Budget Watch. Congress is sprinting through the defense authorization and appropriations process, with this week looking to be an extremely hectic one for those watching the defense budget. The Senate will continue debate of the fiscal year 2016 National Defense Authorization Act in the hopes of passing a bill by the end of the week. The Senate Appropriations Committee will release its defense bill, with a subcommittee markup scheduled for Tuesday morning and the full committee markup on Thursday. The House could take up its own appropriations bill on the floor, as well.
Standard Missile-6 Contract: Raytheon receives a boost to its Standard Missile-6 (SM-6), with the Navy awarding an additional $149 million for an additional 74 rounds, spares, containers and services. That sum brings the total full rate production contract for fiscal year 2015 to $259 million. The SM-6—also known as the RIM-174 Standard Extended Range Active Missile (ERAM)—is a supersonic surface-to-air missile capable of taking down enemy manned and unmanned aircraft as well as land-attack and anti-ship cruise missiles. Raytheon has delivered more than 160 of the missiles, which can be fired by cruisers and destroyers. 
Virginia Payload Module: General Dynamics Electric Boat picks up a $6.5 million contract modification for development of the Virginia payload module, which will add a section to Virginia-class submarine allowing it to carry more land-attack missiles. The module will extend the hull by about 70 feet and boost strike capacity by 230 percent, the news release says. General Dynamics Electric Boat manufactures the ship in Groton, Conn. Construction of the module is slated to begin in 2019.
USAF Radar Breakthrough. The Air Force helps create a breakthrough in mitigating wind turbine interference with radar systems by developing technology restoring surveillance radar coverage to commonly traveled air routes, according to a service statement. The breakthrough is based on a unique software algorithm that results in marked improvements in aircraft detection while simultaneously reducing false alarms in areas around wind farms. The Defense Department works with the FAA and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to create this new technology, the result of three years of radar engineering work. While the FAA engineering team warns this is not an automated fix for all interference caused by wind turbines, it allows FAA and DoD engineers to optimize radar returns each time a new wind farm is built within line-of-sight of a radar transmitter.
Air Force Promotion. President Barack Obama nominates Air Force Lt. Gen. John Hesterman as assistant vice chief of staff and director of air staff, according to a Defense Department statement. Hesterman is currently serving as commander of Air Forces Central Command in southwest Asia. He previously served as military deputy for readiness to the under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness in the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD).
Orbital ATK Fuze. The Army awards Orbital ATK a $27 million production order to fulfill additional Air Force requirements for the DSU-33D/B proximity sensor, according to a company statement. The deal is a follow-on award to the full-rate production (FRP) contract signed in 2013. The sensor provides a fire pulse to the bomb fuze, enabling precise detonation to maximize the effect of the weapon. The contract marks the fourth full rate production contract awarded to Orbital ATK and is the second delivery order issued against the contract. The DSU-33D/B is an all-weather, active, radio-frequency and ranging radar that senses the height of the weapon above the target area. It is used in conjunction with the FMU-139 and FMU-152 bomb fuzes to detonate the weapon at a fixed height above surface targets, maximizing the warhead’s blast and fragmentation effects.
David’s Sling. The House Appropriations Committee (HAC) on June 2 approves providing $150 million for the David’s Sling missile defense system in the fiscal year 2016 defense spending bill. The committee approves the bill via voice vote. The bill overall provides $579 billion for the Defense Department, an increase of $24 billion above the FY ’15 enacted level, and $88 billion in overseas contingency operations (OCO), or wartime, spending. DoD did not request any funding for David’s Sling, which is an advanced, multi-mission, multi-platform interceptor designed for insertion into integrated air and missile defense systems. HAC spokeswoman Jennifer Hing says June 5 the committee believes David’s Sling is a necessary and important program and that the Israeli’s have indicated their support. David’s Sling defends against short range ballistic missiles, large caliber rockets and cruise missiles. David’s Sling is developed by Rafael and Raytheon.
New TRANSCOM Chief. President Obama nominates Air Force Gen. Darren McDew as the next U.S. Transportation Command (TRANSCOM) chief, according to a DoD statement. McDew currently serves as Air Force Air Mobility Command (AMC) chief. He previously served as commander of the 18th Air Force. McDew has deployed in support of ongoing operations in Central and Southwest Asia as an air expeditionary group commander and later as the Director of Mobility Forces.
JFCC Space Commercial Cell. U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) selects Intelsat, SES Government Solutions, Inmarsat, Eutelsat, DigitalGlobe and Iridium to participate in its Joint Functional Component Command for Space (JFCC Space) six-month pilot program incorporating commercial operators into its Joint Space Operations Center (JSpOC). This Commercial Integration Cell (CIC) pilot program establishes a research and development (R&D) environment within the JSpOC to explore the operational, technical and legal aspects of a partnership between DoD and industry, leveraging mutual capabilities and information sets to enhance space domain awareness and improve the JFCC space commander’s space operational command and control (C2).
NASA LDSD Scrubs. NASA the week of June 1 scrubs four launches of its Low Density Supersonic Decelerator due to weather at the Pacific Missile Range Facility on the island of Kauai, Hawaii. The civil space agency is scheduled to try again June 6. The LDSD project is conducting this full-scale flight test of two breakthrough technologies: a supersonic inflatable aerodynamic decelerator (SIAD) and an innovative new parachute. These devices potentially will help us deliver double the current amount of payload, 1.5 metric tons, to the surface of Mars.
Freedom Act Passed. The Senate passed the USA Freedom Act (H.R. 2048) on June 2 by a vote of 67-32 after dismissing all amendments. Working quickly to renew and reform Patriot Act powers that expired after May 31, the Senate approved the House version of the bill. President Obama signed it the same day and it became Public Law 114-23.
Paring at Sikorsky. Sikorsky Aircraft, which is on the selling block at United Technologies Corp., is cutting about 1,400 production-related positions at several facilities during the next year due to reduced investments in offshore oil exploration and weak demand for some international military products, company spokesman Paul Jackson tells Defense Daily. “These actions affect Sikorsky’s facilities in Poland, Pennsylvania and Connecticut and will take place over the next 12 months starting immediately,” he says. “As part of this activity, the company will vacate smaller satellite facilities and consolidate remaining production volume into larger campuses in Poland, Pennsylvania and Connecticut to include exiting its current facility in Bridgeport, Conn., and relocating employees to the Stratford, Conn., facility.” The layoffs include a mix of employees and contractors.
Inspired Youth. Foreigners attracted to the ranks of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) by the militant organization’s propaganda delivered via social media don’t fit a “set profile” but “one trend continues to rise—the inspired youth,” Michael Steinbach, assistant director of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division, tells the House Homeland Security Committee. “We’ve seen certain children and young adults drawing deeper into the ISIL narrative. These individuals are often comfortable with virtual communication platforms, specifically social media networks.”