Commentary

  • The Army is shrinking down to about 450,000 soldiers. Congress isn't likely to approve another round of base realignment and closure, but Federal News Radio's DoD reporter Jared Serbu tells In Depth with Francis Rose the Army has adopted a different strategy to get its base footprint in line.

    October 20, 2015
  • A new survey by Silverlight Financial and Federal News Radio found federal employees think they are prepared for retirement, but haven’t had the training or preparation necessary to ensure a successful transition.

    October 20, 2015
  • The Army works continuously to improve on a basic piece of gear, namely the helmet on top of a soldier's head.

    October 16, 2015
  • John D. Cohen, professor in the School of Criminal Justice at Rutgers University, says the National Terrorism Advisory System has sent our advisories in the past.

    October 16, 2015
  • Richard Lieberman, a consultant and retired attorney, offers advice to contractors about how to ensure they are protected when they win a request for quote.

    October 14, 2015
  • In Depth's Francis Rose says the biggest problem with the public and private sector salary comparison is that no one is quite sure how to compare them. But one thing is for sure: the Labor Department's Mr. Fix-it deserved his government service award.

    October 13, 2015
  • The Cato Institute has issued yet another report claiming federal employees are grossly overpaid. Their numbers claim feds make 78 percent more than private sector workers and 43 percent more than state and local workers. If true, those numbers would be alarming and cause for immediate steps to rein in federal pay and benefits. The numbers are generally accurate, but they are not true. How can that be?

    October 12, 2015
  • On March 4, the General Services Administration issued a proposed rule that would require contractors to report transactional data from orders placed against GSA’s Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) contract vehicles as well as GSA’s governmentwide acquisition…

    October 06, 2015
  • The Chief Human Capital Officers Act of 2002 established the role of the chief human capital officer (CHCO) in the federal government. After 13 years, it is time to take a look at the CHCO Act and see what it did and did not do.

    October 02, 2015
  • Why push the down button on the career elevator? According to a report from the Office of Inspector General at the Department of Veterans Affairs, two Washington-based senior executives used their clout to get what amounted to a demotion - one with fewer responsibilities but the same level of pay. The benefit of the demotion, according to the IG's report, was that the two career SESers got to keep their Washington pay levels while transferring to lower pressure jobs in places with more winter sports and better cheesesteaks.

    October 02, 2015
  • If Buzz Aldrin can file his expense report with NASA a week after coming back from the moon, the rest of us have no excuse to put off our paperwork, says In Depth host Francis Rose.

    October 01, 2015
  • Tyler Morris, director of product management for Iron Mountain Government Services, offers a path for agencies to consider when preparing for natural or manmade disasters.

    September 29, 2015
  • If the 2013 government shutdown taught us anything, it's that the impact was felt way beyond federal agencies and their employees, says former DHS CHCO Jeff Neal.

    September 28, 2015
  • Jeri Buchholz, former NASA CHCO and now strategic business development adviser for FMP Consulting, advises federal managers to begin preparing for a government shutdown by communicating more openly and often with their workforce.

    September 24, 2015