Defense-Wide Review Finds $5.7 Billion for Higher Priorities

Defense Secretary Dr. Mark T. Esper's Defense Wide Review is paying off, with $5.7 billion freed up for more important priorities, senior defense officials said.

The officials — spoke with reporters yesterday — are looking to institutionalize the process to subject the defense agencies that make up "the Fourth Estate" — parts of the Defense Department that are not military services — to the same pressures the services face when crafting their budgets.

his is even more critical in fiscal year 2021, as the defense budget
will remain flat, which means that after accounting for inflation, the
DOD budget will buy less.

The money saved will flow to National Defense Strategy
priorities — including research into hypersonic weapons, artificial
intelligence and big data, fifth-generation communications technologies,
nuclear enterprise modernization, space, missile defense and response
force readiness.

The review began soon after Esper took office and built on a similar
process he put in place as Army secretary. The process involved
personnel from the Office of the Secretary of Defense and the services.
It was a line-by-line examination of the budgets of defense agencies and
activities.

"We ended up with 21 sessions over the course of about 16-ish
weeks," a senior defense official said. The directors of the defense
agencies and activities participated.

Esper looked at each organization and each budget item and asked basic questions: Why is DOD doing this? What is the requirement? Should this be done by this agency or one of the services?

The secretary has his own key phrases that boil down to freeing up
time, money and manpower for redirecting to NDS priorities, the official
said. "It's a long, tough process, but it realized $5.7 billion in 2021
savings that re-prioritize to NDS priorities, and another $2.1 billion
that will transfer from defense agencies and activities to the
services," the official said.

In some cases, the review called for increases in capabilities. In
other cases, it called for cuts. Some legacy systems and equipment that
were resident in the Fourth Estate are being cut. Some missions,
overcome by events, are being ended. All this money will flow to higher
priorities.

Officials said employees should not be affected by the changes. Any
changes in personnel can be handled under normal retirements and
attrition.

Officials said most of the money can just be transferred. Some will
require congressional action. Officials stressed these actions do not
involve the combatant commands.

The process is not over. Esper will institutionalize the process
under the auspices of the office of the DOD chief management officer.

Right now, officials explained, the services prepare their budgets in
accordance with the National Security Strategy. Before submitting them
to the Office of the Secretary of Defense for scrutiny, service leaders
make tough decisions about what programs or capabilities should have
priority. They have a topline number they cannot exceed and the budget
submission — usually in August — requires tough choices on the part of
service leaders.

But the agencies and activities in the Fourth Estate do not have the
same pressures. They submit their budgets at the same time as the
services, but miss the scrutiny that requires taking money from one
program to fund one with a higher priority. Esper signed a memo to place
all the Fourth Estate agencies into one pot, and the chief management
officer would examine the budgets as a whole, shifting funds where they
are needed and eliminating duplicative or overtaken capabilities.

Just as a service scrubs its budget before submitting it to the
secretary's office, the chief management team will be scrubbing all of
the Fourth Estate budget as an entity before it hits the big budget
review process in the fall.

Essentially, this means "creating that same management incentive on
the Fourth Estate side," an official said. "You got a bill? Find an
offset."

Defense Secretary Esper Meets With Israeli Minister of Defense Bennett

Secretary of Defense Dr. Mark T. Esper met with Israeli Minister of Defense Naftali Bennett at the Pentagon on February 4. The visit marked the first meeting between the two leaders, and focused on reaffirming the longstanding defense relationship between the United States and Israel. 

The two discussed a broad range of defense-related issues to include regional threats, shared interests, and the importance of maintaining a strong military-to-military partnership moving forward.

Minister Bennett thanked Secretary Esper for his continued support for Israel's inherent right to self-defense and the United States reiterated a strong commitment towards ensuring Israel's Qualitative Military Edge.

