Defense

  • The Air Force awarded a contract worth nearly half a billion dollars to 22 companies under its Agile Acquisition program. The work is based at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. Jonathan Cansdale and Capt. Toshiro Toyama are contracting officers in the Air Force Lifecycle Management Center at Eglin. As part of Pentagon Solutions, they told In Depth with Francis Rose about the details of the contract. Cansdale described the parameters of the contract that make it agile

    September 16, 2015
  • The Information Technology Box is the Army's new method of procuring cyber solutions quickly. The Army will use it to procure tools to support defensive cyber operations like sensors and analytics. But the box itself isn't new. Kevin Fahey, executive director of the System of Systems Engineering and Integration Directorate in the office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology, joined In Depth with Francis Rose on Pentagon Solutions. Fahey said DoD first used the IT box construct around 2008.

    September 16, 2015
  • Secretary John McHugh said an impending budget showdown coupled with a reduction in forces could have a serious impact on the Army's readiness.

    September 15, 2015
  • The ‘should schedule’ program will work in conjunction with the ‘should cost’ effort to incentivize industry to perform better.

    September 14, 2015
  • The Air Force's Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance division supplies information through a mix of aircraft, satellite, computer technology and human analysis to help the Air Force stay at the top of its game. Members of the ISR, now the 25th Air Force, are at the Air Force Association's Air and Space Conference to tell the rest of the service more about themselves. Three of them joined anchor Emily Kopp on In Depth with Francis Rose -- Maj. Christina Sheets, Air Force foreign policy fellow; Technical Sgt. John Sims, imagery analyst; and Staff Sgt. Anthony Adams, special equipment operator. View a photo gallery and all of our coverage from the AFA Air and Space Conference.

    September 14, 2015
  • The Air Force is the smallest and oldest it has ever been. Air Force leaders say it's "too small." But a plan to add troops soon looks more and more unlikely given that Congress hasn't passed a budget yet for the fiscal year that begins in October. Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James joined Emily Kopp on In Depth with Francis Rose at the Air Force Association's Air and Space Conference to discuss the Air Force's financial concerns and much more.

    September 14, 2015
  • Out of the nearly quarter-million enlisted personnel in the Air Force, 12 are named Outstanding Airmen of the Year. They show leadership and care for their communities. Two of them spoke with Emily Kopp at the Air Force Association's Air and Space Conference. Tech. Sgt. Tamara Acfalle teaches at the Patrick Air Force Base Airman Leadership School in Florida. Master Sgt. Joseph Bogdan is the superintendent for the Airman and Family Readiness Center at Travis Air Force Base in California.

    September 14, 2015
  • The story of Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell's rescue in the hills of Afghanistan is one of the most famous moments of the recent war. Luttrell's teammates died in a battle that started after they refused to kill three goat herders. Now, in addition to a book and a movie, there is a painting to commemorate the battle. Emily Kopp is at the Air Force Association's Air and Space Conference with the artist, Maj. Warren Neary and someone who knows the subject of this painting well, Lt. Col. Jeff "Spanky" Peterson.

    September 14, 2015
  • Federal News Radio anchor Emily Kopp broadcasts live from the 2015 Air Force Association Air & Space Conference and Technology Exposition on Monday morning, Sept. 14, 2015, at the National Harbor, Maryland. Among her guests are Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James.

    September 14, 2015
  • A new excitement surrounding aerospace is one top outcome the Air Force Association wants from this year's 2015 Air and Space Conference and Technology Exposition. Retired Maj. Gen. Mark Barrett is executive vice president of the Air Force Association. Barrett says the theme this year's conference is "reinventing the aerospace nation."

    September 14, 2015
  • The Navy Sports Magazine Show features in-depth interviews and features on Navy's teams, athletes and coaches. The 30-minute show airs weekly from September to May.

    September 11, 2015
  • The Pentagon wants to develop electronic components that bend. And it's partnered with Silicon Valley to do it. Defense Secretary Ash Carter recently pledged $75 million in funding for a new research institute, whose goal is to develop flexible hybrid electronics. The San Jose-based Flex Tech Alliance will run that institute. Malcolm Thompson is the Alliance's new executive director designate, overseeing the Flexible Hybrid Electronics Manufacturing Innovation Institute. He told the Federal Drive with Tom Temin more about the Alliance and the technology it's developing.

    September 11, 2015
  • Army officials said Thursday that they would conduct what amounts to an about-face on a 2013 decision which turned over the management of the service’s childcare assistance program to the General Services Administration.

    September 11, 2015
  • The Pentagon plans to replace most of its aging Humvee fleet with a new generation, dubbed the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle. JLTV is designed to provide more protection against roadside bombs and mines than Humvees. DoD recently awarded a $6.7 billion contract to the Wisconsin-based Oshkosh Corporation. James Tinsley is the Managing Director at Avascent, which advised Oshkosh. He tells the Federal Drive with Tom Temin more on how the Army's contracting methodology might apply to other DoD platforms.

    September 10, 2015

On DoD

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.