An independent commission to make recommendations about the restructuring of the Army isn't meeting with much welcome from Army leaders. But it does have some support. Retired Army Maj. Gen. Gus Hargett, president of the National Guard Association, is one of the most outspoken advocates for the outside commission. He told In Depth with Francis Rose the Army needs an outside look before it downsizes.
A group of functional domain experts are reaching out to the military services and agencies to look at service contracting spending across 12 areas. The Defense Department's goal is to use strategic sourcing to improve how it buys in these categories. The Army created a governance board to bring together all stakeholders during specific points of the acquisition process to find opportunities to collaborate.
The Defense Department's overall budget will shrink by a combined $900 billion by fiscal year 2021, according to Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno. He tells the Senate Armed Services Committee how the Army will absorb more than $260 billion in cuts during that span. On Pentagon Solutions, Odierno says the Pentagon is creating a Total Army Solution for the looming budget cuts.
A tight budget is forcing the Army to cut its ranks by at least 70,000 people over the next five years. The Army also has to let go of some weapons programs to keep its spending levels down. Those plans could come at the cost of military readiness.
The Army is the first service to begin an analysis of its excess real estate after a Congressional prohibition against even studying the subject expired. Early results show up to a quarter of its stateside infrastructure isn't being used right now, and the Army will need even less as it shrinks in size.
Lt. Gen Thomas Bostick, the Army Corps of Engineers' commanding general, talks about changes coming to the Corps as a result of the military and budget draw downs.
The Army has a wardrobe problem. For years, the service has tried to improve its camouflage uniforms. But the process has been plagued by financial, technical and political problems. While that project stalls, the Army's PEO Soldier Unit is developing armor, helmets and other equipment for warfighters. Col. Robert Mortlock, program manager for the Army's Soldier Protection and Individual Equipment office, spoke with the Federal Drive's Tom Temin and Emily Kopp about the latest efforts on the Army's wardrobe front.
Over the past 12 years, the Army Corps of Engineers has had a full plate — building new facilities for the last round of base realignments, dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and a lot of overseas construction in Iraq and Afghanistan. But as wars and military budgets draw down, it's time for the agency to reshape itself, says Lt. Gen. Thomas Bostick, the Corps' commanding general. He spoke with Federal News Radio DoD Reporter Jared Serbu. Hear Jared's full hour-long interview with Bostick, Weds. March 26 at 3p.m. Listen here.
The Pentagon will complete the Joint Regional Security Stacks in the European theater by the end of this year, two years earlier than planned. DoD already has begun to construct this regional cyber approach in the U.S. as part of its Joint Information Environment program.
An update about how robotic, unmanned vehicles will augment brigades of the future.
Lt. Col. Daniel Johnston, an Army physician and the program manager for Army Fit, talks to DoD Reporter Jared Serbu about the Army's technology platform that it hopes will take the service's comprehensive resilience effort further.
Military bases are earning the "green" title for doing their part to preserve and protect the environment. The Secretary of the Army Environmental Awards recognize bases that balance Army mission with sustainable practices.
The Army plans to release guidance by the end of March to transition vast repositories of data and processing capacity from Army-owned systems to joint DoD facilities by 2018. The service is on track to close 200 centers by 2015.
The Pentagon leverages the buying power of 2.6 million DoD personnel in the Air Force, Army and Defense Information Systems Agency in signing joint enterprise license agreement with CDW-G.
The Army's Rapid Equipping Force is unpacking the results of a new demonstration designed to crowdsource soldiers' top-priority battlefield needs.