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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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, …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
