Pentagon

Two California lawmakers said this week they’re concerned the Pentagon’s plan to create a new Space Development Agency duplicates the Air Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center and could “undermine” the organization’s "proven track record."

Defense industry advocates say they are waiting for the Pentagon to implement more than 150 acquisition reform measures passed into law several years ago, and they hope new legislation being drafted by House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Mac Thornberry (R-TX) will do something to break up the bureaucratic logjam.

Senators from across the political spectrum flexed their oversight powers today when they questioned Pentagon leaders on their latest initiative to establish a new service that will defend against threats in space.

The Government Accountability Office is raising concerns about the Pentagon lacking a detailed plan for taking over the federal background investigations mission later this year, as the Defense Department seeks a big budget boost for the organization assuming the responsibility.

Gen. John Hyten, head of U.S. Strategic Command and the presumptive next vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has singled out the fledgling Space Sensor Layer project as a modernization priority in a letter to lawmakers, a move that comes as fissures are showing among Pentagon leaders about the best approach to developing a new low-earth orbit constellation.

A Defense Department investigation has found no conflicts of interest tainted the integrity of the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure acquisition, and DOD has identified proposals from Amazon and Microsoft as the only two bids in the "competitive range" eligible to win the award, worth up to $10 billion.

A new commission is set to issue recommendations this year on how the U.S. national security apparatus should approach artificial intelligence, including a focus on how the government can work with industry to compete with China's “civil-military fusion” concept, according to the co-chair of the group. 

House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Mac Thornberry (R-TX), who had spearheaded a host of defense acquisition and business reforms in recent years, said today he is preparing to ink a bill targeting "bureaucratic foot-dragging" at the Pentagon to ensure those reforms are being implemented.

A new commission is set to issue recommendations this year on how the U.S. national security apparatus should approach artificial intelligence, including a focus on how the government can work with industry to compete with China's “civil-military fusion” concept, according to the co-chair of the group.