National & World Headlines
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A top U.S. commander says only 1 percent of Afghan police and soldiers are capable of working on their own. The comments raise doubts about whether Afghan forces will be able to deal with the still potent Taliban insurgency as the U.S. and the rest of the West withdraws. U.S. Lieutenant General Curtis Scarapotti told reporters that only 29 Afghan army units and seven Afghan police units are ready to work on their own.
February 09, 2012 -
A memorandum of understanding the two agencies signed yesterday will commit them to share resources and brainpower to make sure DoD bases have the long-term energy, land, air and water resources they need.
February 09, 2012 -
AFGE has accused the Department of Veterans Affairs of failing to expand telework opportunities despite a new law designed to encourage the practice. Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.) has demanded an explanation. Assistant Secretary for Human Resources and Administration John Sepulveda said managers aren\'t convinced that telework is good for the agency.
February 09, 2012 -
The House Armed Services Committee has held a series of hearings in recent months taking the temperature of industry and defense experts on the relationship between contractors and the Defense Department. Allan Burman, a former administrator of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy and now the president of Jefferson Consulting, testified before the panel. He joined In Depth with Francis Rose to discuss his testimony.
February 08, 2012 -
The Air Force Office of Special Investigations says Charles R. Priestley, 48, who operated Louisiana-based Hummingbird Aviation, was contracted to build and service helicopters for use in Afghanistan.
February 08, 2012 -
In the latest attempt to cut federal retirement benefits, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has reported out legislation that would make feds contribute more of their salaries to their pensions and end the FERS annuity supplement for people who retire before age 62.
February 08, 2012 -
Special operations forces in Afghanistan are preparing for a possible expanded role as overall --the Associated Press is reporting as U.S. forces begin to draw down after a decade of war. Adm. Bill McRaven, the special operations commander who led last year\'s Navy SEAL raid against Osama bin Laden, confirmed that special operations forces would be the last to leave under the Obama administration\'s current plan.
February 07, 2012 -
Improvements to training and employee retention are increasing department workforces and saving money, agency chief human capital officers for the Education and Veterans Affairs departments said at an event Tuesday.
February 07, 2012 -
David Van Buren announced Friday he is leaving his position as the service acquisition chief after almost three years. He will return to the private sector.
February 07, 2012 -
GAO found a high rate of military deployments is one factor that\'s led child care facilities on military bases to fill up.
February 07, 2012 -
President Barack Obama signed an executive order on Monday imposing new, harsher sanctions on Iran and its central bank, because of concerns over Iran\'s nuclear program. Also at issue is whether or not there will be a military attack on Iran this spring. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said, in his own words, he believed Israel would launch and attack sooner than later, but President Barack Obama said, Israel hasn\'t made up it\'s mind if or when it will attack.
February 07, 2012 -
In his first interview, Rear Admiral Matthew Klunder told The Federal Drive with Tom Temin how the Naval Research Program works with the other armed services and his research priorities for the Navy.
February 07, 2012 -
Frank Kendall, DoD\'s acting acquisition chief, said the first version fell flat due to \"interest groups\" weakening it. He said Congress required the strategy to detail how the military will buy offensive and defensive cyber capabilities. It\'s part of a broader effort to fix the Pentagon\'s acquisition process.
February 07, 2012 -
As Pentagon budgets become tighter, the Defense Department is looking for ways to cut costs in weapons systems. But the only way to make cuts is to know how and where money is being spent. Ostensibly, the full lifecycle-cost estimates for DoD\'s major acquisition programs are collected in the Pentagon\'s selected acquisition report — or SAR. Cary Russell, the acting director for defense capabilities and management issues at GAO, told In Depth with Francis Rose the reports contain \"inconsistent\" information.
February 06, 2012 -
The stakes are growing as the war of words grows. Iran\'s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Friday Iran would retaliate over Western-backed oil sanctions and any threat of attack, after Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta was cited as saying he feared a possible Israeli strike as early as April. Khamenei\'s speech marked the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution on Friday.
February 06, 2012