The 19-page testimony on DOD’s fiscal 2016 budget request that Secretary Ashton Carter submitted to two congressional committees last week argued for a BRAC round in 2017, but it also included a nod to several communities that have successfully recovered from a base closure. The justification for a new round is clear, Carter says. “Simply … Read More
CAPITOL HILL: Tensions within the GOP over the mandatory budget caps set by the Budget Control Act burst into the open today. The chairman of the House Appropriations defense subcommittee repeatedly warned colleagues and the leaders of the Air Force this morning that they had no choice and must live within the Budget Control Act’s … Read More
Officials at the Tobyhanna Army Depot have allowed Newswatch 16 to get a look at some of what they actually do. We got a rare look inside our area’s largest employer. If there is anyone who can tell us about the change and growth at Tobyhanna Army Depot in Monroe County, it’s Frank Zardecki. “This … Read More
Despite Spending Deal, Pentagon Must Cope with Long-Term Budget Pressure Top DOD officials and defense hawks for the most part breathed a sigh of relief after congressional leaders reached a budget deal offering the Defense Department $56 billion above the spending caps in fiscal 2016 and 2017. Beyond the agreement’s window, though, defense officials will … Read More
Sequestration would impact more than national security, it would deeply cut the nation’s economy and cripple federal programs relied upon by some of the most vulnerable Americans. Rallying outside the U.S. Capitol on Oct. 7, federal employee advocates, education and health stakeholders, and congressional leaders called for bipartisan work to raise spending caps for both … Read More
“The pressures that led us to request BRAC in the past don’t look like they’re going to let up in the future.” The recent budget agreement will provide the Pentagon $56 billion in budget relief compared to the discretionary spending caps over the next two years, but it doesn’t lessen DOD’s need to right-size its … Read More