An analysis by AEI conducted in partnership with Breaking Defense scoured thousands of pages of fiscal 2026 Pentagon budget documents, some of the most definitive accounting yet for DOGE’s impact at the Department of Defense.
In this op-ed, Elaine McCusker and John Ferrari of AEI call out what they see as the good and the bad in the HASC NDAA draft.
Consolidate network monitoring, performance management, and fault isolation into a single, comprehensive solution.
“It is not a Washington Monument ploy. It is a necessary moment that we… need to push through to actually get strategic outcomes,” said Russell Rumbaugh.
Service officials hope that Congress will back Secretary Frank Kendall’s proposal to allow some new programs to begin early work, even if a continuing resolution is in place.
To harden supply chains against Chinese influence, what the US needs is not protectionism but a defense and economic security alliance among friendly nations.
"Without increased congressional funding to account for this rise in prices, defense readiness, as well as the quality of life of American service members are both being dangerously squeezed and diminished, as if in the grip of a giant anaconda."
Michigan’s defense ecosystem and expertise makes it a special asset for production.
One of Washington's savviest budget experts says this move on the National Defense Authorization Act by the SASC means "$25 billion in additional spending above the President's request is very likely now the ceiling for negotiations going forward," Mackenzie Eaglen of the American Enterprise Institute says.
At a time when political consensus on anything can be hard to reach, there is general agreement that the United States military must modernize to fend off a rising China and meet other national security needs. Bringing defense capability into the future usually generates thoughts of new weapons. However, much of the needed modernization must […]
"It’s ultimately a political decision, and ... this demands a strong and fully staffed OSD," said Mackenzie Eaglen, of the American Enterprise Institute. "That doesn’t seem likely until much later this year."
“DIU is punching above its weight and having an impact beyond its size,” acquisition guru Bill Greenwalt says. “Still, that will not be enough…. Unless the rest of the Department and Congress learns these lessons, we will continue to fall behind China.”
Cybersecurity skills must evolve in near-real time as Zero Day threats continue and AI provides new challenges.
The Pentagon remains stuck in the “success” of the 1990s and Desert Storm, which hinders its ability to take advantage of revolutions in smartphone, cloud computing and social media technologies.
The House Buy American provisions will destroy U.S. jobs when these countries buy from other countries. And Congress would be ripping up and overriding signed agreements with our closest allies that have served as the foundations of reciprocity in defense trade and cooperation within NATO and with other partners such as Australia and Israel for over 40 years. Our allies are our greatest advantage and this will undermine NATO and our commitment to other global allies.
"The impact of the COVID crisis in the aviation sector has been really nothing short of catastrophic," said Hunter. "At this point, it's very challenging for those companies to stay in business."
"I think the budget comes down sooner rather than later," Mackenzie Eaglen, resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and former congressional staffer, said today.