Space programs top priorities under CR; next-gen tanker also critical, Hunter says

Space programs top priorities under CR; next-gen tanker also critical, Hunter says
Space programs top priorities under CR; next-gen tanker also critical, Hunter says

Service officials hope that Congress will back Secretary Frank Kendall’s proposal to allow some new programs to begin early work, even if a continuing resolution is in place.

Why ‘Buy American’ Isn’t The Answer To Safeguard NatSec Supply Chains

Why ‘Buy American’ Isn’t The Answer To Safeguard NatSec Supply Chains
Why ‘Buy American’ Isn’t The Answer To Safeguard NatSec Supply Chains

To harden supply chains against Chinese influence, what the US needs is not protectionism but a defense and economic security alliance among friendly nations.

Surviving The Inflation Anaconda: Congress Must Invest More In Defense

Surviving The Inflation Anaconda: Congress Must Invest More In Defense
Surviving The Inflation Anaconda: Congress Must Invest More In Defense

“Without increased congressional funding to account for this rise in prices, defense readiness, as well as the quality of life of American service members are both being dangerously squeezed and diminished, as if in the grip of a giant anaconda.”

SASC Adds $25 Billion To NDAA In Bipartisan Vote

SASC Adds $25 Billion To NDAA In Bipartisan Vote
SASC Adds $25 Billion To NDAA In Bipartisan Vote

One of Washington’s savviest budget experts says this move on the National Defense Authorization Act  by the SASC means “$25 billion in additional spending above the President’s request is very likely now the ceiling for negotiations going forward,” Mackenzie Eaglen of the American Enterprise Institute says.

Faster Weapon Buys: Try Evolutionary Innovation

Faster Weapon Buys: Try Evolutionary Innovation
Faster Weapon Buys: Try Evolutionary Innovation

At a time when political consensus on anything can be hard to reach, there is general agreement that the United States military must modernize to fend off a rising China and meet other national security needs. Bringing defense capability into the future usually generates thoughts of new weapons. However, much of the needed modernization must…

Long Range Strike Hot Potato Now In OSD Hands

Long Range Strike Hot Potato Now In OSD Hands
Long Range Strike Hot Potato Now In OSD Hands

“It’s ultimately a political decision, and … this demands a strong and fully staffed OSD,” said Mackenzie Eaglen, of the American Enterprise Institute. “That doesn’t seem likely until much later this year.”

Advice For DIU At Five: Don’t Just Grow, LEAD

Advice For DIU At Five: Don’t Just Grow, LEAD
Advice For DIU At Five: Don’t Just Grow, LEAD

“DIU is punching above its weight and having an impact beyond its size,” acquisition guru Bill Greenwalt says. “Still, that will not be enough….  Unless the rest of the Department and Congress learns these lessons, we will continue to fall behind China.”

Army’s IVAS Example Can Help Pentagon Catch Up On AI

Army’s IVAS Example Can Help Pentagon Catch Up On AI
Army’s IVAS Example Can Help Pentagon Catch Up On AI

The Pentagon remains stuck in the “success” of the 1990s and Desert Storm, which hinders its ability to take advantage of revolutions in smartphone, cloud computing and social media technologies.

House Declares Defense Trade War on Best US Allies: F-35 Sales in Jeopardy?

House Declares Defense Trade War on Best US Allies: F-35 Sales in Jeopardy?
House Declares Defense Trade War on Best US Allies: F-35 Sales in Jeopardy?

The House Buy American provisions will destroy U.S. jobs when these countries buy from other countries. And Congress would be ripping up and overriding signed agreements with our closest allies that have served as the foundations of reciprocity in defense trade and cooperation within NATO and with other partners such as Australia and Israel for over 40 years. Our allies are our greatest advantage and this will undermine NATO and our commitment to other global allies.

DoD Must Brace For Long-Term Supply Chain Problems; Big Mergers Likely

DoD Must Brace For Long-Term Supply Chain Problems; Big Mergers Likely
DoD Must Brace For Long-Term Supply Chain Problems; Big Mergers Likely

“The impact of the COVID crisis in the aviation sector has been really nothing short of catastrophic,” said Hunter. “At this point, it’s very challenging for those companies to stay in business.”

DoD Budget Cuts Likely As $4 Trillion Deficit Looms

DoD Budget Cuts Likely As $4 Trillion Deficit Looms
DoD Budget Cuts Likely As $4 Trillion Deficit Looms

“I think the budget comes down sooner rather than later,” Mackenzie Eaglen, resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and former congressional staffer, said today.

No, The Pentagon Did NOT Waste $28 Billion

No, The Pentagon Did NOT Waste $28 Billion
No, The Pentagon Did NOT Waste $28 Billion

One of our primary goals here at Breaking Defense is to try and avoid the madness of the daily news cycle and tell our readers what is really happening, as best as any human can tell at any time. The following explanation by two experienced defense budget experts of what really happened to $28 billion discussed in a…

Don’t Expect Any Trump Boost To Defense Spending

Don’t Expect Any Trump Boost To Defense Spending
Don’t Expect Any Trump Boost To Defense Spending

Contrary to the president’s rhetoric, there is no forthcoming Trump buildup, and  the new strategy emphasizing China and Russia is becoming ever more elusive and out of touch with fiscal reality. It is simply unaffordable at this point in time.

Trump Cuts, Democrats Won’t Stop Army Modernization, Growth: Reading Between Sec. Esper’s Lines

Trump Cuts, Democrats Won’t Stop Army Modernization, Growth: Reading Between Sec. Esper’s Lines
Trump Cuts, Democrats Won’t Stop Army Modernization, Growth: Reading Between Sec. Esper’s Lines

The defense budget may be caught between doves on the left and budget hawks on the right, but so far Army Secretary Mark Esper isn’t ceding any ground.