After more than 20 years of advocating for the U.S. Air Force, I continue to be surprised how the world’s most dominant air force has been taken for granted, and even ignored, in Washington, D.C. Congress remains fixated on shipbuilding, and the ground services dominate the military’s senior positions, policy […]
defense budget
13 posts
With the U.S. election around the corner and the economic impact of COVID-19 mounting, calls for defense spending cuts are on the rise. The practicality of reductions is questionable given the scale and scope of the threat environment, the reality that key elements of the military are decaying, and that […]
Unmanned maritime systems are increasingly allowing military and commercial users alike to go farther and deeper than ever before. Initially proven by the military for their dependability and reliability, they are now also disrupting the commercial sector and enabling applications from mapping to surveillance to port security. In recognition of […]
President John Adams once wrote: “National defense is one of the cardinal duties of a Statesman.” These words are as true now as they were when they were written in 1815. However, unlike in 1815, the weight of these words seems lost on some in Congress. As Congress moves forward […]
WASHINGTON — Elaine McCusker, who has been serving as the Pentagon’s acting comptroller for 18 months, has resigned, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper announced Tuesday. “Today Elaine McCusker submitted her resignation as Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) effective Friday, June 26, 2020,” Esper said in a statement. “Since joining […]
As the host of a national security podcast literally named “Things That Go Boom,” I spend a lot of my time thinking about what keeps us safe. And usually these thoughts are pretty focused on big, obvious threats — things like bombs. But with the world seemingly imploding, a global […]
The Pentagon has spent less than a quarter of the $10.6 billion Congress gave it in March to protect military personnel and marshal American industry to procure face masks, ventilators and other… Source link
Congress’ unprecedented fiscal response to COVID-19 has many in the defense community wondering whether belt tightening will hit the Pentagon. Source link
A study says Southeast Asian countries are cutting defense spending as a result of the economic crisis brought on by the coronavirus outbreak, potentially opening up room for China to further assert… Source link
More than two dozen Democrats are demanding that House Armed Services Committee leaders cut defense spending in the 2021 defense policy bill, citing the coronavirus pandemic. Source link
The Center for American Progress says $740 billion in planned defense spending is more than enough to cover military needs. Source link
“We have a lot of legacy programs out there right now. I could pick dozens out from all branches of the services. So that is where I would start,” said Secretary of Defense Mark Esper. Source link
Retired Air Force Col. Wesley Hallman is NDIA’s senior vice president of policy, spoke with Defense News about NDIA’s priorities as Congress mulls what to do after its third coronavirus response bill, Source link