January 2015 will mark the beginning of a new era for Navy Submarine Forces. For the first time, female officers will report to attack submarines Virginia and Minnesota. Lt. Tim Hawkins is the public affairs officer for Commander of Submarine Group Two based in Groton, Conn.

What do the National Security Agency, sexual assault and sequestration all have in common? The Senate could address all of them when it takes up the Defense authorization bill as early as this week. The Hill’s Jeremy Herb has been following it closely.

You know when news breaks late on a Friday before a holiday weekend, the picture isn’t pretty. That’s when the Office of Personnel Management released its latest survey of federal employees. Sure enough, satisfaction on the job is down 4 percent compared to last year. Younger workers report being less happy than colleagues nearing retirement. Every year, the Partnership for Public Service uses the survey data to rank the best agencies. Vice President for Policy John Palguta comments on the data.

The government spends around $80 billion a year on IT. The administration has been concentrating on two initiatives to help get it under control. One is reducing spending on operations and maintenance so there’s more money for innovation. The other is PortfolioStat, under which agencies try to identify and root out duplicate spending. Recent investigations by the Government Accountability Office have found both initiatives wanting. David Powner is GAO’s director of IT and management issues.