Trends in Defense Spending

April 1, 2000
Defense spending has fluctuated greatly over four decades, but the current budget is lower than all but eight of the preceding 40.

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Austin Visits Non-NATO Partner Georgia to Tout New Russia Deterrence Efforts

Oct. 18, 2021
Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III visited Tbilisi, Georgia on Oct. 18 ahead of the NATO ministerial meetings in Brussels Oct. 21-22, and assured the aspiring NATO member that the U.S. is at its side. During the visit, Austin signed a defense memorandum to enhance deterrence amid continued Russian hybrid…

As National AI Panel Shuts Down, New Think Tank Emerges to Continue Its Work

Oct. 18, 2021
The congressionally chartered National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence has completed its work, but the team that created its 756-page report will continue, backed this time by its former chair, Eric Schmidt, who is committing his own money to the new effort, dubbed the "Special Competitive Studies Project." Schmidt continues…

Lockheed Martin Says It Will Compete for Advanced Fighter Trainer

Oct. 15, 2021
Lockheed Martin plans to enter the Advanced Tactical Trainer fray to supply the Air Force with a new jet to bridge undergraduate flight instruction and fighter training units, but the company declined to say whether it will offer a T-50A derivative, a different non-developmental airplane, or a clean-sheet design. Its…

Space Force Shakes Up Acquisition Again in Effort to Achieve Efficiencies

Oct. 15, 2021
The Space Force confirmed that it will reorganize space acquisition and space policy authorities starting Oct. 18 in an effort to streamline decision-making in line with Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall’s plan announced in August. The Department of the Air Force's plan involves breaking out space policy from the as-yet…

Van Ovost Takes Command of TRANSCOM, Pledging to ‘Underpin Lethality’

Oct. 15, 2021
Air Force Gen. Jacqueline D. Van Ovost assumed command of U.S. Transportation Command during a ceremony at Scott Air Force Base, Ill., on Oct. 15, becoming just the second woman to lead a unified combatant command. To meet new challenges, the military needs “every Jackie Van Ovost that we can…

C-17 Pilot is Biden’s Nominee for USAF Installations Czar

Oct. 14, 2021
The Biden Administration plans to nominate Ravi Chaudhary, a former Air Force C-17 pilot and member of the Senior Executive Service with the Federal Aviation Administration, as assistant secretary of the Air Force for installations, environment, and energy. In his last post, he was director of advanced programs and innovation…

Contractor Employees Who Object to Vaccines May Not Get Much Backup

Oct. 14, 2021
As the military’s COVID-19 vaccination deadlines close in, federal contractors such as Boeing, L3Harris, and others are also demanding employees get vaccinated, driven by President Biden's executive order issued Sept. 9. About 63 percent of working-age Americans were vaccinated as of Oct. 7, according to the White House. Assuming those…