7/15/2021 GovCon Wire, Jane Edwards

Title: GovCon Expert Jim McAleese: USAF Leaders Field Questions Over F-35 Program at House Subcommittee Meeting 

Topic: A new McAleese & Associates report says U.S. Air Force officials addressed questions raised by lawmakers over the F-35 program during the House Armed Services tactical air and land forces subcommittee hearing on fiscal year 2022 fixed-wing aircraft programs Tuesday.

Jim McAleese, founder of McAleese & Associates and a three-time Wash100 winner, reported that Air Force leaders told House lawmakers that 41 F-35 conventional take-off and landing aircraft do not have an engine due to unscheduled F135 engine depot maintenance and that 56 F135 power modules are currently under repair at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma.

Source Link: GovCon Expert Jim McAleese: USAF Leaders Field Questions Over F-35 Program at House Subcommittee Hearing - GovCon Wire 

7/8/2021 National Defense Magazine, Jon Harper

Title: Budget Watcher Warns of 'Severe Storm Approaching'

Topic:  “OMB’s 2022-2031 funding projections are the very first integrated picture of combined impact” of the Biden administration’s American Jobs Plan, American Families Plan and other increases in domestic programs, Jim McAleese, owner and principal of McAleese & Associates, wrote in a newsletter. 

 “OMB does acknowledge that annual interest on the existing $30.2 trillion of current U.S. debt will grow by 191 percent” from $303 billion in 2021 to $883 billion in 2031, McAleese said. Interest on the debt in 2031 would exceed projected defense spending for that year by about $20 billion. 

Source Link: Budget Watcher Warns of ‘Severe Storm Approaching’ (nationaldefensemagazine.org) 

7/7/2021 GovCon Wire, Mary-Louise Hoffman

Title: GovCon Expert McAleese On US Departure from Key Afghan Military Base

Topic:  A new McAleese & Associates report says the U.S. has reached a “point of no return” in the retrograde from Afghanistan following the handover of Bagram airfield to Afghan national security forces.

Jim McAleese, founder of McAleese & Associates and three-time Wash100 winner, reported the U.S. military is close to fully withdrawing troops ahead of President Biden’s Sept. 11 drawdown deadline and will not provide close air support to the Afghan government if the Taliban overruns Kabul.

Source Link: GovCon Expert McAleese on US Departure From Key Afghan Military Base - GovCon Wire 

6/30/2021 GovCon Wire, Jane Edwards

Title: GovCon Expert Jim McAleese: President Biden, DoD Secretary Lloyd Austin Reaffirm US Support for Afghanistan 

Topic: Consulting firm McAleese & Associates has released a report on key takeaways from the meetings of President Joe Biden and Lloyd Austin, secretary of the Department of Defense and a 2021 Wash100 Award winner, with Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani.

Jim McAleese, founder of McAleese & Associates and a three-time Wash100 winner, reported that Ghani respects the U.S. government’s decision to pull out all U.S. troops from Afghanistan by Sept. 11.

Biden said Friday the bilateral partnership between the two countries will continue despite the troop withdrawal.

Source Link: GovCon Expert Jim McAleese: President Biden, DOD Secretary Lloyd Austin Reaffirm US Support for Afghanistan - GovCon Wire 

6/23/2021 GovCon Wire, Mary-Louise Hoffman

Title: McAleese: DOD Plans Concept Experimentation Fund for Military Services

Topic: Jim McAleese, founder of McAleese & Associates and three-time Wash100 winner, reported on Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks speaking about the Department of Defense’s move to create a Rapid Defense Experimentation Reserve to facilitate joint warfighting concept development competition across service branches.

McAleese’s new report also highlights the new artificial intelligence initiative and the remarks of top defense officials at congressional meetings focused on the fiscal 2022 budget request for the department.

Source Link: McAleese: DOD Plans Concept Experimentation Fund for Military Services - GovCon Wire 

6/9/2021 GovCon Wire, Mary-Louise Hoffman

Title: GovCon Expert McAleese Breaks Down $715B Defense Budget Request 

Topic: A McAleese & Associates report on President Joe Biden’s proposed $715 billion topline budget for the Department of Defense offers a look at how much money will go towards military branches and programs in fiscal year 2022.  Jim McAleese, founder of McAleese & Associates and three-time Wash100 winner, reported military personnel and operation and maintenance account for the largest portion of the DOD spending proposal. The report breaks down how the money from the defense spending proposal would be distributed to the services. 

Source Link: GovCon Expert McAleese Breaks Down $715B Defense Budget Request - GovCon Wire 

5/27/2021 GovCon Wire, Mary-Louise Hoffman

Title: McAleese Outlines Key Points From CBO"s US Nuclear Modernization Cost Projections

Topic: A Congressional Budget Office report on its estimated $634 billion price tag for modernizing, operating and manning the national nuclear enterprise over the next decade includes “long-planned” submarine construction, plutonium pit production and military weapons programs, according to McAleese & Associates.

