Inhofe, Reed Want Air Force to Look into Doctored-Housing Reports at Lackland
The leaders of the Senate Armed Services Committee are responding to news reports that privatized housing records were falsified at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. Sens. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) and Jack Reed (D-R.I.) are urging “the Air Force and appropriate federal law...
House Sends Monthlong CR to Senate with Military Pay Hike
The House easily passed a stopgap spending bill Tuesday. The Senate has two days to pass it and get President Trump’s signature before the current continuing resolution expires Thursday night. The new CR extends current spending levels through Dec. 20 to give extra...
Installation Innovation 2020: Final Week for Discounted Registration
There are just a few days left to get special registration rates for ADC’s Installation Innovation Forum. Early Bird registration ends Friday. The event runs Feb. 10-12, 2020, in San Antonio, Texas. It will include more than 50 in-depth discussions on such topics as...
Senators Call for National 5G Coordinator
The U.S. faces an “unprecedented security challenge” by falling behind on the development of fifth generation communications technology – known as “5G” – a bipartisan group of Senators wrote in a letter to the White House. Their letter requests that the White House...
House to Consider Stopgap Bill Tuesday; Military Pay Hike Included
The House will vote Tuesday on a continuing resolution that would fund the federal government through Dec. 20 and which includes a yearlong 3.1% pay raise for service members, according to a summary of the bill. The current CR expires Thursday night. The White House...
Raymond: Space Focus Is ‘Great Thing for Our Nation’
Boosting the nation’s warfighting capabilities in space to support the National Defense Strategy is setting the U.S. and its strategic partners up to be more innovative, Gen. John Raymond, commander of both the U.S. Space Command and Air Force Space Command, said...
PAST STORIES
Senate Committee Advances 2-Year Budget Idea
The Senate Budget Committee last week advanced reform legislation that would require lawmakers to pass two-year budget resolutions. The appropriations cycle would continue to be annual. Despite a 15-6 committee vote and growing frustrations about the dysfunctional...
Vet Benefits Vary Widely from State to State, CNAS Study Says
There is a stark gap in the type and level of benefits the states offer to veterans, according to a report the Center for a New American Security released Monday, along with a searchable database of benefit opportunities. Illinois ranks at the top of the report as...
Service Leaders Sound Alarms over Long-Term Stopgap
The military services are stepping up their warnings about what would happen if Congress continues forcing DOD to operate at its current budget levels for the rest of the fiscal year. The Air Force has outlined which “capabilities cannot be realized without an...
Trump Nominates McCusker to Be DOD Comptroller
Elaine McCusker has been tapped for a promotion to DOD comptroller. The White House announced her nomination Wednesday. She is currently the deputy. McCusker has also worked for the Senate Armed Services Committee. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Isaiah Gomez
DOD, Researchers Testing Potential PFAS Fix
The Air Force and scientists have tested a method of cleaning up PFAS-contaminated groundwater at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, using plasma technology to destroy the “forever chemicals,” the service announced in a press release. “This is the only technology...
Moran: Veterans’ Affairs Committee to Focus on Vets’ Mental Health in 2020
Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) will make legislation addressing veterans’ mental wellbeing a priority in the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee next year, Military.com reported. Moran is expected to lead the panel when its current chair, Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.),...
Appropriators Meeting for Bipartisan Spending Talks Next Week
House and Senate appropriators will sit down next week when House lawmakers return from their Veterans Day break. “We’re going to talk about everything — any way to move the process,” Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) said, according to...
Eaglen: SECDEF Worried About Long-Term CR
Defense Secretary Mark Esper is so worried about the consequences of a long-term continuing resolution that when he went to Capitol Hill recently to brief lawmakers on the Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi raid, “he spent much of his time pleading for a 2020 appropriations bill,”...
Top House Defense Appropriator Leaving Congress
House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee Chair Pete Visclosky (D-Ind.) surprised colleagues Wednesday by announcing he won’t seek re-election to the House next year. By seniority, Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.) is next in line to head the subcommittee. If she chooses...
