The Defense Department is conducting a study that looks at pairing the agency with industry to manufacture trusted microelectronics.
The annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) Congress sent to President Barack Obama on Tuesday contains nearly 100 separate provisions intended to reform the Defense Department's acquisition system. But that’s just the start, say Capitol Hill’s top two Defense legislators.
Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said Wednesday that he has advised President Barack Obama to veto the Defense Authorization bill Congress will vote on later this week for several reasons.
The Defense Authorization Act will expand milestone decision authority for military service chiefs, it just has to get past President Obama first.
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said he thinks negotiators from the House Armed Services Committee and his committee will wrap up their discussions within the next week or so. Language on defense procurement in both bills is part of the negotiation going on right now between the two committees. Jon Etherton, principal of Etherton & Associates, explains the similarities and differences in the two bills on In Depth with Francis Rose.
The Defense Department's inspector general has reversed its findings on the Marine Corps' 2012 schedule of budgetary activity, saying the clean opinion it first issued is no longer to be relied upon. The 2012 SBA had been the first successful financial audit for any of the military departments.
Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas), the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said the acquisition proposals he will release on Wednesday are merely a discussion draft and he's actively seeking more input. Initial language would boost program managers' roles in the system and shave reporting requirements.
Pentagon officials are adamant that sequestration-level spending is incompatible with the current Defense strategy. But, they also have serious concerns with the plan House Republicans released this week to boost Defense funding, saying it would limit their options and keep the military in a state of budget uncertainty.
The Defense Business Board outlines three approaches for the Pentagon to save $125 billion across six administrative areas. Defense Deputy Secretary Bob Work said the 90-day study will help his department improve productivity as sequestration looms.
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.
Frank Kendall, the undersecretary of Defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, told the House Armed Services Committee that a bunch of incremental changes could help DoD find success with its acquisitions more often. The seven legislative proposals address redundant documents and processes that the military needs help from Congress to get rid of and give program managers more time.
Both the House and Senate Armed Services committees are setting their hearing agendas for the 114th Congress. Both have new leaders, but many of the problems they'll deal with have been around for a long time. On In Depth with Francis Rose, Chairman Randy Forbes (R-Va.) of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces says carrying momentum into future Congresses could be one of the most important achievements of this Congress.
The new chairman of the House Armed Services Committee says defense procurement reform is near the top of his agenda for the new Congress -- but don't expect things to change overnight. Federal News Radio DoD Reporter Jared Serbu says it's likely to be a multi-year affair.
Sequestration, cyber attacks and terrorism are just a few of the concerns that top the list for the 114th Congress. In anticipation of tonight's State of the Union address, the American Enterprise Institute will hold a "congressional roadmap for rebuilding our nation's military" at 10 a.m. Former Sen. Jim Talent is an AEI senior fellow; Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) is chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. They joined Emily Kopp on the Federal Drive with a sneak peak at the event.
President Barack Obama signed the 2015 National Defense Authorization Act deal Friday. The House and Senate Armed Services Committees arrived at a compromise over troop benefits in the fiscal year 2015 National Defense Authorization Act that will give soldiers a 1 percent pay raise, as well as a $3 increase in most prescription co-pays. House Armed Services Committee chairman Rep. Buck McKeon (R-Calif.) released a summary of the ups and downs of this fiscal year's $585 billion NDAA, expected to be finalized before Congress leaves for the holidays.