Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain (R-Arizona) has released a white paper that seeks to propose a base budget of $640 billion for the Defense Department and $60 billion in overseas contingency operations funds for fiscal year 2018, the Washington Examiner reported Monday. David Brown and Jacqueline Klimas write McCain’s …
Read More »Sen. John McCain Issues Statement on F-35 Program Schedule Delay, Cost Overrun
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain (R-Arizona) has said his committee will continue to prioritize efforts to streamline the defense acquisition process in response to updates provided by the Defense Department on the F-35 fighter jet program. Pentagon acquisition chief Frank Kendall said in a Dec. 19 response letter to …
Read More »Sen. John McCain: Senate Armed Services Committee to Draft Cyber Policy Bill
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain (R-Arizona) has said SASC will create a bill that would require President-elect Donald Trump’s administration to draft a cybersecurity policy and strategy in response to Russia’s cyber hacking operations during the 2016 presidential elections, Defense News reported Thursday. Joe Gould writes McCain noted that …
Read More »Lt. Gen. Christopher Bogdan: F-35 JPO Eyes Follow-On Modernization Funds to Support Extended Flight Tests
Pentagon acquisition chief Frank Kendall is set to inform Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain (R-Arizona) through a letter that developmental test flights for the Lockheed Martin-built F-35 fighter aircraft could extend to May 2018 from October 2017, Defense News reported Monday. Air Force Lt. Gen. Christopher Bogdan, head of the F-35 joint program …
Read More »James Mattis Shortlisted for Defense Secretary Post
James Mattis, retired U.S. Marine Corps general, is among the top candidates as the next defense secretary under president-elect Donald Trump’s incoming administration, CNN reported Monday. The channel noted that the National Defense Authorization Act will prevent Mattis from an immediate appointment to the defense secretary position unless he receives a …
Read More »Defense News: Sen. John McCain Plans to Block Cybercom-NSA Separation Efforts
Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona) has said he will block efforts to change the current dual-hat leadership structure for the National Security Agency and the U.S. Cyber Command, Defense News reported Tuesday. Joe Gould writes the Senate Armed Services Committee chair vowed to oppose the White House’s nomination of any official to lead …
Read More »Report: Former CIA Chief James Woolsey to Serve as Donald Trump’s Senior National Security Adviser
James Woolsey, former CIA director during President Bill Clinton’s administration, has joined Donald Trump’s presidential campaign to serve as senior adviser on national security, intelligence and defense, Politico reported Monday. Brianna Ehley writes Woolsey cited Trump’s proposal to lift defense budget caps as the reason behind his decision to join …
Read More »Reports: Pentagon Lays Down Strategy to Undermine Paul Ryan’s Defense Spending Plan
The Defense Department plans to hinder the fiscal year 2017 defense spending plan proposed by House Majority Leader Paul Ryan through a set of strategies outlined in an internal strategy memo, Defense News reported Tuesday. Joe Gould writes the May 13 memo uncovered Pentagon’s plan to tap lawmakers to vote …
Read More »Report: Ashton Carter to Support Presidential Veto of 2017 NDAA
Defense Secretary Ashton Carter told Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain (R-Arizona) in a letter he will recommend that President Barack Obama reject the fiscal year 2017 defense policy bill in its current form due to reform and war funding provisions, Defense News reported Monday. Joe Gould writes Carter …
Read More »Reports: House, Senate to Begin Work on Fiscal 2017 NDAA Reconciliation
A conference committee of House and Senate members will meet to discuss reconciliation of the chambers’ defense policy bills for the 2017 fiscal year, Defense News reported Wednesday. Joe Gould writes Senate Armed Services Committee Staff Director Chris Brose and his House Armed Services Committee counterpart Bob Simmons said at an American Enterprise Institute-hosted event …
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