Defense Drumbeat

It's something akin to raising the dead. A troubling shortage of flyable combat aircraft -- one military official recently called the air fleet the "smallest, oldest and least ready" in history -- is forcing the military to go to its "boneyard." Read more »

Republican leaders in Congress are demanding President Obama seek additional funding to pay for new troops heading to Iraq and those staying in Afghanistan, potentially setting up a bitter political fight just as lawmakers are negotiating a final defense policy bill. Read more »

WASHINGTON - Yesterday, Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX), Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, delivered remarks and sat down for a discussion on the National Defense Authorization Act with the Heritage Foundation. To watch the event in its entirety click here. Read more »

YESTERDAY, Mike Rogers, former Congressman from Michigan, Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee and former U.S. Army officer, highlighted the military readiness crisis facing the nation during his radio segment "Something To Think About." Listen to his thoughts here. Read more »

PRESIDENT'S POLITICALLY-MOTIVATED TROOP CAP COSTING MILLIONS AND DAMAGING ARMY Read more »

Washington, DC - Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-TX), Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, appeared on C-Span's Newsmakers on Sunday. The Chairman discussed the House- passed FY17 NDAA, which corrects readiness shortfalls, provides a troop pay raise, and includes five major areas of defense reform. Watch the entire discussion below. Read more »

WASHINGTON - Friday night, in a Fox News Special Report Exclusive, Jennifer Griffin continued her investigation of the military readiness crisis. Touring several Air Force squadrons, Griffin spoke with pilots and maintainers who are seeing years of war and simultaneous funding cuts seriously effect their ability to execute their missions today and in the future. Watch the segment below: Read more »

On Friday, the White House Press Secretary described House efforts to restore military readiness as “grossly irresponsible.” House efforts to invest in readiness in the near term, while providing the next administration the flexibility to determine their own strategy and funding for ongoing operations are very similar to the approach a Democrat-led Congress took in 2008.… Read more »

WASHINGTON-- During his swing through Europe this week, Secretary of Defense Ash Carter said that the House Armed Services Committee’s FY17 NDAA “proposes to put money behind things that are not our highest priorities and that we didn’t ask for.” Let’s separate the facts from the fiction in the Secretary’s misleading statements about what the NDAA includes. Read more »

WASHINGTON - Last night, in a Fox News Special Report Exclusive, Jennifer Griffin shed light on the significant military readiness crisis. Touring several Marine Aviation Squadrons, Griffin spoke with pilots and maintainers who are struggling to prepare their aircraft and personnel to deploy. Watch the segment below: Read more »