Defense

  • President Barack Obama placed a call to Army Secretary John Mchugh yesterday. The reason -- concern about abuse at the Fort Myer, Va., day care center. He is said to have made clear that there must be a zero tolerance policy when it comes to protecting the children of service members. The call came after arrests and problems with background checks at that day care center. During call the President asked for a speedy investigation.

    December 20, 2012
  • Reported sexual assaults at the nation's three military academies jumped by 23 percent overall this year, but the data signaled a continued reluctance by victims to seek criminal investigations.

    December 20, 2012
  • Congress has cleared the way for a $633 billion defense policy bill that includes mandated reductions to the Defense Department's civilian and contractor workforces. Leaders of a House-Senate conference committee, tasked with reconciling competing versions of the 2013 National Defense Authorization Act, included in the final report the automatic workforce reductions that opponents say would result in about 36,000 job losses.

    December 19, 2012
  • William Lynn, the former deputy Defense secretary played a significant role in improving DoD's cyber posture. Now, the CEO of defense contractor DRS Technologies, Lynn joined Pentagon Solutions with Francis Rose for a deep-dive discussion into the Pentagon's cyber readiness and the changing nature of the cyber threats it faces.

    December 19, 2012
  • Lt. Gen. Michael Basla, the Air Force's chief information officer, discusses the service's cyber future in a conversation with Pentagon reporters.

    December 19, 2012
  • Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta says the U.S. has turned the corner in Afghanistan. "In my book, the significant turning point in 2011 was that for the first time we saw the transition working, the Afghan Army able to do its job, and violence going down and that continues to be the trend," said Panetta. He said at a National Press Club speech, U.S. troops will be leaving Afghanistan, but the U.S. will still have a presence there.

    December 19, 2012
  • The movie "Zero Dark Thirty" suggests the CIA's harsh interrogation techniques led the U.S. to Osama bin Laden. Sen. John McCain watched the movie Monday night and says it left him sick - because it's wrong.

    December 19, 2012
  • Defense analyst Jim McAleese reviews the Defense Authorization Bill agreed on by both the Senate and the House yesterday. OPM Director John Berry says proposed rules to implement phased retirement are on the fast track. Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.) discusses changes that will make it easier for feds to telework. Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) talks about benefits that will help retain federal employees. Vivian Reifberg of McKinsey & Co. talks about why the current administrative transition is so important. Alex Bolton of The Hill discusses the fiscal cliff negotiations.

    December 19, 2012
  • Reuters is reporting that "the U.S. Air Force on Monday approved the formal start of pilot training on the A-model of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter at a Florida military base, paving the way for 36 expert pilots to be trained next year as instructors for the new stealth warplane." This looks to be a way to stop the automatic budget cuts, the could be brought on by the "fiscal cliff" from digging into the program.

    December 18, 2012
  • The Obama administration is urging a federal court to dismiss a damage lawsuit over the drone-strike killings of three U.S. citizens in Yemen last year, including an al-Qaida cleric. The Associate Press is reporting that, In a court filing Friday, the Justice Department said the issue is best handled by the government's political branches, not the judiciary. U.S.-born al-Qaida leader Anwar al- Awlaki (ahn-WAHR' al-aw-LAH'-kee) and al-Qaida propagandist Samir Khan were killed in a drone strike in September 2011. Al-Awlaki's son, Abdulrahman, was killed the following month.

    December 17, 2012
  • Attorney Lynne Bernabei examines a recent ruling that allows feds to file some MSPB appeals in district courts. GAO's Michele Mackin describes why more than 40 contracts worth more than $20 million each were awarded without meeting new guidelines. Former White House official Dan Chenok discusses the highs and lows of the E-Government Act. Melanie Ann Pustay of the Justice Department talks about how agencies report their Freedom of Information Act request fulfillment.

    December 17, 2012
  • A new process promises more advance word on what the Pentagon wants from its military services, but demands they comply with common architectures. DoD said it is learning from development mistakes of the past.

    December 17, 2012
  • Preliminary results from a Grant Thornton survey of contractors show profits, revenues and overall participation in the government market is down. The pressure from the administration's steps to reign in high risk contracts and reduce spending is having an impact on most contractors. The Navy, for example, is trying to be more disciplined in how it buys goods and services.

    December 17, 2012
  • The U.S. Army's $47 billion in annual military payroll accounts has caused major woes for some soldiers trying to collect their pay, according to a new report by the Government Accountability Office. As a result of the Army being unable to track and collect data on numerous pay errors including over payments, under payments, data entry errors and fraud, active duty soldiers are not receiving the correct compensation and this has a bipartisan team of lawmakers furious.

    December 14, 2012