FYSA: For Your Situational Awareness l Issue 29

The Army Modernization Challenge: A Historical Perspective by Rhys McCormick
During the most recent defense drawdown, the Army elected to prioritize funding for readiness and limit reductions in force structure, and it has been willing to trade off modernization funding in favor of these other priorities.

Defense "Seed Corn" R&D Preserved in 2015 as Trough in Weapons Systems Development Continues by Jesse Ellman.
After five years of drawdown, two questions have loomed large: “When will defense contracting hit bottom?” and “Are future capabilities being preserved despite the current drawdown?”

Sight Unseen – Russian Auxiliary Submarines and Asymmetric Warfare in the Undersea Domain by Kathleen Weinberger
Looking at the front page of the New York Times and other publications, one could be forgiven for thinking that the Cold War had returned. Russian foreign activities and, in some cases, aggression have been on the rise since Putin’s annexation of Crimea in March 2014.

Who’s the Fairest of Them All: The Effects of Bid Protests on the Acquisition System Challenge by Kaitlyn Johnson
On March 1st, the Defense-Industrial Initiatives Group hosted “Who’s the Fairest of them All: The Effects of Bid Protests on the Acquisition System” as part of the Next Generation Dialogue on Industry and Defense.

Rhys McCormick

Kathleen Weinberger

Kaitlyn Johnson