Policy
Navy Gets Budget Bump But Fleet Would Shrink Under Biden Request
Increasing spending by just 5 percent and cutting two dozen ships, the Navy asks for modest budget changes as it wraps up a new fleet plan expected to be heavy on uncrewed vessels.
Policy
Biden’s $773B Request for Pentagon Stays Focused on China
As war rages in Europe, 2023 budget proposal continues the military’s shift from ground combat to high-tech weapons.
Threats
US Needs More Arms Factories, Says Chief Weapons-Buyer Nominee
Bill LaPlante also said he wants to speed up deliveries of weapons and equipment to Ukraine.
Policy
White House Bureaucracy Is Costing Ukrainian Lives, Senators Say
Lawmakers are urging Biden to send more aid and enforce sanctions as quickly as possible to help Ukraine beat Russia.
Ideas
Congress Still Needs to Protect America’s NATO Membership
Trump was closer than anyone realized to pulling the U.S. out of NATO. Lawmakers must ensure that never happens without them.
Policy
Biden Sends $800M In Weapons To Ukraine After Zelenskyy’s Emotional Appeal
The latest military aid includes anti-aircraft and anti-armor systems, plus guns and drones to help Ukrainians fight Russia.
Business
Biden's Nuclear Spending Plans Just Got More Complicated
How much will Russia’s war on Ukraine change America's aging nuclear arsenal?
Threats
Pentagon May Boost Troop Presence In Somalia
It’s “not effective” to try to deter terrorists there from bases in neighboring countries, U.S. Africa Command leader says.
Policy
Navy’s Next 30-Year Shipbuilding Plan Could Avoid Details–Again
Secretary Del Toro wants to give “decision space,” but lawmakers want specifics.
Threats
Concern Rising That Putin Could Use Nuclear Weapons
Russian “escalate to de-escalate” doctrine suggests Putin is thinking the unthinkable.
Threats
Russia’s Rocket Barrages Reveal Bad Planning, Cruelty—and the Absence of Crucial Skills
“Everybody is surprised by the lack of combined arms capability in the Russian army,” said one general-turned-analyst.
Policy
Russia’s Invasion Will Boost 2023 Defense Budget, Top Democrat Says
Rep. Adam Smith: Putin’s war “fundamentally altered what our national security posture” needs to be.
Policy
‘Battle Between Democracy and Autocracy’ Leads Biden’s First State of the Union
President says Putin “will pay” even more for Ukraine invasion–but mentions no other foreign policy priorities.
Business
Defense Firms Brace for Billions of Dollars in New Taxes, And Hope for Congressional Relief
If a 2017 law stays in place, there’s a fear U.S. companies would reduce research-and-development spending.
Policy
US Politicians Use Russia’s Invasion to Attack Putin—and Biden
While most politicians blamed the Russian leader for the attack, some Republicans criticized the U.S. president for failing to deter it.
Threats
An Exiled Russian Dissident Watches Putin Invade Ukraine
“Russia doesn’t need to invade Ukraine for there to be justification for sanctions today,” said a confidante of Alexey Navalny on a low-profile visit to Washington.
Threats
WEST 2022 Conference Wire: Comms Challenges
PacFleet commander wants better information-sharing with allies, while a lawmaker wants more clarity in Navy messaging,
Policy
The Navy’s Messaging Choke Point
Some say the service needs to stop using jargon like “littoral operations” and “sea denial” if it wants to connect with more Americans.
Ideas
