By Chris Amos - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Dec 31, 2007 6:22:02 EST
* * *
[Psychologist Cmdr. Heidi Squier] Kraft [author of Rule Number Two: Lessons I Learned in a Combat Hospital] did not know at the time, but the wounded Marine was Cpl. Jason Dunham. He would later receive the Medal of Honor, posthumously, for using his body and helmet to protect two of his comrades from an exploding hand grenade. She only knew that the dog tag in his boot said his name was J.L. Dunham, that he was a Methodist, and that trauma surgeons had decided that there was nothing they could do to save him.
"I was very drawn to him," Kraft said. "Once I started to hold his hand, I didn’t want to leave. I spoke to him. I told him the Marine Corps was proud of him. I told him it was OK if he was ready to let go if he wanted to."
But then Dunham squeezed her hand, and seconds later he squeezed again. . . .
Read more at http://www.navytimes.com/news/2007/12/marine_kraft_rules_071229w/
Monday, December 31, 2007
Mothers, wives upend lives for war wounded
By Michelle Roberts - The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Dec 31, 2007 6:07:00 EST
SAN ANTONIO — Rose Lage swears it is true: Suddenly, in the midst of a fitful night of sleep last June, she knew that her son had been injured in Iraq.
"I heard my son’s voice," she recalls. "It might sound weird, but I heard him holler ‘Mama!"’
In fact, Staff Sgt. Michael Lage was the only survivor of a blast that killed four others. Lage suffered third-degree burns to nearly half his body; part of his nose and ears were missing, and his face, scalp, arms and torso were seared. His left hand had to be amputated.
Rose Lage, 54, understood her son’s life would change. But she didn’t understand how much her own quiet life — a life spent playing with grandkids, fishing and preparing for her husband’s retirement — would change, as well.
She would exchange her two-story house in Atlanta for a hotel room on an Army post, watch her nest egg shrink and spend her days helping a 30-year-old son change bandages and wriggle into garments meant to reduce scarring.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2007/12/ap_wounded_mothers_071228/
Posted : Monday Dec 31, 2007 6:07:00 EST
SAN ANTONIO — Rose Lage swears it is true: Suddenly, in the midst of a fitful night of sleep last June, she knew that her son had been injured in Iraq.
"I heard my son’s voice," she recalls. "It might sound weird, but I heard him holler ‘Mama!"’
In fact, Staff Sgt. Michael Lage was the only survivor of a blast that killed four others. Lage suffered third-degree burns to nearly half his body; part of his nose and ears were missing, and his face, scalp, arms and torso were seared. His left hand had to be amputated.
Rose Lage, 54, understood her son’s life would change. But she didn’t understand how much her own quiet life — a life spent playing with grandkids, fishing and preparing for her husband’s retirement — would change, as well.
She would exchange her two-story house in Atlanta for a hotel room on an Army post, watch her nest egg shrink and spend her days helping a 30-year-old son change bandages and wriggle into garments meant to reduce scarring.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2007/12/ap_wounded_mothers_071228/
Bring Personnel Management into the 21st Century
Proceedings, January 2008
Time to modernize. The current system is a relic, creaky and counterproductive.
By Colonel David A. Smith, U.S. Air Force Reserve (Retired)
Since the Cold War ended, we have seen fundamental changes in threats, military tactics, weapons, and technologies. At the same time, funding constraints have increased—as has competition for talented people. Changing demographics have brought changes in the motivations and expectations of the workforce. The current human capital system, commonly known as the Manpower, Personnel, Training, and Education system, must be completely modernized to meet these new challenges—and to improve retention.
Although we do now see a few changes, such as attempts to institute career on- and off-ramps, continuum of service, officer retention initiatives, and sabbaticals, we cannot expect a system that was crafted for the needs of the mid-20th century to be successful in today's vastly different environment. Our 60-year-old system has served our nation well, but it cannot meet the demands of the 21st century. Since 1947, our system has continuously been modified, adjusted, and added to. Now we need a total overhaul.
For full text see http://tfxnews.blogspot.com/2007/12/david-smith-bring-personnel-management.html
Time to modernize. The current system is a relic, creaky and counterproductive.
By Colonel David A. Smith, U.S. Air Force Reserve (Retired)
Since the Cold War ended, we have seen fundamental changes in threats, military tactics, weapons, and technologies. At the same time, funding constraints have increased—as has competition for talented people. Changing demographics have brought changes in the motivations and expectations of the workforce. The current human capital system, commonly known as the Manpower, Personnel, Training, and Education system, must be completely modernized to meet these new challenges—and to improve retention.
Although we do now see a few changes, such as attempts to institute career on- and off-ramps, continuum of service, officer retention initiatives, and sabbaticals, we cannot expect a system that was crafted for the needs of the mid-20th century to be successful in today's vastly different environment. Our 60-year-old system has served our nation well, but it cannot meet the demands of the 21st century. Since 1947, our system has continuously been modified, adjusted, and added to. Now we need a total overhaul.
For full text see http://tfxnews.blogspot.com/2007/12/david-smith-bring-personnel-management.html
Online colonel seemed like a catch
Con artist uses Marine’s identity to scam women
By Kimberly Johnson - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Dec 31, 2007 6:13:10 EST
Wendy McKay thought she had met someone special when the Marine colonel deployed to Iraq started chatting with her on the online dating Web site.
Someone claiming to be Col. Richard Bartch told her he was in Iraq for the first time after volunteering for duty. And like her, he was divorced. Chats quickly led to e-mails and within a day he sent her photos of himself in uniform.
* * *
McKay almost bought it. That is, until she realized doing so was really going to cost her.
