National & World Headlines

  • A big contractor goes to court to challenge the Veterans Affairs Department's plan to limit a solicitation for services to small businesses - and the big guy wins. The details of the case make it one to watch, according to our procurement expert. Attorney Joe Petrillo explained the case of Rotech v. United States on the Federal Drive.

    September 25, 2014
  • Australian police shot and killed a man after he stabbed two counterterrorism officers today.

    September 24, 2014
  • The Army needs big solutions if it wants to generate as much energy as it consumes by 2020. It's using the Fort Carson Army base in Colorado Springs as a testing ground for the Net-Zero Energy Initiative. The General Services Administration identifies four ideas that could help Fort Carson reach big energy breakthroughs. It's also partnering with the Army and Energy Department to measure Fort Carson's progress so far. Ken Sandler is the sustainability and green building advisor within the Office of Federal High Performance Green Buildings at GSA. He told In Depth with Francis Rose what Fort Carson has done so far.

    September 24, 2014
  • The F-22 Raptor made its combat debut against the Islamic State in Syria this week. The F-22 project cost about $70 billion over a decade. The Pentagon expects the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter to be combat-ready in four years, and it's already the most expensive weapon system in Defense Department history. Cary Russell, director of Defense Capabilities and Management Issues at the Government Accountability Office, estimates the cost of running the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. He told In Depth with Francis Rose after DoD activates the F-35 for combat, the cost could reach about $1 trillion.

    September 24, 2014
  • The Department of Veterans Affairs is set to introduce new, standardized disability claims forms to help streamline the claims process. The goal is to make it easier for veterans and their survivors to clearly state their claims and also provide necessary documentation.

    September 24, 2014
  • Elaine Rogers, CEO of USO Metropolitan Washington, has worked for the organization serving America's troops since she was 24 years old. Rogers is this week's guest on the Women of Washington radio show.

    September 24, 2014
  • The Center for Army Lessons Learned is calling for soldiers who want to serve a yearlong tour in a hot spot such as Afghanistan, Kuwait or Africa. As an Embedded Liaison Officer, they would report back on what they observed. Colonel Paul Reese, director of the Center for Army Lessons Learned, joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive to discuss what the Army is calling a great opportunity.

    September 24, 2014
  • A forthcoming Pentagon plan will let military departments chart their cloud procurement strategies, as long as they provide detailed data to the Pentagon and each other.

    September 24, 2014
  • The Office of Government Ethics says the Veterans Affairs Department needs to expand the legal team responsible for ensuring employees follow government ethics rules. The team has just 19 people, in a department of more than 342,000.

    September 23, 2014
  • President Barack Obama is going to holding a number of bilateral meetings this week on the sidelines of this week's UN meetings.

    September 23, 2014
  • The Army is experimenting with a new type of interactive software to train its young leaders. It's called the Emergent Leader Immersive Training Environment software (ELITE). The training tool teaches soldiers to deal with a range of problems including disagreements with their platoon sergeant, driving under the influence and sexual harassment. Marco Conners is chief of the Army Games at the National Simulation Center. He joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive with details.

    September 23, 2014
  • The Army has activated a new brigade, a cyber brigade, its first ever. The brigade is part of the Army's Cyber Command. The brigade will be divided into teams consisting of both soldiers and civilians. Their primary mission will be to conduct defensive cyberspace operations. Army Col. Donald Bray is commander of the Cyber Protection Brigade in Fort Gordon, Georgia. He joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive to discuss the brigade's structure and mission.

    September 23, 2014
  • A contracting loophole denies small businesses the chance to land subcontracting opportunities with the Defense Department. The Comprehensive Subcontracting Plan Test Program removes the requirement for prime DoD contractors to report their small business subcontracting plans. That leaves them without an incentive to meet their small business goals. Charles Tiefer is a law professor and contracting expert from the University of Baltimore. On In Depth with Francis Rose, he said it's time to end the 25-year old test program.

    September 22, 2014
  • The latest blueprint to improve DoD's acquisition process will try to help the military achieve game-changing end products and spend less time on the business end of the acquisition system. Frank Kendall, the undersecretary of Defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, said the strategy remains in draft form while DoD gathers feedback from a variety of experts.

    September 22, 2014