After two years of planning and pilot programs, the intelligence community says its plan to integrate the IT systems of its 17 agencies is moving forward toward large-scale adoption.
Venita Godfrey-Scott was charged with stealing government property she used for various home improvement projects.
Dr. William Bauman and Ann Spungen of the Veterans Affairs Department have been working as a team to improve the quality of life of paralyzed veterans for nearly 25 years.
Ronald Pontius, the deputy to the commander of Army Cyber Command, said over the next few years the Army will give cyber workers their own career field, preliminarily known as Career Field 17.
Nothing like a good scandal to rouse Congress into spending money and enacting reform. The latest example is the Veterans' Affairs Department. Blame for the scheduling problems and cover up is scattered everywhere. Congress singled out the Senior Executive Service, giving the VA Secretary summary dismissal authority. Now a House bill would double the probation period for new SES managers, and take back salary if an SESer is demoted. Cheri Cannon, partner at Tully Rinckey, joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive with an update on these developments.
The Air Force has a list of priorities for fiscal year 2015. They include eliminating 21 general officer billets, addressing the problems with an aging fleet of aircraft and dealing with a budget designed to shrink the force. Still, Secretary Deborah Lee James says the service is in good shape. As the Air Force celebrates its 67th birthday, James gave Tom Temin a status report on the Federal Drive.
The Army and Air Force are using a shared network security infrastructure at Joint Base San Antonio as of Sept. 14. It's a major step toward the Defense Department's goal of moving base-level cybersecurity operations to a more defensible, centrally-managed architecture.
The Associated Press is reporting that China's military hacked into computer networks of civilian transportation companies hired by the Pentagon at least nine times. They broke into computers aboard a commercial ship, targeting logistics companies and uploading malicious software onto an airline's computers. A year-long investigation by the Senate Armed Services Committee identified at least 20 break-ins or other unspecified cyber events targeting companies.
On this week's show, a deep dive into military personnel management within the Navy. Our guest for the full hour is Vice Adm. Bill Moran, the Chief of Naval Personnel.
A quarter century of hard work and collaboration is giving paralyzed veterans a chance to rediscover a healthy, happy life. William Bauman is director and Ann Spungen is associate director of the National Center of Excellence for the Medical Consequences of Spinal Cord Injury. That's at the James Peters VA Medical Center in the Bronx. They're Service to America Medal finalists in the Science and Environment category, and described their work on In Depth with Francis Rose.
After eight months on the job, Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James tells Federal Drive with Tom Temin that even though the service is in good shape, it still faces uncertainty around its budget, overseas operations and readiness.
Former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates called diplomacy and development "soft power" that could be a powerful force multiplier for the military. Experts on all sides of the debate agree with that assessment, and they are writing about how to use that soft power to the advantage of the United States. Gen. Tony Zinni is former commander in chief of CENTCOM, and former special envoy to the Middle East. His new book is Before the First Shots are Fired: How America Can Win or Lose Off the Battlefield. On In Depth with Francis Rose, he explained the integration of military, diplomatic, and developmental operations.
Can a national council in Washington improve labor relations on agencies' front lines?
The Defense Department Education Activity, or DODEA, is probably the most widely spread-out school disctrict in the world. It educates more than a million children of service members each year, all over the globe. On the job since March, DODEA director Tom Brady has completed a 100 day analysis of his school system. He joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive to explain what he's found and what he hopes to do.
The Air Force plans to slash its ranks to fewer than 328,000 by the end of the year. Lt. Gen. James Jackson, chief of the Air Force Reserves, says the cutbacks are actually a good opportunity to keep many of its active duty Airmen in blue. Here's an example of how it can work. Col. Russell Muncy is commander of the 452nd Air Mobility Wing at March Air Force Reserve Base in California. His unit has received the Air Force Association Reserve Unit award. He joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive to explain why his unit has been recognized. View photos and listen to interviews from the event.