The Department of Defense’s cost estimates for the acquisition of major weapons platforms climbed from $1.92T in 2017 to $2T in 2018 covering 87 programs. According to the annual Selected Acquisition Reports, the total program costs for DoD rose by 4 percent to $624.1B driven by the F-35 program. The total acquisition cost of the program jumped by $15.3B in base year 2012 dollars.

The U.S. Army’s program costs for the AH-64E Apache new build initiative increased by 22.4 percent to $2.4B, while the program costs for the CH-47F Block II cargo helicopter rose nearly 20 percent to $26.9B. The Pentagon also increased its projected costs for several U.S. Army programs such as Common Infrared Countermeasure; Joint Air-to-Ground Missile; Patriot Advanced Capability-3 Missile Segment Enhancement and Paladin Integrated Management.

The estimated program costs for U.S. Air Force’s Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile increased from $4.7B to approximately $10B. Aside from JASSM, other Air Force initiatives that saw an increase in estimated program costs are the B-2 Defensive Management System – Modernization, Joint Direct Attack Munition and the National Security Space Launch effort.

DoD said several U.S. Navy programs saw increases in cost estimates and those include the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer (DDG 51), AIM-9X Block II Sidewinder, Littoral Combat Ship and the KC-130J transport aircraft.

The Senate voted 67-28 to pass a two-year budget deal to increase defense spending by approximately $45B, Defense News reported Thursday. The $2.7T deal would raise defense funding from spending levels of $716B to $738B in 2020 to $740B in 2021. It also includes an agreement to exclude “poison pill” riders that limit the administration’s ability to direct funds toward the border wall project. 

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) called on other lawmakers to approve the deal, which he said would “strengthen our national security and provide our troops with the resources they need” and invest in veterans, cancer research, child care and other programs. The measure, which intends to block a partial government shutdown in the fall, is now headed to the White House for President Trump’s signature.

U.S. Naval War College held a game on military-level approaches to protect energy grids in case of emergencies. Members of finance, energy, government and academic sectors took part in the Defend Forward: 2019 Critical Infrastructure War Game that took place July 25 to 26, the U.S. Navy said Wednesday.

The school’s Cyber and Innovation Policy Institute hosted the event as the third installment in a series of cyber infrastructure challenges. The Navy intends to use findings to support the Cyberspace Solarium Commission’s strategic efforts.

Mark Montgomery, the commission’s executive director, said the private sector holds a large fraction of the national security critical infrastructure. “We need to ensure it is protected and supported at the same level as our government-operated infrastructure,” he said.

Kevin Walsh, Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act executive for the Government Accountability Office, said the scorecard will deploy new data center optimization metrics by the Office of Management and Budget, FCW reported Wednesday. Walsh told attendees of a recent ACT-IAC event that GAO is establishing a balance on evaluation metrics for the FITARA scorecard, which is based on publically available information.

Maria Roat, chief information officer for the Small Business Administration and Agriculture Department CIO Gary Washington noted that while they have made progress in improving their respective agencies’ IT spending through FITARA, the metrics for Federal Information Security Management Act compliance need to improve.

According to Roat, the cybersecurity rating “measures two systems out of hundreds” and is “not indicative of what agencies are doing.”

The Government Accountability Office assessed and validated Defense Logistics Agency contractors that specialize in reverse engineering techniques. GAO found in a report published Wednesday that 124 companies conducted reverse engineering projects from fiscal year 2015 through 2018.

Additionally, the accountability agency confirmed that 103 of the companies are small businesses. Representatives from DLA and small business firms noted that the approach may open opportunities for potential work.

The government watchdog also found that DLA’s Maritime, Land and Aviation commands established measures to protect the patents of reverse engineering projects. GAO noted that DLA utilizes reverse engineering to lower costs, optimize competition between contractors and manufacture spare parts for vessels, missiles and aircraft systems.

The U.S. Navy will commission its newest Freedom-class littoral combat ship into service on Saturday at the Naval Air Station in Key West, Fl. The Lockheed Martin-build USS Billings, named after the largest city in Montana, to support the Navy’s missions in near-shore and open-ocean environments, the Department of Defense said Wednesday.

It will be the eighth Freedom-variant ship owned by the service branch and will work to counter “anti-access” threats like high-speed craft, mines and quiet diesel submarines. Lockheed Martin leads the industry team tapped to design and manufacture the Freedom-class vessels, while Austual USA spearheads the production of the Independence-variant under the LCS program.

Sen. Jon Tester, ranking member of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, will deliver the principal address at the commissioning ceremony.

Vice Adm. Michael Gilday told senators during a confirmation hearing that he will prioritize cybersecurity and defense industrial base protection if confirmed as chief of naval operations, Fifth Domain reported Thursday.

Gilday, previously the director of the Joint Staff and commander of the U.S. Fleet Cyber Command and 10th Fleet, said at the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing that he wants to drive collaborative efforts with industry, including small companies that have the capacity to develop rapidly scalable technologies.

“The character of modern warfare is changing to a multidomain battlespace with significant emphasis on space, electronic, information and cyber domains,” he wrote in reponse to questions submitted before the hearing. “Digital technologies have the potential to be a force multiplier, putting data at the center of all of our decisions and transforming how we fight, stay ready and conduct business operations.”

President Trump announced his intent to nominate Gilday as CNO last month.