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Greg Williams, Director, Center for Defense Information @greg-williams-pogo.bsky.social · 04/06/2025

Thanks to Rep. Joe Courtney for pointing out that the Defense budget process is suffering while so much attention is focused on reconciliation. www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJ2l...

youtube.com

FULL Hearing: Department of the Army Fiscal Year 2026 Posture

YouTube video by U.S. House Armed Services Committee

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Greg Williams, Director, Center for Defense Information @greg-williams-pogo.bsky.social · 04/06/2025

Glad to hear Army Secretary Driscoll talking about right to repair, but I don't understand why he doesn't recognize his own role in acquiring the data he needs for this. www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJ2l...

youtube.com

FULL Hearing: Department of the Army Fiscal Year 2026 Posture

YouTube video by U.S. House Armed Services Committee

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Greg Williams, Director, Center for Defense Information @greg-williams-pogo.bsky.social · 01/05/2025

Guaranteeing the right to repair represents a big potential savings. In 2024, the Army spent $billions to have contractors repair its equipment, and the Defense Department as a whole spent $tens of billions. media.defense.gov/2025/May/01/...

media.defense.gov

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Greg Williams, Director, Center for Defense Information @greg-williams-pogo.bsky.social · 11/04/2025

To me, this only underscores how hollow Feinberg’s Monday memo really is — all performance, no substance. And honestly, it just makes Hegseth’s memo look slightly less empty by comparison. Which is saying something. www.defense.gov/News/News-St...

defense.gov

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Reposted by Greg Williams, Director, Center for Defense Information

Project On Government Oversight @pogo.org · 20/02/2025

Amid reports that Sec. Hegseth is looking to make significant cuts to some Pentagon programs, it's a good time to highlight POGO's work to do exactly that. As a start we've got 3 key ways to cut defense spending:

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Greg Williams, Director, Center for Defense Information @greg-williams-pogo.bsky.social · 30/01/2025

This should alarm everyone who cares about government accountability. The Secretary of Defense is calling for an IG investigation into Milley—just days after an IG purge. This reeks of politicization—and it threatens independent oversight.

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Greg Williams, Director, Center for Defense Information @greg-williams-pogo.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

Tuesday's loss of an F-35 fighter is a tragic loss of a $135 million piece of equipment and we're happy the pilot is safe. It's too soon to comment on the significance of this event, but POGO often written about the schedule, cost and effectiveness problems of the F-35. www.cnn.com/2025/01/29/u...

cnn.com

Pilot is safe after crash of F-35 fighter jet seen in dramatic video | CNN

A US Air Force pilot safely escaped after an F-35 fighter jet crashed during a training mission at Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska on Tuesday, officials said.

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Greg Williams, Director, Center for Defense Information @greg-williams-pogo.bsky.social · 14/01/2025

Why did Sen. Mark Kelly accept answers of "anonymous smear" in response to true-or-false questions posed to Hegseth?

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Greg Williams, Director, Center for Defense Information @greg-williams-pogo.bsky.social · 14/01/2025

I'm surprised Hegseth had nothing to say about leading an audit: Non-profit organizations are audited every year. As executive director of two non-profits, how did he avoid involvement in their audits?

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Greg Williams, Director, Center for Defense Information @greg-williams-pogo.bsky.social · 14/01/2025

Sen. Mullin raises a good point: The Secretary of Defense relies heavily on staff to operationalize his/her strategic vision. Unfortunately, this case, Hegseth's Deputy Secretary of Defense - Steve Feinberg - also has no government experience.

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Greg Williams, Director, Center for Defense Information @greg-williams-pogo.bsky.social · 14/01/2025

As far as I can tell, since 2000, every Secretary of Defense has previously managed an organization of at least 20,000 staff, and that was Leon Panetta, who ran the CIA. The next largest would be Generals Matts and Austin, who each ran combatant commands of 55,000 people.

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Greg Williams, Director, Center for Defense Information @greg-williams-pogo.bsky.social · 14/01/2025

Sen. Warren, Pete Hegseth and POGO all agree that the revolving door between the Defense Department the defense industry is "corrosive". Interestingly, Hegseth declined to make the same pledge to not take a job in the defense industry that he has advocated all generals take.

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Greg Williams, Director, Center for Defense Information @greg-williams-pogo.bsky.social · 14/01/2025

Sen. King asked Hegseth to affirm he would follow the Geneva Conventions by upholding the prohibition against waterboarding. Hegseth has previously advocated waterboarding.

