Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said today that China and Russia have begun closer military ties that could possibly threaten Taiwan.
Saturday, December 7, 2024
Saturday, December 7, 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.
Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said today that China and Russia have begun closer military ties that could possibly threaten Taiwan.
Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray (D-WA) said today that any effort to increase defense spending in fiscal year 2025 above the cap set by the Fiscal Responsibility Act must also be matched by a boost in non-defense funds.
Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Christopher Grady said today that electronic warfare, though it didn't play a major role in earlier phases of Ukraine's conflict with Russia, has now become a "defining feature of that battlespace."
The State Department is proposing to exempt the U.K. and Australia from International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) to better bolster the trilateral AUKUS agreement and "foster defense trade and cooperation between and among the United States and two of its closest allies."
Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT), a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, today released a letter to defense appropriators with 120 signatures from lawmakers seeking the restoration of funding for a Virginia-class submarine in fiscal year 2025.
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-AL) today said he intends to honor the defense spending cap mandated by the Fiscal Responsibility Act when he leads the panel in its mark-up of the annual defense authorization bill, though he stressed that he thinks the $895 billion limit is far too low.
Senior defense officials are scheduled to appear at several congressional hearings and think tank events this week.
The Defense Department, tapping new funds provided by a supplemental spending bill recently signed into law by President Biden, today announced a $6 billion long-term military aid package for Ukraine, which follows closely behind a $1 billion immediate transfer of U.S. weapons.
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said he believes the U.S. defense industry continues to underestimate just how much money the "collective West" is going to invest in stockpiling weapon systems needed to deter Russia and China in the coming years, regardless of what happens in the Ukraine conflict.
The two senior officials in charge of Pentagon acquisition and technology said today that they are working on several promising projects for countering drones and low-cost missiles, including everything from acoustic detection systems to directed-energy lasers and high-powered microwaves.
The Defense Department has announced $1 billion in military aid for Ukraine following the passage of a $95 billion security supplemental spending package that President Biden signed into law today.
Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. James Slife said today that the service intends to award Collaborative Combat Aircraft contracts to two vendors.
The Senate voted 79-18 last night in support of a $95 billion defense supplemental package that would aid Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, while also directing about $50 billion into the U.S. defense industrial base.
Senate leaders, following the House's weekend passage of a massive national security supplemental poised to inject $50 billion into the U.S. defense sector, is taking up the spending package and hopes to pass it late tonight amid the objections of some lawmakers.
Senior defense officials are scheduled to speak at several events this week and the Army's aviation association hosts a conference in Denver, CO.
U.S. military officials have sent Congress more than $30 billion in “unfunded priorities lists” separate from their regular budget request, but civilian leaders at the Pentagon support repealing the law requiring that the annual lists be sent to lawmakers, who often use them as a blueprint for increasing the defense budget.
Leaders on the House Appropriations Committee said today they would like to see a higher fiscal year 2025 topline for defense spending, despite the capped $850 billion budget mandated by law, while also throwing their support behind Speaker Mike Johnson's (R-LA) piecemeal plan to pass a $95 billion security supplemental spending package.
After months of debate and party infighting, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) today released three bills that would provide $95 billion in aid to Ukraine, Israel and U.S. allies in the Indo-Pacific region, a move that could cost him his speakership if GOP hardliners seek his ouster.
The Republican chairmen of key congressional defense and national security committees released a joint statement today supporting Speaker Mike Johnson's (R-LA) $95 billion supplemental spending proposal, which would provide aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has spoken with his Chinese counterpart Minister of Defense Adm. Dong Jun, establishing a line of communication that has been severed for nearly two years.