Latest news with #Long-RangeHypersonicWeapon
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Hegseth orders Pentagon's testing office staff cut by more than half
The Senate Armed Services Committee's top Democrat is blasting Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over his decision this week to appoint a new director of the Pentagon's operational test enterprise and rapidly cut its staff by more than half. Hegseth said his directed reorganization, which would reduce the staff, budget and resources at the Office of the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E), supports the Defense Department's 'America First' strategy, according to a Tuesday memo. But Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) said Thursday the move is 'reckless and damaging' to military accountability and oversight. 'For decades, DOT&E has played a vital, legally mandated role in safeguarding the integrity of major defense programs and ensuring military systems are effective before they are put into warfighters' hands,' Reed said in a statement. He said Hegseth has given no logical reasoning for this action, and he is worried the move 'appears retaliatory, driven by Mr. Hegseth's opposition to some of DOT&E's recent, legally required oversight decisions.' The Pentagon chief's change up of the DOT&E will see its staff of 94 personnel — including 82 civilians and 12 service members — axed back in seven days to just 30 civilians, 15 military personnel and one senior leader, the newly appointed acting Director Carroll Quade. Quade, who was up until now the Navy's deputy for test and evaluation, takes over from Raymond O'Toole, who has served as acting director of the office since January and twice as an acting deputy director since January 2021. Hegseth also ordered all contractor personnel support to end within seven days of the memo's release. The Pentagon chief justified the cuts by claiming an internal review 'identified redundant, non-essential, non-statutory functions within ODOT&E that do not support operational agility or resource efficiency, affecting our ability to rapidly and effectively deploy the best systems to the warfighter.' He estimated the changes will save more than $300 million annually. The Defense Department's test and evaluation office is in charge of validating weapons and platforms across the U.S. military, setting policies, providing oversight and publishing annual testing updates on such major weapons programs as the F-35 fighter jet, the Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon and the Columbia-class submarine. But cutting the office back to a skeleton crew with limited contractor backing may prevent it from providing adequate oversight for critical military programs, 'risking operational readiness and taxpayer dollars,' Reed said. 'This kind of politically motivated interference undermines independent oversight and leaves warfighters and the public more vulnerable to untested, potentially flawed systems,' he added. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
19 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Hegseth orders Pentagon's testing office staff cut by more than half
The Senate Armed Services Committee's top Democrat is blasting Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over his decision this week to appoint a new director of the Pentagon's operational test enterprise and rapidly cut its staff by more than half. Hegseth said his directed reorganization, which would reduce the staff, budget and resources at the Office of the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation (ODOT&E), supports the Defense Department's 'America First' strategy, according to a Tuesday memo. But Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) on Thursday said the move is 'reckless and damaging' to military accountability and oversight. 'For decades, DOT&E has played a vital, legally mandated role in safeguarding the integrity of major defense programs and ensuring military systems are effective before they are put into warfighters' hands,' Reed said in a statement. He said Hegseth has given no logical reasoning for this action, and he is worried the move 'appears retaliatory, driven by Mr. Hegseth's opposition to some of DOT&E's recent, legally required oversight decisions.' The Pentagon chief's change up of ODOT&E will see its current staff of 94 personnel – including 82 civilians and 12 service members – axed back in just seven days to just 30 civilians, 15 military personnel and one senior leader, the newly appointed acting director Carroll Quade. Quade, up until now the Navy's deputy for test and evaluation, takes over from Raymond O'Toole, who has served as acting director of the office since January, and twice as an acting deputy director since January 2021. Hegseth also ordered all contractor personnel support to end within seven days of the memo's release. The Pentagon chief justified the cuts by claiming an internal review 'identified redundant, non-essential, non-statutory functions within ODOT&E that do not support operational agility or resource efficiency, affecting our ability to rapidly and effectively deploy the best systems to the warfighter.' He estimated the changes will save more than $300 million annually. DOD's test and evaluation office is in charge of validating weapons and platforms across the U.S. military, setting policies, providing oversight and publishing annual testing updates on such major weapons programs as the F-35 fighter jet, the Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon and the Columbia-class submarine. But cutting the office back to a skeleton crew with limited contractor backing may prevent it from providing adequate oversight for critical military programs, 'risking operational readiness and taxpayer dollars,' Reed said. 'This kind of politically motivated interference undermines independent oversight and leaves warfighters and the public more vulnerable to untested, potentially flawed systems,' he added.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Hegseth directs reorg of Pentagon testing office, appoints new leader
