Military Pay Hike Is Safe, Some Lawmakers Say
A 3.1% military pay raise is set to take effect in a few months, despite current wrangling among lawmakers on Capitol Hill.
Congress Backs Big Military Pay Raise – But Not Medical Job Cuts
House lawmakers follow Senate recommendations and back a 3.1 percent military pay raise, the largest in a decade. The recommendations also block plans to cut 18,000 defense medical jobs.
DefSec Mattis Issues Farewell to Troops
DefSec Jim Mattis issued his farewell Monday as he turned over his duties to Deputy DefSec Patrick Shanahan. Mattis urged DoD personnel to “keep the faith in our country and hold fast, alongside our allies, aligned against our foes.”
BRAC Is Out of DoD’s FY19 Budget Request
The Pentagon’s FY19 budget request abandons its years-long effort to win congressional approval for a BRAC touted to save $2 billion annually.
F-22s Conduct First US Airstrikes in Afghanistan
The first US warplanes in Afghanistan arrive soon after the US military and CIA come under international investigation for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Afghanistan.
White House Seeks Civilian & Military Pay Raise Cap
The White House seeks to cap the federal civilian pay raise at an average of 1.9 percent for 2018 and limit the military pay raise to 2.1 percent.
China Invited to Rim of the Pacific Exercises
Despite tensions in the South China Sea & tense aerial confrontations, China has been invited to attend next year’s US-hosted Rim of the Pacific exercises.
New Ops Center for Atlantic Test Ranges
Construction has begun of a new operations center for the US Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division’s Atlantic Test Ranges has begun. slated for completion in 2017. The project will boost the ATR’s ability to support simultaneous test operations for future and current naval aviation programs, including unmanned systems and virtual, live, and constructive battlespace environments.
F-35 to Challenge A-10 in Close Air Support
It is not unprecedented for a proven aircraft to compete against a new aircraft during test and evaluation, says the DOT&E chief.
Primes Are Resilient in Second Quarter Financials
While the large contractors are holding their own, the DoD budget struggles across the floor of the House.
