Tag Archives: defense contractors

General Dynamics CEO Sets Sights on Further Growth, Acquisitions

Andrea Shalal-Esa, Reuters. GD CEO and former Chief-of-Naval-Operations Jay Johnson discusses with Reuters last week his views of the future of General Dynamics and the industry. He offers an insight that most analysts agree with. This is actually a ripe time for major defense manufacturers like GD to acquire other companies to expand their offerings, while leveraging emerging markets like China and South America. While the worries are real about the future of the U.S. defense market, major programs will have to continue and support for most remains strong. 

Obama Administration Urges Flat 2013-2017 Defense Spending Plan

Tony Capaccio, Bloomberg. The White…

OMB, DoD Agree on $523B Budget; Budget Chicken Begins

Colin Clark, AOL Defense. Colin calls this budget chicken because the Administration has sent forth a 2013 budget that takes into account the initial $500 billion in budget cuts dictated by the budget control act but does not address the numbers associated with the sequestration triggered by the Super Committee failure. It’s sort of like throwing down the glove for Congress to see who blinks first. 

Kendal Cites Flawed Army Future Combat Systems as Costly Lesson

Tony Capaccio, Bloomberg. Acting Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition Frank Kendall spoke this week about the importance of DoD and industry working together to ensure…

$130B Hit for U.S. Modernization

Marcus Weisgerber and Zachary Fryer-Biggs, Defense News. Defense analysts attending the 2011 Defense Outlook Forum in New York last week are extremely pessimistic that the Super Committee will come up with a compromise to hold off the threatened sequestration and cuts of additional billions from the defense budget. They expect that approximately half of the cuts in the next five years will come from weapon modernization accounts, with another 25% from efficiencies and the other 25% from reductions in force. It’s going to be an interesting few months as this sorts itself out.

U.S. Senators: MDA a Model for Avoiding Counterfeit Parts

Kate Brannen, Defense News.…

McHugh Keeps JLTV Options Open, Except Humvees

Carlo Munoz, AOL Defense. During a meeting with defense writers on Wednesday, Secretary of the Army John McHugh made it clear that he does not see the upgraded Humvee as an option to replace the JLTV proposals. With an exclamation point he stated that the Army is done with the Humvee as it has done all it can with the vehicle and it’s time for a new truck. While Congress may change his mind, for now SecArmy is going all in on a new platform for the future.

House Panel Hearing Explores U.S. Government Contractors’ Exploitation of Workers Overseas

Joe Davidson, Washington Post.…

Supercommittee Turns to U.S. War Spending as Clock Ticks

Kate Brannen, Defense News. With the clock running, the so called Super Committee working to find ways to cut the budget got a tutorial from Congressional Budget Office director Douglas Elmendorf on how war spending works and how to budget for that in the future. It is telling as they try to find places to claim cuts without cutting cherished programs for either party.

New Army Optimism on GCV

Philip Ewing, DoD Buzz. Two of the Army’s top acquisition officials testified to the House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday in a discussion of the ground vehicles plan, expressing the belief that…