In Depth Show Blog – April 10, 2013

On the In Depth show blog, you can listen to our interviews, find more information about the guests on the show each day, as well as links to other stories and ...

This is the In Depth show blog. Here you can listen to our interviews, find more information about the guests on the show each day, as well as links to other stories and resources we discuss.

Today’s Interviews

Pentagon Solutions
Wednesdays, 3 p.m.

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2013 represents 18 years on the High Risk List for the Defense Department. DoD has a 2017 deadline for a clean audit, but it’s also required to make interim progress by 2014. On this week’s edition of Pentagon Solutions, Francis discusses whether the Pentagon will meet those deadlines and the challenges it has in meeting them.

Francis’ guests on the show include:

  • Al Tucker, former deputy chief financial officer at the Department of Defense; former deputy assistant inspector general for audit in the Office of the Inspector General at the Department of Defense, and former executive director of the American Society of Military Comptrollers
  • Asif Khan, director of financial management and assurance at the Government Accountability Office

This interview is part of the special report, Rise of the Money People.

Dr. Steve Butler
Executive irector
Air Force Materiel Command

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In the gambling world, high risk leads to high rewards. In the federal government, getting rid of high risk leads to high reward. The Air Force Materiel Command earned some high reward for the implementation of a process called High Velocity Maintenance. Dr. Steve Butler, executive director of the Air Force Materiel Command at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, was honored with a Presidential Rank Award by the Senior Executives Association. Butler spoke with Francis about how the new process could help save his agency $1 billion. This interview is part of Federal News Radio’s special report, Rise of the Money People.

Charles Ebinger
Director, Energy Security Initiative
Brookings Institution

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President Obama’s choice to lead the Energy Department is Ernest Moniz. He has an extensive background in academia, but at his confirmation hearing yesterday, he talked about his experience inside the Energy Department in the Clinton Administration. Charles Ebinger, director of the Energy Security Initiative at the Brookings Institution, used to work with Moniz. He spoke with Francis about what Moniz brings to the table and how it is likely to be very different than current Secretary Steven Chu.

Jeremy Arensdorf
Vice President
Jefferson Consulting Group

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Some agencies are taking the Office of Federal Procurement Policy’s mythbusting initiative to a whole new level. Now, they can earn some recognition when they go above and beyond. ACT-IAC is now accepting nominations for its 2013 Mythbusting Awards. Jeremy Arensdorf is vice chair of ACT-IAC’s Acquisition Management Shared Interest Group and vice president of Jefferson Consulting Group. He spoke to Francis about the criteria for the award.

Also on the show:

From Our Reporters:

  • The federal technology budget request out today is $2 billion higher for fiscal 2014 than this year. It’s the first time in three years President Barack Obama’s budget request for hardware and software has increased. Federal News Radio Executive Editor Jason Miller tells Francis what the White House is doing to make sure agencies spend the money well…if they receive it. Read Jason’s article and listen to his interview with Federal CIO Steven VanRoekel.
  • Big decisions are on the way for the Treasury Department’s Bureau of Fiscal Service. It has to figure out the best way to get ready for the next influx of agencies moving to federal shared services providers. Kim McCoy, the chief information officer at BFS spoke with Jason Miller about how the bureau is using data to make shared services more attractive. Read Jason’s article and listen to his interview with McCoy. This interview is part of our special report, Rise of the Money People.
  • The new 2014 budget proposal for the Defense Department would reduce the civilian workforce by 5 percent over the next five years, increase TRICARE premiums, and request another round of base closures. It also comes in well above the spending caps that are already in place under current law. Read Jared Serbu’s article and listen to his full report.

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