The April 25, 2013, Congressional Research Service report -- originally obtained by Secrecy News -- discusses potential issues for lawmakers regarding the Defense Department's use of multiyear procurement and block buy contracting.

On March 12, 2013, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper testified before the Senate Select Intelligence Committee on the intelligence community's worldwide threat assessment. Also includes the opening statement of committee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein (D-CA).

The Dec. 14, 2012, Government Accountability Office report finds that the Weapon Systems Acquisition Reform Act is helping Defense Department "acquisition programs reduce risk, but implementation challenges remain."

The Army has made progress filling a shortage of acquisition professionals, but service officials are still seeking specialists to close out contracts, according to Army Under Secretary Joseph Westphal.

In an Oct. 11, 2012, memo marked "for official use only," Pentagon acquisition chief Frank Kendall approves the two-channel Manpack radio made by General Dynamics C4 Systems for low-rate initial production after validating that previously identified flaws have been fixed.

The Defense Department has approved the two-channel Manpack radio made by General Dynamics C4 Systems for low-rate initial production after validating that previously identified flaws have been fixed, according to an internal Pentagon memo signed by the DOD's acquisition chief.

The Pentagon's advanced research arm needs to shift its resources to the future and away from technologies needed for ongoing wars, the agency's new director said today.

In an Oct. 5, 2012, memo, Michael Gilmore -- the Pentagon's director of operational test and evaluation -- wrote that he has recently "observed" practices that do not comport with the conduct of independent assessments.

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency is reducing the foreign military sales administrative surcharge that other countries pay when buying U.S. weapons.

Aiming to bolster the independence of the testing process and improve verdicts of how reliable a system will be in combat, the Pentagon's top weapons tester wants to reduce the influence of non-testers during the operational evaluation of new programs.

In an Oct. 3, 2012, letter to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, Senate Armed Services Committee Ranking Member John McCain (R-AZ) asked for 30 days' advance notice of any payments to contractors as reimbursement for costs related to WARN Act compliance.

The Oct. 4, 2012, Defense Department inspector general's report finds that "improvement [is] needed with [the] DOD Single-Bid Program to increase effective competition for contracts."

The Air Force last week issued a broad agency announcement, soliciting white papers for a program designed to draw quick, innovative solutions to various service needs from mostly small businesses.

In a bid to boost program planning, Defense Department acquisition chief Frank Kendall is directing officials to enter all unclassified milestone documents into a new searchable document repository within a week of their formal approval.

Defense Department acquisition chief Frank Kendall will support defense components' proposals to reduce acquisition workforce levels if officials present proper justification in advance, he writes in a recent memo.

The Air Force's general ledger program lacks the "critical functional capabilities" to generate accurate and reliable financial management information, which could hurt the service's ability to meet audit-readiness deadlines, the Pentagon's inspector general's office writes in a new report.

In a Sept. 11, 2012, memo, Pentagon acquisition chief Frank Kendall writes that he will support defense components' proposals to reduce acquisition workforce levels if officials present proper justification in advance.

The Defense Department's growing military capacity, investments in new warfighting capabilities and other measures show that the Pentagon will uphold its increased security commitments in the Asia-Pacific region, Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said today.

In a Sept. 28, 2012, memo, the White House Office of Management and Budget issues "guidance on allowable contracting costs associated with the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act."

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey's new vision for the U.S. military of 2020 carries with it significant risks, including the possibility that new communications capabilities deemed essential might be vulnerable to enemy action or too costly or complex to build in the first place.