Pentagon News
Reports on the Department of Defense, U.S. military strategy, and global security. The Daily Signal combines conservative reporting and commentary.
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How to Make It Easier for the Pentagon to Buy Weapons
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, has done something well-nigh unthinkable on Capitol Hill: He has filed a bill to cut red tape. Thornberry’s goal is to make the military’s acquisition process more efficient, but his approach—while intuitive for most people—goes against the grain of “normal” congressional problem solving, which typically tries to increase efficiency…Brian Slattery -
The Pentagon Spent $46 Billion to Develop Weapon Systems It Never Bought. It’s Time to Cut Waste.
When it comes to how the Pentagon buys new stuff, everyone’s a critic. The zeal for reform rivals that of Carrie Nation when she first took up her hatchet. Yet, despite numerous initiatives—complete with promises, new laws and regulations—the complaints continue to pile up. Perhaps it is time for a different take on acquisition reform….James Carafano -
Implementing This Reform Could Help Ax Waste at the Pentagon
Making defense operations more efficient is a natural common cause for Congress and the Pentagon. Increased efficiency would save money—freeing up dollars that the Pentagon could plow back into rebuilding the capacity and capabilities needed to defend the country. Sadly, talk about how to do this always starts in the wrong place. Some want to…James Carafano -
How to Slash the Bloated Pentagon Bureaucracy in 5 Steps
Before the arms race with the Soviet Union came the hiring race among U.S. military bureaucracies. It started not long after the National Security Act of 1947 established what became the Department of Defense (DoD). The Secretariat added staff and functions to ride roughshod over the services. In turn, the services added staff to meet…James Carafano -
Q&A: The Pentagon’s New Ebola Team
What is the Pentagon trying to do with this new Ebola domestic response team? When called upon by other parts of the federal government (or state governors) for help in domestic emergencies (hurricanes, floods, etc.), the Defense Department provides support. It can be logistical, medical or related tosecurity and transportation. This mission, which is part…Steven Bucci -
‘Militarization’ Critics Want to Review a Pentagon Program After Ferguson. But Police Get Gear This Way, Too.
President Obama has led a chorus of cries for a review of a Pentagon program supplying “excess” weaponry and equipment to state and local police following events in Ferguson, Mo., but it turns out that another federal agency is a major player behind the “militarization” trend. The Department of Homeland Security offers grants designed to…Melissa Quinn -
Pentagon Broke Law on Bowe Bergdahl Prisoner Swap, Government Audit Finds
The Pentagon broke the law when it swapped Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, a former prisoner in Afghanistan, for five Taliban leaders, government investigators said Thursday. The nonpartisan Government Accountability Office said the Defense Department failed to notify the relevant congressional committees at least 30 days in advance of the exchange—violating a provision of the National…Josh Siegel -
Where Did ‘Military-Style’ Police Gear in Ferguson Come From? Hint: It’s Not Necessarily the Pentagon
Much of the weaponry and apparel on display during police action to quell riots and looting in Ferguson, Mo., doesn’t look like surplus equipment supplied by the Pentagon but rather hardware purchased elsewhere, a Heritage Foundation expert says. “The ‘cool guy,’ load-bearing gear is frankly a lot better than we give soldiers,” Steven Bucci, director…Melissa Quinn