Inside the Pentagon highlights

Some must-reads from this week’s issue of Inside the Pentagon:

1. 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 this week 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.


Full story: Mattis and GOP defense chairmen go to Trump for budget boost


2. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo this week formally announced that if Russia does not come back into compliance with the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, the United States would withdraw from the pact in 60 days.


Full story: Pompeo: U.S. to withdraw from INF Treaty in 60 days unless Russia complies

3. SIMI VALLEY, CA -- Defense Secretary Jim Mattis on Dec. 1 denounced a potential cut to the Pentagon's future funding, saying the Defense Department needs Congress' full financial support to meet the National Defense Strategy's goals.


Full story: Mattis: NDS priorities will flounder without military spending boost

4. MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA -- Three years after it launched as the Defense Department's conduit to Silicon Valley, the Defense Innovation Unit can now award contracts using its own other transaction authorities, rather than rely solely on service-led acquisition groups.

Full story: DIU now able to issue its own OTAs as it looks to tackle broader projects