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 reached a bipartisan deal over the weekend that would raise the debt limit and fund total defense spending in fiscal year 2024 at President Biden's request of $886 billion, with a 1% increase in FY-25, potentially ending a political standoff that could have brought the nation to the brink of economic catastrophe, but also throwing a wrench into future Pentagon spending plans.
The Pentagon says the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia successfully demonstrated the use of artificial intelligence and autonomous swarming technologies in an "advanced capabilities trial" held in the U.K. last month.
The Defense Department has sent Congress a classified 2023 Cyber Strategy centering China as the top U.S. competitor in the cyber domain, along with Russia, which poses an "acute threat."
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said today he anticipates the United States and its allies will eventually establish an international fund for countries to contribute to the long-term defense of Ukraine against Russia, including the sustainment of soon-to-be provided F-16 aircraft that could cost around $1 billion.
President Biden today announced that he will nominate Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Brown to be the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The State Department has approved a potential $285 million sale of National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System units to Ukraine, according to a Defense Security Cooperation Agency statement.
The House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party released a bipartisan blueprint today calling for, among other things, increased production of long-range missiles and unmanned systems to support the strategy lawmakers say is necessary to deter an invasion or blockade of Taiwan by China.
The Defense Department is investing $10 million to bolster the production line of Six Sigma Services, a California-based microelectronics component specialist company.
The Defense Department today announced more than $140 million in contracts for the latest batch of "Accelerate the Procurement and Fielding of Innovative Technologies" programs, or APFIT, ranging from new unmanned capabilities to training simulators to commercial weather satellites.
Rexon Ryu, president of The Asia Group, has been named to the Defense Policy Board, according to a Pentagon announcement.
The Air Force Research Lab has awarded Ursa Major a contract to build a prototype storable engine for hypersonic and space launch missions.
The Defense Department on Sunday announced a $375 million aid package for Ukraine.
Senior defense officials are scheduled to speak at several public events this week.
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-AL) wants the Pentagon to preserve all documentation concerning the selection of a location for U.S. Space Command headquarters, a controversial issue dating to the final days of the Trump administration that has now become a high-profile political battle.
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-AL) and House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) released a joint statement today criticizing the Defense Department for making an "extremely problematic" $3 billion accounting error related to the value of U.S. weapons transfers to Ukraine.
The State Department, citing "shifting global security conditions" related to Russia's war in Ukraine and U.S. competition with China in the Indo-Pacific region, has unveiled a new 10-point plan to streamline the U.S. foreign military sales process.
The Defense Department is seeking congressional authority to contribute funds to NATO's burgeoning Defense Innovation Accelerator of the North Atlantic (DIANA), according to a new legislative proposal.
The Pentagon is asking Congress to expand its authority under the Defense Production Act to include investments in military suppliers based in the United Kingdom and Australia, according to a new legislative proposal.
Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Colin Kahl is slated to leave his post in mid-July after two years in office, according to a Pentagon announcement.
Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CO) says he would like the debate over where to station U.S. Space Command to be kept separate from politics, but he acknowledges that just isn't the reality of the current situation, which has pitted Republicans from Alabama against those from his home state of Colorado based off a decision former President Trump announced during his final days in office.