


Hegseth calls for extensive reforms to Pentagon drone-buying practices
The memo directs the military services to create active duty formations by September, built for the sole purpose of scaling the use of drones across DOD.

Pentagon
US resumes sending some weapons to Ukraine after Pentagon pause
The defense secretary directed the pause last week to allow DOD to assess its weapons stockpiles, in a move that caught the White House by surprise.

Austin confirmed as new defense secretary in historic vote
The former head of U.S. Central Command is the first Black defense secretary in American history.

Pentagon announces new acting CIO as Deasy departs
The department's principal deputy CIO takes over from Dana Deasy until President Joe Biden's eventual pick gets confirmed.

Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy, a strong proponent of modernization, steps down
McCarthy’s tenure was marked by ambitious modernization initiatives, but civil unrest requiring Guard mobilizations and trouble at Army posts was never far away.

The Defense Department still isn’t meeting its F-35 readiness goals
Today, only 36 percent of F-35s are capable of performing all of the missions it was designed to accomplish.

Biden inaugurated commander in chief amid heavy military presence at Capitol
Biden sworn in as 46th president of the United States.

Austin pledges to protect civilian leadership at Pentagon
Lloyd Austin signaled that his core staff would be drawn from civilians, not his old U.S. Central Command team.

US agency forecasts cost for missile defense plans over next decade
If the Pentagon applies plans prescribed in its most recent Missile Defense Review, the cost of missile defense over the next decade could rise as much as 40 percent over 2017 projections, the Congressional Budget Office estimates.

Biden’s post-COVID defense budget choice: A resurgence or a decline
Thomas Mahnken and Roger Zakheim say that recent war games show a 10 percent cut to defense would leave the Pentagon woefully underfunded.

As Biden takes office, key nuclear and missile defense decisions loom
The incoming administration must make several decisions fairly quickly, says outgoing official Rob Soofer.
