Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III outlined Dec. 4 the vital importance of U.S. defense investment keeping pace with that of China before issuing a statement warning that such competition would suffer “irreparable” damage if Congress opts for a yearlong continuing resolution, a real possibility ...
Budget


Budget
Winding down to the end of 2021 and looking forward to the year ahead gives us an opportunity to count our blessings and take note of what ails us.
Chronically high operating costs might be tamed with a new deal. A new sustainment contract between the F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) and Lockheed Martin, inked in September, will give the company a chance to bring down operating costs over the next three years.
Congress passed a continuing resolution shortly before 9:30 p.m. Dec. 2 to keep the government funded through Feb. 18, capping a hectic day on Capitol Hill. The deal to keep the government open didn’t come together until the morning of Dec. 2, when House Appropriations ...
With just a few days left until the current continuing resolution funding the government expires, the Department of the Air Force enumerated 16 new starts and four production increases that will be blocked until Congress appropriates money for the Pentagon's fiscal 2022 activities. Also stymied will ...
The Air Force needs to reconsider its plans to retire the MQ-9 Reaper by 2035, given the drone’s capabilities and potential uses when measured against financial constraints and mission demands, defense analysts from four different think tanks argued Nov. 19. Experts from the Mitchell Institute for ...
The Department of the Air Force once again failed its audit for fiscal 2021, but leaders say they’re making progress in cleaning up the department’s books, with hopes of a clean audit later this decade. The independent public accounting firm Ernst & Young identified 19 ...
After weeks of waiting, the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act is on the move in the Senate as Majority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) took action on the bill Nov. 15. The move comes after pressure from members of both parties in the House and ...
A complete change in leadership is coming for one of the most important committees in the Senate, a change that could have trickle-down effects for the defense subcommittee that wields major influence over the Pentagon’s budget. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) announced Nov. 15 that he ...