Senior officials are slated to discuss defense issues at several public events this week.
Saturday, October 18, 2025
Saturday, October 18, 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.
Senior officials are slated to discuss defense issues at several public events this week.
The chairmen of the House and Senate Armed Services committees, in a bid to maintain oversight of the $150 billion poised to be injected into the Defense Department via a recently passed budget reconciliation bill, have sent the Pentagon new programmatic guidance tables showing congressional intent and want to see DOD's own detailed spending plan by Aug. 22, according to documents obtained by Inside Defense.
The Senate Armed Services Committee wants the Government Accountability Office to review Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's cuts to the Pentagon's independent weapons testing office.
U.S. European Command has sent Congress a $1.6 billion unfunded priorities list, a major increase from the $141 million UPL it submitted last year, reflecting a significant surge in unmet requirements, including those intended to bolster U.S. allies, according to a previously unreported document obtained by Inside Defense.
The Defense Department is reviewing its participation in think-tank events, vetting organizations for political alignment with the Trump administration, according to the Pentagon's top spokesman.
Michael Duffey, the Pentagon's new acquisition chief, was reminded by lawmakers on the House Armed Services Committee today of the many matters that require his attention, including a major defense program review, controversial "right to repair" policies, the perennial task of reforming the military's bureaucratic procurement system as well as the need to be more transparent with Congress.
The Army's fiscal year 2026 unfunded priorities list, a previously unreported document obtained by Inside Defense, details 37 individual unmet needs the service would like Congress to consider funding, highlighting the Patriot missile system, the Coyote counter-drone system, the Precision Strike Missile and a host of others.
Lawmakers will hold a major defense acquisition reform hearing on Capitol Hill this week. Meanwhile, senior Pentagon officials are scheduled to speak at several events around Washington.
The House voted 221-209 to pass its $832 billion defense appropriations bill last night.
The House Armed Services Committee voted 55-2 to pass the annual defense policy bill last night, with key provisions aimed at reforming the Pentagon's acquisition system.
The Senate voted 52-46 today to confirm retired Army brigadier general and former Fox News commentator Anthony Tata to be under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness.
The House Armed Services Committee has begun marking up its version of the fiscal year 2026 defense authorization bill in an annual session that is expected to last well into the night.
President Trump, after months of fruitless negotiations with Moscow, today announced the United States will support foreign military sales to Ukraine financed by NATO allies.
The Senate Armed Services Committee has voted 26-1 to advance a defense authorization bill that adds more than $30 billion to the White House request for fiscal year 2026, with most of the funds slated for shipbuilding and munitions, according to senior congressional officials and a summary released by the panel.
The Defense Department, at the direction of President Trump, will again begin sending U.S. weapons to Ukraine so it can continue to defend itself against an ongoing Russian invasion.
U.S. Central Command has sent Congress a $732 million unfunded priorities list, keying unmet needs in electronic warfare and tactical drones, while also seeking the authority to begin limited prototyping of emerging technologies in a bid to become a live "battle lab" for the Pentagon, according to documents obtained by Inside Defense.
The House Armed Services Committee's fiscal year 2026 defense authorization bill supports the White House's funding request and, among numerous other provisions, includes the new bipartisan SPEED Act to reform the Pentagon acquisition system and re-writes U.S. missile defense policy for the new Golden Dome program, according to an early draft of the bill obtained by Inside Defense.
Inside Defense is obtaining the fiscal year 2026 unfunded priorities lists that the U.S. military is required by law to send Congress. Subscribers can access them below.
U.S. Northern Command has sent Congress an unfunded priorities list totaling $35 million and highlighting unmet needs for artificial intelligence to reduce the manpower burden at the southern border, according to documents obtained by Inside Defense.
The Navy has sent Congress a $7.4 billion unfunded priorities list, highlighting the service's continued need for munitions and future fighter aircraft development, according to documents obtained by Inside Defense.