Bartch — or more accurately, the con artist who had stolen the identity of the real Marine officer, from a family-oriented military Web site — wanted her to send him $5,000.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2007/12/marine_datingcon_071230w/
By Kimberly Johnson - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Dec 31, 2007 6:13:10 EST
Wendy McKay thought she had met someone special when the Marine colonel deployed to Iraq started chatting with her on the online dating Web site.
Someone claiming to be Col. Richard Bartch told her he was in Iraq for the first time after volunteering for duty. And like her, he was divorced. Chats quickly led to e-mails and within a day he sent her photos of himself in uniform.
* * *
McKay almost bought it. That is, until she realized doing so was really going to cost her.
Bartch — or more accurately, the con artist who had stolen the identity of the real Marine officer, from a family-oriented military Web site — wanted her to send him $5,000.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2007/12/marine_datingcon_071230w/
VA program at Texas school studies TBI
The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Dec 28, 2007 11:15:47 EST
AUSTIN — Doctors will begin studying brain injuries among U.S. troops through a new $4.2 million Department of Veterans Affairs program at the University of Texas.
Some estimate that more than 20,000 troops have suffered from brain injuries in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, where roadside bomb blasts can jar the brains of nearby soldiers. The damage varies in severity, and the injuries can create a broad range of symptoms, some that manifest months later and can be confused with other conditions.
"It’s a virtually unexplored area," said Michael Domjan, director of the Imaging Research Center, which UT opened in January 2006 before talks with the VA had begun. "We’ve got a powerful research tool we’re pleased to see used to address a serious medical problem, one that is not limited to just veterans."
The program will use UT’s new $2.2 million state-of-the-art brain scanner at the J.J. Pickle Research Campus, among the most sophisticated brain-imaging devices in the world. Dr. Robert Van Boven, the VA program director, said it is the first to combine the three types of brain scans the machine can perform.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2007/12/ap_brainstudy_071228/
Posted : Friday Dec 28, 2007 11:15:47 EST
AUSTIN — Doctors will begin studying brain injuries among U.S. troops through a new $4.2 million Department of Veterans Affairs program at the University of Texas.
Some estimate that more than 20,000 troops have suffered from brain injuries in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, where roadside bomb blasts can jar the brains of nearby soldiers. The damage varies in severity, and the injuries can create a broad range of symptoms, some that manifest months later and can be confused with other conditions.
"It’s a virtually unexplored area," said Michael Domjan, director of the Imaging Research Center, which UT opened in January 2006 before talks with the VA had begun. "We’ve got a powerful research tool we’re pleased to see used to address a serious medical problem, one that is not limited to just veterans."
The program will use UT’s new $2.2 million state-of-the-art brain scanner at the J.J. Pickle Research Campus, among the most sophisticated brain-imaging devices in the world. Dr. Robert Van Boven, the VA program director, said it is the first to combine the three types of brain scans the machine can perform.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2007/12/ap_brainstudy_071228/
Enhanced Health Information Sharing Supports Care of Wounded Warriors
IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 1439-07
December 27, 2007
The Department of Defense (DoD) announced the organization-wide release of enhancements that allow DoD to share electronic health information with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) through the Bidirectional Health Information Exchange (BHIE) and the Clinical Data Repository/Health Data Repository (CHDR) interfaces.
http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=11588
December 27, 2007
The Department of Defense (DoD) announced the organization-wide release of enhancements that allow DoD to share electronic health information with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) through the Bidirectional Health Information Exchange (BHIE) and the Clinical Data Repository/Health Data Repository (CHDR) interfaces.
http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=11588
A rocky road from combat to college
By Mary Beth Marklein - USA Today
Posted : Thursday Dec 27, 2007 16:44:46 EST
STARKVILLE, Miss. — By the time he completed his four-year stint in the military three summers ago, Frank Wills had gotten used to taking orders, carrying a rifle and taking pictures of the dead as a combat photographer. He knew how to be a Marine. He hadn't a clue how a Marine becomes a college student.
Neither, it seemed, did anyone else on campus. Advisers at one school Wills attended gave him incorrect information. Officials at a second offered no help at all. Often, he says, he felt like "the new kid who didn't fit in."
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2007/12/gns_gibill_071227/
Also published in 12/27/07 Early Bird:
http://ebird.afis.mil/ebfiles/e20071227569920.html
Accompanying article:
Veterans' Education Plans Aren't Easy To Gauge
http://ebird.afis.mil/ebfiles/e20071227569922.html
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/life/20071227/d_cover27_side.art.htm
Posted : Thursday Dec 27, 2007 16:44:46 EST
STARKVILLE, Miss. — By the time he completed his four-year stint in the military three summers ago, Frank Wills had gotten used to taking orders, carrying a rifle and taking pictures of the dead as a combat photographer. He knew how to be a Marine. He hadn't a clue how a Marine becomes a college student.
Neither, it seemed, did anyone else on campus. Advisers at one school Wills attended gave him incorrect information. Officials at a second offered no help at all. Often, he says, he felt like "the new kid who didn't fit in."
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2007/12/gns_gibill_071227/
Also published in 12/27/07 Early Bird:
http://ebird.afis.mil/ebfiles/e20071227569920.html
Accompanying article:
Veterans' Education Plans Aren't Easy To Gauge
http://ebird.afis.mil/ebfiles/e20071227569922.html
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/life/20071227/d_cover27_side.art.htm
As military begins to draw down, National Guard ramps up
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
National Journal
December 26, 2007
The Iraq drawdown has begun. By New Year's, a brigade of more than 3,000 U.S. troops will have left Iraq without a comparable unit taking its place. By mid-2008, the Bush administration pledges that force levels in Iraq will have returned to what they were before the 2007 "surge."
Republican political candidates across the country are hoping that this troop reduction -- from a high of 164,000 last August to 130,000-plus next July -- will relieve the political pressure from a still-unpopular war at a critical moment in their 2008 campaigns.
