An Alabama Republican now heads the House Armed Services Committee, which just released draft legislation freezing Space Command construction in Colorado.
U.S. President Joe Biden’s first budget request for the Department of Defense slashes procurement by $8 billion, whacking scores of legacy weapons and systems as a way to deliver a $5.5 billion boost for the development and testing of cutting-edge technologies that could deter China.
The Air Force plans to funnel next year’s military construction dollars toward bolstering its facilities across Europe and the Indo-Pacific, as well as preparing to bring on a new generation of nuclear weapons, officials told lawmakers Tuesday.
U.S. military officials have outlined a new spending requirements to boost deterrence against China, including new weapons, new construction and closer military-to-military collaboration with America’s allies in the region.
Eyeing China’s rise as a global military and economic power, lawmakers unveiled a compromise defense policy bill Thursday that targets China on multiple fronts, with $6.9 billion prescribed for a new Pacific Deterrence Initiative over two years.
With Democrats fighting to retake the Senate and the White House in the Nov. 3 elections, Sen. Jack Reed is favored to move into one of Congress' most visible positions and become a major defense figure for his party ― and just as the military’s transition toward competition with China and Russia is gaining momentum.