Thursday, October 10, 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.
The GOP-led House Appropriations Committee voted 34-24 today to pass its version of the fiscal year 2024 defense spending bill amid opposition from Democrats, who opposed the legislation over politically charged policy riders related to abortion as well as diversity, equity and inclusion and climate change.
Senior Senate appropriators voiced bipartisan support today for potentially passing a supplemental defense spending bill that would go above the statutory cap Congress agreed to in a debt limit deal last month.
The Senate Armed Services Committee has voted to advance the nomination of Gen. Eric Smith to be Marine Corps commandant.
The House Armed Services Committee voted 58-1 to advance its version of the fiscal year 2024 defense authorization bill last night, signaling strong bipartisan support for the annual, must-pass legislation.
Raytheon Technologies, one of the world's largest defense contractors, is changing its name to RTX, per an announcement from the company on LinkedIn.
The Pentagon, after reviewing an "accounting error," today said it now has an additional $6.2 billion in funding that President Biden can use to "drawdown" weapons from U.S. stocks and transfer them directly to Ukraine.
The House Appropriations defense subcommittee wants to allocate about $1 billion for the Pentagon to build a "hedge portfolio" to fund emerging military technologies that can be fielded within one to three years, according to a draft report obtained by Inside Defense.
The GOP-led House Appropriations Committee is poised to pass a fiscal year 2024 defense spending bill on Thursday that cuts President Biden's request for weapons procurement by nearly $4 billion, targeting some of the multiyear missile buys sought by the Pentagon, according to a draft report obtained by Inside Defense.
Lawmakers in the House and Senate are scheduled to meet this week to approve separate committee versions of the fiscal year 2024 defense authorization bill.
The Defense Department has entered into a $15 million agreement with Jervois Mining USA, a subsidiary of Jervois Global Limited, to conduct feasibility studies that could expand cobalt extraction in Idaho, according to a new Pentagon announcement.
The GOP-led House Appropriations defense subcommittee has approved a fiscal year 2024 defense spending bill that will now advance to the full committee for consideration amid partisan criticism over politically controversial cuts and policy riders.
House Republicans have released a draft defense appropriations bill they say will counter China and protect conservative ideals, but Democrats are mustering opposition to the legislation over its cuts to the Pentagon's workforce, climate change initiatives, multiyear contracts and other "partisan riders."
The Defense Department today announced a $325 million presidential "drawdown" package that will immediately transfer weapons from U.S. stocks to Ukraine, including ammunition and combat fighting vehicles that could support the ongoing counteroffensive against Russia.
A special Pentagon "Tiger Team" has delivered recommendations to accelerate foreign military sales, leading Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to release department-wide guidance to support a faster and more streamlined process that will, among other things, allow for greater prioritization of weapons sales to key U.S. allies like Taiwan.
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-AL) has submitted legislation that, if included in the final defense authorization bill, would eliminate the Pentagon cost assessment and program evaluation office.
Lawmakers from the House Armed Services Committee want the Defense Department to begin producing a new annual report that tracks how much money is being spent on weapon systems expected to "make an impact for the warfighter" in the next five years and beyond.
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.