Friday, April 26, 2024
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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.
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.
The week ahead is quiet as the Thanksgiving holiday approaches.
Though the Defense Department failed to receive a “clean” opinion from auditors who examined more than $2.7 trillion in DOD assets, Pentagon officials say the historic undertaking has provided valuable information that will improve military readiness and cybersecurity.
The Defense Department plans to reduce the 7,200 U.S. troops in Africa by about 10 percent as part of a “realignment” of counterterrorism forces and a renewed focus on global competitions with China and Russia, according to an announcement from the Pentagon.
The Pentagon, as long expected, has failed its first-ever audit, according to Deputy Defense Secretary Pat Shanahan, who said the department is still making steady progress in business reforms.
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jim Inhofe (R-OK) today came out in favor of a $733 billion total defense topline, putting him at odds with the White House, which has directed the Pentagon to plan for a $700 billion topline.
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-TX) and Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), the panel's ranking Democrat, made new appointments today to the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence.
Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), expected to become the next chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said today he is considering negotiations with GOP defense hawks that could increase defense spending on conventional capabilities in exchange for cuts to the U.S. nuclear arsenal.
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis will travel to Texas tomorrow to meet with troops deployed along the southwest border, according to a statement from the Pentagon.
Congress returns this week to hold hearings on cyber issues, while senior Pentagon officials are scheduled to speak at several events around the Washington area.
Pentagon Chief Management Officer Jay Gibson has resigned, according to a Defense Department spokesman.
A large lobbying arm of the defense industry is posturing itself to oppose planned cuts to defense spending directed by the Trump administration and favored by some newly empowered Democrats.
Democrats reclaimed a majority in the House last night, ousting GOP committee chairmen from perches of influence and tightening the pressure on defense hawks who must now contend with a White House seeking new fiscal restraint and progressive-minded lawmakers ready to cut defense spending.
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-TX) and Ranking Member Adam Smith (D-WA) made appointments today to a new National Commission on Military Aviation Safety.