Defense

• Congress unveils details of massive $1.4T omnibus spending package

  The $1.4 trillion omnibus spending package is packed with provisions that set spending and policy priorities for a variety of federal agencies in 2021. 

  Budget

  December 21, 2020
• How DoD trains the industrial base to fit its needs

  Defense Department planners know they can't succeed with a technological edge over enemies, unless the U.S. industrial base can design and build things the military needs.

  Defense

  December 21, 2020
• DoD, Microsoft ask court to dismiss Amazon’s political bias claims in JEDI case

  Lawyers for Microsoft and the government are asking a federal court to dismiss key portions of Amazon’s lawsuit over the Defense Department’s JEDI Cloud contract, in a nutshell, because the claims in question were raised too late to be legally viable.

  DoD Reporter's Notebook

  December 21, 2020
• Pentagon sees JADC2 and new data strategy as inextricably linked

  JADC2 is "at the heart" of the first-ever data strategy DoD published in October, according to the Pentagon official who led the strategy's development.

  Defense

  December 18, 2020
• Judge sides with Navy in latest challenge to $7.7 billion NGEN contract

  The court decision likely paves the way for the Navy to transition to the new NGEN contract, though Perspecta may still take its case to an appellate court.

  Navy

  December 18, 2020
• Pentagon memo maps out plan to expand diversity in the force

  The Pentagon has endorsed a new slate of initiatives to expand diversity within the ranks and reduce prejudice, including in recruiting, retention and professional development across the force

  Defense

  December 18, 2020
• Defense companies asking for leeway with CMMC compliance

  Affected companies, and that's thousands of them, are still assessing rules that came out in September for the Defense Department's Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program.

  Contracting

  December 18, 2020
• How the Navy is evolving digitally

  The Navy is becoming ever more digital as information warfare, cybersecurity, and command and control become data driven activities.

  Navy

  December 18, 2020
• SolarWinds breach raises stakes for NDAA Trump still threatens to veto

  The Cyberspace Solarium Commission's leadership said the SolarWinds breach has further raised the stakes for the National Defense Authorization Act that President Donald Trump has threatened to veto.

  Cybersecurity

  December 17, 2020
• When fixing Navy readiness problems, money helps. But so does data.

  The Navy is using the commercially-developed concept of reliability control boards, plus data analytics and artificial intelligence to help determine the root causes of its aviation readiness challenges.

  On DoD

  December 17, 2020
• Air Force cuts number of occupations available for reenlistment bonuses as retention flourishes

  The service dropped nearly half of the occupations from its reenlistment bonus list for 2021.

  Air Force

  December 16, 2020
• How USO still hopes to help service members during a pandemic

  The United Service Organizations have received a $3 million grant from the Lilly Endowment to support its Combat COVID-19 initiative.

  Defense

  December 16, 2020
• ODNI asks White House to undo ‘overcomplicated’ system for sensitive records

  Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe has asked the White House to repeal an Obama-era executive order putting controlled unclassified information requirements in place.

  Agency Oversight

  December 16, 2020
• Pentagon reveals first contracts to serve as pathfinders for CMMC

  The department is only naming seven upcoming procurements as candidates for the CMMC pilot program for the moment, but says more could be announced in the coming weeks.

  Defense

  December 15, 2020