Joe Gould
Joe Gould was the senior Pentagon reporter for Defense News, covering the intersection of national security policy, politics and the defense industry. He had previously served as Congress reporter.
All Stories By Joe
Republican budget plan will ‘undermine’ US security, warns Biden admin
The Biden administration is portraying plans from Republicans to gut the federal budget as jeopardizing national security.
Democrats demand independent probe of White House-Russia ties
With questions still swirling about the sudden resignation of national security adviser Michael Flynn this week, Democrats on Wednesday stepped up demands for an independent investigation into the relationship between the Trump administration and Moscow.
Interview: Rep. Rob Wittman, the latest in a line of influential chairmen
Speaking with Defense News about the upcoming deliberative session, Virginia Republican Rob Wittman said his top priority was setting a proper course for the Navy’s plan to expand to 355 ships and overseeing the Air Force’s B-21 bomber program.
US defense budget boost: Congressional hawks face the clock
President Trump may be signing executive orders at a furious pace, but for defense spending, the White House and Congress are looking ahead to a thorny agenda and a shrinking schedule.
Trump’s fights with McCain threaten to divide Republicans
Sen. John McCain insists he’s a supporter of President Donald Trump, even as he has once again emerged as his biggest foe on Capitol Hill.
Military chiefs warn of force-readiness struggles
The US military’s uniformed No. 2s on Tuesday warned that readiness starved by years of budget instability needs relief badly.
Thornberry primes 2018 Pentagon reform agenda
The Pentagon reform agenda of House Armed Services Chair Mac Thornberry, R-Tex., is not waiting for the president’s Defense Department to take shape.
With Viola out, new service secretaries could take months
Even before President Trump’s nominee to lead the Army abruptly withdrew his name from consideration late Friday over business entanglements, it would have taken months before the Pentagon’s top jobs would be filled.
Lawmakers want the hiring freeze thawed for defense-acquisition workers
A handful of House lawmakers are calling on President Trump to exempt the Defense Department’s acquisitions personnel from the federal hiring freeze he ordered a week ago.
Petraeus warns Congress on Russia, immigration order
Retired US Army Gen. David Petraeus warned lawmakers the weakening of NATO and the European Union plays into the hands of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s attempts to undermine liberal democracies.
