SDFM The Business of Defense
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April 12th and April 14th, 2009 Elizabeth F. Bagley Special Representative for Global Partnerships Office of the Secretary of State Department of State
April 12, 2010 -
OPM\'s workplace flexibility pilot program takes shape in Washington and Pennsylvania.
April 09, 2010 -
The Department of Energy is awarding nearly $100 million for 54 smart grid workforce training programs that Secretary Steven Chu says will help prepare the next generation of workers in the utility and electrical manufacturing industries. The projects will leverage more than $95 million in funding from community colleges, universities, utilities and manufacturers to develop and implement training programs that will train approximately 30-thousand Americans in an effort to modernize the nation\'s electrical grid, and implement smart grid technologies in communities across the country. The programs will focus on training activities that support electricians, line workers, technicians, system operators, power system engineers, cyber security specialists and transmission planners. The funding builds on more than $4 billion in Recovery Act funding for smart grid deployment and demonstration projects nationally.
April 09, 2010 -
Ousted Kyrgyz president Kurmanbek Bakiyev says he did not want to believe Russia was behind the protests that chased him from power. Bakiyev also said he had no plans to step down, but offered to talk to the opposition leaders who have claimed control of Kyrgyzstan after Central Asia\'s bloodiest unrest in five years. He adds he believes there was some foreign influence in the coup.
April 09, 2010 -
The United States and Brazil are preparing to sign a new agreement to bolster defense cooperation, the first accord of its kind between the hemisphere\'s two top economies in more than 30 years, officials said Wednesday. Reuters is reporting the agreement, which could be signed as early as Monday, is meant to demonstrate strengthening ties between the two militaries, despite diplomatic tensions over Brazil\'s refusal to back new sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program. It also comes as Brazil is evaluating bids in a multibillion dollar fighter jet competition, in which U.S.-based Boeing Co is one of three contenders.
April 08, 2010 -
The Department of Energy says an expansion of the production of cellulosic biofuels can help to meet energy production, and greenhouse gas reduction goals. The Department\'s Section 9-42 program supports the production of cellulosic biofuels by providing payments on a per gallon basis through a reverse auction process. Members of the Biotechnology Industry group \"BIO\" point to a new report they say shows advanced biofuels are key to creating new jobs and revitalizing the U.S. economy. The Report says the development of the industry could produce more than 140-billion dollars in economic growth by the year 2030, including the direct creation of as many as 29-thousand jobs by the year 2012; while reducing U.S petroleum imports by about 5-point-5 billion dollars by the same year, and by nearly 70-billion dollars by the year 2022.
April 07, 2010 -
The Internet, and search engines, are helping to reduce barriers, particularly in e-commerce. The Export-Import Bank of the United States -the Ex-Im Bank - says it will start a partnership with Google to help American small and mid-sized businesses harness the power of the Internet to initiate or expand sales outside of the country. Bank officials say Google\'s tools can empower businesses to reach new customers all over the world, and that even small businesses can create a global presence. The Chairman and President of the Ex-Im Bank Fred Hochberg specifically points to use of the search engine in helping achieve President Obama\'s goal of doubling U.S. exports within the next five years, while at the same time putting more Americans to work producing them. Head of Acquisitions at US-Google Stuart Small says, there are now more than 1.2 billion people online worldwide, and many of them are ready and able to buy and research online.
April 07, 2010 -
What\'s the difference between Russian intelligence and U.S. intelligence today? A source with knowledge of both CIA and Russia\'s SVR, formerly known as the KGB says the SVR has an unlimited supply of money to recruit spies. The source also says it depends on the quality and amount of information a spy can provide. Still the source says, the SVR tries to save money and says American turncoats Aldrich Aimes, and Robert Hanssen could have gotten ten times more than they got from the Russian intelligence.
April 05, 2010 -
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Josh Bivens Economist, Economic Policy Institute Johnnie Walker President, AFGE D.C. Government Local 383 Gerald Swanke AFGE 11th District National Vice President Karen Kellen President, AFGE Environmental Protection Agency Local 3607 Dave Christensen Legislative Advocate, AFGE Environmental Protection Agency Local 3607 Susie Peru Secretary-Treasurer, AFGE Department of Defense Local 2516
April 01, 2010 -
Two bills in Congress would \"require that all federal workers be considered eligible for telework unless the agency shows they are ineligible.\"
March 29, 2010 -
OPM Director John Berry says he wants to increase the percentage of feds who telework.
March 22, 2010 -
Your agency Telework Coordinator is about to be your new bff.
March 12, 2010 -
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February 22nd and February 24th A SPECIAL EDITION The Business of Government Magazine
February 22, 2010