Defense
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The USS Kauffman is now the last of its breed. The 453-foot Navy ship is on a six-month deployment that marks the final mission for any Navy frigate. All the rest have been decommissioned. Kauffmann will follow suit when it returns from Central America in September. Rear Adm. Peter Fanta, the Navy's director of Surface Warfare, joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive to explain the rationale behind the decommissioning, the policy behind it and how the Navy intends to replace the frigates.
February 13, 2015 -
The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency wants a collaborative arrangement with commercial entrants into the GEOINT business - and promises it will do its part by sharing as much as possible.
February 13, 2015 -
By DONNA CASSATA Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate on Thursday confirmed President Barack Obama’s choice to run the Pentagon, handing Ash Carter the unenviable task of steering the military as the United States…
February 12, 2015 -
The Air Force is campaigning to get rid of the A-10 aircraft program. But the numbers it's using to justify killing the A-10 aren't the real numbers, according to Mandy Smithberger. She's director of the CDI Straus Military Reform Project for the Project on Government Oversight. On In Depth with Francis Rose, she expained why that is.
February 12, 2015 -
The Veterans Affairs Department has hundreds of land-use agreements worth tens of millions of dollars. It needs help in managing them. A new study by the Government Accountability Office found several agreements were recorded multiple times, and some revenue hadn't even been reported. Steve Lord, the managing director of Forensic Audits and Investigative Service at GAO, joined the Federal Drive with Tom Temin to explain more about how land-use agreements work and what GAO found.
February 12, 2015 -
Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald on Wednesday asked a Republican lawmaker who served in both Iraq wars, "What have you done?" as the two men sparred over huge cost overruns at a troubled Denver VA hospital.
February 12, 2015 -
The Government Accountability Office added two new issues to its ever-growing list of challenges for agencies. The biennial High Risk List includes six areas that have been problematic for 25 years.
February 12, 2015 -
The new National Security Strategy details, among other things, how the Defense Department will execute the rebalance to Asia and the Middle East. But the last National Security Strategy in 2010 didn't predict some important world events that have happened since that strategy was released. Michael Vlahos is a professor in the Strategy and Policy Department at the U.S. Naval War College. On In Depth with Francis Rose, he explained why the National Security Strategy is an important document, and what you should consider when you read it.
February 11, 2015 -
Encouraging competition is a key component of the latest iteration of Better Buying Power at the Defense Department. The agency has a new point man to connect with the defense industrial base. Andre Gudger is acting deputy assistant secretary of defense for manufacturing and industrial base policy. On In Depth with Francis Rose, he explained the steps the Pentagon will take to improve its relationship with the defense industrial base.
February 11, 2015 -
The military services say they've made some progress against the readiness levels they lost when sequestration first struck in 2013. The Pentagon's second- ranking official said Tuesday that momentum needs to be maintained, but DoD's challenges are as much about time as about money.
February 11, 2015 -
By DAVID ESPO and NEDRA PICKLER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House circulated a proposal Tuesday to authorize the Pentagon to fight Islamic State terrorists without an “enduring offensive combat” role, an ambiguous…
February 11, 2015 -
The Defense Department provides a number of programs to support military families. One program focuses on spouses, who face a number of challenges in developing a career. The My Career Advancement Account is designed to help military spouses further their education, and secure better employment. But a new study shows only one in five spouses uses the program. Laura Miller, a senior military sociologist at the RAND Corporation, joined the Federal Drive with Tom Temin with more on MyCAA, and why it's not more widely used.
February 10, 2015 -
A Navy scientist won the 2014 NATO Science and Technology Organization's Scientific Achievement Award. The award recognizes outstanding contributions to aerospace science and technology or aerospace systems applications. The winner was Steve Anderson, a Principal Scientist with the Naval Surface Warfare Center. He joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive to detail how he won.
February 09, 2015 -
Energy has been a hot topic within DoD for the last several years, with each of the military services pledging to reduce their overall consumption and get at least 20 percent of their energy from renewable sources by 2020.
February 09, 2015 -
As part of a major public health campaign called the "performance triad" the Army wants its soldiers to have healthy exercise, nutrition and sleep routines.
February 09, 2015