Media Monitor: Breaking Defense details Pentagon procurement, policy, and new plant

Breaking Defense is reporting that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) could utilize $1.9 billion from reconciliation funds to acquire foreign-made ships. An OMB official told Breaking Defense that this allocation is for asset procurement, not merely for studying the matter.

It also said the House Armed Services Committee's (HASC) $1.15 trillion defense policy bill targets industrial base challenges. The bill authorizes multiyear procurement for critical munitions, the F-35 fighter jet, and the Arleigh Burke destroyer.

Separately, Breaking Defense reported that Lockheed Martin has commenced construction on a new THAAD interceptor plant. Lockheed CEO Jim Taiclet affirmed the certainty of the Pentagon's munitions ramp-up efforts, stating, "We know it's going to be good, and we know it's going to happen."