Pentagon

The Pentagon is asking Congress for relief from a statutory requirement that the nation's missile defeat policy and strategy be modified by appointing one or more acquisition executives to oversee homeland cruise missile defense and left-of-launch capabilities.

Two defense industry groups, citing the coronavirus outbreak, are pressing lawmakers to provide a six-month extension to the deadline for when federal contractors are banned from using Chinese telecommunications products like Huwaei and ZTE.

House Armed Services Committee leaders say they hope to have the fiscal year 2021 defense authorization bill ready by May 1, though the COVID-19 outbreak means the legislation will be crafted in a much different and more "informal" way than in the past.

Defense Department acquisition officials have issued new guidance to allow "maximum flexibility" to award emergency contracts for commercial products and services in preparation for a "significant number of new awards" to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a pair of new Pentagon memos.

Raytheon and the Missile Defense Agency are exploring options to extend the range of the Standard Missile-3 Block IB -- pushing the ballistic missile interceptor to dramatically expand a defended area by allowing the weapon to communicate with off-board radars -- a move that would require enhancing one of the Aegis ballistic missile defense system's newest features: Engage-on-Remote.

A memo signed yesterday by a top Defense Department acquisition official says DOD agencies and the services should act to ensure the defense industrial base remains healthy despite the coronavirus outbreak.

The Pentagon has taken on a key role aiding civilian agencies working to shore up key medical supply shortfalls amid the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, but it's unclear whether the timing of those actions will move fast enough to help mitigate the rapidly spreading virus in the coming weeks.

The Missile Defense Agency has awarded its first-ever multiyear procurement deal, a $2.1 billion package more than five years in the making that calls for Raytheon to manufacture 230 Standard Missile-3 Block IB interceptors for the Navy and Japan.

An information technology company's adjustment to its claims about cybersecurity certification under an emerging Pentagon program reflects tensions in the marketplace, as the Defense Department aggressively pushes forward on landmark requirements and businesses strive to keep up in preparing for compliance and new clients.