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.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is cutting and restricting the number of information technology and management consultants at the Pentagon, saying the "Department of Government Efficiency" has identified $5 billion in savings that can be realized from terminating contracts for such services, according to a memo.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has empowered cost-cutters at the "Department of Government Efficiency" to review all of the Pentagon's unclassified contracts, minus a few exemptions, according to a new memo released today.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has directed the downsizing and reorganization of the independent office that oversees Pentagon weapons testing, according to a new memo released today.
The Defense Department, which spends about $5 billion annually moving U.S. troops and their families between various military assignments around the world, is looking to cut those costs in the coming years by keeping people in place for longer periods.
The Defense Department is working in compliance with a White House executive order to ensure it doesn't default to procuring expensive, custom-made systems and services when commercially available items can be found, according to a new Pentagon memo.
Not many events are on the Washington calendar this week with officials returning from a holiday weekend.
The House Appropriations Committee will meet June 13 to mark up its version of the fiscal year 2026 defense spending bill.
President Trump, flanked in the Oval Office by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and several GOP senators, promised a huge windfall for U.S. defense companies today as he officially launched the new Golden Dome program, naming a top Space Force general to manage the ambitious missile defense system, which he predicted would be complete in three years for a total cost of $175 billion.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said today that after a three-month review of the actions related to the U.S. military's withdrawal from Afghanistan and the deadly Kabul airport suicide bombing that killed 13 servicemembers, he has determined an even more "comprehensive review" is needed and should be overseen by Sean Parnell, his chief spokesman and adviser.
The United States has signed a letter of intent with the United Arab Emirates to begin a new "major defense partnership," tapping the Defense Innovation Unit to facilitate potential investments in the co-development of military technologies, according to a Pentagon announcement.
Senior defense officials are scheduled to speak at several events this week, including congressional hearings.
Top U.S. defense intelligence officials told House lawmakers today that they expect to be impacted by the 5% to 8% civilian personnel cut mandated by the Trump administration amid the stress of a new mission to help seal the southern border from the flow of illegal migrants, but they struck chords of optimism, pledging to do more with less.
The Senate Armed Services Committee convened today to consider potential reforms to the U.S. foreign military sales process, including a possible reorganization at the Pentagon.
Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI), an appropriator and the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said today he is concerned the GOP's reconciliation bill, though it increases funding for defense, could undermine Congress' authority and give the Pentagon a "slush fund."
Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee Chairman Mitch McConnell (R-KY) today said he opposes the Trump administration's fiscal year 2026 defense spending request because of its reliance on a "budgetary sleight of hand" that masks a failure to pursue real and sustained growth in Pentagon buying power.
Senior defense officials are scheduled to speak at several public events this week, including congressional hearings.
President Trump has nominated Kirsten Davies, a former chief information security officer at multinational company Unilever, to be the Pentagon's chief information officer.
President Trump has nominated former General Electric executive Jeffrey Bornstein to be Pentagon comptroller.
Senior House defense appropriators today said they are unhappy with the Trump administration's fiscal year 2026 defense spending request, which would not keep pace with inflation if not for its reliance on separate budget reconciliation legislation that would bring the total defense budget to $1 trillion.
Senior House Democrats are seeking information from the Defense Department and NASA over potential conflicts of interest regarding government contracts awarded to SpaceX and CEO Elon Musk, who also leads the "Department of Government Efficiency."