Defense Drumbeat

NEW YORK CITY - Chairman Thornberry (R-TX), Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, appeared on Fox America's Newsroom this morning. The Chairman discussed artificial troop caps implemented by the President, the threat of terrorism in the Middle East and Europe, European security and the Pentagon's planned increased presence there. Watch the entire discussion below. Read more »

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD MARCH 30, 2016 With the military campaign against the Islamic State making some progress, American officials have begun to sharpen plans to expel the terrorist organization from two major cities it still controls. Read more »

NEW YORK CITY - Chairman Thornberry (R-TX) joined Maria Bartiromo this morning on Fox Business. Much of the conversation focused on defense spending and readiness of the force. For highlights of the segment see below. To watch the entire segment click here. Read more »

By Rowan Scarborough - The Washington Times - Sunday, March 27, 2016...Some lawmakers are warning that budget cuts, a troop drawdown and a decade and a half of wars have created spotty combat readiness, overburdened forces, more fatal accidents and beat-up weapons.Weeks of congressional testimony from the top brass on next year’s $524 billion defense budget shows that many Army… Read more »

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. - U.S. Representative Mac Thornberry, of Texas’ 13th district, visited Marine Corps Air Station New River and Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C., March 18. Read more »

Reduced training leads to increased fatalities, experts maintain TIME - Mark Thompson - March 17, 2016Ever since Congress and the White House put caps on federal spending starting in 2013, there have been calls to lift them for the Pentagon. The military’s pain has so become acute, both lawmakers and generals are now warning the cuts could kill more American troops in… Read more »

This week, top U.S. military leaders warned Congress that years of combat combined with budget cuts and personnel reductions have left the Services stretched so thin that they may not be able to adequately respond to an unexpected crisis. The admissions take place amidst growing uncertainty about a constrained defense budget and increasing global instability.ASSOCIATED PRESS (AP):… Read more »

Rep. Mac Thornberry’s proposed acquisition reform bill is a bold and innovative attempt to solve two major problems with how the Department of Defense plans for and buys major weapons systems... Read more »

Today, during a House Armed Services Committee hearing, top military officials sounded the alarm about the rising number of major military aircraft accidents that can be traced to reduced training hours and maintenance backlogs that have grounded many aircraft. The military has cut essential training, including for pilots, as a result of the billions in defense cuts since 2010. The answers came after Chairman Thornberry asked about the significant increase in “Class A Mishap” rates which involve loss of life or damage of more than $2 million to an aircraft. Concerns are growing louder and more frequent about the real-life consequences of cuts to personnel, training, equipment and other military resources as the security situation around the world becomes more precarious by the day. Read more »

Yesterday, Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX), Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, introduced his second acquisition reform bill. The proposal, which will be incorporated into the National Defense Authorization Act, introduces foundational reforms aimed at getting cutting edge equipment to our forces in the field faster. The proposal will help restore agility to America’s military. You can read more about the proposal here. Read more »