Defense

  • On May 26, the Air Force certified Space X\'s Falcon Nine Launch System to carry out national security space missions. Space X, which was founded by Elon Musk, is now set to compete with Lockheed Martin and Boeing\'s United Launch Alliance for military space industry contracts. Bloomberg government senior defense analyst Rob Levinson joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive with more on how Space X is transitioning into the military launch market.

    June 15, 2015
  • Peter A. Morrison and the U.S. Navy Solid State Laser Team were recently named Service to America finalists for their work developing the LaWS weapons system for the Navy.

    June 12, 2015
  • The Air Force offers a third and final round of early retirement and buyout offers this fiscal year. The service said this time it\'s targeting civilian employees, mostly at Air Force headquarters.

    June 12, 2015
  • What if you\'re paying a fixed price for services, but the contractor starts to fall down on the job? That\'s what happened to the Army in Afghanistan. It hired a company called Mansoor International to provide trucking. Mansoor was paid a fixed price for each trip, but then things started to go wrong. Joe Petrillo, a partner at the law firm Petrillo and Powell, joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive for more on the case and the lessons learned we turn to procurement attorney Joe Petrillo, a partner at the law firm Petrillo and Powell.

    June 11, 2015
  • The Army is preparing for a more sustainable and adaptable force with the release of the Energy Security and Sustainability Strategy. The plan focuses on ways to optimize resource management and how a more careful use of energy, water and land can help the Army\'s mission. Katherine Hammack, the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy and the Environment, joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive with more information on the plan.

    June 11, 2015
  • Navy Secretary Ray Mabus told an audience at the GreenGov Symposium Wednesday his service would reach the goal of producing 1 gigawatt of renewable energy five years ahead of schedule.

    June 10, 2015
  • Brad Carson, DoD\'s new acting undersecretary for personnel and readiness has until August to deliver recommendations on how to revamp the military personnel system. But in public comments Tuesday, he suggested a major shakeup is in order.

    June 10, 2015
  • Our guest for this edition of On DoD is Vice Adm. Bill Moran, the Chief of Naval Personnel. He\'s a second-time guest: In September, he described his frustrations with the existing military personnel system and some of the ideas the Navy was exploring to remedy them.

    June 09, 2015
  • Secretary of the Army John McHugh notified President Barack Obama that he planned to step down no later than Nov. 1.

    June 08, 2015
  • More than 70 years have passed since the attack on Pearl Harbor, where more than 2,000 sailors and Marines lost their lives. Only 35 were properly identified; the rest were buried as unknowns. But the military wants to change that, and recently announced it plans to exhume and attempt to identify the rest. Dr. Deborah Prince Zinni is a forensic anthropologist and laboratory manager at the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. On the Federal Drive with Tom Temin, she tells Federal News Radio\'s Lauren Larson why they launched the recovery efforts now.

    June 05, 2015
  • Sotera Defense Systems President and CEO Deb Alderson sat with the Women of Washington radio show to discuss her career in defense, both inside the government and as a contractor.

    June 03, 2015
  • Naval warfighters have new technology now to help it face a growing body of new threats. Peter Morrison and his team built the laser weapons system. It\'s faster to install and safer and cheaper to use than other missiles. The Navy says each laser costs less than a dollar a shot. Morrison, a program officer for the Navy Department\'s Office of Naval Research, is a finalist for a Service to America medal in the national security and international affairs category. He tells In Depth with Francis Rose why the laser is different than other weapons systems.

    May 28, 2015
  • It was only a mile of fencing. The task order from the Army Corps of Engineers to Marcon Engineering looked straightforward: Build a section of barrier along the Mexican border. Then they started digging, and the project turned into a years-long legal battle. Eventually, a judge handed the government its head on a platter. Procurement attorney Joe Petrillo, a partner at the law firm Petrillo and Powell, joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive to review the facts and lessons learned from this case.

    May 28, 2015
  • More than summer road trips and barbecues, Memorial Day is a time to remember and honor. Senior Correspondent Mike Causey — and a former soldier with 30 years of service — reflect.

    May 25, 2015

On DoD

On DoD

WEDNESDAYS, 11 A.M. & 2 P.M.

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