Congress

The House Appropriations defense subcommittee is poised to consider a fiscal year 2021 defense spending bill that funds Pentagon modernization to the tune of $244.7 billion, but also sets the stage for confrontation with the White House over the border wall and the names of military bases.

The House Armed Services Committee last week adopted a provision that would direct the Defense Department to explore co-development with Japan of a new guided missile, a follow-on to the Standard Missile-Block IIA ballistic missile interceptor developed by the two nations.

U.S. industry is urging lawmakers to delay a looming ban on the government contracting with companies that use certain Chinese products, but it's unclear whether a Congress keen on taking a hard line against China will consider the proposal.

A House panel wants the Navy to detail how many times it has accepted a ship in the past two decades before completing work on major subsystems and explain the circumstances that led to the acceptance decision.

Senate authorizers are concerned about the Army's move to reduce funding across its tactical wheeled vehicle fleet in favor of developing next-generation systems, as they feel it could negatively impact the industrial base as well as readiness.

The House Armed Services Committee is reducing funding for the Army's Integrated Visual Augmentation System due to operational testing delays and fewer units being purchased, according to committee aides.

The Senate Armed Services Committee wants to realign the Air Force's fiscal year 2021 tactical missile procurement budget to buy more anti-ship weapons and boost the service's classified research funding to continue maturing advanced air-to-air capabilities.

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith (D-WA) is proposing a $3.5 billion plan to deter the Chinese military and reassure U.S. allies in the Indo-Pacific region, according to documents obtained by Inside Defense.

Senate authorizers in their mark of the next defense policy bill recommend cutting funding for the Navy's Medium and Large Unmanned Surface Vessel research and development efforts.