The Government Accountability Office sustained 15 percent of all contract bid protests in fiscal year 2018, down from 17 percent in FY-17 and 23 percent in FY-16, according to an annual report from the watchdog agency.
Saturday, December 15, 2018
Saturday, December 15, 2018
Key Issues Threat emitters CBO's cost cuts USAF directed energy
Tony Bertuca is chief editor of Inside the Pentagon, the flagship publication of InsideDefense, where he focuses on defense budget and acquisition policy. He previously worked for the Sun-Times News Group in his hometown of Chicago, IL, and at the New Hampshire Union Leader in Manchester, NH. Tony has also served as managing editor of Inside the Army. He has a master's degree in journalism from Boston University.
The Government Accountability Office sustained 15 percent of all contract bid protests in fiscal year 2018, down from 17 percent in FY-17 and 23 percent in FY-16, according to an annual report from the watchdog agency.
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis today advised U.S. senators in a closed-door meeting to continue military support and the sale of weapons to Saudi Arabia, despite the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, noting that "we are seldom free to work with unblemished partners."
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jim Inhofe (R-OK) shared an ambitious list of priorities for the coming year with Inside Defense, focusing on his plans to outflank Democrats (and buck the White House) to increase defense spending. The story is now free to all.
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jim Inhofe (R-OK) has an ambitious list of priorities all built around a central line of effort -- increasing the defense budget, despite newly empowered Democrats and a White House looking for spending cuts to offset skyrocketing deficits.
The opening bell has officially rung in Washington's latest round of arguments over national defense spending.
Senior Pentagon officials will appear before Congress and elsewhere around the Washington area this week, while the Credit Suisse conference gets underway in Palm Beach.
The Pentagon has spent about $72 million to send 5,900 active-duty troops to the southwestern border, but the total price tag for the operation could still grow, according to a Defense Department spokesman.
President Trump today warned Congress against canceling proposed arms deals with Saudi Arabia, despite the highly publicized murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, saying Russia and China would benefit from the resulting sales vacuum.
The Pentagon is preparing a smaller budget following the wishes of the White House, but senior officials -- as well as GOP defense hawks -- hope to convince President Trump to approve additional spending, despite his administration's new taste for fiscal restraint.
The week ahead is quiet as the Thanksgiving holiday approaches.
Though the Defense Department failed to receive a “clean” opinion from auditors who examined more than $2.7 trillion in DOD assets, Pentagon officials say the historic undertaking has provided valuable information that will improve military readiness and cybersecurity.
The Defense Department plans to reduce the 7,200 U.S. troops in Africa by about 10 percent as part of a “realignment” of counterterrorism forces and a renewed focus on global competitions with China and Russia, according to an announcement from the Pentagon.
The Pentagon, as long expected, has failed its first-ever audit, according to Deputy Defense Secretary Pat Shanahan, who said the department is still making steady progress in business reforms.
Deputy Defense Secretary Pat Shanahan said today the Pentagon estimates the cost to establish a new and separate Space Force could be less than $5 billion, despite earlier predictions from the Air Force that it could cost $13 billion over five years.
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jim Inhofe (R-OK) today came out in favor of a $733 billion total defense topline, putting him at odds with the White House, which has directed the Pentagon to plan for a $700 billion topline.
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-TX) and Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), the panel's ranking Democrat, made new appointments today to the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence.
Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), expected to become the next chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said today he is considering negotiations with GOP defense hawks that could increase defense spending on conventional capabilities in exchange for cuts to the U.S. nuclear arsenal.
The Pentagon is revising its guidance to program managers on the use of lowest priced, technically acceptable contracts, according to information it provided to the Government Accountability Office.
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis will travel to Texas tomorrow to meet with troops deployed along the southwest border, according to a statement from the Pentagon.
Congress returns this week to hold hearings on cyber issues, while senior Pentagon officials are scheduled to speak at several events around the Washington area.