Pentagon acquisition chief Ellen Lord said today that for the first time since the outbreak of COVID-19, more defense companies are re-opening than closing.
Defense Business Alert
April 30, 2020
April 29, 2020
The leaders of both General Dynamics and Northrop Grumman said today they are seeing some employees fail to show up for work, but said they expect absentee rates to soon improve.
April 29, 2020
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith (D-WA) said today he doesn't think the Defense Department should receive industrial base stimulus money in an upcoming COVID-19 rescue package, but the DOD acquisition chief says the department is planning to ask for billions.
April 28, 2020
The Pentagon is gaining new insights about risks to its international supply chain due to efforts to monitor and shore up the defense industrial base during the economic downturn caused by COVID-19.
April 27, 2020
As an industry group pushes for the Defense Logistics Agency to reverse its policy on accelerated payments, the Pentagon says the adjustment would require a new appropriation.
April 27, 2020
The Pentagon is bracing for a possible three-month delay across its major acquisition programs because of the COVID-19 outbreak, while Congress is eying another massive economic rescue package that could push billions in new funding to defense contractors.
April 21, 2020
Lockheed Martin said today it is lowering its sales guidance for the year, primarily because of expected challenges to F-35 production related to the coronavirus crisis.
April 16, 2020
The Pentagon official overseeing the Defense Department's new cybersecurity certification program thinks most companies in DOD's supply chain will be able to maintain the required cyber credentials for $1,000 per year or less.
April 14, 2020
Analysts say the ongoing economic crisis spurred by the coronavirus pandemic could hurt the Defense Department's work with nontraditional contractors.
April 10, 2020
The Defense Department is surging ahead with efforts to get third-party assessor organizations certified for work under the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program, but the process of setting up a structure for companies to be assessed and approved has many unanswered questions, according to two large defense industry groups.
April 9, 2020
The long-anticipated merger between Raytheon and United Technologies closed last week, concluding just as the coronavirus outbreak began to take a major toll on the U.S. economy.
April 9, 2020
The Defense Department this week laid out the framework for implementing recent legislation meant to help pay contractors unable to work during the coronavirus outbreak.
April 8, 2020
The Pentagon issued a final rule today implementing part of the Fiscal Year 2017 National Defense Authorization Act, which called for a preference for performance-based payments.
April 7, 2020
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith (D-WA) said today he is working to include measures that would help the U.S. defense industrial base in an upcoming COVID-19 stimulus bill being crafted by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA).
April 3, 2020
The Pentagon said today a new payment policy aimed at helping defense contractors weather the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic is expected to provide industry with $3 billion in cash flow.
April 3, 2020
The Army's acquisition executive and modernization chief are evaluating daily the potential impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak on the service's major programs and the contractors supporting them. They say while certain events have been paused or rescheduled, they are not yet expecting any significant schedule changes.
April 2, 2020
The Defense Department's top official in Silicon Valley wants to ensure struggling technology startups will qualify for emergency small business loans, as he worries companies could instead turn to Chinese and Russian investors.
April 2, 2020
Two defense industry groups, citing the coronavirus outbreak, are pressing lawmakers to provide a six-month extension to the deadline for when federal contractors are banned from using Chinese telecommunications products like Huwaei and ZTE.
Pentagon memo advises acquisition officials to use 'regulatory tools' to keep industrial base strong
A memo signed yesterday by a top Defense Department acquisition official says DOD agencies and the services should act to ensure the defense industrial base remains healthy despite the coronavirus outbreak.
March 30, 2020
The Space and Missile Systems Center on Friday revealed it has directed Raytheon, the prime contractor for the GPS Operational Control Segment, to replace the system's computer hardware -- a move that will add another 10 months to the program's schedule and cost the government an additional $378 million.