On Thursday, McCain’s committee unveiled its version of the National Defense Authorization Act, with significant changes sought to the way the Pentagon does business. – Defense News
In their dueling drafts of the annual defense bill, Senate Armed Services Committee chairman John McCain has staked out bold positions where the House’s Mac Thornberry is cautious — and McCain is cautious where Thornberry is bold. – Breaking Defense
Senate Armed Services Chairman John McCain is seeking to erase the office of the Pentagon’s chief weapons buyer and divide its duties between two positions, one of them a new chief technological innovator for the Defense Department. – Defense News
The committee also calls for the White House’s National Security Council staff to be capped at 150 (it’s grown to about 400 in recent years). McCain labeled the $602 billion document “a reform bill,” and it also outlines plans to expand the role of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Pentagon’s global combatant commanders to take more of a role in planning and carrying out plans for war.