But there's a snag. While the military as a whole is ramping down, its most politically sensitive component -- the citizen-soldiers of the Army National Guard -- is ramping up. "Today we stand at 46,000 mobilized," said Lt. Gen. Clyde A. Vaughn, the Pentagon's director of the Army Guard. "I see us adding about 10,000 to that."
http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=38907&dcn=todaysnews
National Journal
December 26, 2007
The Iraq drawdown has begun. By New Year's, a brigade of more than 3,000 U.S. troops will have left Iraq without a comparable unit taking its place. By mid-2008, the Bush administration pledges that force levels in Iraq will have returned to what they were before the 2007 "surge."
Republican political candidates across the country are hoping that this troop reduction -- from a high of 164,000 last August to 130,000-plus next July -- will relieve the political pressure from a still-unpopular war at a critical moment in their 2008 campaigns.
But there's a snag. While the military as a whole is ramping down, its most politically sensitive component -- the citizen-soldiers of the Army National Guard -- is ramping up. "Today we stand at 46,000 mobilized," said Lt. Gen. Clyde A. Vaughn, the Pentagon's director of the Army Guard. "I see us adding about 10,000 to that."
http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=38907&dcn=todaysnews
Sunday, December 30, 2007
David Smith: Bring Personnel Management into the 21st Century
Proceedings, January 2008
Time to modernize. The current system is a relic, creaky and counterproductive.
By Colonel David A. Smith, U.S. Air Force Reserve (Retired)
Since the Cold War ended, we have seen fundamental changes in threats, military tactics, weapons, and technologies. At the same time, funding constraints have increased—as has competition for talented people. Changing demographics have brought changes in the motivations and expectations of the workforce. The current human capital system, commonly known as the Manpower, Personnel, Training, and Education system, must be completely modernized to meet these new challenges—and to improve retention.
Although we do now see a few changes, such as attempts to institute career on- and off-ramps, continuum of service, officer retention initiatives, and sabbaticals, we cannot expect a system that was crafted for the needs of the mid-20th century to be successful in today's vastly different environment. Our 60-year-old system has served our nation well, but it cannot meet the demands of the 21st century. Since 1947, our system has continuously been modified, adjusted, and added to. Now we need a total overhaul.
Shape the New Workforce for War
We have been using laws and policies that were created for peacetime, but our new workforce is tasked with defeating new, complex, and often asymmetrical threats over many years. We need highly effective methods that will ensure we have the right people with the right skills at the right time and place doing the right work. This means a modern personnel management system based on relevant and measurable information.
To accomplish it, force-shaping tools must be available in law and policies that permit managing personnel resources with the agility, flexibility, and latitude that are needed in wartime. Examples are provisions for quickly and temporarily changing such policies as grade limitations, up-or-out provisions, different incentives or bonuses, retraining protocols, and other tools to readily solve unforeseen problems.
One issue central to our personnel management is the 20-year-cliff retirement system. The norm for a military career is 20 years, with few—other than general and flag officers—staying 30 years or longer. As a result, we lose many talented leaders too early, when their skills and experience are at a peak. Conversely, some unneeded or noncompetitive members are retained because there is no provision for equitably removing them involuntarily before they qualify for 20-year retirement.
The system forces everything—field and staff service, training and education—to be squeezed into 20 years. To comply with the Goldwater-Nichols joint training requirements, even more must go into this two-decade career. New ideas are needed, including retirement matching, and 401K-type and portable pension systems. We must manage the active and Reserve military force more effectively.
We Need More Time
It takes time to train, educate, and develop officers and senior enlisted personnel. We need to develop longer career planning consistent with a new, longer retirement system and with modifying up-or-out promotion. For years we have been stuffing more requirements into the same period. Goldwater-Nichols added joint education and training, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has directed that increased language and cultural training be provided, and new kinds of threats and weapons require increased training.
Often, personnel with highly developed skills leave the military when still in the prime of their lives and capabilities. In 2005, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld asked Congress for authority to retain selected officers beyond their mandatory retirement dates.
The up-or-out system was designed to assure that only the most qualified officers remained in the force, and to provide acceptable promotion rates and opportunities for younger officers. However, the unintended consequence is that many skilled officers who perform well and could continue to do so for many more years are eliminated early, without being competitive for further promotions.
If we institute a dual track for some occupations, those so inclined can continue doing the jobs they enjoy as long as they meet established standards. Imagine the effectiveness of a Marine supply officer or maintenance supervisory officer who has ten years' experience in his specialty—and wants nothing more than to continue to be the Corps' best.
Longer careers will mean reducing the number of reassignments and relocations. We should require personnel to remain in one position longer, thereby increasing the quality of their leadership and performance.
More Flexibility
Each Service must have the ability to tailor its personnel management for its own culture and mission. We have outgrown today's one-size-fits-all mentality. A competency-based approach observes and measures patterns of knowledge, skill, abilities, and behaviors. If we use this, we will improve performance, agility, and efficiency. Competency-based management should be accepted as a DOD-wide tool throughout the personnel life cycle.
In support of more flexibility, the compensation system for all personnel must be revised. The military services should formally move toward a market-based compensation system, including bonuses and incentives to reward skills and risks, with a smaller portion going to base pay.
A close look reveals that many aspects of a market-based system are already being adopted, slowly and piecemeal. We are paying bonuses for referrals, re-enlistments, and keeping mid-grade officers; we are paying incentives for special skills such as information technology specialists. If we had a new system based on modern portable pensions, base pay would no longer be the basis of retirement pay.
The current automatic two-year longevity increase provision does not reward performance and should be abolished. Pay bands and performance standards similar to those of the new civil service compensation should be adopted.
