The passage of the National Defense Authorization Act was a major achievement. In fact, I congratulated speaker, Kevin McCarthy, after it happened because his margin is so narrow. Remember, he only has about a five vote margin. And I thought that getting this through, there were over 1200 amendments being offered. Some of it was very controversial. There’s a real fight between the Liberal Democrats and the rest of the country on things like transgender policy, anti white racism, in a whole series of woke issues. There’s also great concern about waste and lack of accountability in the Defense Department, which found recently that they’re about $200 billion in assets, buildings, etc, that they can’t find they can’t identify. So there’s a lot of different questions. And yet historically, the National Defense Authorization Act has been one of the most positive and most one of the most bipartisan bills. Well, with the fight over social policy in the Defense Department, for example, blocking the defense department paying for people to go out of state for abortions would be an example. The EU had was no Democrat wanted to vote for it. And in fact, in the end, only four Democrats voted yes, for a bill, which historically, would probably have gotten 80% of the Democrats. On the other hand, there are a couple of House Republicans who are really deeply opposed to Speaker McCarthy, so they don’t want to vote for anything that he’s doing. So his margin of maneuver was very close. He did get those four Democrats, they did pass the bill, it now is going to go to conference with the Senate. It’s going to be a very difficult, contentious part, process, and the conference committee, including how much aid to give to Ukraine. And candidly, the war in Ukraine now is in real turmoil, I think we’re going to discover that without dramatically more help, the Ukrainians are going to lose to the Russians, just because Russia is so much bigger than Ukraine, it can take the casualties. And if Putin is determined, he can keep coming even though he’s losing 1000s and 1000s of young Russians in this campaign. So Ukraine probably is going to require more equipment, more training, more help, in order to have a real chance to win the war. That’s going to be itself controversial. But there’s something deeper where I think the National Defense Authorization Act is totally inadequate. Way back in the Reagan years, when it was obvious that President Reagan and defense secretary Weinberger, were gonna be able to get the money they needed. I helped found the military Reform Caucus, our concern was how the money was going to be spent. And ultimately, after a multi year effort, literally from 1981 to 1986, we created the Goldwater Nichols Reform Act, which was the biggest reform of the Pentagon in modern times. Well, they need the same thing again, the fact is, the bureaucracy is too slow. It’s too much red tape. It’s too influenced by the lobbyists from the giant corporations. And the result is even though we spend far more money than any other country on defense, we don’t really get our dollars worth. And the fact is, we cannot keep up with the Chinese with our bureaucracy, this incompetent this divided and this incapable of innovation. So you’re gonna hear a lot more about the National Defense Authorization Act, and a lot more about the need to reform the Defense Department.
Related
Newt Gingrich
Former House Speaker; Chairman of Gingrich 360
View Video LibraryCommentary
Our commentary partners will help you reach your own conclusions on complex topics.
Assassination attempt on Slovakia’s prime minister explained
Friday
Peter Zeihan
Will Nigeria become Africa’s first superpower?
Thursday
Peter Zeihan
Why Putin axed Shoigu
Tuesday
Peter Zeihan
New roles for Russia, North Korea, Iran in global arms trade
Monday
Peter Zeihan
NDAA insufficient as Defense Department needs major reform
Aug 02, 2023
By Straight Arrow News
On July 27, the Senate passed its version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), a bill that sets the policy agenda and approves funding for the Department of Defense. Earlier in the month, the Republican-led House narrowly passed a vastly different version of the bill, showing the power of conservative hardliners who pushed for amendments targeting the Defense Department’s abortion policy, transgender health care access and DEI initiatives.
Even if the two sides reach a compromise, Straight Arrow News contributor Newt Gingrich argues the NDAA is insufficient and major reforms are required at the Pentagon.
There’s something deeper where I think the National Defense Authorization Act is totally inadequate. Way back in the Reagan years, when it was obvious that President Reagan and Defense Secretary [Casper] Weinberger were gonna be able to get the money they needed, I helped found the Military Reform Caucus. Our concern was how the money was going to be spent. And ultimately, after a multi-year effort, literally from 1981 to 1986, we created the Goldwater Nichols Reform Act, which was the biggest reform of the Pentagon in modern times.
Well, they need the same thing again. The fact is, the bureaucracy is too slow. It has too much red tape. It’s too influenced by the lobbyists from the giant corporations. And the result is even though we spend far more money than any other country on defense, we don’t really get our dollar’s worth. And the fact is, we cannot keep up with the Chinese with our bureaucracy this incompetent, this divided, and this incapable of innovation.
So you’re gonna hear a lot more about the National Defense Authorization Act, and a lot more about the need to reform the Defense Department.
