Pentagon
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Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel's decision to resign Monday has produced plenty of speculation about his successor. Military experts retired Maj. Gen. Arnold Punaro and Jim Thomas of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments said the new DoD secretary will likely lobby Congress for more money to deal with new threats.
November 26, 2014 -
Arlington County officials have transported an ill woman found Friday in a Pentagon parking lot to a local Virginia hospital. According to a DoD spokesperson, the woman told first responders she had recently traveled to Africa.
October 17, 2014 -
Congress has repeatedly tried to eliminate the problem of defense acquisition programs that cost more than they're supposed to and take too long to deliver. After several decades of attempts, it might be time to admit that lawmakers can't solve all of the Pentagon's purchasing problems. As part of our special report, The Missing Pieces of Procurement Reform, Federal News Radio's Jared Serbu explains.
October 16, 2014 -
The F-22 Raptor made its combat debut against the Islamic State in Syria this week. The F-22 project cost about $70 billion over a decade. The Pentagon expects the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter to be combat-ready in four years, and it's already the most expensive weapon system in Defense Department history. Cary Russell, director of Defense Capabilities and Management Issues at the Government Accountability Office, estimates the cost of running the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. He told In Depth with Francis Rose after DoD activates the F-35 for combat, the cost could reach about $1 trillion.
September 24, 2014 -
The Pentagon says it's time to trim down the size and the cost of its headquarters staff around the world. The Government Accountability Office says the size of the overall workforce at the Pentagon's combatant commands doubled over the past decade. Overall spending to support the command headquarters grew by almost $1 billion, too. John Pendleton is director of defense capabilities and management of the GAO. He explained DoD's reduction plan and recommended ways to shrink the workforce on In Depth with Francis Rose.
July 07, 2014 -
The Defense secretary issues specific directions to implement a 20 percent cutback in the size of his own sprawling support staff, including the elimination and consolidation of several senior positions. Gen. Martin Dempsey will deliver plans to cut the joint staff by 20 percent in the coming weeks, and all military organizations commanded by three or four star generals will do the same.
December 04, 2013 -
Civilian employees at the Defense Department will now face 11 days of furloughs beginning July 8. This is the second time the Pentagon has revised its furlough plan. Originally, the Pentagon called for 22 unpaid days off due to sequestration. That number was later reduced to 14. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel made the announcement today at a town hall meeting with employees in Virginia.
May 14, 2013 -
Outgoing Air Force Chief of Staff General Norton Schwartz, who retires in August, spoke to reporters during his last press conference at the Pentagon about the challenges facing the branch amid tensions with Congress and new geo-politics that pose security threats.
August 01, 2012 -
Pentagon study says coordination missing between the more than 200 programs devoted to brain injuries and psychological health.
November 15, 2011 -
Dogs that worked in Iraq and helped at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001, receive first-ever American Humane Association Hero Dog Awards.
November 07, 2011 -
Military health care premiums for retirees will be raised slightly starting Saturday and that more cost increases are on the way. According to the Associated Press, premiums haven\'t been raised since 1994 and still will be just a fraction of what civilians pay. Officials said Thursday that individual retirees will pay $260 annually, up from $230; and it will be $520 annually for a family, up from $460. Yearly hikes are expected in the future.
September 30, 2011 -
A 26-year-old Massachusetts man has been arrested and charged in connection with a plot to damage or destroy the Pentagon and U.S. Capitol. Rezwan Ferdaus, of Ashland, Mass. and a U.S. citizen, also was charged with attempting to provide material support and resources to a foreign terrorist organization -- specifically to al-Qaida -- in order to carry out attacks on U.S. soldiers stationed overseas.
September 30, 2011 -
Iraq is going to buy 18 F-16 warplanes from the U.S. This is a step forward in a still unclear discussion about what the U.S. role will be in Iraq after the U.S military drawdown is complete. U.S. military officials say Iraq is spending three billion dollars on the fighters. Iraqi and U.S. military officials contend that a more capable Air Force is a major priority. It\'s unclear yet whether the Lockheed Martin F-16s they are buying would be the standard A/B model or the more advanced C/D variant.
September 30, 2011 -
A former Marine accused of firing shots at the Pentagon, Marine Corps museum and other military buildings has been charged with damaging his jail cell in an apparent escape attempt. The Associated Press reports, Loudoun County sheriff\'s office says officials noticed damage Friday to a cinder block wall of Yonathan Melaku\'s holding cell. Officials say the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center is constructed as a maximum security facility.
September 30, 2011 -
The Moroccan government says an al-Qaida-linked cell planning attacks inside that country has been dismantled. Morocco has been has been left alone in recent years by Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, the North African branch of the terror network, but the latest arrests suggest the group is trying to work its way into the country of 32 million. A three-man group with connections to Al Qaida were arrested.
September 30, 2011