• The Heritage Network
    • Resize:
    • A
    • A
    • A
  • Donate
  • Pentagon

    Military: Furloughs Won’t Solve Long-Term Concerns

    Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel has announced that the 800,000 civilian Department of Defense (DOD) employees scheduled for furloughs will take only 11 days without pay. This amounts to half the originally planned furlough of 22 days for civilians in the DOD. While this reduction may keep the DOD operating … More

    Congress to Debate Military Base Closures

    The House Armed Services Committee will hold a hearing on whether Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) is appropriate at this time, given the difficulties the U.S. faces throughout the world. Last year, then-Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta requested two rounds of BRAC authority in 2013 and 2015. During last year’s … More

    Sequestration Is Only Part of the Pentagon’s Woes

    As most commentators are focusing on the impending massive defense cuts that will devastate the military readiness of America, is it possible that this is only a part of the problem? The Department of Defense (DOD) is facing other symptoms of leadership failure. The recent firing of one of America’s … More

    Morning Bell: Top 3 Reasons Chuck Hagel Is Wrong for Secretary of Defense

    President Obama’s pick as the next Secretary of Defense is the wrong one. Heritage’s defense and foreign policy experts have examined the record of Chuck Hagel, the Republican former Senator from Nebraska, and concluded he simply does not have the experience and skills for the job. What’s more, his vision … More

    Cyber Command Expansion Threatened by Budget Cuts

    The Pentagon has approved a 500 percent personnel increase for Cyber Command—which protects the Pentagon’s information networks and engages in cyberspace operations—according to The Washington Post. In a world where cyber is becoming an increasingly important realm, few would disagree with the U.S. government’s desire for increased cyber capabilities. However, … More

    Hunkering Down for the Confirmation Hearings

    Yesterday, President Obama pretty much told the world what to expect from the White House for national security and foreign policy for the second term: more of what it gave the globe in the first term. The President nominated former Senator Chuck Hagel (R–NE) for Secretary of Defense. He picked … More

    Funding for Promising Defense Program in Jeopardy

    On November 29, the Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS) had its first successful test run, during which it intercepted an air-breathing target (that is, a missile that does not fly outside the Earth’s atmosphere). While the Pentagon decided not to procure the MEADS program, Congress recently eliminated the funding … More

    Pentagon More Active in ‘Green’ Energy than the Energy Department

    According to a new report on financial waste in the Department of Defense, the Pentagon initiated more renewable energy projects in 2010 – the year measured – than any other federal agency, including the Energy Department and the Environmental Protection Agency. Those findings are detailed in a report (embedded below) released Thursday … More

    The Culture of Over-Regulation Must Stop

    Retired General Arnold Punaro, Chairman of the Department of Defense’s (DoD) Defense Business Board task force was recently quoted saying that he would “put a match” to the entire set of regulations governing the acquisition of weapons and military equipment and start over. This is a colorful comment by such … More

    Public-Private Partnerships Offer Smart Alternative to Sweeping Defense Cuts

    There is little disagreement that looming cuts in the defense budget set to take place in January are ill-advised, though there is intense debate over how to prevent them. However, one way to improve the defense budget without sequestration, downsizing, or raising taxes is to increase partnerships between the military … More