And it is time to implement continuum of service. The way things stand now, one can move easily from active duty to the Reserve components, civilian, and/or contractor status. However, there are very few ways (called ramps) that permit people to move from Reserve and civilian status back to active duty—for example, being reintegrated with the regular component—without career-ruining consequences.
Continuum of service would provide for a seamless integrated Total Force, with on- and off-ramps for military and civilians alike. Many military personnel leaders are talking about it as a means of accessing scarce skills as needed. For example, in 2003 Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld called General Peter Schoomaker out of retirement to serve as Army Chief of Staff. But to implement this at lesser grades, many laws and, more important, traditions would have to change.
Smaller Crews Need More Training
By using competencies to determine training requirements, the Navy has planned and built ships for the future (such as the new, highly computerized Smart Ship) that require significantly fewer personnel. Both the Navy and Air Force are reducing active duty end strength in order to save money that can be used to build new weapons.
But new weapons are more complex. And fewer people are available to use these weapons, so they must be trained to assume multiple functions. Controversial though this may be, the limits of funds and the high cost of skilled personnel result in reducing crew size as much as possible.
We find similar examples in the Army and Marine Corps. However, these services put people in combat, while the Navy and Air Force man platforms. The two ground services are therefore increasing total end strength to build more force structure and combat capability.
More innovation and certification will have to be included, thereby allowing military personnel to respond to new mission requirements more quickly. Training and education should be used to develop multi-skilled personnel to handle newer technologies, thus reducing the personnel required for mission accomplishment.
As in the private sector, this training should involve improved certifications, more standardization, consolidation of redundant programs, and development of technologies.
Joint Is the Way to Go
Today's conflicts have demonstrated that lower-grade officers and enlisted personnel are increasingly involved in situations where they are making decisions that have strategic importance. As a result, further revisions to joint professional military education are needed.
Currently this education involves two levels. Phase One material is taught at the services' intermediate service schools and senior service schools; Phase Two at the Industrial War College, National War College, and Joint Forces Staff College.
Aside from more cultural and language proficiency, joint professional training and education need to be provided much earlier in careers, with changes to and lengthening of officers' careers. Therefore, intermediate service schools should come earlier, while senior service schools would come later.
The National War College should become a true National Security University, adding more leaders from other federal agencies as both students and faculty. This should be in addition to service war colleges, and it should come at about the 25-year point.
With longer careers, war college graduates could be expected to remain on active duty longer. Officers selected for War Colleges (Senior Service Schools) should be selected for, or already be promoted to, O-6. These officers should then be committed to stay in the service for at least 30 years, and be eligible for extended service beyond that as needed.
Tear Down the House
Our present system is like a modest house that was built in 1947, then added to and adjusted over the next 60 years as children came, grew, and left. The result today is an overburdened structure still sitting on the same foundation. We see many such old, chopped-up, inefficient houses in our neighborhoods. We also see them being torn down, while new houses go up.
We must rebuild our chopped-up, many-times-changed 1947 Manpower, Personnel, Training, and Education house. Instead of fiddling with it and making it even more complex and less satisfactory, let's have the foresight and willingness to start the long, difficult process of a total reformation. We need a state-of-the-art Human Capital Planning, Development, and Management System.
Colonel Smith was most recently the vice president for Manpower Analysis and Reserve Affairs at the Wexford Group International, now a CACI International company. He has been an analyst of manpower, human resources, training, and organizational policies and issues for 40 years, serving in leadership and policy positions at Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and the Executive Office of the President. Smith is a Naval Academy graduate.
© 2007 U.S. NAVAL INSTITUTE
Time to modernize. The current system is a relic, creaky and counterproductive.
By Colonel David A. Smith, U.S. Air Force Reserve (Retired)
Since the Cold War ended, we have seen fundamental changes in threats, military tactics, weapons, and technologies. At the same time, funding constraints have increased—as has competition for talented people. Changing demographics have brought changes in the motivations and expectations of the workforce. The current human capital system, commonly known as the Manpower, Personnel, Training, and Education system, must be completely modernized to meet these new challenges—and to improve retention.
Although we do now see a few changes, such as attempts to institute career on- and off-ramps, continuum of service, officer retention initiatives, and sabbaticals, we cannot expect a system that was crafted for the needs of the mid-20th century to be successful in today's vastly different environment. Our 60-year-old system has served our nation well, but it cannot meet the demands of the 21st century. Since 1947, our system has continuously been modified, adjusted, and added to. Now we need a total overhaul.
Shape the New Workforce for War
We have been using laws and policies that were created for peacetime, but our new workforce is tasked with defeating new, complex, and often asymmetrical threats over many years. We need highly effective methods that will ensure we have the right people with the right skills at the right time and place doing the right work. This means a modern personnel management system based on relevant and measurable information.
To accomplish it, force-shaping tools must be available in law and policies that permit managing personnel resources with the agility, flexibility, and latitude that are needed in wartime. Examples are provisions for quickly and temporarily changing such policies as grade limitations, up-or-out provisions, different incentives or bonuses, retraining protocols, and other tools to readily solve unforeseen problems.
One issue central to our personnel management is the 20-year-cliff retirement system. The norm for a military career is 20 years, with few—other than general and flag officers—staying 30 years or longer. As a result, we lose many talented leaders too early, when their skills and experience are at a peak. Conversely, some unneeded or noncompetitive members are retained because there is no provision for equitably removing them involuntarily before they qualify for 20-year retirement.
The system forces everything—field and staff service, training and education—to be squeezed into 20 years. To comply with the Goldwater-Nichols joint training requirements, even more must go into this two-decade career. New ideas are needed, including retirement matching, and 401K-type and portable pension systems. We must manage the active and Reserve military force more effectively.
