Defense Drumbeat

On Monday 15 Marines and one Navy sailor died when a Marine KC-130 crashed, with debris covering a field in Mississippi. It’s too early to draw conclusions about what caused the transport plane to suffer a catastrophic failure on its flight from North Carolina to California, reportedly at cruising altitude. But such tragedies are becoming more routine and deserve some attention. Read more »

WASHINGTON - Today the House passed the NDAA with a strong bipartisan vote of 344-81. Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-TX), of the House Armed Services Committee, delivered a closing floor speech in support of the bill. Read some of his remarks below and watch the speech here: Read more »

As the House debates the FY18 National Defense Authorization Act this week, the conservative Heritage Foundation has just released an influential report that argues defense spending should be “sized to our obligations” and underwrite the capabilities needed to meet those obligations. Read more »

WASHINGTON - Yesterday, Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-TX) opposed an amendment that ties any authorized spending on defense to the amount spent on non-defense priorities. Read more »

The FY18 NDAA, which does not authorize a BRAC round, passed through Committee with an overwhelming bipartisan vote of 60 to 1. Read more »

Today, Chairman Thornberry (R-TX) joined Speaker Ryan, Leader McCarthy, Conference Chair McMorris Rodgers and others to talk about the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) at the leadership stakeout. See some of his remarks below and click here to watch the Chairman's remarks: "Sometimes I think when we see something repeatedly we tend to take it for granted. And it is true that… Read more »

WASHINGTON - Friday, Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-TX) joined C-SPAN's Newsmakers to talk about the upcoming National Defense Authorization Act. Thornberry released the bill today ahead of the Committee's markup on Wednesday. To watch the entire segment click below: Read more »

WASHINGTON - On Sunday, Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-TX) joined Maria Bartiromo of Fox's Sunday Morning Futures to discuss the reported plans for additional troops in Afghanistan. The Chairman also brought up the defense budget and how it currently doesn't meet the needs of the warfighter. Watch the entire interview below: Read more »

Last night, Secretary of Defense James Mattis and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff testified before the House Armed Services Committee. Read more »

TODAY, Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-TX), joined America's Newsroom to discuss the defense budget and his piece in the Wall Street Journal yesterday. Watch the full hit below: Read more »