In their first round of congressional testimony, members of the Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission cited glaring gaps between the policies and services provided by DoD and VA. Their report found that existing systems to bridge the gap are mostly a paperwork exercise.
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), the new chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said his committee has more work to do before it draws up a broad acquisition reform package. But one element will be a more full-throated role for the uniformed military.
Despite bipartisan support and years of experience in the Defense Department, Ash Carter's confirmation hearing to be Defense secretary might not be smooth sailing.
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.
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.
The Senate Armed Services Commitee is reviewing a group of new White House nominees to fill top-level positions at the Defense Department. The list includes DoD's general counsel position, the commander of Pacific Command and three assistant secretary positions.
The House and Senate Armed Services committee members agreed to keep a pared down version of the Federal IT Acquisition Reform Act in the final National Defense Authorization Act.
House Oversight and Government Reform and Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committees agree on trimmed down version of the Federal IT Acquisition Reform Act (FITARA). Now it's up to the armed services committees to keep FITARA in the Defense Authorization bill.
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.
Federal News Radio's DoD Reporter Jared Serbu offers news tidbits and buzz about the Defense Department.
DoD's cost savings proposals for 2015 and beyond include something for every lawmaker to hate. The process of selling the budget on Capitol Hill officially kicked off Wednesday, and the reception was not exceptionally warm.
The Pentagon is implementing most of the recommendations it made in 2010's Section 804 report to Congress. Katrina McFarland, DoD's assistant secretary for acquisition, said initial results of the change are promising. But an upcoming GAO report is expected to show DoD has a long way to go to move toward an agile, incremental approach to IT systems development.
Experts offer advice to small firms at the AFCEA NOVA event Tuesday to prosper in the federal marketplace.
The annual policy legislation also doesn't merge the DoD CIO and deputy chief management officer.
Jamie Morin, the outgoing comptroller and President Barack Obama's nominee to be DoD's second director of Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation office, told lawmakers Thursday that the Air Force would struggle to meet the 2014 financial management deadline. Jo Ann Rooney, the nominee to be undersecretary of the Navy, said furloughs from sequestration and the government shutdown have delayed progress on several programs.