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Category Archives: National Defense
Creating Explosives for Nuclear Weapons
Those yellow pebbles pictured on the left? While they might look a lot like Halloween candy, they are far from it. They’re actually formulated explosives the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration uses to create weapons. In today’s WatchBlog, … Continue reading
GAO’s Summer Reading List
Tomorrow is Read a Book Day! Or, if you’re an American high schooler, happy Finish Your Summer Reading List day! Those classics that teachers assign during the hotter months may not qualify as awesome beach reading, but plenty of those … Continue reading
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September 5, 2019
Tagged Bombs, children, Contracting and National Security Acquisitions, Cristina Chaplain, David Trimble, Department of Defense, Education Workforce and Income Security, Kathryn Larin, Natural Resources and the Environment, Navy, Navy ships, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, radioactive materials, Shelby Oakley, shipbuilding, Space acquisition programs, Space systems, Trauma care
Troubling Trends in DOD’s Weapon Programs
The Department of Defense’s 82 largest complex programs cost an estimated $1.69 trillion. We annually assess how DOD is managing and overseeing these major acquisition programs in our “Quick Look” reports. In today’s WatchBlog, we discuss some of our observations … Continue reading
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July 11, 2019
Tagged acquisition, acquisition management, acquisition planning, acquisition reform, acquisitions, Air Force, Army, best practices, CNSA, competitive bids, contracts, Department of Defense, DOD, F-35, federal contracts, government contracting, knowledge-based best practices, major weapon systems, Navy, quick look, Shelby Oakley, Virginia Class Submarine, weapon acquisitions, weapon programs, weapon systems
Federal Government Contracting for Fiscal Year 2018 (infographic)
With tax season over, now is a good time to look at how the government uses your tax dollars. About 40% of the government’s discretionary spending goes to contracts for goods and services covering everything from health care to hand … Continue reading
DOD: Prioritizing Amid Changing Threats
The 2018 National Defense Strategy (which guides the military’s defense priorities) calls for the Department of Defense (DOD) to urgently develop a lethal, resilient, and rapidly adapting joint force in order to address growing threats to U.S. security. But how … Continue reading
Emerging Threats to the United States
The United States faces many threats to our political, economic, military, and social systems that could hurt national security. Federal agencies, including the Departments of Defense, State, and Homeland Security, as well as the Office of the Director of National … Continue reading
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February 28, 2019
Tagged Brian Mazanec, climate change, DCM, demographic changes, Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, Department of State, dual-use technology, emerging threats, IAT, Joseph Kirschbaum, military advancement, National Intelligence, national security, weapon systems, weapons
Are the Navy and Marine Corps Ready for the Future? (video)
The Department of Defense has faced conflict, budget uncertainty, and reductions in force structure, making it less prepared to handle its operations. Since 2015, we’ve made 45 recommendations to help the Navy and Marine Corps prepare for the future. We … Continue reading
How Prepared is the Air Force?
Air Force readiness has declined steadily since the 1990s as its aircraft fleet has aged and become smaller. The Air Force is working to rebuild the readiness of its force but has also stated that it must grow significantly to … Continue reading
Military Pilots: The View from 30,000 Feet
Military pilots fly both manned and unmanned planes to perform combat, transportation, and surveillance missions and other operations critical to national security. Retaining qualified pilots is important not only to meet national defense needs, but also to recoup the military … Continue reading
Are Acquisition Reforms Leading to Better Outcomes at DOD?
Over the past two decades, we’ve issued annual “Quick Looks” at the Department of Defense’s largest and most expensive acquisition programs. Our work continued this year with a review of DOD’s 86 major weapons programs, which totaled more than $1.66 … Continue reading
