National & World Headlines

• Pentagon’s inspector general to leave government in January

  Rymer said he will return to work in the financial services industry after having spent more than nine years as an inspector general at three federal agencies.

  Defense

  November 30, 2015
• Nicole Ogrysko: Army uses data to reassess suicide-prevention tactics

  The Army is evaluating five years of data to study suicide. The data is both affirming and in some cases disproving what the Army knows about its suicide-prone soldiers. Randy Lane is the division chief of the analytics assessment and systems division at the Army Resilience Directorate. Wendy Lasko is the program manager of the Army Suicide Prevention Program, and Kenneth Cox is the scientific liasion for the Army STARRS program. On Federal Drive with Tom Temin, they tell Federal News Radio reporter Nicole Ogrysko about the data points they collected. The first voice you hear is Lane's.

  Federal Drive

  November 30, 2015
• Army suicide prevention takes on new, data-driven form

  Predictive analytics are changing the way the Army thinks about its training and programs to combat suicide — and other adverse factors that might impact a soldier's readiness. The service wrapped up a five-year study, called Army STARRS, this past summer.

  Army

  November 30, 2015
• Scott Maucione: DoD spending more, getting less

  The Defense Department says it’s funded at the minimum level it needs to handle threats around the world. However, defense experts say DoD isn’t spending its money in the right way. DoD report Scott Maucione tells Federal Drive with Tom Temin the department is spending more and getting less. Read Scott's related story.

  Federal Drive

  November 25, 2015
• Jared Serbu: Navy makes its first awards under Innovation Cell framework

  Back in March, the Navy said it would test a new IT acquisition process called the innovation cell. Its purpose: to evaluate, buy and insert new commercial technologies onto its networks within the space of one year. It appears to have worked. The Navy made its first awards under the Innovation Cell framework yesterday. Victor Gavin is the Navy's program executive officer for enterprise information systems, and Dan DelGrosso is the PEO-EIS technical director. On Federal Drive with Tom Temin, they talked with Federal News Radio's Jared Serbu about the awards, and what the Navy has learned from the process so far. Gavin speaks first.

  Federal Drive

  November 25, 2015
• Jared Serbu: DoD works to integrate commercial health record system

  The Defense Department has told Congress that DoD's health IT systems are interoperable with those of Veterans Affairs. Meanwhile, DoD is working to make sure the commercial health record system it just agreed to buy can marry up with the integrated systems DoD and VA have been building for the past several years. Chris Miller, DoD’s program executive officer for health care management, talked about that challenge on Federal Drive with Tom Temin with Federal News Radio’s Jared Serbu as part of the latest edition of On DoD.

  Federal Drive

  November 25, 2015
• On DoD: Navy reports first results from its new Innovation Cell

  In March, the Navy announced a new project to speed its adoption of commercial information technology and short-circuit the most cumbersome parts of the government acquisition process. The Innovation Cell, a project of the service’s…

  On DoD Podcasts

  November 25, 2015
• Air Force’s scheduling initiative will be an uphill climb

  The Air Force's outgoing acquisition chief says there is a lack of incentives for making program schedules faster.

  Defense

  November 25, 2015
• Johana Ayers: DoD makes costly fuel forecasting mistake

  As possibly the biggest buyer of fuel in the world, the Defense Department can ill-afford to make mistakes in forecasting prices. If it guesses wrong, it could face billions in unforeseen costs. But the Government Accountability Office found mistakes can happen. And this one was a doozy. Johana Ayers, GAO's director of defense capabilities and management issues, fills in Federal Drive with Tom Temin on all the details.

  Federal Drive

  November 25, 2015
• Navy sailor creates parody ‘Star Wars’ trailer

  In anticipation of the upcoming "Star Wars" film, crewmembers from the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower created a parody movie trailer: "Sea Wars: The Ike Awakens."

  Navy

  November 25, 2015
• Navy makes first awards in new ‘innovation cell’ for rapid IT acquisition

  The Navy made its first awards under its new Innovation Cell framework for rapid IT acquisition Tuesday, and will insert new technologies for virtual desktops and military base IT infrastructure within the coming months.

  Defense

  November 25, 2015
• DoD working around $17 billion deficit for 2017

  The two-year budget deal agreed to by Congress has left DoD in a hole for its 2017 budget planning.

  Defense

  November 24, 2015
• Jared Serbu: DoD aims for clean financial audit in 2016

  The Pentagon in 2016 aims to get a least step closer to a clean financial audit. Well, maybe a baby steb. But an expensive one DoD reporter Jared Serbu tells Federal Drive with Tom Temin. Read Jared's related story.

  Federal Drive

  November 24, 2015
• The ‘nudum pactum’ mistake

  Richard Lieberman, a consultant and retired attorney, warns government contractors not to begin work until they really have a contract.

  Commentary

  November 24, 2015