Congress

The House Armed Services seapower and projection forces subcommittee wants the Defense Department to conduct a new mobility capability requirements study, after the first review took a near-term look and recommended no change to current and air and sealift capacity requirements.

This week, for the first time in 10 years, the Senate Armed Services Committee will be marking up its version of the defense authorization bill ahead of its House counterpart, a timing shakeup that has distinct pros and cons for lawmakers, according to former congressional staffers.

Congressional committees are preparing to consider defense spending and authorization bills this month, but lawmakers have yet to reach a bipartisan budget deal to avert sequestration.

Congressional defense committees have approved $79 million in reprogramming funds for the Marine Corps’ new heavy lift helicopter, which is facing schedule delays due to technical problems.

The leaders of the House Armed Services Committee held a brief organizational meeting today and -- in the midst of a partial government shutdown -- stressed their commitment to bipartisanship ahead of what promises to be a politically divisive year.

A new Congressional Budget Office report estimates the unit cost of a new fighter jet to replace the F-22 and F-15 C/D at about $300 million and projects the Air Force's yearly procurement spending on the new aircraft will peak in 2030 at about $9 billion in 2018 dollars.

The Pentagon is preparing a smaller budget following the wishes of the White House, but senior officials -- as well as GOP defense hawks -- hope to convince President Trump to approve additional spending, despite his administration's new taste for fiscal restraint.

Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), expected to become the next chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said today he is considering negotiations with GOP defense hawks that could increase defense spending on conventional capabilities in exchange for cuts to the U.S. nuclear arsenal.

The Defense Department should review and update as necessary its policies on cybersecurity, physical security, operations security, and information security to account for risks relating to Internet of Things devices, the Government Accountability Office warns in a new report.