Tuesday, February 19, 2019
Key Issues DE for counter-UAS ASB on Army talent DDG-51
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 Defense Department stands ready to transfer billions in spoken-for military construction funds should President Trump declare a national emergency and order the building of a wall on the southern border, though doing so would mean canceling or deferring existing projects prized in both red and blue congressional districts.
The Government Accountability Office has outlined a number of paths the Defense Department could take to reform its controversial warfighting budget -- the Overseas Contingency Operations account -- but says the Pentagon has yet to decide a course of action as it finalizes its fiscal year 2020 budget amid the renewed onset of statutory budget caps and expected Capitol Hill gridlock.
President Trump and Congress have agreed to re-open closed government agencies until Feb. 15. Meanwhile, senior Pentagon officials are scheduled to speak around the Washington area this week and a host of defense companies will have earnings calls.
President Trump said today he would support an agreement to re-open unfunded government agencies for three weeks to strike a final deal for a southern border wall, but pledged to declare a national emergency if such an agreement cannot be reached.
The leaders of the House Armed Services Committee held a brief organizational meeting today and -- in the midst of a partial government shutdown -- stressed their commitment to bipartisanship ahead of what promises to be a politically divisive year.
The Senate Armed Services Committee today announced subcommittee chairs and ranking members.
The Defense Department has received final recommendations from a special advisory panel on intellectual property rights indicating the struggle between defense contractors and the Pentagon over ownership and access to technical data is far from over.
The Pentagon is preparing to delay the Feb. 4 rollout of its fiscal year 2020 budget request because of the ongoing partial government shutdown, now in its 25th day, according to government officials with knowledge of the matter.
The federal government remains on a partial shutdown this week, while senior Pentagon officials are scheduled to speak around the Washington area.
President Trump has appointed former defense industry executive Charles Kupperman to serve as deputy to national security adviser John Bolton, according to a White House announcement.
The Pentagon is pushing back on allegations that acting Defense Secretary Pat Shanahan is somehow tipping the scales toward Boeing, his former employer of more than 30 years.
The Pentagon says allegations that acting Defense Secretary Pat Shanahan, a 31-year executive at Boeing, has acted improperly to benefit his former employer or is biased in favor of the company are unfounded and untrue.
Acting Deputy Defense Secretary David Norquist said today the Defense Department has a final budget topline for fiscal year 2020, but would not say what it is amid comments from Pentagon sources saying it will likely be $750 billion.
Eric Chewning is now the chief of staff to acting Defense Secretary Pat Shanahan, according to a Pentagon announcement. Chewning previously served as the deputy assistant secretary of defense for industrial policy.
Rep. Mac Thornberry (TX), the top-ranking Republican on the House Armed Services Committee, said today he opposes any plan that would use Defense Department funds to construct a wall on the southern border, per an option that has been floated by President Trump.
Democrats have spent days pushing back against President Trump's claim that he can order the military to use emergency funds to build a wall along the southern border, the debate over which has driven the federal government into a partial 17-day shutdown.
A newly minted Congress comes to work this week needing to address a partial government shutdown, while the Pentagon hosts a public meeting on contractor payments and performance incentives.
Just a week ago the Pentagon was scheduled to receive a $50 billion Christmas present from President Trump, but the future of the defense budget has been called into question as he has ordered a speedier-than-expected exit for Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and a surprise promotion for Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan.
The United States has begun withdrawing troops from Syria, but remains committed to the "next phase" of fighting the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, according to a Pentagon statement.
President Trump has ordered the establishment of U.S. Space Command, according to a White House memo.