Friday, April 26, 2024
Key Issues Optical clocks Prototype funding SPAFORGEN
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 Pentagon continues to rely on Congress to inject funding into its controversial Overseas Contingency Operations account to skirt legislative budget caps, especially with partisan gridlock over federal spending likely to continue, according to the Defense Department's chief of cost assessment and program evaluation.
U.S. forces in Afghanistan have begun classifying information previously available to the public, including “important measures” of performance of the Afghan military, according to a new government report.
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis asked lawmakers today to either refrain from changing existing authorizations for the use of military force, or, if they must, replace them with one that does not restrict U.S. operations in terms of geography or length of time.
The Defense Department has spent approximately $1.46 trillion on war-related operations since 9/11, according to a Pentagon report.
The Defense Department is embarking on what could be among the most complex financial audits in history, involving approximately $2.4 trillion in assets and more than 1,000 auditors, according to Pentagon Comptroller David Norquist.
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson are scheduled to visit Capitol Hill this week to discuss the Authorization for Use of Military Force, while several defense contractors will hold quarterly earnings calls.
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, standing a stone's throw from the North Korean border today, castigated the regime of Kim Jong Un for "reckless, outlaw behavior."
The budget resolution adopted by Congress is a "major victory" for the defense industry because it paves the way for increased military spending and new tax cuts, according to the Aerospace Industries Association.
Here are some must-reads from this week's edition of Inside the Pentagon.
The "big four" leaders of the House and Senate Armed Services committees formally began negotiations Wednesday on the fiscal year 2018 defense authorization bill, pledging to work collaboratively to provide the military with increased resources amid fiscal gridlock in Congress.
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis wants House and Senate lawmakers to know he is opposed to several provisions in their versions of the fiscal year 2018 defense authorization bill as they head into conference committee deliberations, according to an Oct. 17 letter sent to Capitol Hill and obtained by Inside Defense.
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has appointed several new officials to senior leadership roles at the Pentagon, including one to helm the office for managing defense industrial base policy, according to a Defense Department announcement.
The Senate voted today to begin conference committee negotiations for the fiscal year 2018 defense authorization bill and named the entire Senate Armed Services Committee as conferees.
The Senate voted 79-17 today to confirm David Trachtenberg as the next principal deputy to the under secretary of defense for policy.
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis says the Defense Department is operating at 19 percent excess capacity and is urging Congress to authorize another round of base realignment and closures, according to a new report sent to Capitol Hill and obtained by Inside Defense.
Michèle Flournoy, the chief executive of the Center for a New American Security who was once thought to be a leading candidate for defense secretary, will be leaving CNAS at the end of the year to start her own strategic advisory firm, according to an announcement from the think tank.
The Defense Innovation Board will convene Oct. 24 at the Pentagon to discuss a variety of recommendations for the Defense Department, including the establishment of a new technology "accelerator," according to an Oct. 16 Federal Register notice.
The Defense Department has prioritized transitioning its segmented network to a cloud-based computing system, but senior DOD cyber officials are wrestling with the implications for information security and contractors.
Senior military leaders are scheduled to speak at several events in Washington this week. Also, the Senate is back in session, while the House is out of town.
House Republicans and Democrats have named conferees for the fiscal year 2018 defense authorization bill, according to a statement from the House Armed Services Committee.