Defense
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Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois has asked Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel to review a program that provides high-powered rifles and other surplus military equipment to civilian police departments across the country. The Senate's second ranking Democrat on Friday said he has long been concerned about their use of military equipment and military-style tactics by local police departments. He said the fatal shooting of unarmed teenager Michael Brown by a Ferguson, Missouri, police officer gives "new urgency" to a review of the Pentagon program.
September 08, 2014 -
An analysis from the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments says the Defense Department will need between $200 billion to $300 billion more than budget caps allow to move forward with its current strategy.
September 08, 2014 -
The Pentagon says it will consider upgrading discharges to Vietnam-era veterans who received other than honorable discharges, and can show proof of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Proving their cases could get tricky though. PTSD wasn't an official medical diagnosis until the 1980s and many records have been destroyed. But the Pentagon has promised liberal consideration. The guidance comes after a lawsuit earlier this year from a group of veterans who claim their applications for discharge upgrade were wrongfully denied. Tom Berger is executive director of the Veterans Health Council at the Vietnam Veterans of America. He joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive to discuss the new the effort.
September 08, 2014 -
The Navy has made an important step in advancing its aerial strike and surveillance technology. It's found a way to blend unmanned and manned jets on the same aircraft carrier. Aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt off of the Virginia coast, the Navy successfully completed a test. A self-guided plane took off, landed and then maneuvered out of the way for a manned jet to land. Rear Adm. Mat Winter is the program executive for Unmanned Aviation and Strike Weapons at Naval Air Systems Command. He joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive to explain why the test runs are important to the Navy.
September 08, 2014 -
The Pentagon issued a handful of directives in August designed to reverse the trend in its contract competition rate, which has slipped from 64 percent in 2008 to 56.5 percent in the third quarter of 2014. A preliminary analysis shows most of the opportunity for improvement is in service contracting.
September 08, 2014 -
The Defense Health Agency is conducting market research in advance of a planned RFP for a 10-year, $20 billion IT services and support contract. It's possible that vendors will be added to the contract without a formal source selection process.
September 05, 2014 -
Secretary Hagel met Thursday with Ukraine Minister of Defense Colonel General Valeriy Heletey to discuss the ongoing security situation in Ukraine. The two leaders spoke on the sidelines of the NATO Summit in Wales. Hagel praised the actions of the Ukrainian armed forces in their current engagements in Eastern Ukraine and pledged continued U.S. support for their efforts. Minister Heletey thanked Secretary Hagel for that support, which includes millions of dollars of non-lethal material and assistance.
September 05, 2014 -
U.S. surveillance flights are buzzed by Chinese fighter jets armed to the teeth. The Air Force conducts more than 150 bombing raids on the ISIS army in Iraq. President Barack Obama sends 1,000 troops to protect the embassy in Baghdad. NATO leaders wonder if they'll have to mobilize to defend against Russian aggression. Everywhere you look, there's military activity or the potential for more of it. How does all this play out when the U.S. defense budget is flat or shrinking? And the military's technical leadership eroding? Todd Harrison, senior fellow for Defense Budget Studies at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessment, joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive with answers. Read the related story.
September 05, 2014 -
The Defense Health Agency is nearing its one year anniversary. Its officials say they're serious about finding the savings they promised through the reorganization of DoD's healthcare activities. One way they hope to save money is through more strategic sourcing. As Federal News Radio's Jared Serbu reports, that includes a new multiple award contract for IT services. Read Jared's related story.
September 05, 2014 -
The Navy has built an unmanned undersea vehicle that mimics the motions of the fish it resembles. The robotic fish is packed with acoustic sensors and cameras. Navy developers hope it will carry out a range full of missions like undersea mine detection or prolonged surveillance of ships, ports and submarines. Capt. Jim Loper is the concepts and innovation department head at the Navy Warfare Development Command in Norfolk, Virginia. He joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive with details on Robo Tuna.
September 04, 2014 -
The Defense Department is rolling out a series of initiatives that it says will respond to a problem its leaders have been worried about for years. The U.S. military still has the best technology in the world, but that advantage is shrinking fast. It's got DoD leaders alarmed. Federal News Radio's Jared Serbu reports. Read Jared's related article.
September 04, 2014 -
The U.S. and its allies have dominated the military technology landscape for decades, but the Defense Department now sees potential adversaries in its rearview mirror. The Pentagon is coming up with some coping strategies to maintain its technological advantage, including version 3 of Better Buying Power.
September 04, 2014 -
Standing in Estonia on Russia's doorstep, President Barack Obama says, "this is a moment of testing" for the Western alliance to stand up to the Kremlin. This came as the Pentagon announced that 200 U.S. soldiers would participate in an exercise in western Ukraine starting next week. It's symbolic, but the message is strong. It's the first time American ground troops have been in Ukraine since the crisis began.
September 03, 2014 -
Western allies have approved plans to position at least 4,000 troops and military equipment in Eastern Europe, increasing NATO's security commitments to jittery member states near the Russian border. This come just as an important NATO summit that begins Thursday. President Barack Obama will be there and will visit Estonia for meetings with Baltic leaders.
September 03, 2014 -
Both the Army and Air National Guard say they are making inroads toward gaining a foothold for their state-based forces in the Defense Department's growing mission sets in cyberspace. Both services say they are training more personnel and building the guard's credibility within the Pentagon when it comes to cyber missions.
September 03, 2014