The schedule for the week ahead is shortened by the Independence Day holiday and Congress is out of town.
Thursday, May 2, 2024
Thursday, May 2, 2024
Key Issues HADES deployment SAOC contract FORGE framework
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 schedule for the week ahead is shortened by the Independence Day holiday and Congress is out of town.
The Senate Armed Services Committee passed a fiscal year 2018 defense authorization bill June 28 that would create a new “No. 3” position in the Pentagon's leadership chart and would make sizable cuts to the number of senior posts.
The House Appropriations Committee on Thursday passed a fiscal year 2018 defense spending bill that would fund the Defense Department's base budget at $584 billion and its Overseas Contingency Operations account at $74 billion.
The Senate Armed Services Committee has proposed cutting $4.3 billion from major Defense Department weapons programs and capping procurement spending on future aircraft carriers at $12 billion to "promote accountability" in military acquisition.
A few must-reads from this week's edition of Inside the Pentagon.
The House Armed Services Committee passed its version of the fiscal year 2018 defense authorization bill last night by a 60-1 vote.
The House Appropriations defense subcommittee wants to establish a $12 billion "National Defense Restoration Fund" that would allow the transfer of lump sums to the Pentagon for procurement programs with a 15-day notification by the defense secretary.
The Senate Armed Services Committee has voted to advance the nomination of former Boeing executive Patrick Shanahan to become the next deputy defense secretary, despite Chairman John McCain's (R-AZ) initial reluctance.
The House Armed Services Committee began what was expected to be a day-long mark-up of the fiscal year 2018 defense authorization bill amid continued disagreement over the appropriate level of government funding for defense and non-defense priorities.
The Pentagon announced the appointments of several senior staffers on Tuesday, including a new deputy chief of staff for Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.
The Defense Department is working on a new strategy to guide investments in prototyping and innovation initiatives as part of the congressionally mandated reorganization of the office of the under secretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics.
Though the House Budget Committee has agreed to a budget blueprint that would provide a boost to defense funding, negotiations for a final deal have stalled over cuts to mandatory spending and the panel is eying continued debate after the July 4 recess, according to sources.
Senior Senate Democrats sent a letter to GOP leadership Monday reminding them that any fiscal year 2018 spending bill will require bipartisan support.
The week ahead features several key legislative events, with the House and Senate Armed Services Committees drafting their versions of the fiscal year 2018 defense authorization bill.
The House Appropriations Committee released a draft version of its fiscal year 2018 defense spending bill Sunday night that would boost weapons procurement by $18.6 billion above what is sought by the Trump administration and $24 billion more than what was enacted in FY-17.
The House Armed Services Committee will propose fiscal year 2018 legislation that authorizes $621 billion for the base defense budget and $75 billion in Overseas Contingency Operations funding, of which $10 billion would be used for base spending, according to a copy of the legislation obtained by Inside Defense.
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry said Thursday that, barring a multiyear spending deal, he will approve legislation Wednesday that would propose authorizing $640 billion in base defense spending and $65 billion in Overseas Contingency Operations funding.
The rough draft of the defense topline for fiscal year 2018 is significantly higher than the figure sought by the Trump administration, though negotiations continue and a partisan budget battle remains likely, according to multiple sources inside three separate House committees.
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said after a high-level meeting between U.S. and Chinese officials on Wednesday that both nations are not doomed to conflict and continue to share the goal of a de-nuclearized North Korea.
The House Armed Services Committee is set to authorize a defense spending increase beyond what the Trump administration has proposed for fiscal year 2018 when the committee drafts its version of the defense authorization bill next week, and will likely do so as the GOP remains mired in negotiations over a broader budgetary blueprint.