Sequester Will ‘Gut’ DoD Modernization; Navy’s SSBN-X, Long Range Strike, Other New Starts In Peril

WASHINGTON: Every senior civilian leader and the Navy agree that America needs replacements for the Ohio-class nuclear missile submarines if our nuclear deterrent is to remain credible. But the SSBN-X, as the program is known, is at risk from the mandatory budget cuts known as sequestration, the influential head of CAPE, the Pentagon’s budget and…

‘Army Has It Worst’ In Budget Crunch: DoD Comptroller Robert Hale

‘Army Has It Worst’ In Budget Crunch: DoD Comptroller Robert Hale
‘Army Has It Worst’ In Budget Crunch: DoD Comptroller Robert Hale

WASHINGTON: The current fiscal crisis slams the entire military, keeping aircraft carriers in port and fighter pilots on the ground for lack of funds, but of all the services, said Pentagon comptroller Robert Hale today, “the Army has by far the worst problem.” That’s because the Army faces a unique triple-barreled budget problem, known with…

Sen. McCain: DoD Budget Woes Worsened By Hill ‘Neo-Isolationists,’ Out Of Touch Members

WASHINGTON: Sequestration and other Pentagon budget woes have been complicated by “neo-isolationists on the far left and far right, and members who are out of touch with what is going on in the world,” Sen. John McCain told several hundred journalists and defense industry officials today. America needs lawmakers “who understand we live in a…

CNO Adm. Greenert Emphasizes Navy’s Bright Future, Not Budget Crisis

CNO Adm. Greenert Emphasizes Navy’s Bright Future, Not Budget Crisis
CNO Adm. Greenert Emphasizes Navy’s Bright Future, Not Budget Crisis

WASHINGTON: The Navy’s top admiral talked up cheap ships and high tech this morning, from laser weapons to a new double-decker version of the Mobile Landing Platform vessel (pictured above). Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan Greenert said precious little about the rolling budget cuts called sequestration. He clearly preferred to emphasize a bold vision…