Sunday, September 24, 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.
Gen. Christopher Cavoli, chief of U.S. European Command and NATO, told lawmakers today that Ukraine has nearly all the weapons it requires to commence a spring counteroffensive against Russian troops who have dug into the eastern region of the country.
The Defense Department and the European Defence Agency have signed a new agreement to provide "stronger transatlantic cooperation" in several areas, including information sharing on supply chain issues.
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jack Reed (D-RI) said today he is committed to supporting continued investments in the defense industrial base, especially for munitions, as the war in Ukraine has highlighted the need to prepare to surge similar assistance to Taiwan in the event of a conflict with China.
The Army Aviation Association of America hosts its annual conference this week, while senior Pentagon officials are scheduled to testify on Capitol Hill.
President Biden has announced his intent to nominate Cara Abercrombie to be assistant secretary of defense for acquisition, according to a White House announcement.
House Republicans have released a proposal agreeing to lift the national debt limit to pay the nation's bills if the increase is paired with steep cuts to discretionary federal spending, but senior appropriators will ultimately decide what would be slashed under the proposal and defense spending does not appear to be on the menu.
The Defense Department announced today it intends to transfer $325 million in U.S. weapons to Ukraine, specifically highlighting long-range munitions.
U.S. Central Command has hired the former director of Google Cloud AI to serve as its first-ever adviser on artificial intelligence, robotics, cloud computing and data analytics.
The Senate voted 68-30 today to confirm Radha Plumb to be a deputy under secretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment.
The Pentagon, in accordance with President Biden's termination of the national emergency for the COVID-19 pandemic, is ending several contracting and acquisition policies aimed at mitigating damage to the U.S. defense industrial base, including payment rates for large contractors that were made more generous at the onset of the pandemic, according to a new memo.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered a new information security review following the leak of hundreds of classified documents on the Discord online platform and the arrest of an airman charged in connection with the matter, according to a new Pentagon memo.
The Defense Department is seeking congressional authority to recover additional costs from commercial space launches at DOD facilities, according to a new legislative proposal.
The Pentagon, citing the need to maintain technology overmatch with China, wants to empower military service secretaries to initiate their own weapons development programs without wading through the traditional budget and acquisition oversight process, according to a new legislative proposal sent to Congress.
The Defense Department is directing the military services to each identify $166.8 million in funding that can be reprogrammed to help pay for DOD’s continued support to the Department of Homeland Security at the southwest border, according to a new Pentagon document.
A think-tank commission composed of former high-level Pentagon officials has released a report intended to provide the Defense Department and Congress with actionable reforms meant to accelerate the adoption of innovative commercial technologies to compete with China.
The Defense Department has released new details about its plans to use "large lot procurement" to buy several missile systems that are slated for multiyear contracts and have been deemed critical to potentially aiding Taiwan in a possible conflict with China, according to budget documents submitted to Congress.
The Pentagon is preparing to move out on policy recommendations governing how defense contractors are paid, including revising progress payment rates for large companies that were made more generous at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a long-awaited financing study released today.
Inside the Pentagon, a small team of experts is preparing to brief Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on options for addressing the future of warfare amid rapid technological change, which could lead to the creation of a new “Joint Futures Command.”
Doug Beck, previously the vice president of Apple, has been named to be the next director of the Defense Innovation Unit, which will now report directly to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, according to a Pentagon announcement.
The Defense Department today announced a $2.6 billion security assistance package for Ukraine, including additional ammunition, artillery rounds, air defense interceptors and anti-armor systems as well as other weapons.