Sebastian Sprenger

Sebastian Sprenger was the chief editor of Inside the Army until May 2016, where he primarily reported on land warfare and associated budgets, policies and technologies. A native of Siegen, Germany, he got is start in journalism at the now-defunct Westfälische Rundschau in Kreuztal. He studied at Universität Trier and elsewhere.

Archived Articles
The Insider | April 20, 2012

House Republicans getting ready to mark up the fiscal year 2013 defense authorization bill signaled this afternoon that they are in no mood to go along with the Defense Department's budget proposal, which is supposed to begin the process of ramping down defense spending.

Daily News | March 22, 2012

Senate Armed Services Committee Ranking Member John McCain (R-AZ) today alleged Pentagon leaders chose to "ignore the law" by requesting $400 million for the Medium Extended Air Defense System in the fiscal year 2013 budget request.

The Insider | March 14, 2012

Many lawmakers have said they want to find a way to avoid defense cuts under the oft-cited "sequestration" mechanism of the Budget Control Act. Today, House Armed Services Committee Chairman Buck McKeon (R-CA) went a step further, saying he would work against all the cuts required under the legislation.

The Insider | February 23, 2012

On today's anniversary of the U.S. flag raised at Iwo Jima, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Martin Dempsey released a white paper on a pet project of his: the profession of arms.

The Insider | February 21, 2012

A name change is about to make its way through the Army bureaucracy, by way of a two-star general's memo to a four-star reporting on an approved recommendation by the service's chief of staff.

The Insider | February 8, 2012

Lt. Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, commander of ISAF Joint Command and deputy commander of U.S. Forces-Afghanistan, today attempted to push back against an Army whistle-blower's complaint that military officials are overselling progress in the country.

The Insider | February 8, 2012

"The media" turned out to be a favored topic of conversation at the National Defense Industry Association's annual special operations conference in Washington this week, thanks to the forceful voice of retired Army Lt. Gen. James Vaught of Operation Eagle Claw fame.

Daily News | February 7, 2012

The Army took the first step last week toward starting a missile competition that could mean new business for manufacturers in a portfolio known for a series of high-profile cutbacks due to runaway program costs.

Daily News | February 1, 2012

The German and Italian governments oppose a new Defense Department plan to bring the Medium Extended Air Defense System to a close earlier than agreed to last October, according to a letter sent to the Pentagon's top acquisition official.

Daily News | January 24, 2012

Defense Department acting acquisition chief Frank Kendall has proposed altering plans for the remaining work on the Medium Extended Air Defense System program to reduce cost, raising the specter of early termination, according to defense officials.

Daily News | January 24, 2012

In a stunning reversal of fortune for the competitive humvee recapitalization effort, Pentagon officials plan to cancel the Medium Expanded Capacity Vehicle and shift the money saved to pay Navy and Air Force bills, Inside the Army has learned.

Daily News | January 11, 2012

Science Applications International Corp. and Boeing were excluded from the Army's Ground Combat Vehicle program last year because of concerns over their design's force-protection features, according to the Government Accountability Office.

Daily News | November 28, 2011

Army officials are laying the groundwork for a new electronic-warfare capability designed to protect ground vehicles on the road against attacks, eying a beefed-up version of the jammers widely used to disable makeshift bombs in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to a service official.

Daily News | November 2, 2011

Army Secretary John McHugh today singled out Defense Department-wide intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets as a "good area" to look at in the Pentagon's search for reducing costly duplications in the services' weapon programs.

Daily News | October 24, 2011

The Army hopes to realize $5.5 billion in annual savings by fiscal year 2016 through a far-reaching overhaul of how the service manages its more than two million military, civilian and contractor personnel, according to a previously unreported memo issued by Secretary John McHugh this summer.

Daily News | September 9, 2011

The Defense Department can absorb budget cuts of 5 percent to 15 percent without sacrificing readiness and global commitments if officials look to downsizing strategies employed in the private sector, according to an upcoming report by the Pentagon's Defense Business Board.

Daily News | September 6, 2011

The Army expects to formally resolve problems related to expeditionary contracting in 2014, seven years after the topic first showed up as a "material weakness" in annual service audits required by law.

Daily News | August 31, 2011

U.S. Special Operations Command officials are soliciting feedback from industry on plans to buy a fleet of highly mobile ground vehicles outfitted for special-operations missions, according to a recent notice on the Federal Business Opportunities website.

The Insider | August 30, 2011

The House Armed Services Committee is planning a series of hearings intended to shed light on what one staffer called “the future of the military.”

Daily News | August 29, 2011

Amid the annual hype over the Pentagon's report on Chinese military strength, the Army is working to find its voice in shaping a relationship with Beijing that, on its face, is characterized predominantly by questions of air and naval power, according to ground service officials and analysts.

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