We Need More Time
It takes time to train, educate, and develop officers and senior enlisted personnel. We need to develop longer career planning consistent with a new, longer retirement system and with modifying up-or-out promotion. For years we have been stuffing more requirements into the same period. Goldwater-Nichols added joint education and training, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has directed that increased language and cultural training be provided, and new kinds of threats and weapons require increased training.
Often, personnel with highly developed skills leave the military when still in the prime of their lives and capabilities. In 2005, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld asked Congress for authority to retain selected officers beyond their mandatory retirement dates.
The up-or-out system was designed to assure that only the most qualified officers remained in the force, and to provide acceptable promotion rates and opportunities for younger officers. However, the unintended consequence is that many skilled officers who perform well and could continue to do so for many more years are eliminated early, without being competitive for further promotions.
If we institute a dual track for some occupations, those so inclined can continue doing the jobs they enjoy as long as they meet established standards. Imagine the effectiveness of a Marine supply officer or maintenance supervisory officer who has ten years' experience in his specialty—and wants nothing more than to continue to be the Corps' best.
Longer careers will mean reducing the number of reassignments and relocations. We should require personnel to remain in one position longer, thereby increasing the quality of their leadership and performance.
More Flexibility
Each Service must have the ability to tailor its personnel management for its own culture and mission. We have outgrown today's one-size-fits-all mentality. A competency-based approach observes and measures patterns of knowledge, skill, abilities, and behaviors. If we use this, we will improve performance, agility, and efficiency. Competency-based management should be accepted as a DOD-wide tool throughout the personnel life cycle.
In support of more flexibility, the compensation system for all personnel must be revised. The military services should formally move toward a market-based compensation system, including bonuses and incentives to reward skills and risks, with a smaller portion going to base pay.
A close look reveals that many aspects of a market-based system are already being adopted, slowly and piecemeal. We are paying bonuses for referrals, re-enlistments, and keeping mid-grade officers; we are paying incentives for special skills such as information technology specialists. If we had a new system based on modern portable pensions, base pay would no longer be the basis of retirement pay.
The current automatic two-year longevity increase provision does not reward performance and should be abolished. Pay bands and performance standards similar to those of the new civil service compensation should be adopted.
And it is time to implement continuum of service. The way things stand now, one can move easily from active duty to the Reserve components, civilian, and/or contractor status. However, there are very few ways (called ramps) that permit people to move from Reserve and civilian status back to active duty—for example, being reintegrated with the regular component—without career-ruining consequences.
Continuum of service would provide for a seamless integrated Total Force, with on- and off-ramps for military and civilians alike. Many military personnel leaders are talking about it as a means of accessing scarce skills as needed. For example, in 2003 Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld called General Peter Schoomaker out of retirement to serve as Army Chief of Staff. But to implement this at lesser grades, many laws and, more important, traditions would have to change.
Smaller Crews Need More Training
By using competencies to determine training requirements, the Navy has planned and built ships for the future (such as the new, highly computerized Smart Ship) that require significantly fewer personnel. Both the Navy and Air Force are reducing active duty end strength in order to save money that can be used to build new weapons.
But new weapons are more complex. And fewer people are available to use these weapons, so they must be trained to assume multiple functions. Controversial though this may be, the limits of funds and the high cost of skilled personnel result in reducing crew size as much as possible.
We find similar examples in the Army and Marine Corps. However, these services put people in combat, while the Navy and Air Force man platforms. The two ground services are therefore increasing total end strength to build more force structure and combat capability.
More innovation and certification will have to be included, thereby allowing military personnel to respond to new mission requirements more quickly. Training and education should be used to develop multi-skilled personnel to handle newer technologies, thus reducing the personnel required for mission accomplishment.
As in the private sector, this training should involve improved certifications, more standardization, consolidation of redundant programs, and development of technologies.
Joint Is the Way to Go
Today's conflicts have demonstrated that lower-grade officers and enlisted personnel are increasingly involved in situations where they are making decisions that have strategic importance. As a result, further revisions to joint professional military education are needed.
Currently this education involves two levels. Phase One material is taught at the services' intermediate service schools and senior service schools; Phase Two at the Industrial War College, National War College, and Joint Forces Staff College.
Aside from more cultural and language proficiency, joint professional training and education need to be provided much earlier in careers, with changes to and lengthening of officers' careers. Therefore, intermediate service schools should come earlier, while senior service schools would come later.
The National War College should become a true National Security University, adding more leaders from other federal agencies as both students and faculty. This should be in addition to service war colleges, and it should come at about the 25-year point.
With longer careers, war college graduates could be expected to remain on active duty longer. Officers selected for War Colleges (Senior Service Schools) should be selected for, or already be promoted to, O-6. These officers should then be committed to stay in the service for at least 30 years, and be eligible for extended service beyond that as needed.
Tear Down the House
Our present system is like a modest house that was built in 1947, then added to and adjusted over the next 60 years as children came, grew, and left. The result today is an overburdened structure still sitting on the same foundation. We see many such old, chopped-up, inefficient houses in our neighborhoods. We also see them being torn down, while new houses go up.
We must rebuild our chopped-up, many-times-changed 1947 Manpower, Personnel, Training, and Education house. Instead of fiddling with it and making it even more complex and less satisfactory, let's have the foresight and willingness to start the long, difficult process of a total reformation. We need a state-of-the-art Human Capital Planning, Development, and Management System.
Colonel Smith was most recently the vice president for Manpower Analysis and Reserve Affairs at the Wexford Group International, now a CACI International company. He has been an analyst of manpower, human resources, training, and organizational policies and issues for 40 years, serving in leadership and policy positions at Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and the Executive Office of the President. Smith is a Naval Academy graduate.