Defense Secretary Dr. Mark T. Esper announced general officer nominations made by the president

Secretary of Defense Mark T. Esper announced today that the president has made the following nominations:

Air Force Col. Jason E. Bailey has been nominated for appointment to the rank of brigadier general.  Bailey is currently serving as the director, Checkmate Division, Deputy Chief of Staff, Operations, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Pentagon, Washington, District of Columbia.

Air Force Col. Kenyon K. Bell has been nominated for appointment to the rank of brigadier general.  Bell is currently serving as the commander, 82nd Training Wing, Air Education and Training Command, Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas.

Air Force Col. William D. Betts has been nominated for appointment to the rank of brigadier general.  Betts is currently serving as the chief, Program Integration Division, Deputy Chief of Staff, Plans and Programs, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Pentagon, Washington, District of Columbia.

Air Force Col. Shawn W. Campbell has been nominated for appointment to the rank of brigadier general.  Campbell is currently serving as the director, Talent Management Innovation Cell, Deputy Chief of Staff, Manpower, Personnel and Services, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Pentagon, Washington, District of Columbia.

Air Force Col. Houston R. Cantwell has been nominated for appointment to the rank of brigadier general.  Cantwell is currently serving as the vice superintendent, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Air Force Col. Eric A. Carney has been nominated for appointment to the rank of brigadier general.  Carney is currently serving as the chief, Commander’s Initiative Group, Air Force Element U.S. Forces Korea, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, Camp Humphreys, Republic of Korea.

Air Force Col. Sean M. Choquette has been nominated for appointment to the rank of brigadier general.  Choquette is currently serving as the chief of staff, Air Combat Operations, U.S. Air Forces Central Command, Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar.

Air Force Col. Michael E. Conley has been nominated for appointment to the rank of brigadier general.  Conley is currently serving as the commander, 1st Special Operations Wing, Air Force Special Operations Command, Hurlburt Field, Florida.

Air Force Col. Eric P. DeLange has been nominated for appointment to the rank of brigadier general.  Delange is currently serving as the senior executive officer to the vice chief of staff of the Air Force, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Pentagon, Washington, District of Columbia.

Air Force Col. Daniel A. DeVoe has been nominated for appointment to the rank of brigadier general.  DeVoe is currently serving as the vice commander, 618th Air Operations Center, Tanker Airlift Control Center, Air Mobility Command, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois.

Air Force Col. Gerald A. Donohue has been nominated for appointment to the rank of brigadier general.  Donohue is currently serving as the chief innovation officer, Deputy Chief of Staff, Strategy, Integration and Requirements, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Pentagon, Washington, District of Columbia.

Air Force Col. Russell D. Driggers has been nominated for appointment to the rank of brigadier general.  Driggers is currently serving as the commander, 80th Flying Training Wing, Air Education and Training Command, Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas.

Air Force Col. Michael R. Drowley has been nominated for appointment to the rank of brigadier general.  Drowley is currently serving as the commander, 355th Fighter Wing, Air Combat Command, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona.

Air Force Col. John R. Edwards has been nominated for appointment to the rank of brigadier general.  Edwards is currently serving as the director, Secretary of the Air Force; and chief of staff of the Air Force Executive Action Group, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Pentagon, Washington, District of Columbia.

Air Force Col. Todd A. Fogle has been nominated for appointment to the rank of brigadier general.  Fogle is currently serving as the special assistant to the commander, U.S. Special Operations Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida.

Air Force Col. Jennifer Hammerstedt has been nominated for appointment to the rank of brigadier general.  Hammerstedt is currently serving as the military assistant to the deputy secretary of defense, Office of the Secretary of Defense, Pentagon, Washington, District of Columbia.

Air Force Col. Matthew W. Higer has been nominated for appointment to the rank of brigadier general.  Higer is currently serving as the commander, Data Masked, Headquarters Air Force Materiel Command, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.

