Pentagon

The Defense Department claims it will recoup nearly $1 billion in fiscal year 2021 through its various "IT cost savings initiatives," as defense officials look to consolidate IT infrastructure and services across the department's "fourth estate" agencies and field activities, according to new budget documents.

Defense Department acquisition chief Ellen Lord has signed a legally binding memorandum of understanding with an industry-based accreditation body that will certify the auditors who will validate the cybersecurity practices of contractors, sources say, a move that marks a significant milestone for implementing the landmark program which will eventually affect all 300,000 defense contractors.

As senators remain stalled over a $1.6 trillion coronavirus economic rescue package, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is circulating her own draft bill that would provide more than $2.5 trillion in emergency funding, including nearly $8 billion in supplemental defense spending.

The Pentagon is asking Congress to adopt a legislative proposal allowing Defense Department organizations to use operations and maintenance funding to develop "cyber-operations peculiar" capabilities.

Pentagon acquisition chief Ellen Lord sent a memo to defense contractors today laying out which ones are deemed "critical" by the U.S. government and therefore expected to maintain their normal work schedules, despite the national emergency over COVID-19.

The Defense Department has submitted the first of two Space Force legislative proposals due to Congress at the end of February, but the substantial policy recommendations are awaiting approval from the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

A congressional task force studying how the Defense Department could better adapt for the future is preparing potentially controversial recommendations on issues like Pentagon spending priorities, U.S. efforts in Africa and the military's approach to pandemics like the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.

A $45 billion supplemental funding request sent to Congress to combat the COVID-19 outbreak includes $8.3 billion for the Defense Department in the form of an "Emergency Response Fund."

A new audit is again pointing to the Defense Department's shortcomings in cybersecurity, reporting DOD components did not always mitigate vulnerabilities or plan to address them in a variety of systems, while the department's cyber red teams are not meeting mission requests due to increased demand for their services.