Army
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The Army breaks ground Friday on a giant solar array at sunny Fort Huachuca in Arizona. Once built, it will provide about a quarter of the energy needed to power the mid-sized base. It will be the largest solar project in the military's portfolio for a while. Amanda Simpson, executive director for the U.S. Army's Energy Initiatives Task Force, described the scope of the project to Federal Drive hosts Tom Temin and Emily Kopp.
April 25, 2014 -
The Army says it must shrink to 490,000 by October 2015, and then to 450,000 two years later. If automatic budget cuts resume, the Army will have to reduce to 420,000. The Associated Press reports while a lot of the reduction may come from voluntary retirements, resignations and decreased enlistments, Army commanders will have to force as many as 3,000 officers to leave by the end of October 2015. Of those, nearly 1,500 are captains, 550 are majors.
April 22, 2014 -
An independent commission to make recommendations about the restructuring of the Army isn't meeting with much welcome from Army leaders. But it does have some support. Retired Army Maj. Gen. Gus Hargett, president of the National Guard Association, is one of the most outspoken advocates for the outside commission. He told In Depth with Francis Rose the Army needs an outside look before it downsizes.
April 21, 2014 -
A group of functional domain experts are reaching out to the military services and agencies to look at service contracting spending across 12 areas. The Defense Department's goal is to use strategic sourcing to improve how it buys in these categories. The Army created a governance board to bring together all stakeholders during specific points of the acquisition process to find opportunities to collaborate.
April 11, 2014 -
The rapid acquisition policy the Army uses in Afghanistan could be moving too quickly. The department can customize how it uses the Defense Acquisition System to make sure war fighters get what they need. But the Army's information technology systems might need a slower approach. Christopher Pernin, director of the Force Development and Technology Program at the RAND Arroyo Center and a senior physical scientist and professor at the Pardee RAND Graduate School, tells In Depth with Francis Rose they believe the Army can use acquisition policies it already has to improve its IT systems.
April 09, 2014 -
The Defense Department's overall budget will shrink by a combined $900 billion by fiscal year 2021, according to Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno. He tells the Senate Armed Services Committee how the Army will absorb more than $260 billion in cuts during that span. On Pentagon Solutions, Odierno says the Pentagon is creating a Total Army Solution for the looming budget cuts.
April 09, 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 Army is the first service to begin an analysis of its excess real estate after a Congressional prohibition against even studying the subject expired. Early results show up to a quarter of its stateside infrastructure isn't being used right now, and the Army will need even less as it shrinks in size.
March 31, 2014 -
The Army has a wardrobe problem. For years, the service has tried to improve its camouflage uniforms. But the process has been plagued by financial, technical and political problems. While that project stalls, the Army's PEO Soldier Unit is developing armor, helmets and other equipment for warfighters. Col. Robert Mortlock, program manager for the Army's Soldier Protection and Individual Equipment office, spoke with the Federal Drive's Tom Temin and Emily Kopp about the latest efforts on the Army's wardrobe front.
March 25, 2014 -
The Army gears up for its first large-scale financial audit.
March 21, 2014 -
An update about how robotic, unmanned vehicles will augment brigades of the future.
March 20, 2014 -
The Army hopes to follow behind the Marine Corps in successfully passing a partial audit of its financial statements. While the service acknowledges it's unlikely to get a clean opinion on the first go-round, it is confident enough in its internal controls to give it a try.
March 20, 2014 -
The Army says it's ready to undergo its first major financial audit.
March 19, 2014 -
Lt. Col. Daniel Johnston, an Army physician and the program manager for Army Fit, talks to DoD Reporter Jared Serbu about the Army's technology platform that it hopes will take the service's comprehensive resilience effort further.
March 12, 2014 -
Military bases are earning the "green" title for doing their part to preserve and protect the environment. The Secretary of the Army Environmental Awards recognize bases that balance Army mission with sustainable practices.
February 21, 2014