Defense Drumbeat

The Problem: Russia’s military and political strength grew to their present and increasingly-threatening state during the eight years of the Obama Administration, which scoffed at the idea of Russia as a geopolitical threat. Read more »

Congress recently increased military spending, but if the Pentagon wants this to be more than a one-time boost it needs to show it can get more bang for the buck. The House is considering several proposals that would help, and Democrats ought to support the effort. Read more »

Last month, Congress reversed the decline in military funding after years of budget cuts forced our troops to do too much with too little. Congress must now ensure these funds are spent wisely. That means reforming outdated Pentagon bureaucracies to bolster agility, cut red tape and ensure more cost-effective use of taxpayer money... Read more »

WASHINGTON, DC - This week, Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-TX) unveiled his latest round of defense reform proposals. This year’s draft legislation includes a proposal that advances the Committee’s efforts to reform how the Department of Defense buys goods and services. The second aims to speed decision making and get more capability in the hands of the warfighter faster by reforming 28 quasi-independent agencies within DOD that are part of what is known as the “4th Estate.” Read more »

WASHINGTON, DC - Tomorrow, the Armed Services Committee will hold a hearing with the Secretary of Defense and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on the Department of Defense's budget request for FY 2019. Chairman Thornberry (R-TX) will focus his questions on the readiness of our force and how the Department of Defense can best spend the funding that Congress passed last month to address those issues. For more information and to watch tomorrow's hearing visit the Committee's website. Read more »

In the last three weeks, six military aviation crashes have killed 16 pilots or crew — a tragic development that has cast a spotlight on a growing crisis: Accident rates have soared over the last five years for most of the military’s manned warplanes. Read more »

More U.S. military service members have died in aircraft mishaps over the past year than have died while serving in Afghanistan under the Operation Freedom’s Sentinel mission. Read more »

WASHINGTON, DC - Today, Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-TX), of the House Armed Services Committee, joined Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) for a press conference on the Omnibus Package. The Speaker and the Chairman reiterated the importance of passing the Omnibus Package for our military. See some of his remarks below and watch the Chairman's comments here. Read more »

What the Omnibus Can Do: Invest $22.1 billion to get our troops ready to deploy, including: Read more »

What the Omnibus Can Do: Invest $22.4 billion to restore everything including barracks, hangars, roads, runways, and hospitals. Read more »

What the Omnibus Can Do: Invest $37.3 billion to get our ships back to sea, including: Read more »

What the Omnibus Can Do: Invest $47.4 billion to get our planes back in the air, including: Read more »

WASHINGTON, DC - Today, Chairman Thornberry (R-TX), of the House Armed Services Committee talked with Fox News about why the Omnibus is important for the military. Read some of his comments below and watch the interview here: Read more »

Ahead of Congress's vote on critical funding for our military, House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) sat down with Fox News' Jennifer Griffin to discuss how important it is to rebuild and adequately resource our military and readiness crisis we currently find ourselves in today. Watch the interview here and read some highlights form Fox's coverage below: Read more »

WASHINGTON, DC - Last week, Fox News highlighted the severe shortfalls facing U.S. Military aviation. The NDAA and the Bipartisan Budget Agreement both fund the military at levels that begin to fix these issues. Chairman Thornberry (R-TX), joined Fox last week to emphasize the importance of passing the Omnibus to fund these critical needs. Read some quotes from the piece below and watch the entire segment here: Read more »