New incentives for Navy sailors who extend sea duty tours

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• The Navy is offering new incentives to reward sailors who extend their sea duty tours in some areas. The incentives allow sailors to rotate straight to shore duty after spending more than two years deployed in Japan, Guam and Spain. The policy is effective immediately. (Navy)

• The Navy also said it was investigating reports of drug trafficking at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis. In a statement over the weekend, officials did not specify what drugs were involved, but said the investigation has been underway for about 10 weeks. Some media reports have indicated a handful of midshipmen are suspected of selling cocaine, ketamine and LSD to classmates. (Federal News Radio)

• President Donald Trump said his administration is currently targeting Veterans Day for Washington’s version of a Bastille Day parade. In an interview last weekend, the president also told Fox News that he’d be willing to cancel the idea of a grand military parade down the streets of the nation’s capital can’t be conducted at a reasonable cost. Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney told Congress the administration estimated the price tag at between $10 million and $30 million. The Washington Post first reported earlier this month that Trump had ordered the military to start planning the event after having recently witnessed the Bastille Day celebration in Paris. (Federal News Radio)

• A $64 million investment from the Air Force will go toward its most basic units. Air Force squadrons for example will receive $10,000 to $30,000 to invest in new projects and innovative programs. The service hopes empowering warfighters with funds will help bring good ideas to leadership. (Federal News Radio)

• A Federal Communications Commission rule is facing a legislative challenge. FCC Ajit Pai’s gambit to reverse the Obama-administration’s so-called net neutrality took a step forward last week. The FCC published the new rule, Restoring Internet Freedom, in the federal register. The rule would take effect April 23. But now Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) has launched a congressional review act, seeking to void the new rule and restore net neutrality. Markey said he has 50 sponsors. (Sen. Ed Markey)

• The Environmental Protection Agency’s workforce has been on a slow decline since the Obama administration, but President Donald Trump’s budget proposal could accelerate that reduction. The Environmental Protection Network, a nonprofit of more than 200 former federal and state environmental workers, said the Trump budget would reduce EPA to about 12,000 employees, a 17 percent reduction from its current workforce.

• Homeland Security Deputy Secretary Elaine Duke will retire in April. DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen announced Duke’s plans in a statement late Friday. Duke returned to DHS after originally retiring in 2009. She spent 28 years in government and ended her first tour as the DHS undersecretary for management. Duke leaves this time after spending about a year at DHS as deputy and acting secretary. She led the department’s hurricane response efforts last fall, launched a new leadership program and conducted listening tours at DHS offices around the country. Nielsen thanked Duke for her leadership experience and workforce, personnel and procurement expertise. (Federal News Radio)

• A Homeland Security Department component is getting a new chief information officer. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services at DHS will name Bill McElhaney as it’s new CIO. Multiple sources confirm that McElhaney will start March 5. He comes to USCIS from IntegrityOne, where he was a partner for federal strategy for the IT solutions firm. This is McElhaney’s second tour at DHS. He spent eight years working at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement directorate, and 13 years at the old Immigration and Naturalization Service. He replaces Mark Schwartz who left as USCIS’ CIO in July to join Amazon. (Federal News Radio)

• The agency that administers the Thrift Savings Plan has a new chief investment officer. The Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board promoted Sean McCaffrey to manage the TSP’s investments. McCaffrey joined the TSP three years ago as the deputy chief investment officer. He replaces Ravi Deo who was recently promoted to the executive director’s position. (Federal News Radio)

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