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Latest Policy Publications
POGO’s experts push policymakers to enact commonsense reforms that tackle waste, corruption, and abuse of power; hold those who’ve violated the public trust accountable; protect our constitutional rights; and make the government work for all people.
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Analysis
Shielding the Whistleblowers
An amendment offered by Reps. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) and Mike Coffman (R-Colo.) that would go a long way to address the shortcomings of the current law to ensure that service members are protected from retaliation when they report sexual assaults and other unlawful behavior.
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Analysis
Lawmaker Calls on Pentagon to Release Report on Zero Dark Thirty Probe
Rep. Peter King wants the Pentagon to release the results of an investigation he requested almost two years ago into possible leaks of classified information to the makers of Zero Dark Thirty, the movie about the hunt for Osama bin Laden.
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Analysis
Conservative Report Finds $1.8 Trillion in Pentagon Savings
In a report released Tuesday, the fiscally conservative organizations R Street Group and National Taxpayers Union found over $1.8 trillion in potential savings at the Pentagon.
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AnalysisHow Many $200 million F-35s Would You Care to Buy? (Part 3 of 5)
Empirical data from the Defense Department's CFO shows that F-35 unit costs are going up, not coming down. This is contrary to what Secretary Hagel and his F-35 program manager, Lt. Gen. Bogdan, are saying. Moreover, the current unit cost is immense at $219 million for each ...
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AnalysisDOD’s Calculating Calculations (Part 2 of 5)
The Defense Department just released its new Selected Acquisition Report ("SAR") on the F-35. It purports to support Secretary Hagel's and General Bogdan's assertions that the unit cost of the F-35 is "coming down." Caveat Emptor.
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AnalysisDetails on the Growing Cost of the F-35 and the Sad Story of GAO and the Duckworth Amendment (Part 4 of 5)
The cost for both the Air Force and Navy versions of the F-35 are increasing; the "cheaper" (actually unaffordably pricey) F-35A for the Air Force appears to be stabilizing as it climbs to almost $190 million per aircraft and the B and C versions for the Marine Corps...
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AnalysisThe New Era of Good F-35 Feelings (Part 1 of 5)
The buzz for the last few weeks on the F-35 has been mostly positive, especially on the central issue of cost--most prominently unit cost. It is important to keep track of who and what are making accountable statements that costs are "coming down" and who has been d...
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AnalysisHow Much Does An F-35 Really Cost?
There’s been a rash of recent reports that the U.S. military has wrestled the F-35’s cost growth to the mat. They come from some heavy hitters: Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, Air Force Lieut. General Christopher Bogdan, the F-35′s program manager, and the Pentagon’s latest Sel...
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Analysis
White House Backing Down on Contractor Compensation Cap
The White House is backing down on its call to significantly reduce the cap on compensation for defense and civilian contractor employees.
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Analysis
Pentagon Tells Congress: Stop Giving Us What We Don’t Need
A bipartisan group of Representatives congratulated Defense Secretary Hagel on his commitment to shrinking the DoD budget, and the Pentagon in turn asked for Congress's help in cutting unwanted programs.
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Analysis
Pentagon Still Needs Better Service Contract Inventories
The Government Accountability Office has released its third and final review of Department of Defense service contract inventories.
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Analysis
Time to End the Silent Suffering—Whistleblower Protections in the Military
Sens. Mark Warner (D-Va.) and co-sponsor Tim Kaine (D-Va.) have introduced a bill that would expand protections for military whistleblowers and those who report sexual assault in the military.