Speaking to reporters after a visit to San Antonio’s Randolph Air Force Base on Saturday, President Bush again urged Congress to consider making the Pentagon the lead agency for relief operations at home whether a disaster is natural or manmade. Congress is doing that very thing, with reviews of legal precedents underway. However, a key question percolating around the Beltway and beyond, is how much can the US military take on? (DR, 09/22/05)
The emphasis on speed in the Pentagon’s newly unveiled slate of acquisition reforms may come with increased near-term cost increases, analysts say. But according to U.S. defense officials, the new weapons-buying construct provides the military with enough flexibility to prevent runaway budget overruns in major programs.
