Wednesday, April 24, 2024
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 keeps spending substantially more on contracts in September, the final month of the fiscal year, than all other months, a practice that continues to spur concerns about inefficiency and waste, according to a new Congressional Research Service report.
The week ahead features appearances by senior DOD officials at the Association of Old Crows annual sympsium, plus several defense company executives at a Credit Suisse conference in Palm Beach, FL, and a hearing with national security experts on Capitol Hill.
The Senate Appropriations Committee is concerned the Defense Department lacks visibility into the massive amount of money it spends every year on services contracts and is urging the Pentagon to implement "effective control mechanisms."
The Defense Business Board is scheduled to meet Dec. 6 to discuss the cost of the Pentagon's workforce, according to a Federal Register notice.
The Senate Appropriations Committee today released a defense spending bill that surpasses statutory budget caps by more than $32 billion.
The Defense Department and contractors have two years to ready for a new provision in the defense authorization bill requiring large contractors who file losing bid protests with the Government Accountability Office to pay the Pentagon's costs in processing the protest.
The week ahead in Washington is compressed because of the Thanksgiving holiday, but major defense legislation is headed to the White House for President Trump's signature and lawmakers have begun negotiations on a final fiscal year 2018 appropriations package.
Two senior Democrats want U.S. forces in Afghanistan to reverse a new policy that classifies information about the Afghan military that was previously unclassified, according to a letter they sent to President Trump.
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain (R-AZ) and his House counterpart Mac Thornberry (R-TX) are calling on congressional negotiators to support the roughly $700 billion defense authorization bill they successfully moved through Congress this week.
The Defense Department continues to move from "audit readiness" toward a full audit in fiscal year 2018, according to a recent report to Congress.
Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Thad Cochran (R-MS) opposes extending the stopgap continuing resolution into next year and is urging lawmakers to reach a bipartisan spending deal before the current CR expires Dec. 8.
The Senate passed the fiscal year 2018 defense authorization conference bill by voice vote today, sending the legislation to the White House for President Trump's signature.
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain (R-AZ) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) banded together today over concerns about potential conflicts of interest for John Rood, a Lockheed Martin executive nominated to be under secretary of defense for policy.
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-TX) and Ranking Member Adam Smith (D-WA) differ on many defense policy issues, but have reached bipartisan agreement that the congressional budget process is "broken" and that the Pentagon's acquisition system is too resistant to reform.
The House approved the fiscal year 2018 defense authorization conference bill today by a 356-70 vote. The legislation now advances to the Senate for passage.
House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) said today Congress intends to pass a final fiscal year 2018 appropriations package before the end of the calendar year, but acknowledged doing so might necessitate a short extension of the stopgap continuing resolution under which the federal government has operated since Oct. 1.
The fiscal year 2018 defense authorization bill negotiated by House and Senate lawmakers would establish a new Pentagon advisory committee focused on technology and composed, in part, of senior executives from U.S. companies.
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain (R-AZ) says he remains troubled by the lack of communication coming from the Trump administration and is threatening to block Pentagon nominees until he is briefed by the Army on a newly relaxed recruiting policy that would allow individuals with mental health issues to serve.
Senior Pentagon officials are scheduled to appear at several events and conferences in the Washington area this week, while nominees for top Defense Department posts are slated to appear on Capitol Hill.
The Pentagon is requesting an additional $307 million in fiscal year 2018 for several classified Strategic Capabilities Office programs under an emergency appropriation focused on "missile defeat and defense enhancement," according to budget documents.