Bipartisan, bicameral group of lawmakers calls for national maritime strategy

The creation of a national maritime strategy is necessary amid "great power competition, aging infrastructure and the threat of high-intensity war," according to a bipartisan, bicameral document released by lawmakers today. The strategy, released by Reps. Mike Waltz (R-FL), John Garamendi (D-CA) and Sens. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Marco Rubio (R-FL), calls for several actionable steps to deter the People’s Republic of China’s advances in the Pacific Ocean, including the establishment of a presidentially appointed position to “synchronize all national...

DOD pauses some bomb shipments to Israel over 'collateral damage' concerns in Gaza

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin today said the United States has "paused" a shipment of powerful bombs to Israel, citing concerns about civilian "collateral damage" in Gaza. Austin, confirming media reports about the paused munitions shipments , told the Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee the Defense Department has paused “one shipment of high-payload munitions.” “We have not made a final determination on how to proceed with that shipment,” he said, noting the weapons could be sent to Israel eventually. Austin said the...

Kendall: Autonomy in the air a done deal

There is no question that autonomy will be useful in the air domain, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said today, and it will be implemented through the Collaborative Combat Aircraft program and others. “I think the only questions that really may remain is who’s going to get there first, and what are the constraints we’re going to place on ourselves going to do to limit our operational effectiveness relative to our adversaries, and how do we manage our way through...

Marine Corps will award I-CsUAS contract before year's end, advancing effort to defend bases from drones

The Marine Corps is evaluating counter-drone technology proposals and plans to select a vendor in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2024 to produce a system to defend buildings, bases and other assets from small, unmanned aircraft systems. The service is now in source selection, weighing industry responses to a request for proposals that was opened in February and closed April 22 for an Installations-Counter small Unmanned Aircraft System (I-CsUAS) -- a capability intended to detect, track and neutralize small...

CENTCOM technology chief watching Chinese AI and cyber activity

U.S. Central Command's chief technology officer says she is keeping an eye on China's activities, particularly the negative cybersecurity implications and artificial intelligence advances that do not adhere to responsible innovation policies. Schuyler Moore said that her combatant command deals with three out of the four global competitors functioning in her area. Her remarks came at the AI Expo in Washington today. “We see China and Russia and Iran all very active both in the military, economic and technical space,”...

House hearing on the Defense Production Act

On May 8, 2024 the House Financial Services national security, illicit finance and international financial institutions subcommittee held a hearing on the Defense Production Act.

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Senate appropriators say they are ready to break defense spending cap

Senior Senate appropriators voiced bipartisan support today for increasing the fiscal year 2025 defense budget above the spending cap mandated by the Fiscal Responsibility Act. Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee Chairman Jon Tester (D-MT) said during a hearing today that he and Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) agree that the 1% increase in spending the Defense Department would see under the FRA -- which is $10 billion less than the Pentagon planned for -- is far too small to meet global threats...

DOD congressional FY-25 personnel program posture statements

In May 2024, the congressional defense committees received testimony on the fiscal year 2025 posture of military personnel programs.

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DOD IG report on handling of operational data from Afghanistan

The May 6, 2024 Defense Department inspector general's report determines whether DOD "comprehensively, effectively and efficiently archived, standardized and made available for use operational data from Afghanistan, as required by law."

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Rule on AUKUS export control revisions

On April 19, 2024 the Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security published a rule that "removed license requirements, expanded the availability of license exceptions, and reduced the scope of end-use and end-user-based license requirements for exports, reexports, and transfers (in-country) to or within Australia and the United Kingdom (UK) to enhance technological innovation among the three countries and support the goals of the AUKUS Trilateral Security Partnership."

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