At the corner of Vermont Avenue and H Street in northwest Washington, D.C., a single structure’s exterior bears a bronze plate engraved with the words “To care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow, and his orphan.” The building is the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the phrase, uttered by President Abraham Lincoln, is the agency’s motto. Sadly, this goal is not being met, and, disappointingly, it hasn’t been for nearly a decade.
Presumptive Nominee Faces Scrutiny
The leading candidate to replace Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, the outgoing Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), is Deputy Chief of Staff for U.S. Army Intelligence Lt. Gen. Mary Legere. However, she may have a tough confirmation battle on her hands, thanks to longstanding support for a troubled Army intelligence platform, the Distributed Common Ground System (DCGS-A). The system has been under development for more than a decade, has cost taxpayers approximately $6 billion, and is failing in its primary functions.
Defense Bill: Good, Bad, and Ugly
As taxpayers peruse the Department of Defense (DOD) section of the monolithic Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014 (H.R. 3547) that funds the federal government through fiscal year (FY) 2014, they will find mixed blessings. The positive news is that the budget for the Army’s Distributed Common Ground System (DCGS-A) was slashed by 58.5 percent, from $267,214,000 […]
A Bittersweet Victory for CAGW
Ronald Reagan once said, “Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we’ll ever see on this earth!” A corollary to that notion is that in the rare circumstance when a government agency or program disappears, it does not necessarily die. Such is the case with the Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS), a missile defense system long opposed by Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW).
Sequestration is Better than Sliced Bread
It is time for official Washington to admit that sequestration is the best thing that has happened for taxpayers since Gramm-Rudman in the mid-1980s. Domestic discretionary spending is being reduced and will continue to be cut as long as Congress sticks to the sequestration limits.
An Early Christmas in Washington
Fiscal year (FY) 2013 just ended and federal agencies enjoyed a shopping spree.
This spending binge occurred because at the end of every fiscal year agencies are incentivized to spend the remaining money in their budgets in order to justify a similar or increased budget for the following year. This phenomenon, known as “spend it or lose it,” leads not only to wasteful spending, but to poor investments and awful management at the federal level.
Back to Black – II
A few weeks ago, I wrote a blog about Senator Coburn’s (R-OK) efforts in fighting a bloated federal government, rife with waste, fraud, and abuse. You may recall his office has produced several reports on where spending could be cut in the federal government. In my blog, I pulled out some examples from one of […]
Flying High on the Tax Payers
I am one who appreciates our military and wants it to be strong and effective. Under our Constitution, one of the main purposes of the federal government is to “provide for the common defense.” But that does not mean that Congress and the Defense Department cannot root out wasteful spending. Here is a good example […]
DCGS May Need to be Deep-Sixed
The Army’s Distributed Common Ground System (DCGS-A), a network-based tool intended to provide real-time access to intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, invokes a strong reaction from both its proponents and detractors. According to Army brass, DCGS-A represents a breakthrough in intelligence support capability, while users have called it a “huge, bloated, excessively expensive money pit.”
Further Scrutiny for the “Little Crappy Ship”
A senior naval commander believes the troubled Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), or “Little Crappy Ship” as it has been referred to inside the Navy, does not have enough firepower. Other analysts believe the ship is not survivable.