Defense Drumbeat

WASHINGTON - On December 9th, 2013, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Martin E. Dempsey, sent a letter to then Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) expressing his concern that the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for FY14 was being allowed "to slip to January." General Dempsey wrote: Read more »

Chairman Thornberry (R-TX), of the House Armed Services Committee, came to "This Week" Sunday this morning to talk defense issues, ISIS and the situation in Iraq. Watch the entire interview below: Read more »

LAST WEEK President Obama offered Persian Gulf countries an “ironclad commitment” that the United States will “use all elements of power . . . to deter and confront external aggression” against them. Read more »

THERE ISN’T much bipartisan governance left in Washington, but if anything still fits that description, it’s probably the annual defense authorization act, which sets spending levels and policy for the Pentagon, and, therefore, usually brings Republicans and Democrats together in support of national security and the troops. On April 30, the Republican-led House Armed Services Committee approved a $600 billion-plus bill by a bipartisan vote of 60 to 2 . Thursday, the Senate counterpart did the same, by a bipartisan vote of 22 to 4…. Read more »

WASHINGTON- According to The Hill, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is whipping members of her party to vote against the National Defense Authorization Act, a bipartisan bill that has passed for 53 consecutive years and passed committee by a vote of 60-2 (one Democrat and one Republican opposing). Read more »

WASHINGTON — WHEN American troops find themselves fighting for their lives, there is no better sound than an A-10, a plane officially nicknamed the Thunderbolt II but known affectionately by the troops as the Warthog, firing its enormous 30-millimeter gun at the enemy. It might not be pretty, but the A-10... Read more »

Chairman Thornberry addressed members of the Military Officers Association of America at their annual Council President's Dinner. The Chairman gave remarks and then took questions, addressing the direct interests of the MOAA members present. For the full video of the remarks please click here. Read more »

"What's going on with the Pentagon's longest-running drama, the Navy's Unmanned Carrier-Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS) program?" Bill Sweetman recently asked in Aviation Week. In the absence of any updates from the Pentagon, it's a question that is on the minds of many interested parties... Read more »

Chairman Mac Thornberry’s defense reform legislation and draft report are the first step towards acquisition reform in this year’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Introduced last week, the bill encourages a continuing conversation on defense reform. The keys to Chairman Thornberry's initiative are... Read more »

In a bill and draft report introduced last week, Chairman Thornberry outlined his ideas for Defense Reform. The legislation is intended as a discussion draft and aims to reform the Department of Defense’s acquisition system, taking the ideas generated as provisions for the forthcoming National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)... Read more »