Policy
Here’s How Much of Your Taxes Have Gone To Wars
Previously unreported Pentagon data shows how much the average U.S. taxpayer has paid for combat operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, and now Syria.
Policy
Get Ready for a Short-Term CR, Congressional Leaders Tell Pentagon
Top House Republicans on defense say it’s not ideal — underfunding has contributed to a rash of recent accidents — but don’t expect a full-year appropriation until December.
Policy
Annual Defense Bill Aims to Rein in Pentagon Outsourcing
Supporters say measure would protect federal employees from seeing their jobs contracted out.
Policy
Mattis on 2018 Budget: ‘We Have Got to Get a Bill Passed’
Congress is working up budgets that bust spending caps, with little evidence of a deal to avoid automatic cuts.
Ideas
We Need to Focus on Space; We Don’t Need a 'Space Corps'
The US military’s top space commander wants deeper integration and more resources, not a separate Space Corps.
Policy
US Lawmakers Call for Space Force, Boost to Military Drills in Europe
The House and Senate Armed Services committees want the Pentagon to better prepare for war in space, but there’s disagreement on how to do it.
Ideas
Why Congress and the Pentagon Should Bypass Trump’s Defense Spending Bill
The NDAA markup is a chance for leaders on Hill and the Pentagon to show they are the badly-needed adults in the room on defense spending.
Ideas
America's Military: Overcommitted and Underfunded
The administration wants to expand the armed forces’ commitments, even while contracting spending.
Policy
Dunford: Without Better Funding, US Will 'Lose Competitive Advantage' In Just a Few Years
Gen. Dunford, and then Defense Secretary Mattis, deliver a dire warning to House lawmakers.
Policy
New US Air Force Secretary Sounds A Lot Like the Old One
In her first Washington event, Heather Wilson says the service needs new planes, faster.
Policy
US Navy Sends Congress $5.3B Wishlist of Planes, Ships and More
The 48-item ‘unfunded priorities list’ arrived a week after the service’s $172 billion budget request for 2018.
Policy
The Biggest Bills for the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars Are Yet to Come
Benefits for World War I veterans didn’t peak until 1969. Here’s a way to keep 21st-century vets’ expenses from eating the U.S. budget.
Ideas
The Trump Administration Just Missed Its Best Shot at a Military Buildup
In its first year, when big changes are easiest, the White House chose domestic cuts over national security.
Business
Course Change: The US Air Force Now Wants to Keep the A-10, U-2, and F-15C
In a reversal, the service will not retire three Cold War-era planes still making an impact on the battlefield.
Policy
Trump’s Military Buildup Won’t Begin Until 2019
Pentagon officials say they're working to fix readiness first, then grow the military.
Science & Tech
Trump’s First Defense Budget Has North Korea Written All Over It
There’s lots of money in the Pentagon’s 2018 spending proposal to stop missiles of the sort that Pyongyang keeps launching.
Business
Expect a Lot of Modernization Spending in the Next Few Years: Gen. Dunford
The 2018-21 budgets will be crucial in setting up the U.S. military for the future, says the Joint Chiefs chairman.
Policy
White House Vows to Audit the Pentagon, Which Would Be a First
The goal is audacious enough, but promises of a record spending increase makes it even more complicated.
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