Policy

Biden Seeks State Department Budget Boost, But Ambassador Nominations Lag

Slow pace of nominations is the “missing piece" of the president's drive to emphasize diplomacy’s importance in foreign policy, one analyst said.

Business

Eyeing China, Biden’s First Pentagon Budget Would Cut Troops, Buy Future Weapons

DepSecDef Hicks called the president’s $715 billion spending request “a foundation for fielding a full range of needed capabilities.” Republicans called it “a cut.”

Science & Tech

Biden Requests Less Than 1% Boost to Pentagon R&D, Despite Hyping New Defense Tech

As the Defense Department shifts its focus toward more technologically advanced potential adversaries, it will have to research and develop more and sustain less.

Policy

US Air Force Details Proposed Cuts to Planes, Flying Hours

2022 budget request would retire scores of fighters and tankers and cut thousands of flying hours to fund modernization.

Business

Biden Nominees Want to Shake Up Pentagon Weapons Buying Process

Shyu, Blume tell Congress they plan to bridge the “valley of death” between the development phase and becoming a program of record.

Threats

Estimated Cost of US Nuclear Modernization Jumps During More Expensive Phase

The Congressional Budget Office’s latest estimate puts the next decade’s price tag at $634 billion as some lawmakers try to bring it back down.

Ideas

The ‘Rule of Thirds’ Is Bunk

The military services’ shares of overall defense spending have always fluctuated with strategy and need.

Policy

At House Hearing, Defense Appropriators Discuss Everything But the Budget

The Biden administration has yet to submit a 2022 budget request, limiting Congress’ ability to oversee defense spending.

Business

What's In Biden’s First Budget? And How Late Will It Be?

The White House could submit its defense budget request later than any administration in at least a century.

Policy

Proposed Space National Guard Gathers Momentum

A space-focused branch of the Guard would aim to give the Space Force “a surge-to-war capability” in times of conflict.

Threats

Innovation, Software Highlighted as Priorities by Pentagon's No. 2 Civilian

Kathleen Hicks also suggested DOD still needs the cloud capabilities JEDI is supposed to provide.