Air Force Col. Jason T. Hinds has been nominated for appointment to the rank of brigadier general.  Hinds is currently serving as the senior military assistant to the under secretary of the Air Force, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, Pentagon, Washington, District of Columbia.

Air Force Col. Stacy J. Huser has been nominated for appointment to the rank of brigadier general.  Huser is currently serving as the director, Commander’s Action Group, Headquarters U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska.

Air Force Col. William H. Kale has been nominated for appointment to the rank of brigadier general.  Kale is currently serving as the chief, House Liaison Office, Office of the Legislative Liaison, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, Pentagon, Washington, District of Columbia.

Air Force Col. Joseph D. Kunkel has been nominated for appointment to the rank of brigadier general.  Kunkel is currently serving as the vice director, Operations, Headquarters North American Aerospace Defense Command, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado.

Air Force Col. Leslie A. Maher has been nominated for appointment to the rank of brigadier general.  Maher is currently serving as the senior military assistant to the secretary of the Air Force, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, Pentagon, Washington, District of Columbia.

Air Force Col. Michael H. Manion has been nominated for appointment to the rank of brigadier general.  Manion is currently serving as the director, Joint and National Security Council Matters, Deputy Chief of Staff, Operations, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Pentagon, Washington, District of Columbia.

Air Force Col. Paul D. Moga has been nominated for appointment to the rank of brigadier general.  Moga is currently serving as the chief, Planning Integration Division, Deputy Chief of Staff, Plans and Programs, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Pentagon, Washington, District of Columbia.

Air Force Col. Joshua M. Olson has been nominated for appointment to the rank of brigadier general.  Olson is currently serving as the executive officer to the commander, U.S. Transportation Command, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois.

Air Force Col. Derek J. O’Malley has been nominated for appointment to the rank of brigadier general.  O’Malley is currently serving as the commander, 20th Fighter Wing, Air Combat Command, Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina.

Air Force Col. Brandon D. Parker has been nominated for appointment to the rank of brigadier general.  Parker is currently serving as the director, Air Force Colonel Management Office, Deputy Chief of Staff, Manpower, Personnel and Services, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Pentagon, Washington, District of Columbia.

Air Force Col. Stephen G. Purdy Jr. has been nominated for appointment to the rank of brigadier general.  Purdy is currently serving as the senior materiel leader, Space Superiority Directorate, Space and Missile Systems Center, Air Force Space Command, Los Angeles Air Force Base, California.

Air Force Col. Mark B. Pye has been nominated for appointment to the rank of brigadier general.  Pye is currently serving as the deputy director, Strategic Plans, Programs and Requirements, Headquarters Air Force Global Strike Command, Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana.

Air Force Col. Neil R. Richardson has been nominated for appointment to the rank of brigadier general.  Richardson is currently serving as the chief, Senate Division, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, Pentagon, Washington, District of Columbia.

Air Force Col. Patrick S. Ryder has been nominated for appointment to the rank of brigadier general.  Ryder is currently serving as the special assistant for public affairs to the chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff, Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Pentagon, Washington, District of Columbia.

Air Force Col. Christopher S. Sage has been nominated for appointment to the rank of brigadier general.  Sage is currently serving as the executive officer to the commander, U.S. European Command and Supreme Allied Commander, Europe, Headquarters U.S. European Command, Mons, Belgium.

Air Force Col. Jennifer M. Short has been nominated for appointment to the rank of brigadier general.  Short is currently serving as the executive assistant to the commander, Pacific Air Forces, Headquarters Pacific Air Forces, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii.

Air Force Col. Dale R. White has been nominated for appointment to the rank of brigadier general.  White is currently serving as the program senior materiel leader, Advanced Aircraft, Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Air Force Materiel Command, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.

Air Force Col. Parker H. Wright has been nominated for appointment to the rank of brigadier general.  Wright is currently serving as the commander, National Air and Space Intelligence Center, Deputy Chief of Staff, Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance and Cyber Effects Operations, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.