“From the DoD’s perspective, they’re highly dependent on [Asia] for fabrication and packaging [of chips],” Hudson Institute’s Bryan Clark tells Breaking Defense. This has led to DoD calls to address a “fragile and threatened” chip supply chain.
By Brad D. Williams
The Navy also asks for five additional F-35C fighters, an E-2D Hawkeye and 4 CMV-22s.
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
Some $2.7 billion goes to network upgrades, more than any other Army priority area, according to acting acquisition chief Doug Bush.
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
The single biggest increase in proposed year-over-year cyber funding appears to be for cryptology, and the budget includes a new line item for zero-trust architectures.
By Brad D. Williams
The funds will support potential new space missions such as re-fueling satellites on orbit.
By Theresa Hitchens
“The President’s Defense Budget Request is an outline and a starting point,” emphasizes Sen. Jack Reed, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. The budget requests funding for four new teams for the Cyber Mission Force. Those teams will support CYBERCOM operations and provide cyber support for space operations.
By Brad D. Williams
Requesting “eight ships a year is not going to get to 355,” the Navy’s top budget official, Rear Adm. John Gumbleton, said. “All things being equal, if you have a 300-ship Navy and a 30-year lifespan you have to recapitalize it…so eight is not going to do it.”
By Paul McLeary
The service plans to buy 48 F-35As and 12 F-15EXs for $4.5 billion and $1.3 billion, but the F-35 buy is almost certain to increase once it hits Capitol Hill. The Air Force also wants to buy 14 KC-46s for $2.4 billion.
By Colin Clark
“Critically, we reallocate resources to fund research and development in advanced technologies such as micro-electronics. This will provide the foundation for fielding a full range of capabilities, such as hypersonic missiles, artificial intelligence, and 5G,” Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks said.
By Paul McLeary
“We have a lot of people programs and we tried to protect those. Secondly, we tried to protect readiness. Third, we tried to protect modernization,” acting secretary John Whitley says.
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
The Army’s prioritized so ruthlessly that the top 11 percent of programs will get 50 percent of the funding. The other 89 percent can’t take any more cuts without it killing them.
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
The only real pushback either nominee faced was McCord’s previous call for the defense budget to grow by 3-5% annually, a number the 2022 Biden defense budget won’t reach.
By Paul McLeary
Bill Greenwalt worked hand in glove with the late Sen. Sen. McCain as he tried — and repeatedly failed — to cleanse the defense budget of huge amounts of what isn’t really defense spending — cancer research, health care, grocery stores and the list goes on and on. If you strip this from the defense…
By Bill Greenwalt