The Obama Administration may have just hammered the last nail into the coffin of the Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS).
Further Scrutiny for the “Little Crappy Ship”
A senior naval commander believes the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) lacks appropriate firepower.
Another Deficit Driver: Contractor Pensions
Since the 1980s, private companies, the federal government, and several state governments have eliminated the uncertainties and risks associated with managing defined benefit pension plans (low interest rates, stock market declines, and an aging work force) and have migrated to defined contribution retirement options. However, many companies that contract with the federal government have continued to offer defined benefit plans, in part because the investment risks are absorbed by the taxpayers through reimbursements for pension shortfalls.
Checking in on contractor waste
In March of 2009, President Obama delivered a speech on procurement at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in which he excoriated the outgoing administration for its irresponsible spending on government contracts.
Sen. Harry Reid Hits a New Low
On Monday evening, March 18, seven U.S. Marines from North Carolina were tragically killed in a training accident at Hawthorne Army Depot in Nevada.
Never Ending Problems for the F-35
For the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, trouble has again reared its ugly head.
Odd Choices in Afghanistan
In late December 2012, the United States Air Force (USAF) did not renew its contract with Alenia Aermacchi, a subsidiary of Italian-based defense contractor Finmeccanica, to refurbish and supply 20 G222s (also known as the C-27A) for the Afghan Air Force (AAF).
Tanking the Taxpayers
The hundreds of millions of dollars in earmarks that Congress has approved for upgrades to the M1 Abrams are so “vital” for national security that the Department of Defense (DOD) has more than 2,000 of the tanks parked in a California desert.
More Oversight Needed for our Veterans
On January 24, 2011, the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) issued a report detailing the improper benefits given to disabled veterans. The report discussed temporary 100 percent benefits, which the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) is supposed to continually monitor and reduce when necessary and concluded that the VBA made mistakes in “about 27,500 (15 percent) of these veterans’ evaluations.” These mistakes “will overpay veterans a projected $1.1 billion over the next 5 years.”
Defense Waste: The Final Frontier
As the country careens toward the automatic year-end program cuts and expiration of tax breaks labeled “the fiscal cliff,” Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) has been on the offensive, releasing reports in consecutive months highlighting wasteful spending in government. The November WasteWatcher detailed Sen. Coburn’s Wastebook 2012, which targeted 100 projects costing taxpayers more than $18 billion.