Sunday, October 19, 2025
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 United States has announced new export licensing exemptions for Australia and the U.K. meant to allow the AUKUS partners to substantially increase their flow of weapons sales and transfer some classified military technologies.
The Senate Appropriations Committee says it is concerned the Defense Department might move to consolidate or "supplant" the budgetary liaisons who traditionally assist lawmakers in crafting annual spending legislation.
The State Department has approved a nearly $19 billion proposed foreign military sale of up to 50 F-15IA and F-15I+ aircraft to Israel, along with a host of other weapon systems, according to a recent Defense Security Cooperation Agency announcement.
Senior defense officials are scheduled to speak at several events this week.
The Defense Department has announced a $125 million transfer of U.S. weapons to Ukraine, including air defense capabilities, multimission radars and anti-tank weapons.
Pentagon acquisition chief Bill LaPlante said yesterday he is planning to travel to the Indo-Pacific region soon to help establish a defense industrial forum with the national armaments directors of U.S. allies, much like his regular engagements with NATO nations in Europe, which have been focused on increasing weapons production and bolstering supply chains.
Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks said the fledgling Replicator program represents a breakthrough in Pentagon acquisition that could herald a "golden age" of defense innovation and production if Congress is willing to extend greater trust.
The Senate Appropriations Committee is clear in its version of the fiscal year 2025 defense spending bill that it does not support the kind of broad overhaul recommended by a key reform commission to update the Pentagon's sprawling, 1960s-era budgeting system.
Senior defense officials are scheduled to speak at several events this week.
The Senate Appropriations Committee wants the Pentagon to provide Congress with future "surge capacity" costs for critical munitions as well as estimate how much industry cost-sharing or co-investment can be expected to support potential increases in production.
Senate appropriators are highlighting some of the key investments in their fiscal year 2025 defense spending bill, which would increase the Defense Department's budget by 3.3%, or more than $27 billion above what Congress enacted in FY-24.
The Senate Armed Services Committee voted Tuesday to advance two key Pentagon cyber and intelligence nominees.
The newest incarnation of the bipartisan National Defense Strategy Commission has sent a report to Congress echoing a key recommendation of the previous commission: the Pentagon needs more money and lawmakers should act accordingly.
The Defense Department announced a $1.7 billion military aid package for Ukraine that will immediately transfer some U.S. weapons to the battlefield.
Senior defense officials are scheduled to speak around Washington this week. The House is on August recess and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is traveling in Asia.
House lawmakers questioned a panel of experts yesterday about the poor performance and ballooning costs of Pentagon weapons programs, focusing many of their comments on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, which has struggled for years with cost, schedule and performance issues.
The Senate Appropriations Committee will meet next Thursday to mark up its version of the fiscal year 2025 defense spending bill that could add billions of dollars to the Pentagon’s budget request.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the recent U.S. and Canadian forces' intercept of a joint military flight between two Russian and two Chinese aircraft off the coast of Alaska -- the first time jets from those two countries have flown together near U.S. airspace -- is further evidence of the deepening cooperation between Moscow and Beijing.
Vice Adm. Alvin Holsey has been nominated by President Biden to be promoted to admiral and become the next chief of U.S. Southern Command, according to a Pentagon announcement.
The Defense Department is taking action to better assess and report the value of weapon systems and other items provided to foreign allies -- like Ukraine -- under Presidential Drawdown Authority, according to a new Government Accountability Office report detailing DOD's shortcomings in the area.