HAC-D Chair Murtha Dies

HAC-D Chair Murtha Dies

Congressman John Murtha, one of the most powerful and influential Democratic lawmakers on defense issues in the House for more than three decades, died today in Arlington, Va., at the age of 77. For the last two years, Murtha had served as the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee’s defense panel, which determines where and how much of the Pentagon’s money is spent. In his position as the chairman and earlier as the ranking member of the so-called HAC-D, Murtha steered hundreds of millions of dollars to defense programs in his district, prompting accusations of sweet-heart deals and influence peddling.

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Payton Slams Space Firms’ Quality

Payton Slams Space Firms’ Quality

The makers of America’s rockets and satellites “are still stumbling on fundamentals too often,” said Gary Payton, former astronaut and the top Air Force man on space acquisition. Payton’s comments seem to indicate a continuing trend of shoddy quality control among those whose toughest job is turning out top quality parts and software and making sure they work and fit well.

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Army’s Pouring $7B Into GCV

Army’s Pouring $7B Into GCV

The Army plans to spend at least $7 billion over the next five years to develop its new Ground Combat Vehicle and is determined to get a jump on the project, with $934 million slotted for work in 2011 and nearly $2 billion the next year in what is clearly an accelerated development. The GCV will replace the FCS manned ground vehicles, cancelled last year, as the base model for future combat vehicles; the Army has said the initial vehicle will be an infantry carrier

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QDR Garners Poor Reviews

QDR Garners Poor Reviews

Reviews of the 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review are pouring in from Washington’s defense cognoscenti and so far they come with a strong tilt towards disappointed. The lack of any real news or major program or policy shifts has led a number of defense wonks to question the value of the whole QDR process.

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GOP Sounds The Call: Spend More, Engage Less

GOP Sounds The Call: Spend More, Engage Less

The Obama administration’s engagement policy and Defense Department budget cuts portend “an America in decline,” an approach the country must not accept, one of the top defense Republican lawmakers said today in a speech billed as a major policy address. “A defense budget in decline portends an America in decline,” Rep. Buck McKeon, ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee says in a speech written for delivery at the conservative Heritage Foundation this morning.

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Fighter Gap ‘Shrinks’ To 100 Planes

Fighter Gap ‘Shrinks’ To 100 Planes

The much-debated carrier fighter gap stretches about 100 planes wide in 2018. That is what Defense Secretary Robert Gates told the House Armed Services Committee today. That is less than half of the Navy’s estimate, given to Congress last year. The Navy has pretty much stuck with a figure of 243 aircraft or, as some lawmakers have it, 48 planes a year.

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