The passage of the National Defense Authorization Act was a major achievement. In fact, I congratulated speaker, Kevin McCarthy, after it happened because his margin is so narrow. Remember, he only has about a five vote margin. And I thought that getting this through, there were over 1200 amendments being offered. Some of it was very controversial. There’s a real fight between the Liberal Democrats and the rest of the country on things like transgender policy, anti white racism, in a whole series of woke issues. There’s also great concern about waste and lack of accountability in the Defense Department, which found recently that they’re about $200 billion in assets, buildings, etc, that they can’t find they can’t identify. So there’s a lot of different questions. And yet historically, the National Defense Authorization Act has been one of the most positive and most one of the most bipartisan bills. Well, with the fight over social policy in the Defense Department, for example, blocking the defense department paying for people to go out of state for abortions would be an example. The EU had was no Democrat wanted to vote for it. And in fact, in the end, only four Democrats voted yes, for a bill, which historically, would probably have gotten 80% of the Democrats. On the other hand, there are a couple of House Republicans who are really deeply opposed to Speaker McCarthy, so they don’t want to vote for anything that he’s doing. So his margin of maneuver was very close. He did get those four Democrats, they did pass the bill, it now is going to go to conference with the Senate. It’s going to be a very difficult, contentious part, process, and the conference committee, including how much aid to give to Ukraine. And candidly, the war in Ukraine now is in real turmoil, I think we’re going to discover that without dramatically more help, the Ukrainians are going to lose to the Russians, just because Russia is so much bigger than Ukraine, it can take the casualties. And if Putin is determined, he can keep coming even though he’s losing 1000s and 1000s of young Russians in this campaign. So Ukraine probably is going to require more equipment, more training, more help, in order to have a real chance to win the war. That’s going to be itself controversial. But there’s something deeper where I think the National Defense Authorization Act is totally inadequate. Way back in the Reagan years, when it was obvious that President Reagan and defense secretary Weinberger, were gonna be able to get the money they needed. I helped found the military Reform Caucus, our concern was how the money was going to be spent. And ultimately, after a multi year effort, literally from 1981 to 1986, we created the Goldwater Nichols Reform Act, which was the biggest reform of the Pentagon in modern times. Well, they need the same thing again, the fact is, the bureaucracy is too slow. It’s too much red tape. It’s too influenced by the lobbyists from the giant corporations. And the result is even though we spend far more money than any other country on defense, we don’t really get our dollars worth. And the fact is, we cannot keep up with the Chinese with our bureaucracy, this incompetent this divided and this incapable of innovation. So you’re gonna hear a lot more about the National Defense Authorization Act, and a lot more about the need to reform the Defense Department.
Related
Biden sees Trump jail time as sole path to reelection
During Donald Trump’s New York hush money trial, his ex-attorney, Michael Cohen, testified that Trump was intimately involved in a scheme to suppress stories about extramarital affairs that could harm his 2016 campaign. Cohen alleged that Trump promised to reimburse him for a $130,000 payment made on Trump’s behalf to adult film actress Stormy Daniels…
Wednesday
Lawmakers must remove conditions on US aid to Ukraine
Most Western aid to Ukraine has been allocated only on the condition that it not be used to strike against Russia itself. But since the start of Putin’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, military analysts and foreign policy writers have both cautioned against conditioning aid, warning that Ukraine cannot successfully defend itself unless it is…
May 8
Pro-Palestine protesters should recognize the evils of Hamas
Protests have sprouted up across America and around the world as the death toll in Gaza continues to climb. Most U.S. protests are peaceful, expressing empathy for Palestinian civilians and supporting calls for a cease-fire. Some journalists, however, have observed antisemitic rhetoric and behavior inside of protest encampments, alarming universities, politicians, and non-profit watchdog groups.…
May 1
How AI is changing the world
Artificial intelligence (AI) is significantly reshaping numerous sectors, including banking, education, finance and technology. Its impact extends across various industries, including the military sector, where companies are leveraging AI to enhance productivity and streamline operations. Straight Arrow News contributor Newt Gingrich is excited about the future application for artificial intelligence and provides examples of how…
Apr 24
Biden’s foreign policy riddled with errors and misfortune
President Biden entered office with a promise to repair the damage inflicted by former President Trump on the international stage. He vowed to prioritize values like democracy and human rights while also aiming to end the “forever wars” in Afghanistan and the Middle East. Yet, some critics argue that U.S. foreign policy has been marked…
Apr 17
Underreported stories from each side
Gavin Newsom called ‘delusional’ after touting California as national model on fighting homelessness
6 sources | 0% from the left
Getty Images
Pro-Palestinian protesters set up a new encampment at Drexel University
6 sources | 0% from the right
Getty Images
Latest Stories
More Americans want journalists to hold their political views: Poll
Watch 2:14
2 hrs ago
Blue Origin breaks 2-year hiatus, launches 6 passengers to edge of space
Watch 0:55
3 hrs ago
Iranian president killed in helicopter crash
Watch 8:09
3 hrs ago
Ukraine launches major drone counter-attack on Russian sites
Watch 2:34
Friday
Honda will use Formula 1 technology in its upcoming EV lineup
Watch 1:35
Friday
Popular Opinions
In addition to the facts, we believe it’s vital to hear perspectives from all sides of the political spectrum.
Politicians and Supreme Court justices must have term limits
Friday
Dr. Rashad Richey
During Police Week, all Americans should honor fallen officers
Friday
Star Parker
Universities must blame themselves for protest hypocrisy
Thursday
Timothy Carney
It’s okay for Met Gala celebrities to avoid politics
Thursday
Jordan Reid