The Navy is taking steps to improve its estimates for shipyard drydock improvements after the bid for work at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Maine came in well over estimates, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Gilday said Tuesday.
Congress
June 21, 2021
The Defense Department -- in a sign of confidence in the operational potential of its fledgling KC-46 tanker fleet, despite serious deficiencies -- is asking Congress to rescind statutory limitations on retiring older aircraft in fiscal years 2022 and 2023 to accelerate the Air Force's future force design and avoid $845 million in additional costs to extend the service life of aging KC-10A and KC-135s.
June 16, 2021
The Army plans by 2023 to give all Patriot air defense units a new capability being readied for fielding this summer to troops in South Korea that enhances integration of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system with Patriot for improved ballistic missile defenses in response to North Korea's 2017 long-range rocket technology advances.
June 15, 2021
GOP lawmakers criticized acting Navy Secretary Thomas Harker Tuesday for suggesting nuclear sea-launched cruise missile development efforts should be defunded in a recent memo.
June 10, 2021
The Pentagon's top leaders fielded questions and took some criticism today from senators concerned about defense spending and whether the U.S. military is appropriately postured to deter China.
June 9, 2021
The Pentagon is readying to launch in the next couple of weeks an examination of the mix of missile defense capabilities the Biden administration believes the U.S. military requires, but it's not clear yet whether the final product will be a stand-alone volume or folded into a larger defense strategic assessment, a senior official told lawmakers today.
June 8, 2021
The ranking member on the House Armed Services seapower and projection forces subcommittee said today he thinks the service should restructure or recompete its contract with Boeing for the KC-46 tanker.
June 8, 2021
Army leaders might have to consider allocating a greater share of funding to research and procurement in future years if the service does not receive a higher topline budget to complete its modernization programs, a senior official told lawmakers June 7.
June 7, 2021
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley are slated to appear before Congress this week to justify the fiscal year 2022 defense budget, which would cut procurement by $8 billion and divest some existing weapon systems in favor of new investments in emerging technology.
June 4, 2021
The Biden administration's FY-22 budget, released last week, is facing bipartisan pushback from lawmakers who believe it does not pave the way for the Navy to grow at the needed rate to counter China.
June 1, 2021
The Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps have sent Congress unfunded priorities lists worth $17 billion, according to documents obtained by Inside Defense.
June 1, 2021
The Air Force's $4.2 billion unfunded priorities list includes $1.3 billion for 12 more F-15EX aircraft and $360 million for F-35 Joint Strike Fighter sustainment.
May 28, 2021
Top congressional Democrats are circling their wagons around President Biden's first defense budget request, while Republicans are calling it "wholly inadequate."
May 28, 2021
The Pentagon is seeking $245.6 billion in total modernization funds for fiscal year 2022, a $2.4 billion increase above what Congress enacted in FY-21, though the department plans to reduce procurement and divest some "outdated" weapon systems.
May 27, 2021
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told House appropriators today the soon-to-be-released defense budget request gives the Pentagon "flexibility to divest ourselves of systems and platforms that do not adequately meet our needs."
May 25, 2021
The nominee to be the Pentagon's chief technology officer has proposed creating a "bridge" fund to quickly transition promising technologies into programs of record.
May 25, 2021
The Pentagon between fiscal years 2009 and 2019 returned nearly $128 billion in "canceled funds" to the U.S. Treasury, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office.
May 25, 2021
Susanna Blume, the nominee to direct the Pentagon's cost assessment and program evaluation shop, said today she wants to continue to improve the process used to estimate weapon system sustainment costs.
May 24, 2021
The Biden administration will send its fiscal year 2022 defense budget request to Congress on Friday, setting the stage for debates on spending levels, modernization priorities and the potential divestiture of weapon systems deemed unsuitable for competition with China, the Pentagon's "pacing challenge."
May 20, 2021
The Army's deputy assistant secretary for research and technology told lawmakers today he'd like to see the current level of funding for laboratory revitalization doubled.