Defense

  • Sergeant Major of the Army Daniel Dailey hopes improved recruitment and retention practices as well as a new evaluation system for non-commissioned officers will strengthen the ranks in the face of budget cuts.

    September 09, 2015
  • Three key elements comprise the Navy's latest efforts to recognize innovation in the Navy and Marine Corps. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus listed modernizing cash awards programs, creating innovation awards and exploring non-traditional incentives to encourage innovation. Marine Corps Maj. Armando Martinez of the Office of Strategy and Innovation in the Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of the Navy for Management tells In Depth with Francis Rose why the Navy's doing the awards program.

    September 09, 2015
  • The Army is instituting a new evaluation system for determining who gets promoted. It will start to use its new non-commmissioned officer evaluation report in 2016. The Army is fine-tuning the NCOER and training personnel on how to use it. Sgt. Maj. of the Army Dan Dailey joined In Depth with Francis Rose on Pentagon Solutions today. He explains why the Army decided the new evaluation system was necessary and why the new one will bring the Army better leadership.

    September 09, 2015
  • Frank Kendall, DoD’s undersecretary for acquisition, technology and logistics, clarifies new rules about public funding as the Pentagon begins investing in Silicon Valley.

    September 02, 2015
  • The Defense Department will test its new F-35 joint strike fighter against an aging A-10 Warthog starting in 2018. The Pentagon says it wants to see whether both jets can perform high-threat close air support. But Air Force Chief of Staff General Mark Welsh calls the testing a "silly exercise." Richard Aboulafia is vice president for analysis at the Teal Group Corporation. He tells In Depth with Francis Rose what the F-35 can do that the A-10 can't.

    September 01, 2015
  • The primary debate about the future of the Army right is how large or small it should be. But that's precisely the wrong debate given the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are still going. Retired Army Lt. Gen. James Dubik is former commander of the Multi-National Security Transition Command in Iraq, and is now senior fellow at the Institute of Land Warfare at the Association of the Army. He tells In Depth with Francis Rose that there are seven factors to consider before the war ends.

    August 28, 2015
  • The Army awarded the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle to Oshkosh. The contract could be worth as much as 30 billion dollars. The award is a blow to Lockheed Martin and AM General, the other bidders on the contract. James Tinsley is managing director at Avascent. He's been following the JLTV competition since the beginning and he tells In Depth with Francis Rose that the award to Oshkosh isn't a huge surprise.

    August 26, 2015
  • The Secretary of the Air Force and its Chief of Staff say a full year continuing resolution would have a significant impact on the service, particularly by slowing down or halting as many as 50 acquisition programs.

    August 26, 2015
  • The Air Force says the continuing resolution that’s becoming increasingly likely for the 2016 budget cycle would halt progress on dozens of weapons programs, and probably force it to cancel plans to build its military workforce in key areas. More from Federal News Radio’s DoD reporter Jared Serbu.

    August 25, 2015
  • Defense Department Comptroller Michael McCord sent a reprogramming request to Congress in July asking to move money around to help pay for identity protection and data breach services as well as higher costs for security clearance background investigations.

    August 25, 2015
  • The Defense Department is working on new training and guidance to help its contracting officers decide whether potential contracts are worth the price. The Government Accountability Office sampled 32 commercial contracts. DOD contracting officials asked for cost, pricing and other information to help them determine if contracts were reasonably priced for 12 of them. Bill Woods is director of acquisition and sourcing management issues at GAO. He said it's too early to say whether the Pentagon's training and guidance is working, but he tells In Depth with Francis Rose that contracting officers DO have some challenges.

    August 24, 2015
  • A new analysis from the federally-funded RAND Corporation shows “significant shortcomings” in the forces planned to meet three major defense missions under the military's plan to reduce the active duty Army to 450,000 soldiers.

    August 24, 2015
  • As the Army prepares to graduate the first two female Rangers in its history in a ceremony tomorrow, officials are insisting they did not alter their training standards to accommodate the Army’s first round of female students. But it’s still unclear whether those two new Rangers will ever be allowed to serve in direct ground combat. More from Federal News Radio DoD Reporter Jared Serbu.

    August 20, 2015

On DoD

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Each week, Defense Reporter Jared Serbu speaks with the managers of the federal government's largest department. Subscribe on PodcastOne or Apple Podcasts.