Thursday, May 9, 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.
Democrats on the House Armed Services Committee say President Trump's executive order freezing the hiring of federal civilian workers is threatening military readiness because it impacts key personnel who maintain aircraft, ships and ground vehicles.
President Trump was expected to sign an executive order on cybersecurity today that would launch a government-wide review and make cabinet officials responsible for securing their agencies' information and data, but the signing was cancelled without expalnation, according to a press pool report (UPDATED).
Two Senate committees are scheduled to vote Wednesday on the nomination of Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-SC) to become the next chief of the White House Office of Management and Budget.
Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-SC), who has been tapped by President Trump to lead the White House Office of Management and Budget, will seek to eliminate the Pentagon's $60 billion Overseas Contingency Operations account, according to written answers to advance policy questions he provided to Senate lawmakers.
The Defense Department is compiling a list of Iraqis who assisted U.S. military operations and should be granted special consideration to enter the United States, despite a new executive order from President Trump banning their entry for the next 90 days.
Defense Secretary James Mattis is scheduled to travel to South Korea and Japan this week.
President Trump told reporters Monday that Lockheed Martin has cut $600 million off the cost of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, according to media reports. (UPDATED)
President Trump has signed a memorandum ordering a 30-day Pentagon readiness review and the crafting of a new defense budget, as well as reviews of U.S. nuclear posture and missile defense.
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain (R-AZ) released a statement today in advance of President Trump's phone call tomorrow with Russian President Vladimir Putin, cautioning Trump to "remember that the man on the other end of the line is a murderer and a thug who seeks to undermine American national security interests at every turn."
President Trump says he wants to seek a balanced budget "eventually," but would prefer to increase military spending first.
President Trump is scheduled to arrive at the Pentagon this afternoon for the ceremonial swearing in of Defense Secretary James Mattis.
Here are a few must-reads from this week's issue of Inside the Pentagon.
Defense Secretary James Mattis used his first public address to speak in observance of Martin Luther King Day and note his support for the diversity of the U.S. military.
Defense Secretary James Mattis will head to Asia for his first official trip with plans to meet with officials in Japan and South Korea, the Pentagon announced today.
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) pursued a robust line of questioning during Tuesday's confirmation hearing for Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-SC), nominated to be the next head of the White House budget office, chastising him for his "lack of support" for the military and his insistence that defense spending should not increase unless it is offset by cuts in non-defense funding.
Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-SC) told the Senate Budget Committee this morning that he supports President Donald Trump's call for increased defense spending. (UPDATED)
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain (R-AZ) formally launched his effort to increase defense spending Tuesday with a hearing dedicated to the Pentagon's fiscal year 2018 budget and beyond.
A panel of budget analysts agreed Monday that many factors are conspiring to halt a significant increase in defense spending, chiefly the 2011 Budget Control Act, which requires rare bipartisan action that will continue to prove elusive in the Trump administration.
Lockheed Martin CEO Marillyn Hewson and other business executives met with President Trump at the White House today to discuss ways to increase manufacturing in the United States.
Deficit hawk and Tea Party supporter Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-SC), President Trump's choice to lead the powerful White House Office of Management and Budget, is slated to testify on Capitol Hill Tuesday and one of the lawmakers scheduled to question him is Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), who recently authored a plan for a massive defense spending increase that some supporters fear could be derailed by a new fiscal agenda.