Defense

Lawmaker secures funds to upgrade ship Navy doesn't want

Service worries millions added to authorization bill for the catamaran will waste limited resources.

Defense

House defense appropriators fatten National Guard coffers

Subcommittee cuts Army's Future Combat Systems, an ambitious program valued at between $160 billion and $200 billion.

Defense

Lawmaker calls for CIA center to become independent agency

Center was established last November as the place for collecting and processing "open source intelligence," such as information that is available to the public in newspapers and books.

Defense

Lawmakers press improvements to Project Bioshield

Bills seek to promote development of new vaccines and encourage research on countermeasures.

Defense

Report: Air marshals concerned they are too visible

Rank and file also complain of long hours and vertigo; agency says some of the policies cited in complaints have been changed.

Defense

9/11 commissioners criticize unresolved security threats

Biggest challenge is containing enriched uranium, commission leaders tell House subcommittee.

Defense

House passes DHS spending bill as outcry continues over grants

Lawmakers ask Michael Chertoff for an explanation of his department’s decision to cut grant awards in some key urban areas.

Defense

Robotics seen as growth area for Defense Department

Policy needs to catch up with technology, panelists say; funding also a challenge.

Defense

Coast Guard leader: Disaster plan needs avian flu provisions

Response plan fails to adequately lay out responsibilities in the event of a flu pandemic, Adm. Thad Allen says.

Defense

Panel says Pentagon must improve relations with states

Governors have been kept out of the loop on Guard equipment and personnel issues, independent commission finds in preliminary report.

Defense

House leaders wait as panels feud over FEMA reforms

Disagreement centers on whether the beleaguered agency should be removed from the Homeland Security Department, and associated costs.

Defense

Records on active-duty military included in stolen VA data

The personal information of up to 50,000 National Guard, Reserve and Navy personnel could be at risk.

Defense

Border agency weighs options to handle surge in detainees

U.S. Customs and Border Protection mulls setting up "detention barges" at sea.

Defense

Forward Observer: Enron on the Potomac

The Pentagon’s accounting practices are unlikely to improve until a panel of outside financial experts is appointed to help.

Defense

Army brass defies a costly trend by cutting London trip

Canceling travel is one of many penny-pinching moves the service plans to take until emergency spending bill is enacted.

Defense

New Coast Guard chief discusses lessons learned from Katrina

Adm. Thad Allen says government is making progress establishing clear lines of command and communication for disaster response.

Defense

Pentagon to automate personnel management systems

One computerized system will make salary and benefits details easily accessible.

Defense

DHS seeks to better serve disaster victims with disabilities

Council working to ensure announcements in emergency shelters reach people who do not hear or see, among other things.

Tech

DHS trade processing system lacks realistic goals, GAO says

Agency says it will align and define program goals, benefits, business results and performance measures by July 1.

Defense

Lawmakers assail DHS personnel, grants practices

Members of House committee ask Chertoff how the department would handle decreased appropriations for its personnel reforms.