The U.S. Marine Corps launched a pair of Raytheon Technologies-built cruise missiles from a ground-based launcher platform for a live-fire, long-range strike mission during the U.S. Navy’s Large Scale Exercise.

USMC used the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System to deploy the Naval Strike Missiles from shore to reach a target at sea as part of the operational exercise.

One NVM cruised more than 100 nautical miles through simulated environments before striking the adversary vessel represented by the retired Oliver Hazard Perry-class USS Ingraham guided missile frigate.

Brig. Gen. Arthur Pasagian, commander of Marine Corps Systems Command, noted that the exercise provided the service branch an opportunity to work with military partners to fine-tune USMC’s Force Design 2030 modernization concepts.

NMESIS is a ground-based anti-ship system composed of an NSM launcher and an Oshkosh Defense-made Remotely Operated Ground Unit for Expeditionary Fires vehicle.

The Air Force Research Laboratory's Munitions Directorate has launched two facilities to accommodate collaborative, cross-disciplinary technology development.

AFRL said Thursday its new Ordnance Science Innovation Center building, which was built under a $98 million construction effort, will house projects that develop explosive materials.

The second facility, named Applied Computational Engineering and Sciences, offers computing power that AFRL can harness when developing and evaluating weapons.

Both OSIC and ACES facilities will digitally simulate concepts, produce prototypes and conduct verification tests. AFRL, Eglin Civil Engineering and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers worked together to build the facilities, which are located beside each other.

“OSIC and ACES create the essential environment to pursue multidisciplinary solutions to deliver strategic capabilities to the warfighter,” said Timothy Tobik, ordnance deputy division chief at AFRL.

Lt. Gen. Michael Guetlein, who leads the recently launched Space Systems Command, said SSC will capitalize on digital engineering as it develops technologies, National Defense Magazine reported Wednesday.

Digital models allow technology developers to virtually trial a system across design, assembly, testing and maintenance. The SSC commander spoke at this year's Space Symposium about SSC's use of this approach.

Guetlein said the U.S. Space Force's Space Warfighting Analysis Center is sharing simulation models to help industry partners understand potential challenges to systems being developed.

He noted that SSC will continue to implement an integrated, consistent architecture for digital model sharing. SSC stood up on Aug. 13th as USSF's second field command and now leads the service's technology development activities.

Danielle Metz, deputy chief information officer for information enterprise at the Department of Defense, said that DOD will implement a data-driven information technology portfolio management approach in a move to ensure that funds are aligned with IT investment decisions. Federal News Network reported Wednesday.

She provided an overview of the department's effort to improve its IT decision-making process at an Advanced Technology Academic Research Center-hosted event Tuesday.

Metz noted that the updated framework will allow the DOD CIO to identity non-compliant systems and what budget categories support those platforms that do not comply with current IT strategies and policies. 

“We are developing metrics and targets to track the improvement of data sources that are critical as supporting this framework," she added.

GovCon Wire, sister site of ExecutiveGov, will host a Sept. 1 virtual forum on initiatives to transform the federal IT infrastructure. Join the “IT Modernization and Transformation” to hear from government and GovCon executives as they give their perspectives on this timely topic.

A draft of a House defense bill contains two provisions that would create a five-year pilot program to identify promising technologies and broaden Navy programs that promote innovation involving small businesses to help address the “valley of death” between research and acquisition in order to get the technology into the hands of warfighters, Defense One reported Wednesday.

The proposed National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) would direct the Strategic Capabilities Office (SCO) to identify Indo-Pacific Command’s “critical cross-service operational needs” and appoint a mission manager to collaborate with the military’s research agencies to build, test and deliver software and other information technology platforms.

The draft NDAA bill proposes $8.6 million in funds to expand the Navy’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (SBTT) programs.

According to the draft measure obtained by the publication, the service has “demonstrated success” in mentoring businesses that have reached the SBIR program's Phase 2, reflecting the Navy's capability in helping non-traditional vendors better navigate the defense contracting process.