Wednesday, November 29, 2023
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 Defense Department "generally did not meet" deadlines for responding to reviews conducted by the Government Accountability Office, submitting about half of its agency comments late, according to a new congressionally mandated GAO report.
The Defense Department announced today it will begin transferring another $200 million in U.S. weapons to Ukraine following a June review that found the congressionally approved funding remained available and unspent.
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-AL), angered by President Biden's recent decision to keep U.S. Space Command headquartered in politically blue Colorado instead of moving it to deep-red Alabama, is demanding that senior Pentagon officials comply with his requests for documents and interviews as he launches an investigation into the matter.
The Defense Department has released a new compendium of information on $9.7 billion in contracts to replenish U.S. weapons that have been transferred to Ukraine.
The Defense Department will not say what is included in a $345 million weapons package President Biden ordered for Taiwan because of operational security and the diplomatic sensitivity of the situation regarding China, according to DOD's chief spokesman.
President Biden has decided to keep U.S. Space Command headquartered in Colorado Springs, CO, reversing an earlier Air Force decision made under President Trump that would have based it in Huntsville, AL, according to officials from the Pentagon and Capitol Hill.
The White House has registered its disapproval over several weapons-related provisions in the Senate's version of the annual defense authorization bill -- some of which are also supported by the House -- according to a statement of administration policy released by the Office of Management and Budget.
Senior defense officials are slated to speak at several events this week.
The White House says it "strongly opposes" a provision in the Senate's version of the fiscal year 2024 defense authorization bill that would reestablish the position of the Defense Department's chief management officer, according to a statement of administration policy from the Office of Management and Budget.
The Senate passed the annual defense policy bill this evening by a vote of 86-11.
The Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee this morning released its draft version of the fiscal year 2024 defense spending bill, intending to fund the Pentagon at $831.7 billion, or about $5 billion above President Biden's request.
A team of GOP lawmakers led by Sens. Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Susan Collins (R-ME) has sent President Biden a letter urging him to send Congress a new spending request to support the AUKUS submarine initiative planned for the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.
President Biden intends to nominate State Department counselor Derek Chollet to be the Pentagon's next under secretary of defense for policy, according to a White House announcement.
The Defense Department today announced a $400 million rapid transfer of U.S. weapons to Ukraine.
The Defense Department today announced the establishment of three new assistant secretary of defense positions, along with eight deputy assistant secretaries of defense.
Senior defense officials, lawmakers and think tank analysts are scheduled to speak at several events around Washington this week, while various defense contractors discuss their quarterly earnings.
President Biden announced his intent to nominate several top Navy officials today, including Adm. Lisa Franchetti to be the first woman to serve as chief of naval operations. She currently serves as the vice chief.
Today’s INSIDER Daily Digest starts off with a Pentagon move to restrict auxiliary ship equipment purchases, a warning from the Army secretary, a hold on DOD reprogrammings that is causing headaches, and aircraft news involving the Navy’s F-18 and the Joint Strike Fighter program.
The Defense Department has told the Government Accountability Office it will consider tailoring some of its acquisition pathways to account for "agile" software development after a GAO report found that DOD lacks policy guidance in that area.
The Senate Armed Services Committee today approved the nominations of Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Brown, who has been picked to be the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs, and Army Vice Chief Gen. Randy George, who has been selected to be the service's next chief of staff.