Defense Department
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The Obama Administration has waited until now to submit its overseas contingency operations budget to Congress. That's because the President had yet to determine how many troops would stay in Afghanistan. Now, the request for fiscal 2015 is $58.6 billion. Federal News Radio's DoD Reporter Jared Serbu told Emily Kopp on the Federal Drive that the Pentagon's request is well below what many observers had expected. Read Jared's related article.
July 01, 2014 -
For a lot of people, the Cold War seems almost like a surreal event. But for decades, it was a very real, at times very hot, war. And there are probably some people in your office who are bona fide cold warriors, like today's guest columnist.
July 01, 2014 -
The latest check on the Defense Department's push to full audit readiness uncovers a domino effect of problems. The Government Accountability Office says DoD didn't follow a plan to improve how it tracks contract payments. Asif Khan is Director of Financial Management and Assurance Issues at the GAO. Khan told In Depth with Francis Rose that because the Pentagon missed some steps of the plan, it's dealing with even more problems that could keep the agency from meeting an important deadline.
June 30, 2014 -
The House and Senate Armed Services Committees are trying to pay close attention to defense acquisition reform. Dave Wennergren is senior vice president of technology policy at the Professional Services Council and the Pentagon's former chief information officer. Beth McGrath is director of Deloitte Federal Practice and the Defense Department's former deputy chief management officer. They joined on In Depth with Francis Rose to discuss acquisition reform.
June 30, 2014 -
The shrinking Defense Department budget has the Pentagon looking for alternatives to fund its most expensive program. The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Program has faced years of delays and skyrocketing costs. Now, the Pentagon has a new strategy to control the F-35's bottom line. It is asking the builders to put skin in the game. Lt. Gen. Christopher Bogdan is the F-35 program director. He described the F-35's progress as slow but steady, when he joined Tom Temin and Emily Kopp on the Federal Drive.
June 30, 2014 -
The Defense Department's request for its overseas contingency operations is about $20 billion less than initial estimates. Former Defense officials say realistic goals and managed expectations usually spelled success for weapons systems.
June 30, 2014 -
Army Corps of Engineers faces billions of dollars in backlogged projects. With little hope of additional funding from Congress, officials are looking for alternative ways to finance the public infrastructure they're charged with maintaining.
June 27, 2014 -
The head of the Army Corps of Engineers says the nationwide network of civil works infrastructure his agency manages is falling apart. The Corps doesn't have enough money coming from Congress to fix the problems, so it's looking for new ways to pay for the work it needs to do. Federal News Radio's DoD Reporter Jared Serbu has the details. Read Jared's related article.
June 26, 2014 -
The White House wants $60 billion for the Pentagon's overseas contingency operations in fiscal 2015. Defense News reports the President's OCO budget has an extra $5 billion request for a new counterterrorism fund, too. Over the next few days, Capitol Hill will host a number of defense officials to make their cases for some specific programs. Roger Zakheim is counsel for Covington and Burling, and former deputy staff director of the House Armed Services Committee. He wrote about the relationship between the White House and Congress when it comes to defense budget planning. He shared his thoughts on In Depth with Francis Rose.
June 26, 2014 -
After a failed attempt to build a shared system with VA, the Defense Department is in a hurry to replace its aging health IT system. DoD says the final product will be an off-the-shelf commercial solution with as few changes as possible.
June 26, 2014 -
The Defense Intelligence Agency will inaugurate its new Open Innovation Gateway on Wednesday, as part of its strategy to bring new technologies into the intelligence community from non-traditional vendors, and to buy new capabilities within weeks instead of years.
June 25, 2014 -
Pentagon's most senior contract policy official is set to retire soon, but schedule is uncertain.
June 25, 2014 -
Terrorists in the Middle East are using weapons, supplies, and even new technology made in the United States in their attacks on Iraqi cities and elsewhere. David Olive is a principal of Catalyst Partners and a writer for the Security Debrief blog. He said on In Depth with Francis Rose, they're even using a brand new drug the Food and Drug Administration just approved for military use in April, and it's calling into question the security of the military supply chain.
June 23, 2014 -
The Defense Department's showing negative side effects from a rough transition to a new healthcare contractor in the western United States. Those side effects are because of a 21-billion dollar contract award to a healthcare administration company new to the TRICARE system. Debra Draper is director of health care issues at the Government Accountability Office. She said on In Depth with Francis Rose that cost overruns and healthcare delays are cropping up because TRICARE management didn't pay close enough attention to the company's transition process.
June 23, 2014 -
The Pentagon says it's making a $9 billion investment over the next five years to minimize how much diesel and jet fuel it needs for combat operations. But DoD's consumption is still expected to rise over the next half decade because of new energy hungry technologies like the F-35 and Littoral Combat Ship. Sharon Burke, senior fellow for the International Security Program at New America Foundation, is also former assistant secretary of Defense for Operational Energy Plans and Programs. In a recent article for Foreign Affairs, she argues DoD's energy appetite isn't just a budget concern. She said on In Depth with Jared Serbu it's increasingly going to challenge the military's ability to perform its missions.
June 19, 2014