The Senate Appropriations Committee has expressed support for Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David Berger's force design initiatives in the panel's version of the fiscal year 2021 defense spending bill.
Congress
November 10, 2020
Senate appropriators want more visibility into the F-35 follow-on modernization strategy and are directing the joint program office to provide more details on its plans in future budget requests.
October 29, 2020
The Defense Department has responded to the inquiries of a special congressional commission in the matter of a controversial pandemic stimulus loan made to a trucking company with connections to the White House, according to a letter obtained by Inside Defense.
October 29, 2020
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith (D-WA) said today the current National Defense Strategy places too much emphasis on militarily dominating China and Russia and called on Democrats to rewrite it if former Vice President Joe Biden wins the presidential election.
October 27, 2020
The leaders of the House Armed Services seapower and projection forces subcommittee are split on Defense Secretary Mark Esper's statements about his new plan to build up the Navy.
October 22, 2020
Boeing, prime contractor for the Ground-based Midcourse Defense system, has warned government auditors that if the Missile Defense Agency breaks the current contract used to manage the homeland defense system into smaller projects as the Defense Department is currenting considering, then the company could lose "irreplaceable" personnel with experience and expertise on the program.
October 21, 2020
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith (D-WA) said today he remains "unconvinced" by the liberal wing of his party pushing for major cuts to the Pentagon, but stressed he is open to the debate if Democrats win unified control of the federal government.
October 14, 2020
The Navy's new frigate program could cost 40% more than the service's estimate, according to a new Congressional Budget Office report.
October 9, 2020
The Pentagon is requesting approval from Congress to reprogram $1.7 billion in defense funds across a range of programs, identifying some areas where funds are available for transfer because of training reductions and facility closures related to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to documents obtained by Inside Defense.
October 6, 2020
The Trump administration’s decision to export material used in missile production to China undermines U.S. national security and should not be allowed to proceed, a group of Senate Democrats said on Monday.
October 1, 2020
A government watchdog says the Army lacks coordinated practices to share lessons from entering into alternative contracting agreements and should improve its use of alternative approaches by enhancing oversight and communication.
September 30, 2020
Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA) said Wednesday that he believes the Navy needs to move faster to address shipyard issues than the 20-year timeline laid out in the service's Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Plan.
September 29, 2020
A bipartisan group of House authorizers has released its final report on U.S. national security strategy, calling for a whole-of-nation effort to confront the threat of a superpower China, including a wholesale review of the Defense Department's legacy systems and dramatically increased spending on emerging technologies.
September 22, 2020
The Government Accountability Office has raised concerns that the National Nuclear Security Administration's W87-1 program -- potentially the most expensive warhead modernization effort since the end of the Cold War -- is neglecting best management practices when considering future design options and plutonium pit availability, according to previously undisclosed details from a classified report the watchdog completed in February.
September 21, 2020
The House has filed a stopgap continuing resolution that would extend the period by which contractors can be reimbursed for remaining in a "ready state" during the COVID-19 pandemic.
September 21, 2020
House Democrats have crafted a stopgap spending measure that allows the Pentagon an exemption from normal restrictions so it can award contracts for the Navy's first two Columbia-class submarines.
September 17, 2020
Members of the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence are advocating for the Pentagon's top leaders to be more involved in the military's approach to AI and emerging technologies, including through the creation of a new senior-level steering committee.
September 17, 2020
The Trump administration is balking at four missile defense provisions advanced by the Senate Armed Services Committee's mark of the fiscal year 2021 defense authorization bill, asking lawmakers to reconsider a funding cut and increase to the Next Generation Interceptor and Homeland Defense Radar-Hawaii programs, respectively.
September 16, 2020
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Brown told reporters today congressional proposals to set minimum aircraft inventory requirements put constraints on the service's ability to make necessary force structure changes to meet the requirements of the National Defense Strategy.
September 16, 2020
The White House has sent the Senate Armed Services Committee a list of provisions in the fiscal year 2021 defense authorization bill it does not like, but chose to lead with one President Trump has said would make him veto the entire must-pass bill -- the re-naming of U.S. military bases that currently honor Confederate leaders.