Thursday, April 25, 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 Pentagon continues to wrestle with challenges and internal disagreements resulting from seismic congressional reforms that restructured its acquisition oversight process and gave the military services more direct control over major programs, according to a new Government Accountability Office report.
The Pentagon is investigating how it might use rapid acquisition authorities to ensure access to critical minerals vital for powering major weapons and communications systems should China and Russia disrupt U.S. supply chains, according to a new Trump administration report.
Lawmakers on the House Armed Services Committee, acting on concerns the Defense Department is investing too little in science and technology, have drafted legislation that would mandate accountability should the S&T portfolio be cut in the future.
The Senate Armed Services Committee has agreed to a defense authorization bill that seeks to streamline and accelerate the Pentagon's contracting process, with a special focus on potentially loosening requirements for cost and pricing data.
The House Armed Services Committee begins marking up its version of the fiscal year 2020 defense authorization bill this week, while the Senate Armed Services Committee holds two nomination hearings.
Acting Deputy Defense Secretary David Norquist said today he is optimistic about the chances for Congress to eventually reach a bipartisan budget agreement, but only because the alternative is unthinkable.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford said today the Pentagon should be cautious about increasing the size of the military at the expense of investments in new technologies critical to maintaining longstanding advantages over China and Russia.
Senior Pentagon officials are scheduled to appear around the Washington area this week, while several defense companies host earnings calls. Meanwhile, acting Defense Secretary Pat Shanahan is traveling to Hawaii, Indonesia, Singapore and Japan. Congress is out.
The GOP-led Senate Armed Services Committee, as expected, has approved $750 billion in total defense spending for fiscal year 2020, according to a summary of the panel’s authorization bill.
The Senate Armed Services Committee has agreed to defense authorization bill that would require the Defense Department's annual report on Chinese military strength include a new assessment of Beijing's overseas investments related to national security objectives.
A week after its executives were asked during a congressional hearing to voluntarily refund “excess” profit, TransDigm has not returned the funds, according to a Defense Department spokesman.
Senior Pentagon acquisition officials are writing new intellectual property policies amid heightened scrutiny from Capitol Hill, where concerns about price gouging have put a new spotlight on the issue.
The House Appropriations Committee voted 30-22 today to pass the fiscal year 2020 defense spending bill.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said today a two-year spending deal that includes raising the debt ceiling could be made between Republicans and Democrats as soon as the end of the day.
The absence of a broad budget deal in Congress is being highlighted by the release of a White House letter opposing the defense spending bill crafted by House Democrats.
The House Appropriations Committee is poised to pass a fiscal year 2020 defense spending bill Tuesday that would rescind more than $3 billion from major weapon system programs.
House and Senate committees are scheduled to begin moving defense appropriations and authorization bills this week.
This week, for the first time in 10 years, the Senate Armed Services Committee will be marking up its version of the defense authorization bill ahead of its House counterpart, a timing shakeup that has distinct pros and cons for lawmakers, according to former congressional staffers.
Inside Defense has obtained the draft report accompanying the House Appropriations Committee’s upcoming fiscal year 2020 defense spending bill.
House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Mac Thornberry (R-TX) has drafted a defense acquisition reform bill that would fence Pentagon funding until the department begins implementing reform measures already on the books.