Business

Mattis ‘Optimistic’ Pentagon Will Get Needed Budget from White House, Democrats

Mattis tells nervous defense industry execs and conservatives at Reagan National Defense Forum he doesn’t expect sharp budget cuts from House Democrats and President Trump.

Business

Rust Is a $21-Billion Problem for the Pentagon

DoD is having trouble figuring out how to prevent damage from nature’s basic chemical reactions.

Business

UK Plans a Decade of Weapons Purchases As Auditors Sound Warning Bells

Defense procurement minister reiterates commitment to 10-year, £186 billion purchase plan.

Policy

Military Intelligence Spending Just Posted Biggest Spike in a Decade

With an 18 percent increase this year, the Pentagon’s $22 billion intelligence tab is rising faster than civilian spy agencies.

Ideas

The Fiscal Calm Before the Storm

Next year’s budget will face three pressures that make it unlikely to be characterized as sustained or predictable.

Policy

Will Trump Really Cut Defense Spending by 5%? It’s Way Too Early To Say

The Pentagon’s No. 2 confirms that the president’s surprise order will affect the military, but experts say there may ultimately be no decline at all.

Policy

USAF’s Space Force Cost-Estimate Is Likely Too High: Analyst

Todd Harrison says $13 billion is a high-ball figure meant to shift the debate.

Ideas

NATO Doesn’t Need 4% Defense Spending

Trump's new call for allies to spend 4 percent of their GDPs on defense makes no sense. Even America shouldn't do that.

Policy

House Lawmakers Close Pentagon Budget Hearing to the Public

Mattis and Dunford have open hearings at the Armed Services Committees, but will talk over their $686.1 billion request with House appropriators in private.

Threats

The US Military Budget Shows Just How Deep Donald Trump is Getting Into Syria

Despite Trump's distaste for global entanglements, the U.S. is spending more and more in Syria.

Business

Mattis to Military: You Have Your Money. Spend It Wisely

The defense secretary warns “results and accountability matter in every expenditure.”

Policy

Trump Backs Off Budget Veto in Odd White House Event Laden with Misstatements

The mischaracterization of the 2018 defense budget as the biggest ever was just the start.

Policy

Defense Hawks Soak Up Defense Spending Win. Now What?

The backs of the men and women in uniform — which defense hawks say have so long borne the weight of Congress’s fiscal stumbles — helped carry the $1.3-trillion 2018 spending bill over a key hurdle on Thursday.

Business

How to Grow the Military Without Buying More Ships, Planes, Tanks

Pentagon leaders want to shorten the time spent on overhauls, keeping the weapons more available to fight.

Policy

It Could Get Harder to Track US War Spending

The administration plans to push “enduring” costs from the Overseas Contingency Operations war fund back into the base budget in future years.