Futures Command Won’t Hurt Oversight, Army Tells Congress

Futures Command Won’t Hurt Oversight, Army Tells Congress
Futures Command Won’t Hurt Oversight, Army Tells Congress

The Army believes it has all the legal authorities it needs to reform. Now it just has to make the reform work.

Defense Hawks Fight DoD Budget Stopgaps As Shutdown Looms

Defense Hawks Fight DoD Budget Stopgaps As Shutdown Looms
Defense Hawks Fight DoD Budget Stopgaps As Shutdown Looms

UPDATED: Adds SecDef Spox Comment That CRs Are “Damaging” & Mattis Supports Spending Bill CAPITOL HILL: To prevent a government shutdown Dec. 8th, Congress looks likely to pass a stopgap spending bill called a Continuing Resolution. But yet another CR, rather than a proper budget, would do unacceptable damage to the military, defense hawks say. So…

Congress, Navy Share Blame For Fatal Collisions At Sea

Congress, Navy Share Blame For Fatal Collisions At Sea
Congress, Navy Share Blame For Fatal Collisions At Sea

CAPITOL HILL: Congress’s repeated budget malpractice and the Navy’s flawed policies combined to cause the accidents that killed 17 sailors, the Navy and the GAO say. Legislative dysfunction means budget cuts, caps, and delays have chronically shortchanged training and maintenance across the fleet, forcing sailors to work 100-plus hours a week to try to catch…

Lawmakers’ Letters Endorse McCain Plan To Reinforce Pacific, Assist Asian Allies

Lawmakers’ Letters Endorse McCain Plan To Reinforce Pacific, Assist Asian Allies
Lawmakers’ Letters Endorse McCain Plan To Reinforce Pacific, Assist Asian Allies

A bipartisan group of Senators and Representatives is urging Defense Secretary Jim Mattis to budget $1.5 billion a year to reinforce US forces in the Pacific to better support Asian allies, stiffening their spines against Chinese intimidation. Known as the Asia-Pacific Stability Initiative and endorsed by the editorial page of The Wall Street Journal, it’s a proposal…

The $640 Billion Solution: Thornberry, Wilson Want More Defense $ From Trump

The $640 Billion Solution: Thornberry, Wilson Want More Defense $ From Trump
The $640 Billion Solution: Thornberry, Wilson Want More Defense $ From Trump

WASHINGTON: Can Congress close the gap between the $603 billion President Trump wants for defense and the $640 billion pro-defense legislators say is necessary for 2018? Yes, we can, says Rep. Joe Wilson, new chairman of the House readiness panel. “I support (House Armed Services) chairman Mac Thornberry and (Senate Armed Services chairman) John McCain,” he…

Fix Rules Of Engagement For Afghanistan Fight: Rep. Joe Wilson

Fix Rules Of Engagement For Afghanistan Fight: Rep. Joe Wilson
Fix Rules Of Engagement For Afghanistan Fight: Rep. Joe Wilson

This is the first of our monthly op-eds by Rep. Joe Wilson, chairman of the House Armed Services subcommittee on emerging threats and capabilities. Dear readers, if you’ve got unique and useful topics you think Rep. Wilson should address, please let us or his office know. Read on. The Editor.  Despite the Taliban clearly still…

HASC Leaders Press To Keep House In Town Til NDAA Passes

HASC Leaders Press To Keep House In Town Til NDAA Passes
HASC Leaders Press To Keep House In Town Til NDAA Passes

UPDATED: Republicans Abandon Spending Bills; McCain Says “Madness Needs To End” WASHINGTON: The defense policy bill, known as the National Defense Authorization Act, is the crowning glory of Congress when it comes to the most fundamental function of the federal government: providing for the common defense. To that end, we understand a letter by Rep. Joe Wilson, chairman…

Rep. Wilson Of HASC Signs On For Monthly Op-Eds

Rep. Wilson Of HASC Signs On For Monthly Op-Eds
Rep. Wilson Of HASC Signs On For Monthly Op-Eds

One of America’s top defense lawmakers, Rep. Joe Wilson, will write an exclusive monthly opinion piece for Breaking Defense. As Breaking D readers know, Rep. Randy Forbes, outgoing chairman of the HASC seapower and power projection subcommittee, started this tradition. But the voters spoke and, sadly, Mr. Forbes is moving on after the election. Wilson,…

HASC Gives Guard Half A Loaf; Will SASC Provide The Rest?

HASC Gives Guard Half A Loaf; Will SASC Provide The Rest?
HASC Gives Guard Half A Loaf; Will SASC Provide The Rest?

WASHINGTON: This week, the House Armed Services Committee gave advocates for the Army National Guard about half of what they wanted. Next week, a staffer told me, the Senate Armed Services Committee may look at giving the Guard the other half. But because Guard backers have taken very different approaches in each chamber, it’ll be…