The House Armed Services Committee is forming a special bipartisan panel to address the ongoing challenge of financial management in the Defense Department, announced Rep. Buck McKeon (R-Calif.), committee chairman, and Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), ranking member, Tuesday. Leading this effort will be Rep. Mike Conaway (R-Tex.) and Rep. Rob Andrews (D-N.J.). “In these difficult fiscal times, making every penny in the defense budget count must be a top national security priority,” said Conaway. Andrews added, “Improving accountability and reducing waste within the DOD will save taxpayers money and it is essential to reducing our deficit.” Among the topics that the panel will explore will be the Pentagon’s ability “to identify efficiencies and waste utilizing financial management systems,” according to the McKeon-Smith release.
The Space Development Agency says it’s on track to issue its next batch of missile warning and tracking satellite contracts this month after those awards were delayed by the Pentagon’s decision to divert funds from the agency to pay troops during this fall’s prolonged government shutdown.
