On Sept. 12, 2019 the Air Force released an artificial intelligence strategy intended to focus the service's budget planning, adoption of data and commercial partnerships for a future in which AI-enabled capabilities transform the conduct of war.
Documents
September 12, 2019
On Sept. 12, 2019 the Senate Armed Services Committee held a hearing to consider the nominations of Ryan McCarthy to become Army secretary and Barbara Barrett to become Air Force secretary.
Committee Chairman Jim Inhofe (R-OK) opening statement
McCarthy prepared testimony
McCarthy answers to advance policy questions
September 11, 2019
In a Sept. 9, 2019 notice, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is seeking small contractors willing to "investigate orbit determination techniques suitable for tracking the emerging proliferated Low Earth Orbit (LEO) constellations without expanding or upgrading ground or space surveillance infrastructure."
The Sept. 10, 2019 Defense Department instruction "implements policy and assigns responsibilities for DOD planning and application of the national security exclusion (NSE) under agreements between the United States and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for implementation of IAEA safeguards."
September 10, 2019
The Sept. 10, 2019 Government Accountability Office report finds that the Defense Department "has not fully implemented an open-source software pilot program and related Office of Management and Budget (OMB) requirements as mandated by the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018."
September 09, 2019
The Sept. 9, 2019 Congressional Budget Office report estimates that enacting the House's version of the fiscal year 2020 defense authorization bill "would increase net direct spending by $6.2 billion over the 2020-2029 period. It also would increase revenues by $47 million over the same period. In total, enacting the act would increase the deficit by $6.1 billion."
In a redacted Aug. 28, 2019 decision, the Government Accountability Office denies a bid protest by Austal USA of a shipyard planning contract worth up to $931 million that was awarded to Huntington Ingalls Industries earlier that summer.
The Sept. 9, 2019 Government Accountability Office report finds that the Defense and State departments' "processes for reviewing proposed arms transfers are aligned with conventional arms transfer policy criteria and seek to ensure they are consistent with U.S. interests."
The Sept. 6, 2019 Defense Department directive "assigns the responsibilities and functions, relationships, and authorities of the [assistant secretary of defense for readiness], under the authority, direction, and control of the under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness."
September 05, 2019
In a legal opinion issued Sept. 5, 2019, the Government Accountability Office concludes that the Defense Department's "transfer of amounts into its Drug Interdiction and Counter-Drug Activities, Defense, account for border fence construction was consistent with DOD's statutorily enacted transfer authority, and that use of these amounts for the purpose of border fence construction was permissible under various statutory provisions."
On Aug. 30, 2019 the Defense Department released "Version 0.4" of the Cybersecurity Maturity Model for Certification (CMMC). The draft is considered the "midpoint" of the CMMC's development, according to an overview briefing published alongside the standards.
The Sept. 5, 2019 Government Accountability Office report discusses a panel of experts GAO convened "who identified some benefits of [the Defense Department] doing business with [foreign] companies -- including saving money and increasing access to innovative technologies."
In a Sept. 4, 2019 letter, acting Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought outlines the administration's concerns about the fiscal year 2020 defense authorization bill.
September 04, 2019
The September 2019 documents outline the specific domestic and overseas U.S. military bases from which militart construction funds will be transferred to pay for the president's proposed border wall.
In September 2019, the White House sent a 21-page list of "anomalies" to Congress seeking exemptions for a variety of federal spending priorities -- including the establishment of a Space Development Agency, continued development of hypersonic weapons and new background investigations -- in the likely event lawmakers pass a stopgap continuing resolution.
September 03, 2019
In a Sept. 3, 2019 letter to the House Armed Services Committee, Defense Secretary Mark Esper writes that he will order the Pentagon to defer military construction projects so $3.6 billion can be diverted to build barriers along the U.S.-Mexico border.
In a Sept. 3, 2019 letter to acting Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney, Sens. Rob Portman (R-OH), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Dick Durbin (D-IL) Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Ron Johnson (R-WI) call on the Trump administration to release $250 million in authorized military security assistance for Ukraine.
The Sept. 3, 2019 Government Accountability Office report finds that while the Defense Department says its ongoing reform efforts have saved or are expected to save $18.4 billion between fiscal years 2017 and 2020, GAO says DOD can't prove it.
In an Aug. 30, 2019 memo, acting Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought and Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Kelvin Droegemeier outline the administration's fiscal year 2021 research and development budget priorities.