House Republicans to Protect DOD from Automatic Cuts

House leaders appear poised to shield the defense budget from the first year of automatic spending cuts triggered by the debt supercommittee's failure to reach a deficit reduction agreement last fall. House Republicans are expected to replace the $55 billion in defense cuts to be imposed in January with other spending reductions in the fiscal 2013 budget resolution to be unveiled this week, reported the National Journal.

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Pentagon to Consider Adopting Alternative Building Security Standards

DOD is considering dropping its anti-terrorism/force protection standards for buildings in favor of the standards used by the rest of the federal government as a way to save money. The department first compared its standard with the federal one -- which is based on standards developed by a 21-agency group -- in terms of scope, cost and effectiveness for leased buildings ...

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DOD to Increase Reliance on Energy Savings Contracts

The Pentagon is rapidly increasing spending on energy savings performance contracts and utility energy service contracts, with plans to spend $718 million in fiscal 2013, a 54 percent increase over this year. The department is slated to award $465 million worth of the performance-based contracts this year, a 131 percent increase over FY 2011 ...

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Environmental Coalition Sues Fort Ord LRA over Cleanup Funds

The Fort Ord Reuse Authority is the target of a lawsuit alleging the organization failed to properly account for a federal grant dedicated to clearing munitions and explosives from 3,340 acres at the former post located in Monterey, Calif. The suit filed by open space advocates Keep Fort Ord Wild under the state Public Records Act asks the court to force the LRA to release documents related to $97.7 million it received from the Army under an environmental services cooperative agreement ...

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Seymour Johnson Vies for New Tanker

Officials in eastern North Carolina are promoting Seymour Johnson Air Force Base as the home for the new KC-46A tanker aircraft. The base has a 12,000-foot runway and is close to 18 established air-refueling tracks, said Col. Laen August, vice commander of the Air Force Reserve's 916th Refueling Wing ...

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