Tuesday, April 23, 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.
President Trump has now heard from a long line of Pentagon and Capitol Hill officials urging him to halt a $33 billion defense budget cut being contemplated by the Office of Management and Budget, including Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jim Inhofe (R-OK), who said he is optimistic that Trump understands the position of GOP defense hawks.
The Air Force Force is recommending Congress use supplemental funds to rebuild Tyndall Air Force Base, FL, in the wake of Hurricane Michael so it can become home to three F-35 Joint Strike Fighter squadrons.
Dozens of Republican House lawmakers led by Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH) are drafting a letter to President Trump urging him to support a $733 billion defense budget, rather than the $700 billion being considered by the Office of Management and Budget.
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jim Inhofe (R-OK) said today he used a recent White House meeting with President Trump, Vice President Pence and national security adviser John Bolton to urge the administration to forgo a planned $33 billion cut to defense spending.
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis accompanied Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jim Inhofe (R-OK) and House counterpart Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX) to the White House today to convince President Trump the new defense budget must be at least $733 billion, rather than the $700 billion being floated by the Office of Management and Budget, according to officials with knowledge of the meeting.
Military officials nominated to run U.S. Central and Special Operations commands said today that at least $733 billion is necessary to implement the National Defense Strategy, an assertion that aligns them with GOP defense hawks, but runs counter to the White House's position that a $700 billion budget should be considered.
President Trump, despite lobbying for and touting a major military buildup, tweeted this morning that the $716 billion the United States spends on defense is “crazy,” and said he wants to work with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping to bring a "meaningful halt" to an "uncontrollable arms race."
Senior Pentagon officials are scheduled to speak at a variety of congressional hearings and think tanks around Washington this week, while federal agencies are closed Wednesday to mark the funeral of former President George H. W. Bush. (UPDATED)
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis today came out against efforts to cut the defense budget, aligning himself with GOP defense hawks in Congress and against the White House Office of Management and Budget, which is eyeing a $33 billion reduction.
The Defense Department intends to keep troops on the southwestern border in support of the Department of Homeland Security through Jan. 31, 2019, according to a statement from the Pentagon.
Republican chairmen of the House and Senate Armed Services committees used an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal today to send a message to President Trump, arguing he should submit a $733 billion defense budget in February, not the $700 billion version Pentagon officials say they have been directed to write by the White House.
The Government Accountability Office sustained 15 percent of all contract bid protests in fiscal year 2018, down from 17 percent in FY-17 and 23 percent in FY-16, according to an annual report from the watchdog agency.
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis today advised U.S. senators in a closed-door meeting to continue military support and the sale of weapons to Saudi Arabia, despite the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, noting that "we are seldom free to work with unblemished partners."
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jim Inhofe (R-OK) shared an ambitious list of priorities for the coming year with Inside Defense, focusing on his plans to outflank Democrats (and buck the White House) to increase defense spending. The story is now free to all.
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jim Inhofe (R-OK) has an ambitious list of priorities all built around a central line of effort -- increasing the defense budget, despite newly empowered Democrats and a White House looking for spending cuts to offset skyrocketing deficits.
The opening bell has officially rung in Washington's latest round of arguments over national defense spending.
Senior Pentagon officials will appear before Congress and elsewhere around the Washington area this week, while the Credit Suisse conference gets underway in Palm Beach.
The Pentagon has spent about $72 million to send 5,900 active-duty troops to the southwestern border, but the total price tag for the operation could still grow, according to a Defense Department spokesman.
President Trump today warned Congress against canceling proposed arms deals with Saudi Arabia, despite the highly publicized murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, saying Russia and China would benefit from the resulting sales vacuum.
The Pentagon is preparing a smaller budget following the wishes of the White House, but senior officials -- as well as GOP defense hawks -- hope to convince President Trump to approve additional spending, despite his administration's new taste for fiscal restraint.