Officials from U.S. Central Command have provided a more rosy depiction of U.S. efforts to combat the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant than the facts warranted, according to a new report from a congressional joint task force.
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.
Officials from U.S. Central Command have provided a more rosy depiction of U.S. efforts to combat the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant than the facts warranted, according to a new report from a congressional joint task force.
Here are some must-reads from this week's edition of Inside the Pentagon.
A new report from a Washington think tank highlights current and future challenges facing defense spending, while the GOP-dominated Congress is expected to continue a bitter budget battle with Democrats and the White House when lawmakers return from summer recess next month.
The State Department has approved a possible $1.15 billion foreign military sale of Abrams tanks and tank recovery vehicles to Saudi Arabia, according to a Defense Security Cooperation Agency statement.
The week ahead features public appearances by the top leaders of the Marine Corps, Army and Air Force.
The Defense Information Systems Agency plans to amend the Encore III contract solicitation now that the Government Accountability Office has sustained two industry protests, though DISA does not plan to eliminate the lowest-price, technically acceptable approach that has fueled controversy.
The federal government has issued a third in a series of information technology policies intended to reduce duplicative spending on mobile device services contracts, according to a recent memo from the White House Office of Management and Budget.
The White House is working with the Defense Department on funding President Obama's newly announced strategy to retain additional troops in Afghanistan, but the Office of Management Budget has no plans at this point to submit a supplemental spending request to Congress without seeking matching funds for domestic priorities.
President Obama met with his National Security Council at the Pentagon Thursday afternoon to receive an update on the military campaign to defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
The Pentagon has amended the charter for the new Defense Innovation Board to include more members and non-voting advisers and plans to host the group's first meeting on Oct. 5.
Here are a few must-reads from this week's edition of Inside the Pentagon:
President Obama will travel to the Pentagon today to chair a National Security Council meeting on the military campaign to counter the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
U.S. Strategic Command says it detected the simultaneous launch of two presumed North Korean No Dong intermediate range ballistic missiles yesterday, noting that the first exploded immediately, while the second landed in the Sea of Japan.
The Pentagon announced today that the new U.S. military effort to support the Libyan government against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant has been named "Operation Odyssey Lightning."
Though the worst of sequestration never came to pass, a prominent defense budget analyst has chosen to mark the fifth anniversary of the Budget Control Act with a warning for Congress, the Pentagon and the new presidential administration.
The United States has conducted airstrikes against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in Sirte, Libya, marking an expansion of the counter-ISIL operation, according to a Pentagon announcement.
The Pentagon has amended the charter for the new Defense Innovation Board to include more members and non-voting advisers.
The Air Force is expected to announce initial operational capability for the F-35 this week and several defense contractors have scheduled earnings calls. Senior leaders from the Army and Air Force are also scheduled to make public appearances.
The deputy director of the Missile Defense Agency concurs with a recent report highlighting several budgetary trends squeezing MDA's research and development funds, including the politically sensitive push for increased aid to Israeli defense projects.
The military services have submitted their respective program objective memoranda for fiscal years 2018 through 2022 for review by the Office of the Secretary of Defense, a Pentagon spokesman has told Inside Defense.