© 2007 U.S. NAVAL INSTITUTE
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Panel recommends jump in Tricare fees
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Dec 21, 2007 5:52:09 EST
A Pentagon task force is recommending dramatic increases in pharmacy and health insurance expenses for military families, retirees and their families, arguing that higher fees may not cover rising costs but could have other benefits, including discouraging people from using their earned benefits.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2007/12/military_tricarereport_071220w/
Posted : Friday Dec 21, 2007 5:52:09 EST
A Pentagon task force is recommending dramatic increases in pharmacy and health insurance expenses for military families, retirees and their families, arguing that higher fees may not cover rising costs but could have other benefits, including discouraging people from using their earned benefits.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2007/12/military_tricarereport_071220w/
Pentagon task force urges 'modest' rise in TRICARE fees
By Otto Kreisher CongressDaily
December 20, 2007
The Defense Department task force seeking a way to ensure the quality, efficiency and fairness of the military healthcare system issued a final report Thursday with recommendations for higher fees for military retirees, which Congress rejected repeatedly when proposed by the Bush administration. The leaders of the congressionally created task force said a "modest" increase in enrollment fees would restore the balance between what the government and the beneficiaries pay.
http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=38900&dcn=todaysnews
December 20, 2007
The Defense Department task force seeking a way to ensure the quality, efficiency and fairness of the military healthcare system issued a final report Thursday with recommendations for higher fees for military retirees, which Congress rejected repeatedly when proposed by the Bush administration. The leaders of the congressionally created task force said a "modest" increase in enrollment fees would restore the balance between what the government and the beneficiaries pay.
http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=38900&dcn=todaysnews
Congress slashes Defense health supplemental funding request
By Bob Brewin bbrewin@govexec.com
December 20, 2007
Congress cut $561.7 million out of the Defense Department's $1.14 billion request in supplemental funding for health care, which is attached to the current fiscal 2008 omnibus appropriation bill, a move sharply decried by former top military health officials and veterans organizations.
http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=38903&dcn=todaysnews
December 20, 2007
Congress cut $561.7 million out of the Defense Department's $1.14 billion request in supplemental funding for health care, which is attached to the current fiscal 2008 omnibus appropriation bill, a move sharply decried by former top military health officials and veterans organizations.
http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=38903&dcn=todaysnews
Findings and Recommendations of Task Force on the Future of Military Healthcare Released
December 20, 2007
Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England today received the findings and recommendations from the 14-member task force on the future of military healthcare.
The overview of recommendations was provided by the task force co-chairs, Gen. John Corley and Gail Wilensky.
They included:
* Better integration of purchased care and direct care at the point of delivery of healthcare
* Independent examination of financial controls to ensure healthcare for those eligible and to ensure that Tricare operates, as legally required, as a second payer when there is other health insurance
* Ways to improve wellness, preventive care, and disease management programs, and to measure the effectiveness of those programs, emphasizing the need for more coordination, leadership, and outreach outside of the department
* Recommendations for streamlining procurement systems and more effective contracting
* Continued attention on medical readiness of the Reserve component and close attention to the implementation and effectiveness of Tricare Reserve Select
* Restructuring of the cost-sharing structure for retirees and their families (not active duty and families), e.g., changes to enrollment fees, deductibles, co-payments, indexing, etc.), including the pharmacy benefit program, including a modest fee for the Tricare for Life program.
http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=11577
Report at http://www.dodfuturehealthcare.net/
DoD News Briefing with Gen. Corley and Gail Wilensky from the Pentagon Briefing Room, Arlington, Va <http://www.defenselink.mil/transcripts/transcript.aspx?transcriptid=4112>
Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England today received the findings and recommendations from the 14-member task force on the future of military healthcare.
The overview of recommendations was provided by the task force co-chairs, Gen. John Corley and Gail Wilensky.
They included:
* Better integration of purchased care and direct care at the point of delivery of healthcare
* Independent examination of financial controls to ensure healthcare for those eligible and to ensure that Tricare operates, as legally required, as a second payer when there is other health insurance
* Ways to improve wellness, preventive care, and disease management programs, and to measure the effectiveness of those programs, emphasizing the need for more coordination, leadership, and outreach outside of the department
* Recommendations for streamlining procurement systems and more effective contracting
* Continued attention on medical readiness of the Reserve component and close attention to the implementation and effectiveness of Tricare Reserve Select
* Restructuring of the cost-sharing structure for retirees and their families (not active duty and families), e.g., changes to enrollment fees, deductibles, co-payments, indexing, etc.), including the pharmacy benefit program, including a modest fee for the Tricare for Life program.
http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=11577
Report at http://www.dodfuturehealthcare.net/
DoD News Briefing with Gen. Corley and Gail Wilensky from the Pentagon Briefing Room, Arlington, Va <http://www.defenselink.mil/transcripts/transcript.aspx?transcriptid=4112>
Report suggests strategies for managing older workers
By Alyssa Rosenberg arosenberg@govexec.com
December 20, 2007
A new report from a business research organization suggests that managers may need to adopt new approaches to older workers, but also indicates that a number of management and training tools can optimize the contributions and satisfaction of these employees.
"When companies face baby boomer retirements, they should step back and reevaluate their staffing strategy, both at the aggregate level and on a case-by-case basis, rather than automatically refilling positions," wrote Mary Young, a senior researcher at the Conference Board, who looked at 10 private-sector companies. "By integrating strategic workforce planning with long-term business planning, a company can differentiate potential threats from opportunities."
http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=38892&dcn=todaysnews
December 20, 2007
A new report from a business research organization suggests that managers may need to adopt new approaches to older workers, but also indicates that a number of management and training tools can optimize the contributions and satisfaction of these employees.
