Tuesday, February 19, 2019
Key Issues DE for counter-UAS ASB on Army talent DDG-51
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.
After more than a year of reorganization intended to give the military services greater authority over their procurement programs, Pentagon acquisition chief Ellen Lord said yesterday she maintains oversight of only nine of 89 major defense programs.
Pentagon acquisition chief Ellen Lord, after a controversial failure earlier this year, is again approaching defense contractors to get a range of perspectives on the potential for performance incentives, while simultaneously launching a massive "clean sheet" rewrite of government procurement policy.
Few defense events are scheduled for the week ahead, as Congress remains locked in a spending debate that could trigger a partial government shutdown.
Deputy Defense Secretary Pat Shanahan has confirmed the Pentagon is building a new version of its fiscal year 2020 budget that accounts for more than $733 billion, despite having been told by the White House in October to plan for $700 billion.
The Pentagon is seeking $331 million in refueling charges from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates after U.S. Central Command found "errors in accounting."
The Congressional Budget Office has produced a range of cost-cutting scenarios that could be explored to trim the federal deficit over the next decade, including possible reductions to the nuclear triad and potential cancellation of the program intended to replace the intercontinental ballistic missile.
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jim Inhofe (R-OK) has instructed his financial adviser to no longer purchase any defense stocks after news broke that he bought shares in Raytheon following a meeting with President Trump that led to a newly proposed boost in defense spending.
Rep. Adam Smith (WA), the Democrat poised to lead the House Armed Services Committee, says he is ready to take on Republicans pushing for an increase in defense spending and wants to reorient the conversation toward a more fiscally restrained national security strategy.
The Pentagon, despite the abrupt departure last month of Chief Management Officer Jay Gibson, saved nearly $4.4 billion in fiscal year 2018 through various business reforms and remains on track to save $6 billion in FY-19, according to acting CMO Lisa Hershman.
If the Trump administration submits a $750 billion defense budget, as multiple sources have indicated, the proposed topline could blow past Congress' statutory budget cap by more than $100 billion.
The Pentagon on Feb. 4 plans to submit its fiscal year 2020 budget request, the size of which is now the subject of frenzied speculation amid new reports of a significant increase.
Senior Pentagon officials are scheduled to appear around the Washington area this week as discussions continue about the fiscal year 2020 defense budget.
President Trump has now heard from a long line of Pentagon and Capitol Hill officials urging him to halt a $33 billion defense budget cut being contemplated by the Office of Management and Budget, including Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jim Inhofe (R-OK), who said he is optimistic that Trump understands the position of GOP defense hawks.
The Air Force Force is recommending Congress use supplemental funds to rebuild Tyndall Air Force Base, FL, in the wake of Hurricane Michael so it can become home to three F-35 Joint Strike Fighter squadrons.
Dozens of Republican House lawmakers led by Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH) are drafting a letter to President Trump urging him to support a $733 billion defense budget, rather than the $700 billion being considered by the Office of Management and Budget.
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jim Inhofe (R-OK) said today he used a recent White House meeting with President Trump, Vice President Pence and national security adviser John Bolton to urge the administration to forgo a planned $33 billion cut to defense spending.
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis accompanied Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jim Inhofe (R-OK) and House counterpart Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX) to the White House today to convince President Trump the new defense budget must be at least $733 billion, rather than the $700 billion being floated by the Office of Management and Budget, according to officials with knowledge of the meeting.
Military officials nominated to run U.S. Central and Special Operations commands said today that at least $733 billion is necessary to implement the National Defense Strategy, an assertion that aligns them with GOP defense hawks, but runs counter to the White House's position that a $700 billion budget should be considered.
President Trump, despite lobbying for and touting a major military buildup, tweeted this morning that the $716 billion the United States spends on defense is “crazy,” and said he wants to work with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping to bring a "meaningful halt" to an "uncontrollable arms race."
Senior Pentagon officials are scheduled to speak at a variety of congressional hearings and think tanks around Washington this week, while federal agencies are closed Wednesday to mark the funeral of former President George H. W. Bush. (UPDATED)