National & World Headlines

  • Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-Ind.) introduced the Veterans Information Security Improvement Act that would explicitly require VA to take steps to repair operational and procedure holes in its network and computer security processes.

    April 03, 2014
  • The Pentagon's current proposals for wringing savings out of its health care system involve additional fees for beneficiaries, but also try to induce them to use less-costly treatment options.

    April 03, 2014
  • The next version of cloud security standards is under development, even as agencies race to comply with current ones. The General Services Administration and the departments of Defense and Homeland Security are kicking off FedRAMP 2.0 by incorporating new NIST guidance. Federal News Radio Executive Editor Jason Miller joined Federal Drive hosts Tom Temin and Emily Kopp to explain how the agencies are keeping different standards aligned. Read Federal News Radio's related article.

    April 03, 2014
  • Defense officials hope a new era in military medicine has arrived. The centerpiece is the seven-month-old Defense Health Agency. It replaced TRICARE Management Activity as part of efforts to streamline the delivery of medical services. Maj. Gen. Richard Thomas is the Chief Medical Officer and director of DHA's Operations Command. As part of Federal News Radio's Agency of the Month, he tells Coordinating Producer Lauren Larson how the agency is streamlining delivery and cutting healthcare costs.

    April 03, 2014
  • "For the first time, you have an operational level organization that can directly interface with all the services — get their input, organize themselves, really solicit and collaborate with the services — so we can build a better military health system," Major General Richard Thomas, chief medical officer and director of DHA Healthcare Operations, told Federal News Radio.

    April 03, 2014
  • DoD CIO Teri Takai clarifies the Pentagon plans to use the FedRAMP baseline. DHS and GSA are working together to ensure the continuous diagnostics and monitoring program and FedRAMP are aligned. But questions remain around how other cyber initiatives fit into the cloud security program.

    April 03, 2014
  • Fort Hood has reported that it has an active shooter and federal and local agents are heading to the Texas Army base, the FBI and a local sheriff's office said Wednesday.

    April 02, 2014
  • The U.S. government wants to offload old military equipment in Afghanistan and nearby countries so it doesn't have to pack it up and take it home. Pentagon officials say selling 800 mine-resistant armored vehicles, for example, could make hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue and save $500 million in shipping. For more on the ins and outs of selling military hardware, Federal Drive hosts Tom Temin and Emily Kopp spoke with Kevin Brancato, a defense analyst for Bloomberg Government.

    April 02, 2014
  • A public affairs program for international students is helping the Pentagon meet its strategic defense goals. The Defense Information School is helping students from six different countries develop military communications strategies that are unique to their home countries. DoD says it's part of an overall military-to-military engagement plan. Col. Jeremy Martin, commandant of the Defense Information School, and one of his students, Capt. Rebecca Callas in the El Savladoran Air Force, were guests on In Depth with Francis Rose for Pentagon Solutions.

    April 02, 2014
  • The Department of Veterans Affairs believes it is on track to end its disability claims backlog by 2015. It's an uphill fight, considering that more than half of its claims have been waiting for at least four months, and appeals take an average of more than two years.

    April 02, 2014
  • The Blue Button Initiative started at VA as a way for veterans to more easily access their health care data. But, with the help of Presidential Innovation Fellows, the initiative is now enabling American people across the country to access their personal health records in a human-readable format. Federal News Radio examines the project's greatest successes and where it's headed next as part of our special report, Solving Our Nation's Toughest Challenges: The Presidential Innovation Fellows.

    April 02, 2014
  • A tight budget is forcing the Army to cut its ranks by at least 70,000 people over the next five years. The Army also has to let go of some weapons programs to keep its spending levels down. Those plans could come at the cost of military readiness.

    April 01, 2014
  • The Veterans Affairs Department reduced the number of pending disability claims by 267,000 over the last year. Veterans are also waiting 119 days less than they did a year ago for their claims to be processed.

    April 01, 2014
  • The Veterans Affairs Department promises to be "digital by default." The new initiative seeks to provide better and faster service to veterans. The department is hiring experts from outside the government to build the technology to streamline offerings. Marina Martin, VA's chief technology officer, tells Federal Drive with Tom Temin and Emily Kopp the effort goes beyond simply tackling the persistent backlog of disability claims.

    April 01, 2014