The Government Accountability Office has said the U.S. Navy needs to perform additional development and test activities to validate the maturity of multiple technologies on the future Columbia-class ballistic missile submarines.

Components that require further development and tests include the integrated power system, nuclear reactor, common missile compartment, propulsor and related coordinated stern systems, GAO said in a report issued Thursday.

According to the report, it is unclear whether the technologies will operate as intended, face delays or necessitate more costs than planned.

GAO added that unexpected delays could push the deployment of the first Columbia-class submarine past the 2031 target date.

The Navy plans to build 12 Columbia-class submarines to replace 14 Ohio-class vessels, which currently serve as the sea-based leg of the U.S. nuclear triad and will retire starting 2027.

The report revealed that the Navy did not classify the underdeveloped technologies as critical in the service branch’s 2015 Technology Readiness Assessment.

GAO noted that the failure to identify the technologies as critical may limit Congress’ view into the program’s technology risks and their potential impact on cost, schedule and performance goals.

Congress does not require the Navy to deliver progress reports on the program until fiscal year 2020, when lawmakers are scheduled to authorize $8.7 billion for the lead submarine construction.

GAO said regular reports on technology development activities could inform decision makers on remaining technical risks as the Navy requests for increased funding levels.

The government watchdog initially recommended additional reports on the Columbia-class program, but removed the suggestion because of a new law that implements the requirement.

Japan has approved a $45.8 billion defense budget for the year beginning April 1, including $1.2 billion for ballistic missile defense programs, Reuters reported Friday.

The budget will fund purchases of the Raytheon-made Standard Missile-3 Block IIA interceptors; updates for the Patriot missile batteries; and preparations for the establishment of two ground-based Aegis ballistic missile defense systems, the report said.

Japan also allocated $19.4 million for the procurement of medium-range air-launched cruise missiles meant to protect the country against potential ballistic missile launches of North Korea.

The country looks to buy $2.5 billion worth of U.S.-made defense equipment through the U.S. government’s Foreign Military Sales program.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has introduced a new project called the Subterranean Challenge which aims to discover new strategies on how to map, navigate and scour through underground environments.

DARPA said Thursday it invites research teams worldwide to send proposals for methods that can help address challenges related to subsurface network mapping and unpredictable factors that impact the development of tunnels, underground urban spaces and other cave networks.

“The DARPA Subterranean Challenge aims to provide previously unimaginable situational awareness capabilities for operations underground,” said Timothy Chung, a program manager at the DARPA tactical technology office.

“Through the DARPA Subterranean Challenge, we are inviting the scientific and engineering communities—as well as the public—to use their creativity and resourcefulness to come up with new technologies and concepts to make the inaccessible accessible,” added Fred Kennedy, director of the DARPA TTO.

DARPA will award approximately $2.8 million in prizes for selected winners of both the Systems and Virtual tracks of the SubT challenge.

The agency will host a proposers day for the challenge on Jan. 18, 2018 in Arlington, Virginia and a broad agency announcement will be posted on the FedBizOpps website in the coming months.

Ben FitzGerald, a professional staff member on the Senate Armed Services Committee, has been appointed director of the Defense Department‘s strategy and design office in a move slated to take effect Jan. 2.

DoD said Thursday FitzGerald will lead the reorganization of the Pentagon’s office of the undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics.

The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 mandates DoD to split up the responsibilities of the AT&L office into between an undersecretary for acquisition and sustainment; an undersecretary for research and engineering; and a chief management officer.

FitzGerald will serve for five years as a highly qualified expert, which refers to “individuals who possess uncommon, special knowledge, skills and experience in an occupational field, and judgment that is accorded authority and status by peers or the public,” DoD noted.

In his new role, FitzGerald will aim to identify if current AT&L functions should transition to R&E, A&S, another post within the office of the defense secretary, the military services or be eliminated altogether.

He previously served as senior fellow and director of the technology and national security program at the Center for a New American Security.

FitzGerald also worked as a managing director at consulting firm Noetic Group; a solutions specialist at IBM; and an account manager at Unisys.

The U.S. Air Force has announced two preferred Air National Guard bases to receive the F-35A conventional takeoff-and-landing aircraft.

The military branch said Thursday it expects the Truax Field base in Wisconsin and the Dannelly Field base in Alabama to begin accommodating F-35A jets in 2023.

Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson, said the service branch will use aircraft currently stationed in the two installations to replace F-16s at other ANG facilities upon arrival of the fifth-generation fighter platform.

F-35A is built to eventually replace many of the Air Force’s fourth-generation aircraft.

The branch intends to operate both fourth- and fifth-generation fighters into the 2040s as part of efforts to address combatant commander needs, required training and scheduled deployments.

SecAF will hand down a final basing decision after an environmental analysis of the preferred F-35A locations is complete.