Defense
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Retired Maj. Gen. Arnold Punaro, a member of the Defense Business Board, said the decimation of contracting officers, program managers and others have put the military at a disadvantage in spending hundreds of billions of dollars. He said the answer to their problem is simple but hard to implement: a comprehensive plan to improve the acquisition workforce.
June 12, 2012 -
Steven Grundman, a Lund Fellow at the Atlantic Council in Washington, D.C., and former deputy undersecretary of Defense for Industrial Affairs, provides his perspective on how the Better Buying Power initiative has shaped DoD procurement.
June 11, 2012 -
Debora Plunkett, the director of the National Security Agency's Information Assurance Directorate, said there is good news and bad news when it comes to protecting the U.S. from cyber threats on a daily basis. In an exclusive interview for Federal News Radio's Agency of the Month program, Plunkett said getting the nation's networks to a higher level of security is multifold.
June 11, 2012 -
The Defense Department is taking submissions for its 12th annual Cyber Crime Conference. The conference is sponsored by DoD's Defense Cyber Crime Center (DC3). Planners expect more than 200 speakers and 20 different track sessions. Participants from agencies, universities and industry are invited to share ways to prevent cyber crime. Submissions for research abstracts are due by July 6th.
June 11, 2012 -
The Navy is standardizing how it screens and qualifies commanding officer candidates. Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Jonathan Greenert has approved an instruction to create a written qualification program to be shared among all officer communities.
June 11, 2012 -
According to a new book, Justice Department prosecutors were stunned to learn three years ago that the U.S. military had secretly tape recorded incriminating comments that alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikhs Mohammed made to fellow detainees during daily prison yard conversations but was not planning to use them at military tribunals. In "Kill or Capture: The War On Terror And The Soul Of The Obama Presidency," journalist Daniel Klaidman says Mohammed was caught on tape boasting to other detainees about the 9/11 attacks.
June 11, 2012 -
Pia Romero is a contracts administrator at the Los Alamos National Laboratory and serves as an executive officer in the New Mexico Army National Guard. In a column for Federal News Radio's special report, Inside the World's Biggest Buyer, she says DoD's Rapid Acquisition Program provides items to the force, allows the contracting community the ability to participate and compete in the process, and can save money when applied properly.
June 10, 2012 -
TriWest Healthcare Alliance is fighting for survival after it lost its only contract — the $17 billion contract to provide healthcare to military personnel. Although TriWest said it submitted the lowest bid it still lost out to United Health Group.
June 08, 2012 -
The D-Day anniversary on Wednesday jogged a lot of memories for people whose parents or grandparents fought and, in many cases, died. Nice to know that after 68 years (and two days) their service and sacrifice is still appreciated, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says.
June 08, 2012 -
The U.S. Air Force on Tuesday awarded Lockheed Martin Corp a contract to retrofit 40 F-22 fighter aircraft with an automatic backup oxygen supply after some pilots experienced oxygen deprivation when flying the supersonic plane. Reuters reports the contract is worth $19 million, runs through April 2013, and includes retrofitting 10 spare aircraft. Currently oxygen supply requires manual activation by the F-22 Raptor pilot.
June 07, 2012 -
Up to 78 Air Force Academy cadets cheated on an online calculus test by getting help during the exam from a website, the academy said Wednesday.
June 07, 2012 -
Janet Wolfenbarger will lead the Air Force Materiel Command, which is a key organization for current and future weapons systems. She promoted the Air Force's "culture of diversity" as the reason for her new rank.
June 06, 2012 -
This week on Bloomberg Government's Capital Impact show, results from a new BGov analysis that shows federal contract spending is slumping. Plus, how defense contractors may be able to protect some revenue from sequestration.
June 06, 2012 -
In a first-ever interview, key officials from the Departments of Defense and State responsible for planning the transition to a diplomatic-led mission in Iraq discuss how the two agencies coordinated one of the largest overseas logistical operations since World War II. The article is the first part in Federal News Radio's special report, Trial by Fire: Overseas Contracting in Transition, part of the series, Inside the World's Biggest Buyer.
June 06, 2012 -
Ever since 2003, contractors have played a major role in the contingency operations in Iraq. But with the transition to a State Department-led diplomatic mission there, some analysts believe contractors will play an even more central role. As part of the special series, Trial by Fire: Overseas Contracting in Transition, Federal News Radio examines how industry fared in the DoD-to-State handoff and whether State's enhanced role spells new opportunities for contractors.
June 06, 2012