Confirmation Horrors Drove Some From DepSecDef Job; Fox Is Interim Pick

Confirmation Horrors Drove Some From DepSecDef Job; Fox Is Interim Pick
Confirmation Horrors Drove Some From DepSecDef Job; Fox Is Interim Pick

WASHINGTON: The fact that the Obama administration selected Christine Fox, the former CAPE director, as Deputy Defense Secretary illustrates two truths: First, several people turned down the job or withdrew from consideration because of the hideous confirmation process; second, the political impulse to place a female in the position was intense and, ultimately, successful. Those…

Service Chiefs Critique Hagel’s SCMR: ‘Rosy’ & ‘Dangerous’ Assumptions

Service Chiefs Critique Hagel’s SCMR: ‘Rosy’ & ‘Dangerous’ Assumptions
Service Chiefs Critique Hagel’s SCMR: ‘Rosy’ & ‘Dangerous’ Assumptions

CAPITOL HILL: We’ve had nearly two years of hearings about how hard the automatic budget cuts called sequestration would hit the Department of Defense. Yesterday, we saw something new. For the first time, the uniformed chiefs of all four services publicly told Congress that they have big problems with their civilian bosses’ plan to cope…

Heritage Offers 3 Scenarios To Save Defense: One Is A Miracle

Heritage Offers 3 Scenarios To Save Defense: One Is A Miracle
Heritage Offers 3 Scenarios To Save Defense: One Is A Miracle

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid recently broke with a decades-long tradition in the Congress. And almost no one noticed. Congress traditionally has been sensitive to its Constitutional obligation to provide for the common defense. Despite disagreements and rancor on numerous issues, Congress usually cranks out defense appropriations and authorization bills each year. “Those days are…

Hagel’s Strategic Review Falls Short; Make Hard Choices Now

Hagel’s Strategic Review Falls Short; Make Hard Choices Now
Hagel’s Strategic Review Falls Short; Make Hard Choices Now

When you add up the defense budget shortfalls for the next few years, it quickly becomes clear Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel’s recent Strategic Choices and Management Review (SCMR) looks to become just what he did not want: actions he will have to implement instead of a menu of options. Pentagon leaders must now consider most if…

SCMR Concludes Pacific Pivot Needs More Cash, Missions: Gen. Dempsey

SCMR Concludes Pacific Pivot Needs More Cash, Missions: Gen. Dempsey
SCMR Concludes Pacific Pivot Needs More Cash, Missions: Gen. Dempsey

CAPITOL HILL: The next Pentagon budget will almost certainly include increased spending for the Navy, Marines, and Air Force to boost their presence and operations in the Asia-Pacific region. That’s because the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Martin Dempsey, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that the Pentagon’s strategic review found we…