Capitol Hill: If the Super Committee fails to make the budget cuts required by law — something almost everyone here now believes is likely — that will be really, really bad for the U.S. military. And it will probably open the door for a burgeoning China to fill the void of what might well become… Keep reading →

Washington: If the Super Committee or anybody else in America wants to know how important keeping faith with the troops is to Buck McKeon, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, all they need do is watch the webcast of today’s readiness hearing. They will see a fairly rare occurrence: one of the top defense… Keep reading →

Washington’s handling of the national debt crisis is sounding a lot like a script for a Hollywood action movie with all this talk of sequestration “triggers” and “doomsday.” The thrills will start in a few weeks when the congressional Super Committee will unveil its recommendations to cut at least $1.2 trillion from the federal budget… Keep reading →

If you are in the defense business, then you’re probably getting tired of speculation about how the so-called congressional “super-committee” is going to decide the fate of America’s military posture. That bipartisan panel of 12 lawmakers was established by the Budget Control Act to recommend $1.5 trillion in savings by November 23, and if it… Keep reading →

National Harbor: Air Force Secretary Mike Donley pledged today to keep all three legs of America’s nuclear triad, arguing that the rise of new nuclear powers makes the air, sea and land legs even more important. “We must maintain the nuclear triad,” he said, drawing a tiny smattering of applause — the only spontaneous applause… Keep reading →

Washington: Two of Washington’s better known taxpayer groups today offered a salad of Pentagon cuts, including recommendations to kill the entire F-35 program. The National Taxpayers Union (NTU) and the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) — who occupy very different parts of the political spectrum — issued the recommendations to the congressional Super Committee… Keep reading →

Washington: The defense industry has clearly decided looming budget cuts pose such a grave threat to its future that it must abandon its usual quiet, behind-the-scenes efforts to influence the American public and go national, using social media as well as its usual combination of education and money. Today, the Aerospace Industries Association unveiled its… 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 →

CORRECTION Washington: As the Army floats plans to substantially cut its combat force, lawmakers are watching anxiously, eager to protect Army bases in their home states. “If the Army Chief of Staff supports the plan, member opposition would most likely focus on the impact to individual bases,” a source familiar with Army deliberations tells Breaking… Keep reading →