Back to news

June 9, 2020 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

Key debate on military protest response, budget priorities set to happen behind closed doors on Capitol Hill

The biggest defense news on Capitol Hill this week will be taking place behind the scenes rather than in public view, as lawmakers grapple with the military's response to recent nationwide protests and their own plans for next year's Pentagon budget.

On Monday, Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy, Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville and District of Columbia National Guard Commander Maj. Gen. William Walker will brief members of the House Armed Services Committee in a non-public meeting.

The session was originally scheduled for late last week, amid concerns that guardsmen may have overstepped their roles as security support for D.C. police responding to some of the massive racial equality demonstrations outside the White House in recent days.

The protests were sparked by the death of George Floyd, a black man prosecutors say was murdered by a white Minneapolis police officer.

Since then, Pentagon officials appear to have tamped down President Donald Trump's suggestions that active-duty troops should be brought in to help handle the work, creating a massive show of force to “dominate” the streets of major cities across the country.

But House Armed Services Committee members have said they still have lingering questions about how those discussions progressed, and whether guardsmen were put in an uncomfortable political role instead of their traditional support response.

Democratic members are also sparring with Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley, after committee Chairman Adam Smith, D-Wash., vowed to bring the Pentagon leaders to Capitol Hill for a full public hearing on the issues this week.

Esper and Milley have thus far refused, although Pentagon officials said they are negotiating scheduling issues for a possible future appearance.

“The DoD legislative affairs team remains in discussion with the HASC on this request," Navy Cmdr. Sean Robertson, a Pentagon spokesman, said last week. "In the meantime, DoD has committed to provide Army Secretary McCarthy, Army Chief of Staff Gen. McConville, and D.C. National Guard Commanding General Maj. Gen. Walker to brief the committee next week on the presence of the National Guard in Washington, D.C., this past week.”

Smith and 30 other Democratic committee members called Esper's refusal to appear this week “unacceptable.”

Several members of the committee have vowed to include the issue in the annual defense authorization bill. Subcommittee mark-ups of the massive military budget policy measure are scheduled to begin on June 22.

The Senate Armed Services Committee is beginning its mark-up of the authorization bill this week, with the first two subcommittee section votes scheduled for Monday afternoon. The full committee mark-up will take place starting on Wednesday.

Unlike their House counterparts, however, nearly all of that work will be done behind closed doors. Senate committee officials have said in the past that they can more quickly and efficiently navigate the hundreds of legislative issues within the bill if they keep the work out of public view, to allow seamless transition between classified and non-classified topics.

The only portion of the Senate authorization bill work to be made public will be the personnel subcommittee mark-up, set for Tuesday at 2 p.m. The hearing will be streamed through the committee's web site, as restrictions on public access to the Capitol complex remain in place because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The House Armed Services Committee will have a public hearing on a separate topic later this week: Ellen Lord, Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, will testify on Wednesday about the impact of the ongoing pandemic on the defense industrial base.

https://www.militarytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2020/06/08/key-debate-on-military-protest-response-budget-priorities-set-to-happen-behind-closed-doors-on-capitol-hill/

On the same subject

  • En Allemagne, la plupart des équipements militaires qualifiés de non opérationnels

    November 2, 2018 | International, Aerospace, Land

    En Allemagne, la plupart des équipements militaires qualifiés de non opérationnels

