CORRECTED JSF OVERRUN TO $1.5B. WE ADDED A ZERO… CAPITOL HILL: The budget cuts known as sequestration would “break” the KC-46 and Littoral Combat Ship contracts, forcing the Pentagon to renegotiate those deals, the presumptive head of DoD acquisition told the Senate Armed Services Committee today. The statement, by Frank Kendall, currently acting undersecretary of… Keep reading →

CAPITOL HILL: The head of Cyber Command, Gen. Keith Alexander, confirmed today that China was behind last year’s penetration and software theft from the respected Internet security company, RSA. Alexander was asked by Sen. Carl Levin, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, for unclassified examples of cyber attacks from China. Alexander, who rarely speaks… Keep reading →

CAPITOL HILL: “These findings should outrage every American.” Sen. Carl Levin, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, is a tough former prosecutor but he rarely offers such sweeping condemnations as he did today when releasing the findings of a congressional sting operation designed to test whether China had changed its ways and had started… Keep reading →

CORRECTED CAPITOL HILL: Debate over a little-known international maritime treaty is heating up on Capitol Hill in light of the Pentagon’s military buildup in the Western Pacific. Senate Armed Services Committee member Jim Inhofe said yesterday he plans to call formal hearings on the Senate’s decision not to ratify the so-called “Law of the Sea.”… Keep reading →

CAPITOL HILL: The Obama administration’s defense budget raises the risks to American security to an “unacceptable” level, if you believe Sen. Joseph Lieberman and a number of Republican members of the Senate Armed Services Committee. If you believe Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Gen. Martin Dempsey, the risks are… Keep reading →

UPDATED — LRIP 5 Contract Agreement Reached CAPITOL HILL: Sen. John McCain took to the Senate floor this afternoon to criticize Lockheed Martin’s handling of the Joint Strike Fighter program and pressed for the company “to assume an increased share of any cost overruns.” McCain, who cited Breaking Defense’s interview last week with F-35 program… Keep reading →

UPDATED WITH PENTAGON RESPONSE Capitol Hill: Faced with a torrent of counterfeit parts that pose a serious risk to the lives of American servicemen and to the performance of sophisticated weapons, Sen. Carl Levin pledged today to push for new laws and policies to help curb the problem. Levin, chairman of the Senate Armed Services… Keep reading →

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 →

Washington: The top two lawmakers on the Senate Armed Services Committee today demanded assurances that DoD is ready, willing and able to push the White House’s debt reduction plan through Capitol Hill. Committee Chairman Sen. Carl Levin and Ranking Member Sen. John McCain DoD acquisition chief Ash Carter to task today on why the department… Keep reading →

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 →