Stopping the leaks...
Yet another step the Pentagon is taking... maybe a step too far?
Leaders at the Pentagon have significantly altered how military officials will speak with Congress after a pair of new memos issued last week.
In an Oct. 15 memo, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and his deputy, Steve Feinberg, ordered Pentagon officials — including the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff — to obtain permission from the department’s main legislative affairs office before they have any communication with Capitol Hill.
Full article, HERE from Military Times.
The Pentagon is notorious for leaks... Going back further than the Pentagon Papers, but the leaks have been there. The number of classified programs that have been ‘leaked’ either intentionally or unintentionally is horrific.
Some of those leaks ‘might’ have been done to salvage other programs that sponsors didn’t want to lose, but I don’t know.
Last week the Pentagon limited the media’s ability to wonder around at will, which is a good start as far as I’m concerned. I personally saw them sniffing around areas I knew they didn’t have access to, trying to get a ‘quote’ from an ‘unnamed source’... sigh
Maybe they can also take a look at acquisition, and fix that CF while they are at it. THAT alone would save billions!!! Teaming ‘requirements’, coddling congresscritters programs, etc. etc...
But I do hope they get the military paid the end of the month. What is being done to them in unconscionable, and the blame falls squarely on the Dems for playing political games with the CR.
I understand the concern re approval of communications, but. Even without the possibility of secret (or unvetted) exchanges, the military / Congress interface is fraught with politics. Adding the possibility of punishment to improper communication would seem to be a reasonable damping term.
One presumes the proscription doesn't include whistleblowing actions; if it does then that is a concern.
Re the acquisition side ... Yes. It would have been nice if DOGE had gone after process and procedure inefficiencies (or perhaps, usefulness) as well as programs and headcount.
this time, at least, the public is pretty much laying the blame squarely on the shoulders of the D's in the Senate.
That pressure needs to be kept up, and re applied in 6 months to ensure that it's in the headlines again during the run up to the 2026 elections.