Friday, April 19, 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.
Lawmakers want to rename and expand the job of the under secretary of defense for research and engineering, according to draft legislation from the House Armed Services cyber, information technology and innovation subcommittee.
The House Armed Services Committee is scheduled to meet this week to begin subcommittee consideration of the annual defense authorization bill. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will travel to Brussels for a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group.
Inside Defense has obtained draft copies of several House Armed Services subcommittee marks of the fiscal year 2024 defense policy bill, though the hearings to officially approve them are not scheduled until next week.
A deal to avert default on the national debt has given way to uncertainty and confusion concerning how much money Congress will actually appropriate for the Pentagon, a matter further complicated by U.S. aid policy toward Ukraine and ongoing internal strife in the Republican Party.
The Pentagon today announced a $2.1B security assistance package for Ukraine, including air defense and munitions capabilities, though the weapons likely won't arrive immediately on the battlefield as they are being funded through a long-term agreement with defense contractors.
The Defense Department's major weapons programs cost more and take longer to field than in the past, despite efforts to revamp the Pentagon's notoriously bureaucratic acquisition process, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office, which asserts DOD is now "paying more for less."
Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks is directing the Defense Business Board to find ways to "improve the business operations culture" at the Pentagon.
Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks has directed the Defense Business Board to review the Pentagon's process for procuring space systems to potentially develop a "clean sheet approach to space acquisition."
House Armed Services Committee lawmakers intend to begin debating their version of the fiscal year 2024 defense authorization bill with subcommittee meetings starting June 13, followed by a marathon full-committee session June 21, the same day as their Senate counterparts.
The Senate Armed Services Committee intends to debate its version of the fiscal year 2024 defense authorization bill this month, with subcommittee meetings starting June 20.
Senior Pentagon officials are slated to speak at Washington think tank events this week.
The Defense Department inspector general has found the Pentagon does not "effectively oversee" officials who mark government documents as "controlled unclassified information," potentially restricting transparency without an appropriate rationale.
The Senate has voted 63-36 to pass a bill that would raise the debt limit and cap discretionary spending levels for two fiscal years, though senior lawmakers from both parties say there is bipartisan support for supplemental funding that could boost defense and non-defense budgets.
Several GOP senators, including Sen. Susan Collins (ME), the ranking member on the Senate Appropriations Committee, said today they want a commitment from the White House and Senate Democrats to support an “emergency defense supplemental” following the passage of a deal that would raise the federal debt ceiling and lock in defense spending at levels they deem inadequate.
The House voted 314-117 to pass a spending agreement that would fund national defense at $886 billion in fiscal year 2024 and avert default on the national debt.
The Defense Department will be holding a "technological innovation discovery event" later this summer intended to identify potential prototype opportunities for "anticipating technological surprise," according to a new public notice.
The Defense Department today announced it will transfer a package of U.S. weapons to Ukraine valued at up to $300 million.
The Defense Department has announced President Biden has made several major military nominations, featuring some well-publicized names and some that have not yet been reported.
Future conflicts with China and Russia involve areas of emergent risk -- in cyberspace, under the sea and throughout global supply chains -- where the United States must take a "more proactive posture," according to a new Defense Science Board report shared with senior Pentagon leaders.
Several Washington think tanks are holding events this week featuring current and former defense officials. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is traveling this week to Japan, Singapore, India and France.