Defense Department
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A Defense Department team was recently honored by a British chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear industry group. DOD was the first organization outside the United Kingdom to get top honors from the group known as CBRN UK. The team received its award for developing and operating the ship-mounted system that destroyed tons of Syrian chemical weapons last year. The Field Deployable Hydrolysis System was housed on the converted container ship MV Cape Ray. Tim Blades is the deputy director of program integration at the Edgewood Chemical Biological Center, which had a major hand in developing the technology. He joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive to discuss the technology and the challenges the team faced.
December 23, 2014 -
It's that most wonderful time of the year again. And as Santa gears up for his annual flight, NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command) prepares to track his progress. That will happen, as it always has, on Dec. 24, and Santa's location will be available to all the little — and not-so-little — prying eyes who can't wait for those shiny boots to drop down through their chimneys. Mike Kucharek is a spokesman for NORAD. He joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive to offer some insight into this annual event, starting with how it began.
December 22, 2014 -
President Barack Obama signed the 2015 National Defense Authorization Act deal Friday. The House and Senate Armed Services Committees arrived at a compromise over troop benefits in the fiscal year 2015 National Defense Authorization Act that will give soldiers a 1 percent pay raise, as well as a $3 increase in most prescription co-pays. House Armed Services Committee chairman Rep. Buck McKeon (R-Calif.) released a summary of the ups and downs of this fiscal year's $585 billion NDAA, expected to be finalized before Congress leaves for the holidays.
December 22, 2014 -
If the Senate confirms former deputy defense secretary Ash Carter to replace defense secretary Chuck Hagel, his agenda will include: A military conflict in the Middle East, tensions with Russia, and loud cries for defense acquisition reform. John Schaus is fellow for the International Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. On In Depth with Francis Rose, he proposed a specific agenda for Secretary Carter if he's confirmed.
December 18, 2014 -
If federal agencies aren't already serious about cybersecurity, the Sony saga ought to set everyone straight. The Defense Information Systems Agency has been a leader in cybersecurity for a while now. Its service catalog has a long list of cyber services available tor DoD agencies. Now DISA is launching a new cybersecurity methodology called the continuous monitoring risk scoring system (CMRSS). Dave Bennett is DISA's chief information officer. On the Federal Drive with Tom Temin, he told executive editor Jason Miller about the new approach.
December 18, 2014 -
It's a casualty that people generally don't like to talk about. But it's a real one — the toll that months at war can take on a service member's sexual health and intimate relationships. The Bob Woodruff Foundation just concluded a two-day event with the Johns Hopkins Military & Veterans Health Institute and the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine to address these issues. Ann Marie Dogherty is executive director of the Bob Woodruff Foundation. She joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive to discuss the foundation's programs and progress.
December 18, 2014 -
A new memo from acting CIO Terry Halvorsen removes the requirement for DISA to be the main path to buy cloud computing services.
December 18, 2014 -
Dave Bennett, DISA's chief information officer, said the agency is beginning to implement a new approach to cybersecurity. He said the continuous monitoring risk scoring system (CMRS) looks at a variety of factors to give the agency a score based on a set of predetermined analytics.
December 18, 2014 -
The war in Afghanistan and the 9/11 terrorist attacks are the two best recent examples of asymmetric warfare, according to the RAND Corporation. So now it's looking at the last 13 years to see how U.S. military strategy evolved, and to see if it offers clues on how best to change it in the future. Linda Robinson is senior international policy analyst at the RAND Corporation. She offered extensive analysis on In Depth with Francis Rose.
December 17, 2014 -
Most of the troops are coming home, but that doesn't mean there isn't still work to do in Afghanistan. Every year, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) assembles a "high risk" list. It outlines which areas of the reconstruction effort are most vulnerable to waste, fraud and abuse. The list also helps the armed services focus their reconstruction efforts and correct problems. Deputy SIGAR Gene Aloise joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive to discuss this year's findings and their implications.
December 17, 2014 -
Janice Glover-Jones, CIO at the Defense Intelligence Agency as of Dec. 28 2014, sat down with the Women of Washington radio show to discuss the road ahead for DIA.
December 17, 2014 -
Janice Glover-Jones will remove the "acting" from her title to be DIA's permanent CIO, while Rocky Young is retiring and going to work for a research firm.
December 16, 2014 -
Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) says "bipartisanship is not extinct" in his farewell speech to Congress. Wastebook author Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) says oversight is a duty that many senators continue to ignore.
December 15, 2014 -
Congress is capping the pensions of top military officials in 2015. As part of National Defense Authorization Act, pensions for generals and admirals will be trimmed to ensure they make no more in retirement than they did on active duty. That reverses a 2007 law designed to help retain officers during wartime. What effects, if any, will this have on the military's ability to retain its senior officers? Larry Korb is a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and former assistant secretary of Defense for manpower and reserve affairs. He joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive with a look at this measure.
December 15, 2014 -
The Military Spouse Employment Partnership's goal is simple. They want to eliminate one of military families' biggest problems: finding employment for the spouse of the service member. Because of frequent relocation, military spouses often face high unemployment rates and a significant wage gap in the jobs they do have. Through the initiative known as Joining Forces, 38 new organizations joined the Employment Partnership program earlier this month. Eddy Mentzer is the Spouse Education and Career Opportunities program manager. On the Federal Drive, he gave Tom Temin an update on the program and the companies involved.
December 12, 2014