Mac Thornberry
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If Congress passes the defense acquisition reform bill, introduced by House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry this week, it won't be enought to fix the defense acqusition system. And he's the first to admit that. But the legislation does attempt to chip away at what Thornberry views as clear problems, including a lack of clear lines of authority, and too much paperwork. Beth McGrath, federal practice director of Deloitte and former deputy chief managment officer for the Defense Department, tells In Depth with guest host Jared Serbu what she thinks of the bill.
March 27, 2015 -
Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Mac Thornberry, wants to alter the chain of command in the defense acquisition reform process. But his reform bill also zeroes in on the Pentagon's IT acquisition process. Trey Hodgkins is senior vice president for public sector at the Information Technology Alliance for Public Sector. On In Depth with Francis Rose, he said those details of the bipartisan bill will help the Defense Department keep its technological edge.
March 26, 2015 -
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.
March 24, 2015 -
The chairman of the House Armed Services Committee says the defense reform legislation he'll introduce this week will include a focus on DoD's acquisition workforce and strengthening the place of program managers in the chain of command. Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) says Congress shouldn't try to fix the DoD procurement system all in one year, but it's time to get started. Federal News Radio DoD reporter Jared Serbu has the details.
March 23, 2015 -
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.
March 20, 2015 -
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.
January 29, 2015 -
Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas), incoming chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, says defense acquisition reform is an essential element of his agenda. But the approach will be slow and steady.
January 21, 2015 -
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.
January 20, 2015 -
Today's FEDtalk will feature a roundtable discussion of one of this year's hottest topics - acquisition reform. January 9, 2015
January 09, 2015 -
The size of DoD's civilian acquisition workforce has grown by some 20,000 employees over the past five years and now numbers about 135,000 personnel members, according to Stephanie Barna, acting assistant secretary of Defense for Readiness and Force Management. That's thanks to an effort by DoD begun in 2009 to recapitalize its acquisition workforce. But the department's focus on the acquisition workforce has been strained by a slew of competing priorities and congressionally-mandated belt-tightening, Barna said.
July 10, 2014 -
The House Armed Services Committee created a panel to figure out a way to reform the defense acquisition processes. Experts say reform may be difficult but it's also necessary given tight budgets and sequestration.
November 06, 2013 -
Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas), the chairman of the House GOP Cybersecurity Task Force, argues that the country's national security cannot afford a stalemate on cyber legislation. His column is part of Federal News Radio's special report, Cybersecurity Rising.
October 24, 2012 -
Two years after U.S. Cyber Command became operational, the military services that provide its cyber forces are beginning to more tightly define their respective responsibilities in the joint cyber environment. Gen. Keith Alexander issued a memo recently giving each of the services a lead cyber role for specific geographic areas of the world.
July 30, 2012 -
Despite a veto threat from the President, the House passed the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) Thursday , along with three other cybersecurity bills.
April 27, 2012 -
A House Republican task force says Congress should give companies incentives to boost their cybersecurity defenses, Reuters reports. Incentives could include tax breaks, regulatory relief and protection against lawsuits for companies that embrace certain cyber standards.
October 06, 2011