The Pentagon has appointed a new director of its operational test enterprise and directed a reorganization that would reduce its staff to 30 civilians, 15 military personnel and one senior leader. In a Tuesday memo, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the move to restructure the Office of the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation, or ODOT&E, supports the Pentagon's 'America First' defense strategy. 'A comprehensive internal review has identified redundant, non-essential, non-statutory functions within ODOT&E that do not support operational agility or resource efficiency, affecting our ability to rapidly and effectively deploy the best systems to the warfighter,' Hegseth said. The Defense Department estimates the changes will save more than $300 million annually. The Pentagon's test and evaluation office oversees the process for validating weapons and platforms across the Defense Department. While the military services have their own test teams, the DOD-level office sets policies, provides oversight for major programs and serves as an adviser to the Joint Requirements Oversight Council, among other responsibilities. One of the office's more public-facing tasks is publishing an annual testing update on the department's major weapon systems, including the F-35 fighter jet, the Navy's Columbia-class submarine and the Army's Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon. The report also assesses the health of the test and evaluation enterprise, including its equipment, ranges and other testing facilities. The most recent report was released in January. Raymond O'Toole has served as acting director of the office since January, following two prior tours in the acting role. The memo appoints Carroll Quade, currently the Navy's deputy for test and evaluation, to perform the duties of ODOT&E director effective immediately. 'Mr. Quade will assume all duties of the Director, overseeing the transition and ensuring ODOT&E's statutory requirements remain effective and in compliance with statute,' the memo states. The personnel cuts will come through a 'targeted, deliberate and expeditious' civilian reduction in force, according to the memo. RIF notices will be distributed early next week and personnel who are not retained will be placed on administrative leave. All leadership currently classified as senior executive service will also be put on leave. ODOT&E civilians who are employed by one of the military services will transfer back to those offices. The department did not provide details on how many civilian and military personnel currently reside within ODOT&E and it's not immediately clear how many positions the Pentagon plans to eliminate. Beyond the workforce reductions, Hegseth calls for ending all contractor personnel support within seven days of the memo's release. 'If ODOT&E decides it needs to support contractor personnel after adjusting to its base statutory mission set, ODOT&E may request such contract support with Deputy Secretary of Defense review after an initial 60-day acclimation period,' the document states.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Hermeus notches first flight of Quarterhorse high-speed aircraft
Hermeus, a venture capital-backed firm building high-speed aircraft, flew its Quarterhorse vehicle for the first time last week at Edwards Air Force Base in California, the company said. The aircraft, dubbed Mk 1, is the second iteration of the Quarterhorse high-speed test platform and the first to take flight. Its May 21 flight test brings Hermeus a step closer to its goal of flying the autonomous, reusable vehicle at near-Mach 5 speeds by 2026. 'We've proven the viability of our iterative development approach,' Hermeus CEO AJ Piplica said in a statement Tuesday. 'But this is just the start. We have much more to do as the bar rises for the next iteration.' Hermeus had planned to fly Quarterhorse in 2023 and then pushed that date to last summer before eventually hitting the milestone this month. Still, the company touted its ability to go from a clean-sheet design to a flight-ready system in just over a year. The first flight test focused on validating Quarterhorse's ability to take off and land, which is a particular challenge for high-speed systems. Hermeus is feeding data from the first flight into its second test vehicle, Mk 2, which is currently being built at the firm's headquarters in Atlanta. That aircraft is slated to fly by the end of the year and reach supersonic speeds. It will also enable 'novel operational defense capabilities,' the company said. This early work will push Hermeus toward its larger goal of supplying high-speed platforms to both defense and commercial customers. The company plans to build one aircraft per year — an approach it hopes will position it to address the challenges that come with operationalizing a hypersonic aircraft. 'The company's approach emphasizes 'hardware richness' — building multiple prototypes in quick succession, allowing the team to take well-managed technical risk,' Hermeus said. 'While driving technical progress towards high-speed flight, this approach simultaneously enables Hermeus to rapidly develop its team and talent.' Hypersonic aircraft fly and maneuver at speeds of Mach 5 or higher. The Defense Department has several major programs to develop and field hypersonic weapons and vehicles — including the Air Force's Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile and the Army's Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon — and is interested in potentially using Quarterhorse to help test hypersonic technology. Along with funding from private investors, Hermeus received early backing from the Air Force Research Laboratory, which awarded the company a $1.5 million contract in 2020, followed by another $60 million deal the following year. The Defense Innovation Unit also chose the firm for its Hypersonic and High-Cadence Airborne Testing Capabilities program, which aims to increase flight test support for Pentagon programs. Piplica previously told Defense News he expects Quarterhorse to start supporting DOD test events in 2026, around when its Mk 3 vehicle rolls off the line.
Axios
12-05-2025
- Business
- Axios
Exclusive: X-Bow and Lockheed collaborating amid $105 million raise
Lockheed Martin is fast-tracking X-Bow Systems as a new, independent supplier of solid-rocket motors and other services, the defense upstart's CEO, Jason Hundley, told Axios. Why it matters: "The Lockheed Martin Corporation, I will say, is one of the largest producers and procurers of solid-rocket motors in Western civilization," he said in an interview. Lockheed, also the world's largest defense contractor by revenue, "does not enter these agreements lightly, is what we understand," he added. "They get their choice of investments in these areas." The latest: The arrangement coincides with the closure of X-Bow's Series B funding round at a little more than $105 million. Investors include Razor's Edge Ventures, Crosslink Capital, Balerion Space Ventures and Capital Factory Ventures. Lockheed Martin Ventures and Boeing Ventures were early backers, as well. Between the lines: X-Bow (pronounced crossbow) is among a handful of fresh SRM competitors in the U.S. The cadre's breakout comes as pricey munitions are expended across the world and the Pentagon sweats industrial health back home. State of play: X-Bow is based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and is building an energetics campus near Austin, Texas. It will open soon. The company also offers a "rocket factory in a box" for distributed, on-demand production. Its approximately 300 employees include SpaceX alumni. Context: X-Bow has inked contracts across the military and, Hundley said, "all the services are ... experiencing the same pinch point at the same time." "We've been focused on two factors for the last several years: scale and affordability," he said. The company was previously tapped for work tied to the Army's Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon and the Navy's Conventional Prompt Strike.
