Senate Armed Services Committee

Federal News Radio’s DoD Reporter Jared Serbu offers news tidbits and buzz about the Defense Department.

DoD’s cost savings proposals for 2015 and beyond include something for every lawmaker to hate. The process of selling the budget on Capitol Hill officially kicked off Wednesday, and the reception was not exceptionally warm.

The Pentagon is implementing most of the recommendations it made in 2010’s Section 804 report to Congress. Katrina McFarland, DoD’s assistant secretary for acquisition, said initial results of the change are promising. But an upcoming GAO report is expected to show DoD has a long way to go to move toward an agile, incremental approach to IT systems development.

Experts offer advice to small firms at the AFCEA NOVA event Tuesday to prosper in the federal marketplace.

The annual policy legislation also doesn’t merge the DoD CIO and deputy chief management officer.

Jamie Morin, the outgoing comptroller and President Barack Obama’s nominee to be DoD’s second director of Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation office, told lawmakers Thursday that the Air Force would struggle to meet the 2014 financial management deadline. Jo Ann Rooney, the nominee to be undersecretary of the Navy, said furloughs from sequestration and the government shutdown have delayed progress on several programs.

Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) has put confirmation of Deborah Lee James on hold until she gets answers about possible cuts to the A-10 Thunderbolt attack fighter fleet.

FDIC IG Jon Rymer said if confirmed, sexual assault and suicide prevention will be top priorities.

FDIC IG Jon Rymer said if confirmed sexual assault and suicide prevention will be top priorities.

The military’s two top ranking officers said in a Senate confirmation hearing that the department has been working on the plan for the past two weeks and should complete it by October.