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Greg Williams, Director, Center for Defense Information @greg-williams-pogo.bsky.social · 14/01/2025

Sen. King asked an important question: Will Hegseth follow U.S. laws that incorporate the Geneva Conventions. Hegseth makes meaningful distinctions between laws and rules of engagement. Still, it's troubling that Hegseth declined to affirm he would enforce those U.S. laws.

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Greg Williams, Director, Center for Defense Information @greg-williams-pogo.bsky.social · 14/01/2025

I'm not sure why Sen. Sullivan and Pete Hegseth think it's inappropriate about the Secretary of Navy being concerned about climate change. "Climate change is one of the most destabilizing forces of our time." www.navy.mil/Portals/1/Do...

navy.mil

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Greg Williams, Director, Center for Defense Information @greg-williams-pogo.bsky.social · 14/01/2025

Wow. Hegseth declined Sen. Hirono's request that he affirm he'd disobey an order from Trump to shoot protesters in the leg. He evaded the question. This calls into question Hegseth's commitment to the Constitution and lawful orders.

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Greg Williams, Director, Center for Defense Information @greg-williams-pogo.bsky.social · 14/01/2025

I'm glad Hegseth affirmed his commitment to a clean audit of the Pentagon.

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Greg Williams, Director, Center for Defense Information @greg-williams-pogo.bsky.social · 14/01/2025

Hegseth says he was "extremely proud" of his work at Veterans for Freedom and Concerned Veterans for America despite Sen. Blumenthal pointing out Hegseth ran both organizations into debt. I'm glad Sen. Blumenthal entered the tax returns into the record. I was unable to find them on IRS.gov.

irs.gov

Home | Internal Revenue Service

Pay your taxes. Get your refund status. Find IRS forms and answers to tax questions. We help you understand and meet your federal tax responsibilities.

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Greg Williams, Director, Center for Defense Information @greg-williams-pogo.bsky.social · 14/01/2025

Sen. Gillibrand asked Hegseth for examples of standards that have been relaxed for women. He did not offer any, despite insisting they existed. Gillibrand then offered a useful example of how the presence of women in combat units increased their effectiveness.

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Greg Williams, Director, Center for Defense Information @greg-williams-pogo.bsky.social · 14/01/2025

Sen. Shaheen asked Hegseth whether he'd uphold the Women, Peace and Security Act (S.1141) signed by Trump. He said he'd review and consider it. That seems to fall short of the oath to uphold the Constitution.

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Greg Williams, Director, Center for Defense Information @greg-williams-pogo.bsky.social · 14/01/2025

Chairman Wicker denied ranking member Reed's request that the FBI background report be made available to all members of the Senate Armed Services Committee. He cited precedent.

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Greg Williams, Director, Center for Defense Information @greg-williams-pogo.bsky.social · 14/01/2025

Hegseth's insistence that we spend 3+% of our GDP on defense continues a longstanding and problematic tradition of measuring our defense by how much we spend rather than the capabilities we acquire through those expenditures.

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Greg Williams, Director, Center for Defense Information @greg-williams-pogo.bsky.social · 14/01/2025

Hegseth's response to Wicker's question about sexual misconduct claims it was a "coordinated smear campaign" by left wing media. This doesn't address his mother's e-mail calling him an "abuser of women". I acknowledge his mother has since called him a changed man. www.nytimes.com/2024/11/29/u...

nytimes.com

Text of the Email That Pete Hegseth’s Mother Sent Him

Penelope Hegseth sent the email to her son in 2018 as he was in the middle of a divorce from his wife, Samantha.

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Greg Williams, Director, Center for Defense Information @greg-williams-pogo.bsky.social · 14/01/2025

SASC Ranking member just challenged Hegseth on his suggestion that we abandon the Geneva Conventions and follow our own rules. This seems to contradict FM 3-24, which describes following the laws of war as an "essential part of the Warrior Ethos" (p. 244). archive.org/details/usar...

archive.org

The U.S. Army/Marine Corps counterinsurgency field manual : U.S. Army field manual no. 3-24 : Marine Corps warfighting publication no. 3-33.5 : United States. Department of the Army : Free Download, B...

liv, 419 pages : 23 cm

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Greg Williams, Director, Center for Defense Information @greg-williams-pogo.bsky.social · 14/01/2025

Chairman Wicker just pointed out that the Secretary of Defense "must be supported by exceptional subordinates". Trumps nominee for Deputy Secretary of Defense (AKA "Pentagon Chief Operating Officer") who has no experience in government service.

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