Fourth Estate

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budget

SecDef Esper, Don’t Make Gates’ Mistakes With Night Court

Pentagon officials seek to show they are reorienting to great power competition with China by shifting money under the flat defense topline. The goal is to spend a more defense dollars on high-end capabilities to match the National Defense Strategy instead of pleading for more, new money. The tradeoffs will become very real for members […]

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Congress

Why Chairman Thornberry Failed To Tame DoD’s Fourth Estate

When House Armed Services Chairman Thornberry proposed eliminating seven agencies and reducing personnel by 25 percent, he faced strong opposition. In the HASC's draft bill, he scaled the proposal back to eliminating just three agencies. But that didn't work either. During the committee's markup of the House defense policy bill, members still pushed back.

Naval Warfare

Cut ‘Pure Overhead,’ Navy Sec. Mabus Says: DFAS, DLA, DOT&E

WASHINGTON: In what looks very much like an opening shot in a fundamental fiscal battle between the four armed services and the Office of Secretary of Defense, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus came right out today and said we should preserve fighting forces by cutting Defense Department agencies that are “pure overhead,” His prime candidates? The testers who make sure the services’ […]