"When companies face baby boomer retirements, they should step back and reevaluate their staffing strategy, both at the aggregate level and on a case-by-case basis, rather than automatically refilling positions," wrote Mary Young, a senior researcher at the Conference Board, who looked at 10 private-sector companies. "By integrating strategic workforce planning with long-term business planning, a company can differentiate potential threats from opportunities."
http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=38892&dcn=todaysnews
Civilian nurses can get $30K to go Navy
The Navy has announced that it will sweeten an incentive used to lure civilian nurses onto active duty by paying them up to $30,000 to accept a commission as a Nurse Corps officer.
More at <http://cl.exct.net/?ju=fe20157472640d7a731c75&ls=fdf3117575660d7e7612737d&m=ff011577756600&l=fe8c15777262067b73&s=fde91577736d027877137977&jb=ffcf14&t=>
More at <http://cl.exct.net/?ju=fe20157472640d7a731c75&ls=fdf3117575660d7e7612737d&m=ff011577756600&l=fe8c15777262067b73&s=fde91577736d027877137977&jb=ffcf14&t=>
Lawmakers call for future Navy cruisers to be nuclear powered
By Greg Grant
House and Senate lawmakers are requiring the Navy to power its future classes of cruisers with nuclear reactors, unless the service decides that doing so isn't "in the national interest." This somewhat muddled provision is contained in the recently released fiscal 2008 defense authorization bill.
The provision states that all new ship classes of submarines, aircraft carriers and cruisers should be built with nuclear power plants. Since the Navy's plans for submarines and carriers already include nuclear propulsion, the provision would most directly affect the service's next-generation cruiser, designated CG(X). If nuclear powered, the service's designation for the ship would be CGN(X).
The Navy plans to award the contract for the lead ship of the CG(X) class of cruisers in 2011, at an estimated cost of $3.2 billion, and 18 more by 2023. Because of the long lead times needed to order nuclear components, procurement funds for the proposed cruiser's nuclear power plant would have to be included in the 2009 budget, currently being drafted by the Defense Department.
Full story: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=38865&dcn=e_gvet
House and Senate lawmakers are requiring the Navy to power its future classes of cruisers with nuclear reactors, unless the service decides that doing so isn't "in the national interest." This somewhat muddled provision is contained in the recently released fiscal 2008 defense authorization bill.
The provision states that all new ship classes of submarines, aircraft carriers and cruisers should be built with nuclear power plants. Since the Navy's plans for submarines and carriers already include nuclear propulsion, the provision would most directly affect the service's next-generation cruiser, designated CG(X). If nuclear powered, the service's designation for the ship would be CGN(X).
The Navy plans to award the contract for the lead ship of the CG(X) class of cruisers in 2011, at an estimated cost of $3.2 billion, and 18 more by 2023. Because of the long lead times needed to order nuclear components, procurement funds for the proposed cruiser's nuclear power plant would have to be included in the 2009 budget, currently being drafted by the Defense Department.
Full story: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=38865&dcn=e_gvet
Monday, December 17, 2007
Great White Fleet commemorated in Norfolk
By Andrew Scutro - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Dec 17, 2007 6:43:19 EST
NORFOLK, Va. — One hundred years ago on Dec. 16, an armada of 16 American battleships pushed away from Hampton Roads on a 14-month circumnavigation of the globe to show the world what the U.S. Navy could do.
The Great White Fleet, as it was known because of its bright paintjob, was dispatched by President Theodore Roosevelt, a larger than life American leader who had been in his career, among other things, Navy secretary.
To mark the anniversary, current Secretary of the Navy Donald Winter hosted some 500 guests aboard the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt — "America’s Big Stick" — pierside in its Norfolk homeport.
In a speech held in a hangar bay decorated with images and quotes of Roosevelt, Winter told the audience that "a maritime nation with maritime interests" needs a potent naval force always able to span the globe.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2007/12/navy_greatwhitefleet_071216/
Posted : Monday Dec 17, 2007 6:43:19 EST
NORFOLK, Va. — One hundred years ago on Dec. 16, an armada of 16 American battleships pushed away from Hampton Roads on a 14-month circumnavigation of the globe to show the world what the U.S. Navy could do.
The Great White Fleet, as it was known because of its bright paintjob, was dispatched by President Theodore Roosevelt, a larger than life American leader who had been in his career, among other things, Navy secretary.
To mark the anniversary, current Secretary of the Navy Donald Winter hosted some 500 guests aboard the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt — "America’s Big Stick" — pierside in its Norfolk homeport.
In a speech held in a hangar bay decorated with images and quotes of Roosevelt, Winter told the audience that "a maritime nation with maritime interests" needs a potent naval force always able to span the globe.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2007/12/navy_greatwhitefleet_071216/
Wounded bonus bill speeds through Senate
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Dec 14, 2007 19:44:46
Before leaving for the weekend, the Senate passed the Wounded Warrior Bonus Equity Act, a bill guaranteeing that a combat-related injury would not cost a service member any bonus or special pay.
The bill, S 2400, passed by voice vote and with no debate. It is not final because the House of Representatives has not passed the same bill, but similar proposals are pending in the House.
Under the bill, a service member entitled to a bonus or special pay before being injured would receive the full payment — including annual installments — if separated or retired because of the injury.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2007/12/military_woundedbonus_senate_071214/
Posted : Friday Dec 14, 2007 19:44:46
Before leaving for the weekend, the Senate passed the Wounded Warrior Bonus Equity Act, a bill guaranteeing that a combat-related injury would not cost a service member any bonus or special pay.
The bill, S 2400, passed by voice vote and with no debate. It is not final because the House of Representatives has not passed the same bill, but similar proposals are pending in the House.
