Buying Culture Must Change, Lawmakers Tell Carter
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Washington: The way the Defense Department does business is broken, and lawmakers want to know if DoD acquisition chief Ash Carter can fix it. That was the message Senate Armed Services Chairman Carl Levin and Ranking Member John McCain conveyed to Carter during his confirmation hearing yesterday. Carter has been pegged to replace Bill Lynn… Keep reading →
US Can’t Afford ‘Bloated’ Defense Spending
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Let’s face it: The debt ceiling debate that consumed Washington D.C. this summer may not have been policymaking at its finest, but at least it focused attention on the nation’s problem with runaway government spending. Americans realize there’s a problem with government spending and expect the nation’s leaders to take real action. Unfortunately, some in… Keep reading →
Big Army Must Improve People Management Or Lose Talent
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America’s soldiers have learned a lot over the last 10 years, most of it the hard way, but that irreplaceable expertise could walk out the door in the coming drawdown if the Army doesn’t figure out how to manage its people better. Despite everything else that’s changed since September 2001, the ugly reality of 2011… Keep reading →
Cut Defense And I’ll Quit Super Committee: Kyl
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Washington: One of the key figures in the battle to lower America’s federal debt told a conservative gathering today that he would quit the so-called Super Committee if it tried to make cuts to the Pentagon’s budget beyond those already promised by the Obama administration. Sen. Jon Kyl, one of the fiercest Republican lawmakers, said… Keep reading →
HASC Chair Revs Up Campaign Against DoD Cuts
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Washington: Top Republican members of the House Armed Services Committee began today what is clearly intended to be a sustained campaign against further cuts to the Pentagon’s budget. Rep. Buck McKeon, HASC chairman, and his vice chairman, Rep. Mac Thornberry, met with defense reporters and released a video to press their case that the Pentagon’s… Keep reading →
Levin Pledges Troth To Army’s GCV; Cut Foreign Bases First, R and D Last
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Washington: While the Army may worry that its Ground Combat Vehicles may cost too much and get killed, you won’t hear any such concerns from one of Capitol Hill’s top defense lawmakers, Sen. Car Levin. In an interview clearly intended to signal to his colleagues what’s what before they return here next week, Levin said… Keep reading →
Cut DoD Budget With Care; Sustain Development Dough
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When Secretary Panetta visited troops in Afghanistan and Iraq last month, press reports heralded his “rough and tumble” rhetoric and “salty” exchanges with the troops. But beneath these lighthearted personal moments lies a serious truth: short of the president, no one bears greater responsibility for the safety and well being of our military volunteers than… Keep reading →
Panetta Muzzles Comms With ‘Super Committee:’ Exclusive
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Washington: Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has moved to gag communications between the Pentagon and Congress on the highly sensitive issue of the congressional Super Committee. In an Aug. 18 memo to all senior officials, Panetta ordered them to “coordinate any contact with the ‘Super Committee’ through his assistant secretary for legislative affairs, Elizabeth King. We… Keep reading →
Senior House Leaders Want ‘Doomsday’ Info from White House, DoD
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Washington: The top defense and budget leaders in the House of Representatives want the director of the Office of Management and Budget and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta to tell them more about the administration’s top-level defense review and clarification about just what will happen if the Super Congress can’t cut $1.2 trillion from the budget.… Keep reading →
Pentagon Budget Expert Slams ‘Elitist Tripe’ on Cuts
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d The invitation came to me from Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta’s public affairs office to attend a “conversation” with Panetta and Secretary of State Hilary Clinton at the prestigious National Defense University in Washington. Although I knew it wasn’t me they wanted to talk to, I sat in the audience to hear Panetta and… Keep reading →