Defense Budget Alert

Congressional seapower leaders are calling on the Biden administration's first budget to prioritize the Navy and shipbuilding to counter the growing threat posed by China.

Navy officials are discussing how the service can use data to cut down on the amount of unobligated funds it sends back to the treasury each year, Tom Sasala, the Navy's chief data officer, said Wednesday.

Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI), who recently became chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, told Inside Defense in an exclusive and wide-ranging interview he wants to continue to see the Defense Department "transform" to counter China and prepare for the challenges of the 21st century, though he made it clear that transformation will likely need to occur amid downward budget pressure.

Acting Navy Secretary Tom Harker said Tuesday that the outgoing Trump administration's fiscal year 2022 budget draft features a "very aggressive" focus on shipbuilding, but said the Navy is waiting for input from Biden administration officials before submitting its budget request to Congress.

If confirmed as deputy defense secretary, Kathleen Hicks will wield significant influence over the Pentagon budget and strategy, an area where she has established a long public record as a think tank analyst.