White House Open to Stopgap Bill, Wall Fund Compromise
The White House is willing to accept a smaller pot of money for a southern border wall than it initially requested, CQ reported late Tuesday. “The bazaar is open, no reasonable offer refused,” CQ reported a source as saying. “It’s time for the Hill to make them a...
Conger: DCIP Funding Key to Secure Installations
To keep installations resilient, the Pentagon needs to focus on infrastructure outside the fence, John Conger wrote in a Defense One article encouraging Congress to fund the Defense Community Infrastructure Program (DCIP). The program would support community...
‘Skinny’ NDAA Still an Option as Talks Stretch On
Lawmakers on the armed services committees are still trying to work out differences in two versions of the fiscal year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act. Border wall funding is the primary issue holding up a deal. A back-up option is the so-called “skinny”...
Stronger Talent Needed in AI Race, Esper Says
Defense Secretary Mark Esper asked the private sector and the think tank community on Tuesday to help the U.S. catch up on AI innovation. “DOD doesn’t have a monopoly on great ideas, and certainly not talent,” Esper said at a conference of the National Security...
Trump Won’t Rule Out Shutdown This Month
The scramble is on to pass a new continuing resolution to keep the government open past Nov. 21. House and Senate appropriators are discussing an additional stopgap bill to run into mid-December, according to reports. While some lawmakers have proposed a CR that...
Senate Committee Considering Bill to Move to 2-Year Budget
The Senate Budget Committee this week will consider legislation to reform the federal budget process. The bill, introduced last week by the committee’s chair, Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), would require two-year budget resolutions. The...
In Our Communities
An inter-agency task force in Connecticut has reported recommendations on how to deal with PFAS contamination in the state, Gov. Ned Lamont (D) announced in a press release. Among the plan’s recommendations is to increase communication and collaboration with...
Four Bases to Get First Wave of 5G; Timing Depends on Appropriations
DOD has announced the first four installations that will test 5G technology: Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., Hill Air Force Base, Utah, Naval Base San Diego, Calif., and Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany, Ga. “The bases were selected for their ability to provide...
Army Planning for Repairs on Historic Homes
The Army is seeking public comment on plans to repair and renovate interwar-era houses at 35 bases while maintaining their protected status as historic sites, according to a Military.com story. The Army is seeking guidance from the Advisory Council on Historic...
In Our Communities
Madison, Wis., Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway wants more answers about how a new squadron of F-35s would impact the community, citing concerns over contamination and noise, according to Military.com. In a letter to the Pentagon last week, Rhodes-Conway requested further...
Border Wall Brings Down Senate Defense Approps Bill
A procedural vote to advance the fiscal year 2020 defense appropriations bill failed Thursday in the Senate. Most Democrats object to spending DOD money to build a wall for the U.S.-Mexico border. “Apparently [Democrats] are not concerned enough about the Middle East...
Enzi Tries Again to Fix Budget System
Senate Budget Committee Chairman Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) has introduced new legislation to try to address a budget system that has increasingly frustrated lawmakers in recent years. Enzi’s bill is co-authored by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.). Enzi has introduced budget...
DOD Students Get Top Marks in Math, Reading
Students in Department of Defense Education Activity-run schools are again at the head of the class in national reading and math scores, DODEA announced. Fourth and eighth grade students scored higher on the 2019 National Assessment of Educational Progress reading...
USS Ford Wraps Up Successful Sea Trials
The USS Gerald R. Ford pulled back into Norfolk Thursday a day ahead of schedule, after six days of successful trials at sea, the Navy announced. Navy leaders are hailing the run as a turning point for its newest aircraft, which has suffered a series of high-profile...
Border Wall Still Looms as Hill Leaders Try to Focus on Spending
House and Senate leaders have shown some signs of consensus this week on a plan for completing the 12 annual appropriations bills, with a tentative completion goal of Dec. 31. The House has passed 10 of the bills. The Senate has not yet passed any. The biggest holdup...
Another Stopgap Could Hurt This Time, Secretary Says
Relying on another continuing resolution instead of formal appropriations bills poses real risks to the Army’s readiness, Army Sec. Ryan McCarthy has told reporters. Continuing resolutions have become more common in D.C. in recent years, but McCarthy says it’s...