Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said he thinks Congress should prioritize public health in the next economic stimulus bill to respond to the coronavirus pandemic instead of including more funds for defense, Defense News reported Wednesday.
“The defense [budget] bill last year was $738 billion. I’m not saying that there aren’t needs within the Department of Defense, I’m saying they have a lot of money and ought to spend that money to meet those needs,” Smith told reporters Wednesday during a teleconference.
His remarks come as DoD prepares its budget request in the next stimulus package. In early April, Congress approved an emergency relief measure that earmarked approximately $10.5B in funds for the Pentagon’s defense health initiatives and Tricare response efforts.
Related Articles
The U.S. Army has signed new rapid prototype other transactional authority, also known as OTA, agreements with General Dynamics Mission Systems and Pacific Defense to build a chassis that would enable soldiers to plug and play capabilities into military vehicles. Plug-and-Play Capabilities The technology is dubbed CMFF, which is short for Command, Control, Computers, Communications, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance/Electronic Warfare Modular Open Suite of Standards Mounted Form Factor. It offers both hardware and software designed to converge multiple legacy systems into one chassis in ground and aviation platforms. CMFF is equipped with power, networks and radio frequency to support
The United Kingdom’s National Cyber Security Centre, in partnership with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the FBI and other international partners, has published new joint guidance aimed at helping organizations secure their operational technology environments. The document, titled “Creating and Maintaining a Definitive View of Your Operational Technology Architecture,” builds on the recent Foundations for OT Cybersecurity: Asset Inventory Guidance and provides actionable steps to strengthen defenses against cyberthreats, CISA said. CISA is a DHS agency. Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 Homeland Security Summit offers an inside look at the latest programs, technologies and strategies shaping America’s defense against evolving
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has tapped Raytheon for a mission design and feasibility study on weather imagery capabilities under its Near Earth Orbit Network, or NEON, Stratus project. The company will conduct the Stratus critical design review study under an other transaction agreement NOAA signed with Raytheon valued about $5.9 million, the agency said Friday. Raytheon’s CDR study will focus on a U.S. Space Force design adapted to NOAA’s requirements for Stratus. Under NEON, low-Earth orbit environmental satellites will be launched for weather forecasting, environmental observation and public safety. The program also seeks to demonstrate faster data delivery