President Biden's first defense budget is being criticized by congressional Republicans, who say it is too small, and liberal lawmakers, who say it is too big.
Defense Budget Alert
April 9, 2021
President Biden's first defense budget is being criticized by congressional Republicans, who say it is too small, and liberal lawmakers, who say it is too big.
April 9, 2021
President Biden is proposing a $715 billion Pentagon budget for fiscal year 2022, with plans to cut unspecified legacy weapon systems and eliminate a controversial warfighting account intended for overseas military operations, according to the White House Office of Management and Budget.
March 29, 2021
The Pentagon's Overseas Contingency Operations account, derided by critics for years as a "slush fund," has become the subject of renewed scrutiny on Capitol Hill and could be headed toward a reckoning next week when the White House proposes President Biden's first defense budget.
March 26, 2021
Rep. Elaine Luria (D-VA) said she doesn't have "the confidence" in either the technology or the integrity of autonomous platforms for unmanned systems to replace the current naval fleet.
March 23, 2021
A nomination hearing today for the admiral tapped to lead the U.S. military in the Asia-Pacific region showcased several emerging debates over the Pentagon's budget, the embattled F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program and the overall approach to countering China.
March 22, 2021
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith (D-WA) said boosting the Pentagon's efforts to drive U.S. technology innovation and combat climate change could help get progressives to back down from calls to cut the defense budget.
March 19, 2021
Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks said the Pentagon would work with Congress to make "difficult decisions" to "phase out" legacy weapon systems unsuitable for competition with China, but also committed to help developing technologies bridge "the valley of death."
March 16, 2021
Shifting the Army's training to smaller formations could be an efficient way to both save money and increase readiness, Gen. James McConville, the service's chief of staff, said March 16.
March 16, 2021
A group of 50 progressive House Democrats is asking President Biden to significantly cut the fiscal year 2022 defense budget rather than submit a "flat" request to Congress.
March 9, 2021
Lawmakers are preparing to wrestle with a new request from the top U.S. military commander in the Pacific, who is seeking to boost a special fund to counter China by billions of dollars, though it could likely mean cutting other priorities.
March 4, 2021
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, in a department-wide memo, pledged today the Pentagon would modernize the military "at a speed and scale that matches a dynamic threat landscape," while also divesting "legacy systems and programs that no longer meet our security needs."
March 3, 2021
President Biden today released interim national security guidance pledging to pivot the defense budget away from "legacy" weapon systems toward "cutting-edge technologies."
February 26, 2021
Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT), the new chairman of the Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee, said he wants to see full modernization of the U.S. nuclear arsenal, including the intercontinental ballistic missile leg of the triad, which is partly based in his home state.
February 26, 2021
Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT), the new chairman of the Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee, said he wants to see full modernization of the U.S. nuclear arsenal, including the intercontinental ballistic missile leg of the triad, which is partly based in his home state.
February 25, 2021
The Defense Department needs about $11 billion in supplemental funding from Congress to support defense contractors with pandemic-related costs or else modernization programs and military readiness accounts will be raided, according to two senior Pentagon officials.
February 24, 2021
Senior Pentagon leaders have identified a core set of priorities with direct impact on the fiscal year 2022 defense budget that must be reviewed in advance of submission to Congress, Inside Defense has learned.
February 19, 2021
Congressional seapower leaders are calling on the Biden administration's first budget to prioritize the Navy and shipbuilding to counter the growing threat posed by China.
February 17, 2021
The Army will attempt to maintain its modernization programs, but it is prepared to make necessary compromises if the new Congress cuts the military budget, Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville said Feb. 17.
February 17, 2021
Navy officials are discussing how the service can use data to cut down on the amount of unobligated funds it sends back to the treasury each year, Tom Sasala, the Navy's chief data officer, said Wednesday.