The Government Accountability Office has raised concerns about the U.S. Army’s plans to change how it develops and deploys new weapons systems following the establishment of the Army Futures Command. In a report released Wednesday, GAO said the service branch intends to skip field tests to immediately move new technologies into weapons systems.

“Moving forward without this testing can delay delivery and increase costs as development continues,” the agency warned. 

GAO said the Army failed to fully apply some of its recommended practices to ongoing modernization efforts, such as starting weapon development at a lower level of maturity and without a plan to apply lessons learned from cross-functional team pilot programs. The report states the Army going against the recommended practices puts the service at risk of failing to deliver the desired capabilities and leverage the experience of teams in applying leading practices.

To address the modernization concerns, GAO suggested that the Army secretary ensure the AFC demonstrates technology in an operational environment before starting development, take steps to incorporate the experiences of cross-functional teams and fully apply leading practices for mergers and organizational transformations. The service has yet to respond to GAO’s new recommendations.

Gen. David Goldfein, chief of staff of the U.S. Air Force, conducted an inspection of the T-X trainer aircraft during his visit to Boeing’s production facility in St. Louis on Jan. 15, the Air Force reported Wednesday.

Goldfein shared his observations on the aircraft during the inspection, including his comments on the sight lines the plane offers.

“The visibility is exceptional. I can see what the student is doing, what displays he is calling up; which challenges she’s calling up,” he said.

“The level of instructional capacity is impressive,” Goldfein added.

He noted that the Air Force expects the aircraft to enter service in 2024 and achieve full operational capability a decade later.
 
Boeing won a potential $9.2B contract in September 2018 to build and deliver 351 T-X trainers, 46 simulators and related ground equipment to the service.

The company is scheduled to deliver the first aircraft and simulators to the Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph in Texas by 2023, according to the report.
 

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency launched a program helping the Department of Defense sustain and reinforce U.S. military readiness through the study of warfighter biology. The Measuring Biological Aptitude program seeks to understand biological processes and factors that could affect the performance of specialized military roles, DARPA said Tuesday.

Researchers will analyze samples and performance data from select military specializations to identify biological imprints and define a measurement process. The results will allow the agency to update the baseline for upcoming recruits and assess soldiers’ potential. DARPA also noted that commanders may leverage the program to adjust combat strategies, confirm potential health risks and provide recovery methods.

Eric Van Gieson, MBA program manager, said providing people with their biological information assists them in the consideration of other career opportunities. The agency intends to host an industry day on Feb. 12 to explain the program and accommodate proposals from interested MBA service providers.

The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory and the U.K.’s Defense Science and Technology Laboratory is hosting a competition to identify new planning approaches for search and rescue missions with unmanned aircraft systems. Swarm and Search AI Challenge: 2019 Fire Hack will task participants to develop artificial intelligence applications to map wildfires, support mission planning and respond to dynamic changes, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base said Tuesday.

Teams will perform their work on an online collaboration platform and study various fire maps via USAF-approved software. Wright Brothers Institute and University of Dayton Research Institute will serve as academic partners for the program to take place in the U.S. and the U.K. and conclude by the end of March. The program will select 10 finalists to compete for cash prizes at the challenge’s culminating round.

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The entrants to receive the highest score will be featured at the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International’s 2019 conference and the U.K. Embassy in Washington DC.

The U.S. Air Force’s 55th Comptroller Squadron Financial Management Flight has begun testing its new EPHESOFT scanning software designed to manage the service branch’s travel-related payment documentation, the Air Force said Tuesday.

The platform sends documentation to the Air Force Financial Services Center in South Dakota which handles payment procedures for temporary and permanent change-of-station travel outside the scope of the Defense Travel System. The new web-based system intends to be compatible with other platforms without requiring encryption or reliance on a virtual private network. Additionally, it enables travel vouchers to be transmitted to the AFFSC within minutes.

Master Sgt. Crystal Doepker, flight chief for the 55th Comptroller Squadron Financial Operations, said it takes about two hours to deliver the travel vouchers through the system prior to the upgrade.

“With the efficiencies that this system brings, it will reduce any work stoppage or delays in getting travel vouchers to the AFFSC,” he added.