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 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.
The Pentagon today announced a $2.1B security assistance package for Ukraine, including air defense and munitions capabilities, though the weapons likely won't arrive immediately on the battlefield as they are being funded through a long-term agreement with defense contractors.
The Defense Department's major weapons programs cost more and take longer to field than in the past, despite efforts to revamp the Pentagon's notoriously bureaucratic acquisition process, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office, which asserts DOD is now "paying more for less."
Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks is directing the Defense Business Board to find ways to "improve the business operations culture" at the Pentagon.
Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks has directed the Defense Business Board to review the Pentagon's process for procuring space systems to potentially develop a "clean sheet approach to space acquisition."
House Armed Services Committee lawmakers intend to begin debating their version of the fiscal year 2024 defense authorization bill with subcommittee meetings starting June 13, followed by a marathon full-committee session June 21, the same day as their Senate counterparts.
The Senate Armed Services Committee intends to debate its version of the fiscal year 2024 defense authorization bill this month, with subcommittee meetings starting June 20.
Senior Pentagon officials are slated to speak at Washington think tank events this week.