Defense
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Over the past two years, the Pentagon has been looking to prove that some of its acquisition programs don\'t need to go through every single step of the department\'s slow and byzantine process. DoD finally has identified its first test case, and is looking for more.
May 11, 2015 -
Summer is approaching, and that means it\'ll soon be peak moving season for thousands of military families. For the average military family, a permanent change in station occurs every two to three years — 2 1/2 times more frequently than civilian families. Maggie Hahn is the Military Affairs Relationship Director for the United States Automobile Association\'s Military Advocacy Group. She joined the Federal Drive with Tom Temin to offer some advice for military families headed to a new home.
May 08, 2015 -
The House Armed Services Committee is busy at work on the 2016 National Defense Authorization bill. In a 700-page report accompanying the bill, the committee is asking for a list of reports. Bloomberg News reporter Tony Capaccio joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive with what the committee wants and the major policy provisions in the bill.
May 08, 2015 -
The base made famous for its large gold vault is the first in the country to operate independently from the civilian power grid, thanks to generous supplies of natural gas directly beneath it. But officials say they wouldn\'t have achieved the milestone without previous steps to invest in geothermal energy and other conservation measures.
May 08, 2015 -
New plan charts the Navy\'s strategic objectives in cyber over the next five years, with 18-month measures of progress along the way.
May 07, 2015 -
A stack of bills that affects federal employees is under consideration in Congress. One would create new protections for military whistleblowers, and another would expedite the firing process at the Department of Veterans Affairs even more. Janet Kopenhaver is Washington representative of Federally Employed Women. On In Depth with Francis Rose, she analyzed how the bills could affect federal employees in the future.
May 07, 2015 -
Frank Kendall, the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, is setting limits for when to use lowest price/technically acceptable procurement strategies. He says there are only four conditions when LPTA is appropriate to use. Bob Lohfeld is CEO of the Lohfeld Consulting Group, former chaiman of ACT-IAC. On In Depth with Francis Rose, he said the new limits may be a sign DoD is trying to phase out LPTA.
May 07, 2015 -
38 members of the think tank community -- from all across the ideological spectrum -- are signatories to an open letter on Defense Department reform. Philip Carter is director of the Military, Veterans and Society Program at the Center for New American Security. On In Depth with Francis Rose, he explained his input as one of the signers of the letter.
May 06, 2015 -
President Barack Obama has nominated Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Joseph Dunford as the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. When confirmed, he\'ll succeed retiring Army Gen. Martin Dempsey. But what can we expect from the man nicknamed \"Fighting Joe?\". Retired Army Lt. Gen. Dave Barno was a senior American commander of U.S. and coalition forces in Afghanistan, and is now a visiting scholar at American University. He joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive to outline some of the challenges Dunford will be facing.
May 06, 2015 -
Dr. David Shulkin led a turnaround of New York\'s Beth Israel Hospital as part of a long career in private sector hospital administration. He said running the Department of Veterans Affairs\' health system would be a far greater challenge, but assured senators that his skills are transferrable to the public sector.
May 06, 2015 -
Greg Garcia, executive director of the U.S. Army Information Technology Agency will discuss the theory of virtualization and how your agency can benefit from it. May 5, 2015
May 05, 2015 -
The House passed the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs appropriations bill. But the vote was a lot closer than it usually is. The chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies oversees the release of that bill every year. Rep. Charlie Dent (R-Pa.) is chairman of the subcommittee right now. On In Depth with Francis Rose, he said the spending level in the bill isn\'t a cut for the VA.
May 05, 2015 -
Everyone wants to prepare their child for life after school, whether that means college or something else. That\'s where College and Career Readiness standards come into play. They outline what a child should know and be able to do from kindergarten through the end of high school. Tom Brady is the director of the Department of Defense Education Activity. He joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive with more on the CCR standards.
May 05, 2015 -
On Monday, the Pentagon made good on its promise to make more use of the government\'s FedRAMP process, certifying 23 cloud products as secure enough to host DoD low-level data.
May 05, 2015 -
The House passes the first spending bill of the year to fund military pay and benefits programs, and to pay for DoD\'s housing and equipment infrastructure. The Military Construction and Veterans Affairs bill is usually one of the easiest appropriations bills to pass, but this year it drew far less support than usual. Tamar Hallerman is appropriations reporter for Roll Call. On In Depth with Francis Rose, she said the lack of support could signal a overall tough appropriations process this year.
May 04, 2015