Jim McAleese, founder of McAleese & Associates and three-time Wash100 winner, writes that CBO’s new 10-year projected cost of implementing the federal government’s nuclear modernization plan is 28 percent, or $140 billion, higher than the 2019-2028 estimates from the agency.

Source Link: McAleese Outlines Key Points From CBO's US Nuclear Modernization Cost Projections - GovCon Wire 

5/19/2021 GovCon Wire, Mary-Louise Hoffman

Title: National Defense Priorities Highlighted at McAleese-Hosted Conference

Topic:  Several Department of Defense officials participated in a two-day virtual conference, hosted by McAleese & Associates, to discuss topics such as acquisition, budget and military modernization.

Jim McAleese, founder of McAleese & Associates and three-time Wash100 winner, highlighted takeaways from the FY2022 Defense Programs conference in his latest analysis report.

Speakers included House Armed Services Committee Adam Smith, D-Wash.; Gen. John Hyten, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Stacy Cummings, acting undersecretary for acquisition and sustainment at DOD; James McConville, chief of staff of the U.S. Army; Gen. Charles Brown, chief of staff of the U.S. Air Force; Gen. Jay Raymond, chief of space operations at the U.S. Space Force; James “Hondo” Geurts, acting undersecretary of the U.S. Navy; and Derek Tournear, director of the Space Development Agency.

Source Link: National Defense Priorities Highlighted at McAleese-Hosted Conference - GovCon Wire 

5/10/2021 Bloomberg Politics,  Anthony Capaccio - Bloomberg 

Title: Pentagon Maintains Covid Plan to Speed Cash to Contractors 

Topic: “Most defense contractors crushed their pre-Covid-19 cash flow guidance” in the first quarter, said Virginia-based analyst James McAleese. That’s because of a combination of the higher Defense Department progress payments, payroll-tax deferral under the $2.2 trillion Cares Act, internal company cost-cutting and increased use by the military services of contracting practices that allowed for faster billings, he said.

The new $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act also allows some contractors to defer planned 2021-2023 pension contributions, “directly-increasing 2021-2023 cash flow,” McAleese added.

Source Link: Pentagon Maintains Covid Plan to Speed Cash to Contractors - Bloomberg 

4/21/2021 Defense News, Joe Gould 

Title: US Troops, dollars exiting Afghanistan could fight terror, top commander tells Congress

Topic: Though there’s a range of estimates, HASC Chairman Adam Smith, D-Wash., said there were 3,500 U.S. troops in Afghanistan and that the U.S. presence cost $14 billion last year. A separate analysis from defense consultant Jim McAleese instead sees $21 billion dedicated to “direct-combat-requirements,” in various accounts that could, after the U.S. pullout, be used for “under-resourced missions.” 

Source Link: US troops, dollars exiting Afghanistan could fight terror, top commander tells Congress (defensenews.com) 

4/21/2021 GovCon Wire, Mary-Louise Hoffman

Title: McAleese Report Highlights US Military Drawdown in Afghanistan 

Topic: McAleese & Associates produced a report on President Joe Biden’s announcement of a troop withdrawal process in Afghanistan that is scheduled to commence on May 1 and conclude on the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks.

Jim McAleese, founder of McAleese & Associates and three-time Wash100 winner, reported the U.S. will continue to support peace negotiations between the Afghan government and the Taliban amid full drawdown efforts.

Source Link: McAleese Report Highlights US Military Drawdown in Afghanistan - GovCon Wire 

4/15/2021 Washington Examiner - Daily on Defense, Jamie McIntyre

Title: As Biden heads for the exit in Afghanistan, GOP lawmakers mount last-ditch effort change his mind

Topic:  It’s possible that Biden’s decision to pull the plug on the U.S. and NATO mission in Afghanistan could have an impact on next year’s defense budget. The administration is requesting $715 billion for the Pentagon, $753 billion if you count the money for nuclear weapons programs under the Department of Energy.

Ending direct military support to the Afghan government could free up as much as $21 billion of “additional trade-space,” according to calculations by budget expert James McAleese of McAleese & Associates.

Source Link: As Biden heads for the exit in Afghanistan, GOP lawmakers mount last-ditch effort change his mind | Washington Examiner 

4/15/2021 Politico - Morning Defense, Bryan Bender

Title: Biden Bucks the Brass on Afghanistan 

Topic: What does a U.S. withdrawal mean for the defense budget? Consultant Jim McAleese did some back-of-the-envelope calculations to estimate the move could free up somewhere in the range of $21 billion next year that at least theoretically could be applied to other needs.

That’s the amount designated in this year’s budget for “direct-combat-requirements,” he points out, for operations and maintenance, military personnel, procurement, and research and development. “Consequently, this unexpected action could potentially provide up to an additional ~+$21B of topline DoD funding for currently under-resourced missions,” McAleese concludes.

