U.S. House Committee on Armed Services

As he does every year at this time, a very reliable source dropped off a list of what some prominent people will find under their Christmas trees. Although this source is in a position to know, I provide my usual warning. He looks kind of suspicious --...

WASHINGTON – Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta is ending the ban on women serving in combat in the U.S. military, potentially opening up more than 200,000 positions on the front lines and possibly also jobs with elite commando units. Pentagon...

U.S. Rep. Scott Rigell, R-Virginia Beach, will serve on the House of Representatives Budget Committee in the 113th Congress. Rigell, who was sworn in for his second term in the House Thursday, was an outspoken advocate as a freshman for increasing revenue...

He didn't say "no." Ben Affleck didn't say much, but he didn't say "no" when pressed by Bob Schieffer to chat about the possibility that he might run for a Senate seat in Massachusetts should Sen. John Kerry be tapped as secretary of State. "I’m...

He’s best known as an actor and a filmmaker, but Ben Affleck has a special interest in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and on Wednesday the “Argo” director testified before the House Armed Services Committee about what Affleck termed...

Northrop Grumman Corp. says it is already having difficulty attracting bright, tech-savvy workers. The CEO of Lockheed Martin Corp. told Congress this month that his company could have to lay off thousands of employees. They and other Maryland defense...

One local congressman may have a partisan stake in this Saturday's Army-Navy game. Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Westmoreland, has been elected to this third term as chairman of the U.S. Naval Academy Board of Visitors. Wittman is a member of the House Armed...

A Defense Department funding bill has made bedfellows of two groups more likely to be found in opposite corners: federal labor and federal contractors. The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) and the Professional Services Council (PSC)...

I was disturbed by a recent letter to the editor questioning Rep. Chris Van Hollen's support for Israel ("Van Hollen is not a true friend to Israel," Nov. 28). I am a Jewish constituent of the congressman who has followed his career for many years. Mr....

Rep. Roscoe G. Bartlett began his unsuccessful campaign for another term with an unusual meeting: a one-on-one chat over dinner with his Democratic rival. Bartlett and his challenger, John Delaney, met alone for two hours in a Frederick restaurant...

When Congressman Duncan Hunter Jr. speaks on matters of defense, people listen. No matter your political persuasion, the congressman has a ton of insight. We here in the Valley are more likely to remember his father, who represented us in Congress for...

Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mark Ferguson testified last week before the House Armed Services Committee on the impact of deep defense cuts under the process known as sequestration. On Monday, he summarized the high points -- or low points -- on...