Defense Department
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Behind many of today's soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines are spouses and children. That's also the case for the Air National Guard. The Air Force provides its guardsmen with a variety of programs to ensure the quality of family life. Maj. Kelly Barton, Chief of Airman and Family Services for the Air National Guard , joined Federal Drive host Tom Temin at the Air Force Association conference to discuss the program.
September 14, 2014 -
If the last 13 years of foreign wars have shown anything, it's the importance of reserve forces. Brig. Gen. John Flournoy is commander of the 4th Air Force within the Air Force Reserve Command. He's based out of March Air Reserve Base, California. He joined Federal Drive host Tom Temin at the Air Force Association conference and expo at National Harbor.
September 14, 2014 -
The Pentagon has been thinking about how to upgrade and replace its electronic health record system for a very long time. But in the eight years that have passed since those discussions began in earnest, much has changed in terms of the capabilities of commercial EHR systems.
September 12, 2014 -
Changes at the Defense Department's small business and industrial base offices are drawing attention to the agency's efforts to attract innovation. Andre Gudger was Director of the Office of Small Business Programs at DoD until he took over Elana Broitman's position as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manufacturing and Industrial Base Policy in an acting role. Mike Daniels is Chairman of Invincea and Chairman Emeritus of the Northern Virginia Technology Council. On In Depth with Francis Rose, he said the small business/DoD connection has been tricky for a long time.
September 11, 2014 -
After years of acquisition planning, bid protests and then eventually a rolling process of migrating users from one contract to another, the Navy says all of its users will have moved to its new NGEN contract by the end of this month.
September 11, 2014 -
Within the next few weeks, the Navy said it will finally finish its transition to a new operating structure for its IT network. As Federal News Radio's Jared Serbu reports, all of the Navy's 300,000 users will be operating under a contract structure known as NGEN by the end of this month.
September 11, 2014 -
The Federal Acquisition Regulation gets in the way of innovative information technology acquisition in government, according to many industry leaders and even some agency IT leaders. Some experts believe the FAR can be, and should be, your friend for innovative procurement. A panel of experts addressed that idea at NextGov Prime 2014 with Dave McClure of the Veris Group, Joanne Woytek of NASA SEWP, Jaymie Durnan of the Defense Department and Karen Evans of the US Cyber Challenge. McClure tells Federal News Radio's Francis Rose how the process that exists now is perceived.
September 09, 2014 -
Agencies struggling to find talented young employees can find help outside the federal government. The group Young Government Leaders has its own university to connect young people with federal training and mentoring opportunities. Miguel Joey Aviles is chief learning officer for Young Government Leaders, and a talent management strategist for the Defense Department. On In Depth with Francis Rose, he shared some data to help you understand if the federal new-talent pipeline needs some adjustments.
September 09, 2014 -
The 3-D printing revolution now includes an effort to replicate the human skull. The Army Research Laboratory is working on skulls that can be used for research on brain injuries. Dr. Thomas Plaisted is a materials engineer at the Composites and Hybrid Materials Branch of the Weapons and Materials Directorate at the Army Research Lab. On In Depth with Francis Rose, he said the skulls won't solve the head injury problem, but they'll be an effective tool to help find a solution.
September 09, 2014 -
An analysis from the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments says the Defense Department will need between $200 billion to $300 billion more than budget caps allow to move forward with its current strategy.
September 08, 2014 -
The Pentagon issued a handful of directives in August designed to reverse the trend in its contract competition rate, which has slipped from 64 percent in 2008 to 56.5 percent in the third quarter of 2014. A preliminary analysis shows most of the opportunity for improvement is in service contracting.
September 08, 2014 -
The Defense Health Agency is conducting market research in advance of a planned RFP for a 10-year, $20 billion IT services and support contract. It's possible that vendors will be added to the contract without a formal source selection process.
September 05, 2014 -
The Defense Health Agency is nearing its one year anniversary. Its officials say they're serious about finding the savings they promised through the reorganization of DoD's healthcare activities. One way they hope to save money is through more strategic sourcing. As Federal News Radio's Jared Serbu reports, that includes a new multiple award contract for IT services. Read Jared's related story.
September 05, 2014 -
The Defense Department is rolling out a series of initiatives that it says will respond to a problem its leaders have been worried about for years. The U.S. military still has the best technology in the world, but that advantage is shrinking fast. It's got DoD leaders alarmed. Federal News Radio's Jared Serbu reports. Read Jared's related article.
September 04, 2014 -
The U.S. and its allies have dominated the military technology landscape for decades, but the Defense Department now sees potential adversaries in its rearview mirror. The Pentagon is coming up with some coping strategies to maintain its technological advantage, including version 3 of Better Buying Power.
September 04, 2014