Source Link: Biden bucks the brass on Afghanistan - POLITICO 

4/14/2021 GovCon Wire, Mary-Louise Hoffman

Title: GovCon Expert McAleese Notes Agency Funding Levels in White House's 1.5T Fiscal 2022 Spending Proposal 

Topic: A new McAleese & Associates report says the Biden administration proposed a $769 billion budget for non-defense domestic programs for fiscal year 2022, a 16 percent increase over enacted FY 2021 spending levels, plus $753 billion for the Department of Defense and national security programs, up 1.7 percent from current funding levels. 

Source Link:  GovCon Expert McAleese Notes Agency Funding Levels in White House's $1.5T Fiscal 2022 Spending Proposal - GovCon Wire 

4/7/2021 GovCon Wire, Mary-Louise Hoffman

Title: GovCon Expert McAleese Outlines Key Takeaways From President Biden's 1st Cabinet Meeting 

Topic: At his first Cabinet meeting, President Joe Biden named five department leaders to help the administration promote its $2.3 trillion investment plan to modernize infrastructure and create jobs nationwide, according to a new McAleese & Associates report. 

Source Link: GovCon Expert McAleese Outlines Key Takeaways From President Biden's 1st Cabinet Meeting - GovCon Wire 

3/31/2021 GovCon Wire, Mary-Louise Hoffman

Title: GovCon Expert McAleese Reports Biden Administration's Infrastructure Plan, Army's Capability Modernization Priorities

Topic: A new McAleese & Associates report highlights a new initiative by the Biden administration to rebuild national physical and technological assets and provides an overview of the U.S. Army’s strategy to transform capabilities for a multidomain force. 

Source Link: GovCon Expert McAleese Reports Biden Administration's Infrastructure Plan, Army's Capability Modernization Priorities - GovCon Wire 

3/24/2021 GovCon Wire, Mary-Louise Hoffman

Title: GovCon Expert McAleese Highlights First US-China Meeting Under Biden Administration, Afghanistan Drawdown

Topic: A new McAleese & Associates report rules-based international order, military activity, trade and cybersecurity were touched on by Secretary of State Antony Blinken (2021 Wash100 awardee) and White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan during high-level talks in Anchorage, Alaska, with their Chinese counterparts. 

Source Link:  GovCon Expert McAleese Highlights First US-China Meeting Under Biden Administration, Afghanistan Drawdown - GovCon Wire 

3/17/2021 GovCon Wire, Mary-Louise Hoffman

Title: GovCon Expert Jim McAleese Notes 'Quad' Alliance Goals to Address Urgent Global Challenges 

Topic: A new McAleese & Associates report says COVID-19 response, maritime security, climate change and “technology protection” were the fundamental issues highlighted at a virtual meeting among four heads of state representing a group of countries known as the Quad — U.S., Australia, Japan and India. 

Source Link: GovCon Expert McAleese Notes 'Quad' Alliance Goals to Address Urgent Global Challenges - GovCon Wire 

3/10/2021 Defense News, Aaron Mehta & Valerie Insinna

Title: Chaos, cash and COVID-19: How the defense industry survived - and thrived - during the pandemic

Topic: "The major contractors are "swimming in excess cash" thanks to a mix of governmetn efforst, including increased progress payments and payroll tax deferrals under the CARES Act, added analyst Jim McAleese."

Source Link:  Chaos, cash and COVID-19: How the defense industry survived — and thrived — during the pandemic (defensenews.com) 

3/10/2021 GovCon Wire, Mary-Louise Hoffman

Title: GovCon Wire Expert Jim McAleese Overviews Defense Primes Q4 Results

Topic: A new McAleese & Associates report noted the fourth quarter 2020 financial performance of large prime defense contractors Boeing (NYSE: BA), General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), Huntington Ingalls Industries (NYSE: HII), Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT). Northrop Grumman (NYSE: NOC) and Raytheon Technologies (NYSE: RTX). 

Source Link: GovCon Expert Jim McAleese Overviews Defense Primes' Q4 Financial Results - GovCon Wire 

3/2/2021 GovCon Wire, Mary-Louise Hoffman

Title: GovCon Expert Jim McAleese: Defense Leaders Share Insights on Aerospace Warfare Landscape 

Topic: A McAleese report outlining key takeaways from the Air Force Association's five-day Aerospace Warfare Symposium,  where U.S. military leaders shared their insights into various topics such as nuclear deterrence, air superiority and domain awareness. 

Source Link:  GovCon Expert McAleese: Defense Leaders Share Insights on Aerospace Warfare Landscape - GovCon Wire 

2/26/2021 GovCon Wire,  Mary-Louise Hoffman

Title: GovCon Expert Jim McAleese Notes L3Harris CEO Transition, Growth Drivers for 2021

Topic: A McAleese report about L3Harris Technologies‘ (NYSE: LHX) financial results for both the fourth quarter and full 2020 fiscal year, L3Harris CEO Transition.

Source Link:  GovCon Expert Jim McAleese Notes L3Harris CEO Transition, Growth Drivers for 2021 - GovCon Wire