    Véhicules de combat d'infanterie Puma, avions de transport militaire Airbus A400M, avions de combat Eurofighter Typhoon, hélicoptères Tigre et NH90... Ces équipements militaires allemands qui devraient être la fierté de la Bundeswehr ne sont plus considérés dans la plupart des cas comme opérationnels, selon le secrétaire d'État allemand à la Défense. Seul un tiers de matériel militaire mis en service en Allemagne en 2017 peut être aujourd'hui considéré comme opérationnel, a annoncé le journal Stuttgarter Nachrichten en se référant au rapport présenté par Peter Tauber, le secrétaire d'État allemand à la Défense. Selon l'homme politique, sur les 97 véhicules de combat livrés, seuls 38 peuvent être utilisés, soit environ 37% du total. Dans le même temps, la Bundeswehr a l'intention d'augmenter leur taux d'aptitude opérationnelle jusqu'à 70%. «Nous pensons toujours que l'industrie doit atteindre les indicateurs convenus le plus vite possible», est-il indiqué dans le rapport de Peter Tauber. La principale préoccupation du ministère de la Défense concerne les véhicules de combat d'infanterie Puma et les avions de transport militaire Airbus A400M. Ainsi, sur les 71 Puma livrés à la Bundeswehr l'an dernier, seuls 27 sont considérés comme aptes au combat, tandis que sur huit A400M, seuls quatre avions de transport militaire peuvent être utilisés. En outre, seul un avion de combat bi-réacteur Eurofighter Typhoon sur quatre a été qualifié d'opérationnel. Sur sept hélicoptères Tigre, seulement deux sont opérationnels, et sur sept hélicoptères polyvalents NH90, seuls quatre sont en état d'être utilisés par la Bundeswehr, indique Die Welt. À la fin d'août, The National Interest avait qualifié de «honteux» l'état de la Marine allemande. Selon le média, la flotte du plus riche pays de l'Union européenne se retrouve pratiquement dans la même situation qu'en 1941 lorsque les navires allemands n'avaient pas pu faire face aux b'timents modernes des Alliés. https://fr.sputniknews.com/defense/201810311038714446-allemagne-equipements-militaires-non-oprationnels/

  • Harris Corporation Awarded Contract to Support Boeing’s MQ-25 Unmanned Tanker for the US Navy

    May 7, 2019 | International, Aerospace, C4ISR

    Harris Corporation Awarded Contract to Support Boeing’s MQ-25 Unmanned Tanker for the US Navy

    Highlights: Onboard computer provides superior processing capacity and enhanced situational awareness Processor, based on advanced open systems and COTS, allows for faster and easier upgrades Reaffirms Harris' strategy to leverage open systems processors into new platforms Harris Corporation (NYSE:HRS) has been awarded a contract by The Boeing Company to partner with Boeing AvionX in supplying the mission management open systems processor for the MQ-25 unmanned aerial refueling program. “Harris and Boeing have invested substantial R&D to develop affordable, high-performance solutions that allow for faster and easier upgrades,” said Ed Zoiss, president, Harris Electronic Systems. “This contract reaffirms Harris' strategy to leverage open systems processors into new platforms.” The mission management processor is based on an advanced open systems architecture solution and commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) technology. The mission management processor manages sensor and communications functions on the MQ-25, providing the onboard processing capacity necessary to support advanced computing needs. Harris will provide hardware and firmware in conjunction with Boeing's open systems architecture solution. The MQ-25 is the U.S. Navy's first operational carrier-based unmanned aircraft and is designed to provide a much-needed refueling capability. The contract supports Boeing's engineering and manufacturing development program to provide four MQ-25 aircraft to the U.S. Navy for Initial Operational Capability by 2024. Harris has been a supplier to Boeing since the 1980s on a wide range of military aircraft, munition, and satellite programs. This latest contract will continue job growth for Harris in Florida, which is a supplier of mission management processors to Boeing and other major aircraft programs. “The MQ-25 program is vital because it will help the U.S. Navy extend the range of the carrier air wing, and Boeing and our industry team is all-in on delivering this capability,” said Dave Bujold, Boeing's MQ-25 program director. “The work we're doing is also foundational for the future of Boeing – where we're building autonomous systems from seabed to space.” https://www.harris.com/press-releases/2019/05/harris-corporation-awarded-contract-to-support-boeings-mq-25-unmanned-tanker

  • Swarm of loitering munitions draws attention at Serbian defense show

    September 26, 2023 | International, Aerospace

    Swarm of loitering munitions draws attention at Serbian defense show

    Jovana Jevtić, marketing manager at PR-DC, told Defense News that the firm is eying the international market more than the domestic one.

All news