White House budget director calls for fifth public shipyard amid push to expand fleet
“From a maintenance standpoint, we're pushing hard for an additional public shipyard,” the OMB director said.
“From a maintenance standpoint, we're pushing hard for an additional public shipyard,” the OMB director said.
The request includes $21 billion to recoup munitions used in the conflict, as well as other pots of money - some related to the Iran war, some not.
“The fact is, no one spends $1.85 billion studying something. That money is there for procurement of assets,” an OMB official told Breaking Defense in an interview.
This week on The Break Out, a tour of the Sea Air Space 2026 conference from scenic National Harbor, Md.
Aaron Mehta and Diana Stancy wrap up this year's conference.
OMB Director Russ Vought pointed to large shipbuilding backlogs as one way defense contractors are benefiting from program delays.
Pentagon officials are seeking lawmakers’ authorization to buy weapon systems through multi-year deals “across the board, not only with munitions, but actually with the production of aircraft, with the production of spacecraft,” said Air Force Secretary Troy Meink.
“Defense hawks want defense money in the reconciliation bill. I’m trying to keep it as small and focused as possible,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham, who chairs the Senate Budget Committee.
OMB Director Russell Vought defended the use of reconciliation to pay for $350 billion in defense, saying the move would ensure that funds “aren’t held hostage” during traditional the appropriations process.
As Stanley Tucci famously quipped in The Devil Wears Prada: "All right, people, gird your loins!"
Lockheed Martin’s ACES platform delivers a shared virtual battlespace that strengthens readiness, interoperability, and faster decision-making through advanced, integrated modeling and simulation capabilities designed for evolving global threats.
Whether another temporary multi-billion-dollar add-on is in the Pentagon's future, Russell Vought attempted to assuage concerns, saying "there will not be a hole" in the defense budget.
Two top Democrats blasted the proposal, calling it a “blatant attempt to make a mockery of the federal budget process."