ability to
cover large swaths of the Pacific Ocean
and monitor sea approaches, Darling
said.
At the airshow, Israel Aerospace
Industries displayed a model of its patrol
aerial vehicle, the ELI-3360, while a U.S.
Navy P-8 submarine killer — built by
Boeing — sat on the tarmac in a static
display.
Meanwhile, the display of Israeli
weapons systems at the airshow could
signal trends in arms deals for Singa-
pore — though the island nation is more
focused on maritime capabilities than
Israel, Darling added.
Defense Dept. photo
“Singapore tends to model their pro-
curement processes on Israel, and they
tend to watch what happens in Israel,
because Israel is almost [always] in some
form of conflict or high readiness level
of military activity,” he said.
Elbit Systems unveiled a new variant
of its Skylark 3 Hybrid small tactical
unmanned aerial vehicle during the
airshow. The drone can operate for
up to 18 hours, using the combustion
engine for speed and the electric engine
for operating above its area of interest,
according to the company.
While most sales at airshows are
determined before the event, tensions
between Ukraine and Russia leading up
to the confab could have led to more
customer meetings, Darling said. Before
the gathering, Russia had not yet invad-
ed its neighbor, but as of press time, the
United States is levying major economic
sanctions against Moscow.
“You’ll have more and more prospec-
tive buyers more interested in certain
assets,” Darling said. Some customers are
“now increasingly looking at an array of
military equipment … and now they’re
more interested than ever in looking at
higher-end capabilities.”
Already South Korea, Australia and
India are Indo-Pacific nations that are
among the top 10 arms importers in
the world, according to the Stockholm
International Peace Research Institute’s
2020 report titled, “Trends in Interna-
tional Arms Transfers.”
Meanwhile, the show highlighted the
strengthening of U.S. alliances in the
region, including nations participating
in the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue,
which is a defense cooperative agree-
ment between the United States, India,
Australia and Japan. It’s a relationship
that Boeing’s defense business is moni-
toring closely, said Leanne Caret, presi-
dent and CEO of Boeing Defense, Space
and Security.
The company’s representatives in each
of the countries stay abreast of the local
priorities as they relate to Quad activity,
she noted. “It’s up to us as an industry to
listen and make certain that we’re offer-
ing products and services that meet with
those customers’ needs,” she said.
For example, Caret pointed to the
Indian navy and air force’s search for
multirole fighters. Boeing is planning
to offer multiple platforms as potential
options.
Meanwhile, countries in the Indo-
Pacific are increasingly considering and
investing in the sustainability of their
aircraft, according to Caret. Traditional
government programs for weapon sys-
tems are taking too long, potentially
jeopardizing the quality of the aircraft
and future sustainment, she noted.
“If we can turn the conversation on
how fast we get capability, … [custom-
ers will be able to better interact and
operate] with allies, partner nations, and
really deliver the assured force and capa-
bility that they want,” she said.
Boeing is working with an engineering
company to improve efficiency in Singa-
pore, said Ted Colbert, CEO of Boeing
Global Services.
“We’re working right now on bringing
together our data, their data, and build-
ing better preventive and predictive ana-
lytics and making space to support their
customers,” he said.
Meanwhile, Singapore and other Indo-
Pacific countries are recovering from
the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic
and building back their own aerospace
production capabilities. Before the show,
Rolls-Royce and GE Aviation announced
they would hire more workers in Singa-
pore to enhance aircraft production in
the region.
Other Pacific nations such as Australia
and Indonesia are attempting to build
up their own indigenous defense manu-
facturing and production capabilities.
Much of the defense industrial base
in the Asia-Pacific is limited in scope
and comparable to the Turkish industrial
base 15 or 20 years ago, Darling said. ND
A P R I L 2 0 2 2 • N AT I O N A L D E F E N S E 21
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Next Month

Special Operations’ Little Bird Special Ops Vehicles

n Despite what its name suggests, Special Operations Com-
mand’s AH/MH-6 Little Bird helicopter packs a big punch.
What’s next for the “Killer Egg?”
Special Ops Software
n It’s been nearly two years since Special Operations Com-
mand stood up its newest program office for digital applica-
tions. National Defense dives into the office’s strategy for
achieving information dominance through software acquisition.
New Calibers
n As special operations and other military elements have
introduced new weapons and requirements over the last few
years, industry has developed a number of supporting ammu-
nition designs.
n Special Operations Command is upgrading its fleet of tacti-
cal wheeled vehicles with new equipment and looking to inte-
grate technologies such as electrification. What opportunities
await for industry?
Armed Overwatch
n Special Operations Command says it still needs aviation
platforms that can support isolated commandos in places
where U.S. airpower is not abundant. With the command on
the verge of selecting one of three turboprop aircraft to fulfill
the role, National Defense examines the competitors and the
Armed Overwatch initiative.

APRIL 2022 Index of Advertisers

Interact with the companies whose products and services are advertised in National Defense.
ADVERTISER INTERACT PAGE NO.

AeroVironment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.avinc.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Back cover

Aimpoint. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.aimpoint.us/firecontrol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Collins Aerospace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.collinsaerospace.com/gnc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

David Clark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.davidclark.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Glenair. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.glenair.com/star-pan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Inside front cover

Omnetics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.omnetics.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

MCP GOV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.mcpgov.com/socom. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Inside back cover

True Blue Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.truebluepowerusa.com/GETSTARTED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Western Global . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.western-global.com/defense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

ADVERTISING
For information on advertising in National Defense or one of NDIA’s electronic offerings, contact:

Senior Vice President Sales Director Sales Manager

Meetings & Business Partnerships Kathleen Kenney Alex Mitchell
Christine M. Klein (703) 247-2576 (703) 247-2568
NDIA’S BUSINESS AND
(703) 247-2593 KKenney@NDIA.org AMitchell@NDIA.org
TECHNOLOGY MAGAZINE
CKlein@NDIA.org Fax: (703) 522-4602 Fax: (703) 522-4602
NationalDefenseMagazine.org

NDIA MEMBERSHIP: The National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) is the premier association representing
all facets of the defense and technology industrial base and serving all military services. For more information please
call our membership department at 703-522-1820 or visit us on the web at NDIA.org/Membership.

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