Defense Secretary James Mattis and Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, have told House Armed Services Committee members that the two-year budget agreement passed by Congress supports National Defense Strategy implementation efforts, DoD News reported Thursday.

Both officials also testified on a fiscal 2019 defense budget request during an HASC hearing that was held Thursday.

“This budget funds systems to enhance communications and resiliency in space,” Mattis, a 2018 Wash100 recipient, told committee members.

He added the department will prioritize efforts to accelerate the delivery, continuous adaptation of technology platforms.

Dunford, also a 2018 Wash100 recipient, said he believes the U.S. military can “defend the homeland, meet our alliance commitments and prevail in any conflict.”

The JCS chair added he believes the federal government should invest in a full range of systems to deter foreign threats.

Defense representatives from the U.S. and Norway have signed a “security of supply arrangement” to solidify their partnership in exchanging defense products and services for national security, Defense News reported Friday.

Morten Tiller, national armaments director at the Norwegian Ministry of Defense, and Eric Chewning, deputy assistant undersecretary for manufacturing and industrial base policy at the Defense Department, sealed the agreement at the Norwegian-American Defense Conference.

The SoSA allows both countries’ defense departments to request priority delivery for their contracts and orders from companies under their jurisdiction.

Tiller said Norwegian firms will work to support U.S. authorities and prime contracts that demand security of supply arrangement in future contracts.

The partnership comes as the U.S. aims to strengthen its alliances under the new National Defense Strategy.

Martin Ahmad, deputy head for the Commander, Fleet Readiness Center of the Naval Air Systems Command, presented COMFRC’s completed and upcoming initiatives at the Sea Air Space Exposition held Monday to Wednesday.

NAVAIR said Wednesday Ahmad provided a brief on the Naval Aviation Enterprise’s Sustainment Vision 2020 for attendees of the event on Tuesday.

Ahmad said that NAVAIR’s fleet readiness centers have completed work on all aircraft that required depot-level repairs and have reached production goals for the last two years.

The COMFRC deputy cited compliance with the Critical Chain Project Management principles, the enhanced accuracy of the bill for parts and materials and rapid engineering investigations as factors for the optimized throughput rate.

Ahmad also noted collaborations with the Defense Logistics Agency, the Naval Supply Systems Command’s Weapon Systems Support and type commanders and program managers.

The COMFRC intended to enhance aircraft maintenance and modification operations, complete in-service repairs and increase the production of component repairs to address the backlog and reduce in-reporting aircraft in need of parts, Ahmad detailed at the exposition.

He added that the office will hire more artisans, engineers and logistics personnel in support of its operations.

NAE’s Sustainment Vision 2020 is targeted towards the four major areas of the sustainment value stream which are supply, manpower, maintenance planning and infrastructure, Ahmad said.

Ahmad remarked that the sustainment value stream areas are consolidated in an operations center to allow officials of various rank to access a uniform metrics in support of preparedness.

NAE executives endorsed the enterprise’s sustainment vision in October 2016.

The Defense Department’s nuclear command, control and communications system is now under review amid increasing threats in cyber and space domains as cited in the Nuclear Posture Review, SpaceNews reported Wednesday.

The NC3 system includes communications satellites, ground stations and aircraft; control centers for nuclear platforms; and warning satellites and radars.

“Discussions are taking place at the secretary of defense and chairman levels,” Gen. Robin Rand, commander of the Air Force Global Strike Command, said Wednesday at an Air Force Association event.

Rand noted that the U.S. Strategic Command “will have a heavy role” in the NC3 review effort that is led by Joint Chiefs of Staff director of operations.

“The Joint Staff is leading a planning team consisting of DoD NC3 subject matter experts and stakeholders in an effort to review and make recommendations on improvements to NC3 governance,” Maj. Will Powell, a spokesman for the Joint Staff, told the publication in a statement.

“Current planning efforts are on track to provide recommendations to the secretary of defense by May 1,” Powell added.