Rep. Randy Forbes (R-Va.) in the lobby of Trump Tower on Monday. C-SPAN Image
Rep. Randy Forbes (R-Va.), the frontrunner to serve as the next Navy secretary, was seen at Trump Tower in New York on Monday, just days after the ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services seapower and projection forces subcommittee sent a letter to the Trump administration endorsing Forbes for SECNAV. Read More
FA-18A++ Hornets with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron(VMFA) 314, forward based at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, are lined up on the flightline at Komatsu Air Base, Japan, during the Komatsu Aviation Training Relocation exercise March 7-18, 2016. US Marine Corps photo.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Senate and House armed services committees have agreed upon a compromise National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 that prioritizes higher personnel and readiness levels over procurement of ships and aircraft. Read More
Lt. Stephen Gallagher tries a virtual reality headset at the Innovation Jam hosted aboard Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2) in March 2016. Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet’s Bridge Program welcomes the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific Innovation Jam, sponsored by OPNAV N4 Fleet Readiness and Logistics and the Office of Naval Research. The Innovation Jam showcases pioneering concepts and rapid solutions, and one of the bright ideas will be selected for initial funding, development, prototyping and possible transition to Fleet-wide implementation. US Navy photo.
MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va. – The Department of the Navy is working with Congress to gain support and trust for prototyping and rapid fielding efforts that help the military keep up with evolving technologies and threats while balancing lawmakers’ need for oversight, the Navy’s acquisition chief told USNI News. Read More
The following is the Aug. 10, 2016 Initial Findings of the U.S. House of Representatives Joint Task Force on U.S. Central Command Intelligence Analysis. The report examined if U.S. CENTCOM presented an overly optimistic picture of progress against ISIS and training of Iraqi forces. Read More
The following is the July 29, 2016 Congressional Research Service report, FY2017 National Defense Authorization Act: Selected Military Personnel Issues. Read More
Although the threat of a veto hangs over the defense policy bill if it includes a provision to take $18 billion from a wartime spending account to pay for modernization and readiness, the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee said the same thing was done when the Obama administration took office. Read More
U.S. Capitol on July 31, 2015, NASA Photo
The House and Senate armed services committees are committed to improving defense acquisition, boosting military readiness funding and breaking down Pentagon bureaucracy through their annual defense bills, even if these goals are at times causing friction with the Defense Department, the two committees’ staff directors said today. Read More
To reach full auditability, the Navy must be able to account for all the money it spends, from buying the biggest of ships to the most mundane of labor contracts.
The comptrollers and chief financial officers for the Defense Department and the three service departments assured the House Armed Services Committee that they are on track to meet the congressional mandate to pass a complete financial audit by Sept. 30, 2017. Read More
Sailors assigned to amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) conduct maintenance during a ship’s restricted availability (SRA) period in Sasebo on April 14, 2016. US Navy photo.
A mid-year review of Navy operations and maintenance funding found a $848-million shortfall, forcing the Navy to restrict flying hours, defer five ship maintenance availabilities until Fiscal Year 2017, defer continuous maintenance work for two amphibious ready groups and a carrier strike group – and nearly suspend work at the service’s largest regional maintenance center. Read More
Sen. John McCain, (R-Ariz.)
The chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee said he will introduce an amendment next week to raise by $18 billion authorized defense spending to cover the difference between what the Pentagon asked for in its last budget and what it is seeking in this one. Read More
