Dunford Says White House Nixes Refueling For New Air Force One

Dunford Says White House Nixes Refueling For New Air Force One
Dunford Says White House Nixes Refueling For New Air Force One

WASHINGTON: Gen. Joe Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, told the Senate Armed Services Committee today that the White House had decided not to include aerial refueling as a capability for the next Air Force One fleet. Why? To save money. President Donald Trump has apparently made the decision, reflected by this decision and the…

US Military Advantage Eroding Coz Of BCA: CJCS Dunford

US Military Advantage Eroding Coz Of BCA: CJCS Dunford
US Military Advantage Eroding Coz Of BCA: CJCS Dunford

Breaking Defense contributor James Kitfield spoke with Gen. Joe Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, during Dunford’s swing through Japan, Singapore, Australia, Wake Island, and Hawaii. Dunford testifies before Congress this week on the administration’s defense budget request. Most important, the chairman tells us he will make the case that the Budget Control Act’s caps “have to be…

CJCS Dunford Calls For Strategic Shifts; ‘At Peace Or At War Is Insufficient’

CJCS Dunford Calls For Strategic Shifts; ‘At Peace Or At War Is Insufficient’
CJCS Dunford Calls For Strategic Shifts; ‘At Peace Or At War Is Insufficient’

NATIONAL HARBOR: The increasingly “adversarial” relationships with Russia and China are forcing the Pentagon to classify its previously public National Military Strategy, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff says. Classification will allow bolder and more specific discussions of how to manage those relationships and our responses to them, Gen. Joe Dunford told the annual…

Emergencies: France, Mali, and Turkey Are Playing With Fire

Emergencies: France, Mali, and Turkey Are Playing With Fire
Emergencies: France, Mali, and Turkey Are Playing With Fire

Lost in this month’s headlines is the fact that the democratically elected leaders of three countries close to the United States and important for its security strategies — France, Mali, and Turkey — have declared (or in France’s case, extended) formal states of emergency. All three states cited good reasons for doing so: France and…

SASC NDAA: McCain Kills Kendall’s Job, F-35 JPO, 25% Of Generals

SASC NDAA: McCain Kills Kendall’s Job, F-35 JPO, 25% Of Generals
SASC NDAA: McCain Kills Kendall’s Job, F-35 JPO, 25% Of Generals

UPDATED from SASC briefing WASHINGTON: In their dueling drafts of the annual defense bill, Senate Armed Services Committee chairman John McCain has staked out bold positions where the House’s Mac Thornberry is cautious — and McCain is cautious where Thornberry is bold. Specifically, according to a summary his staff released last night, McCain’s bill is bold…

‘First, Do No Harm:’ SASC Begins Goldwater-Nichols Review

‘First, Do No Harm:’ SASC Begins Goldwater-Nichols Review
‘First, Do No Harm:’ SASC Begins Goldwater-Nichols Review

WASHINGTON: If there’s one congressional topic that makes the senior leaders of the US military really nervous, it’s when lawmakers start talking about reapportioning power and authorities among those same top leaders. Both Armed Services committee chairmen, Sen. John McCain and Rep. Mac Thornberry, have voiced concerns about how well the last major reforms, known as…

New Military Strategy Shows A Dangerous World – But Not How To Deal With It

New Military Strategy Shows A Dangerous World – But Not How To Deal With It
New Military Strategy Shows A Dangerous World – But Not How To Deal With It

WASHINGTON: The Pentagon is painfully aware the world is changing. What the military’s clearly still struggling with is how we should change to cope. That’s the less-than-reassuring implication of the new National Military Strategy, released a week ago by the outgoing chairman of the joint chiefs, Gen. Martin Dempsey. (I discuss the strategy and its…

Dunford Says F-35 Fleet Size Under Review; Supports F-35 Buy

Dunford Says F-35 Fleet Size Under Review; Supports F-35 Buy
Dunford Says F-35 Fleet Size Under Review; Supports F-35 Buy

WASHINGTON: The presumptive Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford, has told the Senate Armed Services Committee that the most pressing areas of concern for the US military are its cyber and space capabilities; modernizing its nuclear weapons and their delivery systems; and assuring that American forces can penetrate any set of defenses anywhere in the world. He also…