Holding employees accountable is the point of the performance evaluations you do. But it isn’t always the outcome. Doing it differently may give you the outcome you really want. Jeff Neal is senior vice president at ICF International and former chief human capital officer for the Department of Homeland Security.

New rules for hiring disabled and veteran employees at federal contracting companies are already unpopular. The Labor Department wants contractors to hire more people with disabilities and veterans, but the Associated General Contractors of America says the new rules will cost contractors billions of dollars to prove they’re doing what they’re already supposed to. Brian Turmail is executive director of public affairs at the Associated General Contractors of America.

A 20 percent cut is coming at Pentagon headquarters. Former Air Force Secretary Michael Donley will lead the effort Secretary Chuck Hagel announced last month. Maren Leed is the Harold Brown Chair in Defense Policy Studies and Ground Forces Dialogue at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and a former senior adviser to the chief of staff of the Army.

With Defense dollars falling, the Army Reserve is embarking on a new project that its leaders believe will let its units get more overseas training without more money. For starters, the initiative will partner with other federal agencies and private companies to conduct projects in Africa and South America. Federal News Radio’s Jared Serbu tagged along with a reserve unit for a trip on the Potomac River to kick off the new initiative.