The Lawmakers Fighting to Modernize the Pentagon

Article excerpt

Two House Republicans, Rob Wittman and Pat Ryan, launched the bipartisan House Defense Modernization Caucus in 2024 to accelerate Pentagon procurement and reform. Operating without formal committee authority, the duo has pushed reforms through two consecutive defense authorization acts, targeting acquisition bottlenecks that slow military modernization. The caucus demonstrates an unusual appetite for cross-party cooperation on defense, a traditionally contentious arena. In an interview, both lawmakers explain how they build legislative consensus without markup power and whether their collaborative approach can survive the partisan pressures that typically fracture defense policy.