New Department of Defense Secretary Mark Esper has prioritized reforming the way the Pentagon spends money. Predecessors with similar goals failed miserably.
Defense Contractors Return $200 Million in Self-Reported Waste
The DOD IG reports defense contractors have returned more than $200 million over the last decade in self-reported waste.
Fifteen Years Later, the Defense Travel System is Still a Mess
The DTS distributed nearly $1 billion in improper payments over a three-year period.
Hope Ahead for VA/DOD Interoperability
In 1982, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Defense (DOD) were charged by Congress to share patient information for servicemembers transitioning from DOD into the VA health care system. This transition process has been anything but seamless, with medical records being attached to gurneys each time a patient was moved, and […]
Air Force’s Decline in Mission-Capable Aircraft Continues
The Air Force struggles to field mission-capable aircraft. This is caused by an aging fleet and the failure of new aircraft such as the Joint Strike Fighter.
Proceed with Caution on JEDI Procurement
The decision announced today in favor of the Department of Defense (DOD) in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims case challenging the $10 billion Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure contract likely means that it will be awarded shortly to a single vendor. As Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) and other taxpayer groups have argued in a […]
Spidey Sense Signals Incoming Pork
The United States spends approximately 3.2 percent of gross domestic product on defense each year, good for $716 billion in fiscal year 2019, a total that dwarfed spending for all other federal agencies. Unfortunately, the Department of Defense (DOD) performs notoriously poorly when it comes to tracking spending. The DOD remains the sole federal agency […]
A Government-Owned 5G Network Would Be a Massive Boondoggle
Despite mounting evidence to the contrary and President Trump’s announcement that he opposes nationalization of 5G, this idea keeps resurfacing. And like many other concepts emanating from the Beltway Bandits, this one would be costly and disastrous. It should be buried and not resurrected. The latest argument being raised by proponents is beating China to […]
Members of Congress Again Fail to Learn a Lesson
On May 20, 2019, the House Appropriations Committee released its report to accompany the Department of Defense (DOD) appropriations bill for fiscal year (FY) 2020. The report provides funding for 90 F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) aircraft, 12 more than was requested by the Department of Defense (DOD). This follows the established trend in recent […]
House Appropriations Imposes Limits on JEDI Contract
The House Appropriations Committee released its report to accompany the Department of Defense (DOD) Appropriations bill for fiscal year 2020. Included in the report is language that would restrict the expenditure of funds for the DOD’s Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure (JEDI) cloud procurement. The committee report prohibits funds from being “obligated or expended to migrate […]