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The Defense Department has a plan for improving and extending the live of its existing weapons system. It involves replacing microelectronic subassemblies, and DoD has set aside a lot of money for it. A new multiple award contract (MAC) worth billions is coming from the Defense Microelectronics Activity. Daniel Snyder, a contract specialist for Bloomberg Government, joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive with more on the MAC and DoD's plan.
He vows, "We will not do more with less. Those days are over." With the shadow of shutdown looming, the Commandant gave his State of the Coast Guard address this week. He said aging platforms and crumbling infrastructure threaten mission success. He also vowed to take decisive action to alleviate the strain. Adm. Paul Zukunft is the 25th Commandant of the Coast Guard, joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive to review the state of the Coast Guard.
Defense technology officials told House lawmakers that progress toward a Joint Information Environment would be delayed by two-to-three years if budget caps remain in place.
Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said he's open to considering changes to the retirement plans for members of the military. The military compensation and retirement modernization commission has submitted its recommendations to the the secretary's office. Retired Marine Lt. Gen. Jack Klimp is president and CEO of the National Association for Uniformed Services. On In Depth with Francis Rose, he said the commission's work may be a good starting point for the discussion.
The Defense Business Board said the Pentagon can reduce its spending by $125 billion by getting rid of contracts, offering early retirements and modernizing its business operations. The Board is looking specifically at large commercial firms like Lockheed Martin and Pepsi Co. as inspiration for how to modernize DoD's business portfolio. Steve Grundman is M.A. and George Lund Fellow at the Atlantic Council, and former DoD assistant secretary for industrial affairs and installations. On In Depth with Francis Rose, he said the Pentagon should be wary of following examples from those large firms.
Cyber challenges are more prevalent than ever. That's driving the need for more people with the professional skills necessary to prevent and mitigate attacks. To that end, the Army Reserve has launched a new partnership to build its network of cyber warriors. The program is designed to train soldiers in cyber warfare — for both the Reserve and private sector employers. Lt. Col. Scott Nelson is the Army Reserve's Cyber P3 Program Manager. He joined the Federal Drive with Tom Temin with more on how it all works.
Some members of Congress propose relying on special operations forces more as defense budgets shrink. But there is a reason special ops is called "special." Steve Bucci is director of the Douglas and Sarah Allison Center for Foreign and National Security Policy at the Heritage Foundation, former assistant deputy secretary of defense, and a retired Army Special Forces officer. He's one of the contributors to the new 2015 Index of U.S. Military Strength just out from the Heritage Foundation. His piece is titled "The Importance of Special Operations Forces Today and Going Forward." His piece includes five truths about special forces, and on In Depth with Francis Rose, he said he didn't make them up.
Chairman John McCain of the Senate Armed Services Committee says the Pentagon doesn't have a sequestration problem. Instead it has a spending problem. Bill Hartung is director of the Arms and Security Project at the Center for International Policy and author of the report "Promising the Sky: Pork Barrell Politics and the F-35." On In Depth with Francis Rose, he said the F-35 program is the perfect starting point for defense acquisition reform.
The Veterans Affairs Department is requesting $20 million in fiscal 2016 to move its appeals processes from a mix of paper and electronic processes to only electronic. The additional funding is part of VA's $4.13 billion IT request to Congress.
Bloomberg Government analysts Robert levinson and Cameron Leuthy join host Roger Waldron to to talk about what's in the fiscal year 2016 defense budget. February 24, 2015
Larry Allen, president of Allen Federal Business Partners, joins host Mark Amtower to discuss the top procurement issues in 2015, and how they are impacting contractors. February 23, 2015
One of the top priorities for Defense Secretary Ashton Carter is to transform the Defense Department into a better, and cheaper, version of itself. One proposal is to hand more responsibilities over to the private sector. Dan Goure is vice president of the Lexington Institute and former director of the Office of Strategic Competitiveness in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. On In Depth with Francis Rose, he said the private sector model is making a huge difference for the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defense.
FedBid and the Air Force came to an agreement to end the reverse auction company's stay from bidding on new contracts. FedBid must implement and maintain a code of business and ethics conduct program and have a third party report on its efforts for a year. Additionally, Ali Saadat, the founder and former CEO of FedBid, resigned on Feb. 5.
President Barack Obama's budget request included a small, $5 million item earmarked for a next-generation fighter. And while no one knows exactly what it'll be, it's meant to replace the F/A-18 Super Hornet and EA-18 Growler by 2030. Jerry Hendrix, a senior fellow and director of the Defense Strategies and Assessments Program at the Center for a New American Security, joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive with more on what exactly the new fighter will be capable of — and why it's needed.