Inside the Pentagon - 07/29/2010

Marines Launch First Equipment Accountability Review In Afghanistan

The Marine Corps has launched its first-ever review of equipment accountability and visibility in Afghanistan to uncover and fix problems that prevent military leaders from accurately tracking the movement of Marine vehicles, weapons and other assets throughout the country.

As JSF Second Engine Debate Rages, Panel Recommends Competition

A blue-ribbon advisory panel -- dominated by Defense Secretary Robert Gates' appointees -- will recommend the Pentagon adopt dual-source competition for the duration of a weapon system's production run, a finding that could undermine the Obama administration's case for terminating funding for the Joint Strike Fighter alternate engine in the fiscal year 2011 budget.

House Panel Approves JSF Second Engine Funding

The House Appropriations defense subcommittee has voted to include funding for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter alternate engine program, continuing the game of chicken between Capitol Hill and the White House, which has threatened to veto any legislation that includes money for the propulsion effort.

Lockheed's Management Practices To Face Scrutiny In March Review

The Lockheed Martin division that builds the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, which for years has broken key Pentagon management rules, will be scrutinized again in March by defense officials seeking improvement in the company's management score.

DOD To Approve Production For Next Phase Of Major Satellite Program

The Defense Department's acquisition directorate is poised to bless the start of production for the next phase of a major Pentagon satellite program.

Efficiencies Meeting

Defense Secretary Robert Gates and other top defense officials are expected to meet Thursday afternoon with a select group of defense industry leaders to discuss Gates' big push for efficiencies in the Pentagon's budget, industry sources said. The defense secretary has set a goal of finding more than $100 billion in overhead savings over the next five fiscal years, starting in FY-12. Some of these savings can be found by doing more to eliminate unneeded programs and activities, while other savings can be found by conducting needed programs and activities more efficiently, Gates maintains.

OMB To Review High-Risk Information Technology Projects

The Office of Management and Budget will undertake detailed reviews of the highest-risk information technology projects across the federal government to address waste and systematic problems.

Independent QDR Panel: Increase Size Of Navy, Strengthen Procurement

A bipartisan independent review of the Obama administration's 20-year blueprint for the Defense Department calls for increasing the size of the Navy to a 346-ship fleet and increasing the U.S. military's posture in the Western Pacific to counter China's growing influence in the region, according to a report of the Independent Quadrennial Defense Review Panel.

Board Calls For Eliminating JFCOM And NII, Plans To Brief Gates

The Defense Business Board is recommending Defense Secretary Robert Gates eliminate U.S. Joint Forces Command and the Pentagon's networking directorate, merge the Joint Staff with Gates' office and implement a hiring freeze.

CIO's Office Claims Information Sharing Will Make DOD More Efficient

A senior defense official in the Pentagon's networking directorate says the information-sharing initiatives spearheaded by his office will play an integral role in Defense Secretary Robert Gates' plan to streamline efficiencies -- provided the office does not get eliminated in the name of efficiency.

Lambert: Efficiencies Push To Shape SSBN(X) And Future JSF Blocks

The Defense Department's big push for efficiencies will shape the costly SSBN(X) nuclear ballistic missile submarine program and future blocks of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, according to Pentagon industrial policy chief Brett Lambert.

GAO: Pentagon Unable To Track Full Cost Of Military Equipment

Defense officials cannot track the total costs of the department's military equipment for major defense programs, the Government Accountability Office wrote in its second consecutive report lambasting the Pentagon's cost assessment abilities.

DOD-DOE Sign Agreement To Collaborate On Energy Research, Security

The Pentagon and the Energy Department have forged a partnership through a new memorandum of understanding designed to push for clean energy technology coordination and to enhance national energy security.

Critical Intelligence

Official: Engine Contaminants Found In Amphibious Ship Earlier This Year

The amphibious assault ship Green Bay (LPD-20) had problems with engine contaminants and had to undergo extensive modifications this spring, a Navy official told lawmakers this week.

Guam Delegate Skeptical Of Navy's Preferred Site For Marines' Relocation

Del. Madeleine Bordallo (D-Guam) doubts the Navy will be able to secure the land it wants to relocate Marines from Okinawa to Guam, she said during a July 27 House Armed Services Committee hearing on Japan.

BAE, Northrop Grumman Put Out Hybrid Ground Combat Vehicle Bid

A defense industry team led by BAE Systems and Northrop Grumman announced this week that, after what executives called a "painful" deliberation and risk assessment, they have presented the Army with their proposal for a hybrid electric Ground Combat Vehicle.

Navy Roadmap Calls For Spiral Development Of Fire Scout UAV

The Navy is setting requirements for a medium-range unmanned air vehicle that will follow in the footsteps of the Fire Scout and may be deployed by 2019, officials told sister publication Inside the Navy last week.