Defense Department
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The Senate moved forward with a plan to require the Defense Department to reduce its civilian workforce by 5 percent over the next five years, after a measure striking that provision was defeated in a vote Friday. Earlier this week, Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) introduced an amendment to the 2013 National Defense Authorization Act, which would lift a mandated 5 percent reduction to DoD's civilian and contractor workforces over five years. But in a 53-41 vote, Cardin's amendment was defeated.
November 30, 2012 -
IRS, DoD and Interior all are pursuing an assortment of initiatives to prepare for personnel reductions. DoD will release an updated workforce strategic plan by 2015. The IRS is using an online assessment tool to measure how ready employees are to move into leadership positions. Interior is getting managers to understand their important role in workforce planning.
November 30, 2012 -
The White House is threatening to veto the $631 billion annual Defense bill the Senate is debating this week unless Congress makes changes. The administration took issue with a number of provisions included in the 2013 National Defense Authorization Bill, which Senate leaders hope to vote on by the end of the week.
November 29, 2012 -
The Senate on Wednesday gave the green light to the Pentagon's investment in green energy. By a vote of 62-37 on Wednesday, the Senate backed an amendment that would delete a provision in the defense bill prohibiting the military from spending money on alternative fuels if the cost exceeded traditional fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas and oil. The Pentagon has opposed the provision that a sharply divided Senate Armed Services Committee added in May.
November 29, 2012 -
The Senate unanimously approved a measure requiring the Veterans Affairs Department to work more closely with state agencies to reduce a longstanding and growing backlog of disability claims. The measure, sponsored by Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) was included as an amendment to the 2013 National Defense Authorization Act.
November 29, 2012 -
On this week's Capital Impact show, analysts examine multiple award contracts at the Defense Department and how e-health records helped patients during Hurricane Sandy.
November 29, 2012 -
Nancy Hammer, the senior government affairs policy counsel at the Society for Human Resources Management, joins On DoD with Jared Serbu to discuss a new partnership between SHRM and the Army to help military veterans transition out of uniformed service and into the civilian workforce.
November 28, 2012 -
The authors of a new report from the Center for a New American Security, "Countdown to Sequestration: Why American Leaders Could Jump Off the Fiscal Cliff" argue "there is a strong possibility that sequestration will take effect" in January.
November 28, 2012 -
Senators attempt to head off provision in annual Defense bill that would require reductions among Pentagon civilians.
November 28, 2012 -
This past summer, defense experts gathered into teams to map out how to cut DoD's budget by a half trillion dollars over 10 years. The results from the game provide some guidance on ways to make the cut happen in real life based on strategic choices, the organizers say.
November 28, 2012 -
A charity event next week raises funds for military members. Plus, the do's and don'ts of holiday giving (and receiving) at the workplace.
November 27, 2012 -
Randy Williamson, director of health care Issues at GAO, talks about the progress being made at Walter Reed Medical Center. Blogger Tom Cochran shares trivia about some government buildings in Washington, D.C. Dr. Jacques Gansler discusses a new master's degree program focusing on federal acquisition and contracting. Jeff Neal of ICF International discusses the results of the 2012 Employee Viewpoint Survey. Christi Grimm of the Inspector General's Office talks about mispayments by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Daniel Schuman of the Sunlight Foundation discusses open data from the federal government.
November 26, 2012 -
There's a little more than a month to go until sequestration kicks in, taking more than a $1 trillion from agency budgets over 10 years unless Congress finds a way to agree on a Plan B for deficit reduction. In this week's edition of On DoD, Jared Serbu, Federal News Radio's DoD reporter, talks with several defense experts about sequestration and the Defense budget in a second term under President Obama:
November 21, 2012 -
Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) discusses what progress Congress can realistically make on the budget. Anthony Amendolia of the DLA talks turkey -- as in, the thousands of turkeys he ordered for service members overseas. Alex Bolton, senior writer for The Hill, discusses Congress' strategies to avoid the fiscal cliff. GAO's Steve Lord reviews TSA's complaint process.
November 21, 2012 -
Despite spending billions to maintain legacy IT systems, many agencies are failing to properly review whether there is a sound basis for continuing them, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office.
November 19, 2012