CSIS

  • Familiar debates over the caps set in the Budget Control Act will crop again during the next administration, defense budget analyst Todd Harrison said at a press briefing marking the fifth anniversary of the 2011 law. The Defense Department has avoided many of the dire consequences it predicted would happen during 10 years of "devastating cuts." But it's used a series of workarounds to dodge many of the impacts.

    August 02, 2016
  • The first estimates of the savings realized from the House's plan to reform TRICARE come in around $7 billion.

    May 05, 2016
  • At nearly 400 pages, the Veterans First Act, which the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee introduced last week, covers everything from veterans homelessness to more flexible work hours for VA doctors and nurses. But VA's senior executives are still the main target of the legislation.

    May 04, 2016
  • The Cyber National Mission Force Commander says troops are actively participating in operations to protect the United States from cyber attacks.

    October 09, 2015
  • A new study by the Center for Strategic and International Studies found the Air Force's competition rate for service contracts dropped by 15 percent over the last six years, while other military services saw competition go up.

    October 01, 2015
  • As part of the standup of four new Navy warfighting development centers, the Office of Naval Research seeks to insert the testing and prototyping of new technologies into the Navy’s regular training exercises.

    August 14, 2015
  • The Homeland Security Department is rushing to give civilian agencies tools to share information about cybersecurity threats nearly as they happen, Secretary Jeh Johnson said Wednesday.

    July 08, 2015
  • As the 114th Congress convenes this week, leaders on both sides of the Hill say budget issues will be priorities. Leaders at the Defense Department are already campaigning against sequestration, and the budget will likely be a big part of the discussion at Ashton Carter's confirmation hearing next month. Dov Zakheim is a Senior Advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and former Comptroller of the Department of Defense. He's also a member of the Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission. On In Depth with Francis Rose, he said DoD getting in front of the sequester problem is the right strategy.

    January 07, 2015
  • If the Senate confirms former deputy defense secretary Ash Carter to replace defense secretary Chuck Hagel, his agenda will include: A military conflict in the Middle East, tensions with Russia, and loud cries for defense acquisition reform. John Schaus is fellow for the International Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. On In Depth with Francis Rose, he proposed a specific agenda for Secretary Carter if he's confirmed.

    December 18, 2014
  • The Defense Department has professed a belief in open systems architectures for years, but has had trouble translating its stated policy preferences into acquisition outcomes. A program to modernize the military's helicopters aims to change that

    November 26, 2014
  • The churn among federal CIOs and others in the IT community has been uncommonly high over the last year.

    October 17, 2014
  • When it comes to lowest price, technically acceptable policies, the Defense Department wants more than "acceptable" for its acquisition services. Even with looming sequestration forcing DoD to stretch financially, Frank Kendall, undersecretary of Defense acquisition, technology and logistics, said the department must incentivize contractors to provide better value as well as best prices.

    August 06, 2014
  • To maintain readiness under current budget pressure, the Defense Department needs to have a long-term mindset and rethink their force structure, according to Rep. Rob Wittman (R-Va.), chairman of the House Armed Services Readiness Subcommittee.

    July 18, 2014
  • A few years after then-Defense secretary Robert Gates put the Marine Corps' variant of the F-35 fighter on "probation" because of poor performance, the Marine Corps is optimistic about the plane's future and the rest of the aviation portfolio. That's the message the service's top aviation official delivered to the Center For Strategic And International Studies yesterday. Dr. Maren Leed, senior adviser at CSIS, hosted the event. She tells Federal News Radio DoD Reporter Jared Serbu the Marine Corps' aviation programs are looking healthier than most other areas of weapon system acquisition in DoD.

    April 29, 2014