National & World Headlines

• Ukraine to receive U.S. military aid

  The United States is planning to increase non-lethal military assistance to Ukraine, including deliveries of Humvee vehicles.

  Defense

  November 21, 2014
• DoD’s ‘vertical integration,’ effort to further pare administrative costs

  Two early pilot programs have shown the Pentagon that it can reduce overhead spending by carefully studying its excess costs rather than cutting each office's budget by an arbitrary figure. Once expanded across DoD's support agencies, the savings could run into the billions.

  Budget

  November 21, 2014
• Agencies delivering IT capabilities 20 days faster by using agile, OMB says

  The Office of Management and Budget says PortfolioStat data is proving the positive impact agile development is having on IT projects. The U.S. Digital Service is providing both help and training to expand the understanding and use of agile development.

  Defense

  November 21, 2014
• Gift Guide: Dragons, aliens, heroes for the gamer

  LOU KESTEN Associated Press Sony’s PlayStation 4 video-game console has built an impressive lead over its competitors. That’s good news for holiday shoppers because it has driven Microsoft and Nintendo to offer more budget-friendly holiday…

  Technology

  November 21, 2014
• Give your pet something unexpected over holidays

  SUE MANNING Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — Pet owners looking to launch the next Internet sensation or just longing for a new view of their dog’s dashing and digging won’t have to shop for…

  Technology

  November 20, 2014
• Emily Kopp, Reporter, Federal News Radio

  The first case of a fired Senior Executive Service member at the Department of Veterans Affairs has a decision from the Merit Systems Protection Board. Federal News Radio's Emily Kopp tells In Depth with Francis Rose that SESer isn't an SESer any more.

  All News

  November 20, 2014
• Ridesharing service Uber expands in Nordics

  HELSINKI (AP) — Uber is expanding its app-based taxi and ridesharing services in the Nordic region, to include the cities of Helsinki, Oslo and Copenhagen. The San Francisco-based company, which claims operations in 47 countries,…

  Technology

  November 20, 2014
• Jared Serbu, DoD Reporter, Federal News Radio

  The Pentagon will work to cut its administrative costs, but this time around, officials would like to do it much more surgically than they have in the past. Federal News Radio DoD Reporter Jared Serbu has more on DoD's plans for a "vertically integrated" approach to reductions at the Pentagon and it agencies.

  All News

  November 20, 2014
• Merit Board upholds senior exec’s firing in VA scandal

  The Merit Systems Protection Board has affirmed the Veterans Affairs Department's decision to ax James Talton, one of the first senior executives targeted under a new law that speeds up the removal process. Talton headed the Central Alabama Veterans Administration Healthcare System.

  Defense

  November 20, 2014
• Tom Nichols, Professor of National Security Affairs, Naval War College

  Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has ordered top-to-bottom changes for the nation's nuclear missile force. He wants to spend billions of dollars to fix problems with leadership, security and morale. The move comes after an exam-cheating scandal revealed numerous personnel problems among those entrusted with the country's 450 nuclear intercontinental ballistic missiles. What's the future for this mission? Tom Nichols, a professor of national security affairs at Naval War College and a nuclear arms expert, joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive to explain.

  Federal Drive

  November 20, 2014
• WhatsApp encrypts messages from beginning to end

  BRANDON BAILEY AP Technology Writer SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — WhatsApp, the globally popular instant messaging system owned by Facebook, has begun using a powerful new encryption program aimed at protecting users’ conversations from unwanted surveillance…

  Technology

  November 20, 2014
• Never mind sequestration, Pentagon to seek budget boost in 2016

  The Defense Department already had telegraphed that it would request more money than sequestration allows for in 2016. But the military's top officer said Wednesday that new missions involving Ebola, the Islamic State and Russia likely will push DoD's funding request even higher.

  Budget

  November 20, 2014
• Toyota to start sales of fuel cell car next month

  KEN MORITSUGU Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — There will only be a few hundred, and they won’t be cheap, but Toyota is about to take its first small step into the unproven market for emissions-free,…

  Technology

  November 19, 2014
• Nokia plots comeback with Android tablet

  MATTI HUUHTANEN Associated Press HELSINKI (AP) — Nokia is back in the fray. Just months after selling its ailing handsets business to Microsoft, the Finnish company is planning to go back into the consumer market…

  Technology

  November 19, 2014