Budget pressure on the Department of Defense breeds uncertainty for the defense industrial base. The recent budget deal for fiscal 2014 and negotiations already under way for fiscal 2015 may ease that uncertainty a little. But companies want to know where the Pentagon is going and how they’ll be able to help. Elana Broitman, deputy assistant secretary of Defense for manufacturing and industrial base Policy, was Francis Rose’s guest on Pentagon Solutions.

Building a Defense strategy for the future includes balancing money and mission. Christine Fox is acting deputy secretary of Defense. She spoke at an event at the American Enterprise Institute this morning. She says preparing DoD for the future means looking at the resources it has now.

Jeh Johnson is wrapping up his first-ever hearing as Homeland Security Secretary before the House today. He testified before the House Homeland Security Committee. In his opening statement, he outlines the top priorities for his agency going forward.

The Internal Revenue Service has a long list of priorities on its fiscal 2014 calendar. John Koskinen, commissioner of the IRS, testified before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government.

Defense Department officials say the 2015 budget they’ll release next week won’t just be about reducing the size of the uniformed military. They will also propose “targeted” reductions to the civilian workforce, and cut the numbers of contractor employees. As Federal News Radio’s Jared Serbu reports, all three military departments say they’re mapping out ways to make do with less contractor support than they have right now.

The Defense Department is putting technology programs in a box-literally. DoD says it uses the IT box to make sure programs meet cost, schedule and performance goals. The box also keeps a focus on rapid and small increments. Federal News Radio executive editor Jason Miller is here with details on the IT box and other changes DoD is making to improve how it buys technology.