Under the bill, a service member entitled to a bonus or special pay before being injured would receive the full payment — including annual installments — if separated or retired because of the injury.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2007/12/military_woundedbonus_senate_071214/
Panel hears VA, critics on suicides
By Karen Jowers - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Dec 14, 2007 11:47:56 EST
The father of a veteran who committed suicide teed off on the Department of Veterans Affairs at a congressional hearing Thursday, calling the VA’s mental health system "broken."
"The VA mental health system is broken in function, and understaffed in operation," Mike Bowman told the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee. "There are many cases of soldiers coming to the VA for help and being turned away or misdiagnosed for [post-traumatic stress disorder] and then losing their battle with their demons."
His son, Spc. Timothy Noble Bowman, killed himself on Thanksgiving Day, 2005, eight months after returning from Iraq with his Illinois National Guard unit. He was 23.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2007/12/military_mentalhealth_071214w/
Posted : Friday Dec 14, 2007 11:47:56 EST
The father of a veteran who committed suicide teed off on the Department of Veterans Affairs at a congressional hearing Thursday, calling the VA’s mental health system "broken."
"The VA mental health system is broken in function, and understaffed in operation," Mike Bowman told the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee. "There are many cases of soldiers coming to the VA for help and being turned away or misdiagnosed for [post-traumatic stress disorder] and then losing their battle with their demons."
His son, Spc. Timothy Noble Bowman, killed himself on Thanksgiving Day, 2005, eight months after returning from Iraq with his Illinois National Guard unit. He was 23.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2007/12/military_mentalhealth_071214w/
Military Health System debuts new Web presence
By Bob Brewin
The Military Health System operates many Web sites packed with useful information, but they had such drab interfaces and hard-to-navigate pages that true "jewels of information were hidden from our operational folks," Dr. S. Ward Casscells, assistant secretary of Defense for health affairs, said in an interview with Government Executive.
Casscells said he kicked off a redesign of the MHS Web site this October to make essential information more accessible to medical and nonmedical personnel and families, and to improve public knowledge of the system, an effort he characterized as "only halfway there."
To date, the repositioning of MHS' site includes a crisper look that owes a lot to commercial Web design, along with easier to navigate features accessible from a top-level series of buttons arranged under the MHS banner.
Full story: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=38853&dcn=e_gvet
The Military Health System operates many Web sites packed with useful information, but they had such drab interfaces and hard-to-navigate pages that true "jewels of information were hidden from our operational folks," Dr. S. Ward Casscells, assistant secretary of Defense for health affairs, said in an interview with Government Executive.
Casscells said he kicked off a redesign of the MHS Web site this October to make essential information more accessible to medical and nonmedical personnel and families, and to improve public knowledge of the system, an effort he characterized as "only halfway there."
To date, the repositioning of MHS' site includes a crisper look that owes a lot to commercial Web design, along with easier to navigate features accessible from a top-level series of buttons arranged under the MHS banner.
Full story: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=38853&dcn=e_gvet
Lawmakers push for chief management officers at agencies
By Ellizabeth Newell
Two key lawmakers are continuing to advocate the creation of a chief management officer position for federal agencies to ensure that management issues are a top priority and progress continues into the next administration.
Sens. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii, and George Voinovich, R-Ohio, have pushed for the new position for several years, focusing originally on the Defense and Homeland Security departments. While both those agencies have named CMOs, the senators fear the reforms might have been insufficiently comprehensive. The Government Accountability Office has called for full-time, senior-level chief operating officers or chief management officers with term appointments of five to seven years with a performance agreement.
"The federal government is no model to be followed for economy, efficiency, effectiveness, ethics, and the mere fact that we don't have these positions now is part of the problem and we need to resolve that," said Comptroller General David M. Walker.
Full story: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=38835&dcn=e_gvet
Two key lawmakers are continuing to advocate the creation of a chief management officer position for federal agencies to ensure that management issues are a top priority and progress continues into the next administration.
Sens. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii, and George Voinovich, R-Ohio, have pushed for the new position for several years, focusing originally on the Defense and Homeland Security departments. While both those agencies have named CMOs, the senators fear the reforms might have been insufficiently comprehensive. The Government Accountability Office has called for full-time, senior-level chief operating officers or chief management officers with term appointments of five to seven years with a performance agreement.
"The federal government is no model to be followed for economy, efficiency, effectiveness, ethics, and the mere fact that we don't have these positions now is part of the problem and we need to resolve that," said Comptroller General David M. Walker.
Full story: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=38835&dcn=e_gvet
Fedblog: What's 'Widely Attended'?
By Tom Shoop
Outside the bureaucracy, looking in.
Wednesday, December 12, 6:41 p.m. ET:
You may be aware that while there are strict limits on gifts that federal employees can accept from outside sources, there is a widely used exemption for free admission to "widely attended gatherings." But what exactly is a "widely attended gathering"? The Office of Government Ethics has issued some guidance
<http://www.usoge.gov/pages/daeograms/dgr_files/2007/do07047.txt> on that question.
Full column: http://blogs.govexec.com/fedblog/
Outside the bureaucracy, looking in.
Wednesday, December 12, 6:41 p.m. ET:
You may be aware that while there are strict limits on gifts that federal employees can accept from outside sources, there is a widely used exemption for free admission to "widely attended gatherings." But what exactly is a "widely attended gathering"? The Office of Government Ethics has issued some guidance
<http://www.usoge.gov/pages/daeograms/dgr_files/2007/do07047.txt> on that question.
Full column: http://blogs.govexec.com/fedblog/
DOD Gender Relations: Creating a Better Climate
http://www.defenselink.mil/home/features/2007/1213_gr/
Sexual Assault Report Shows System Works
WASHINGTON, Dec. 13, 2007 – Rather than being alarmed by 40 reports of sexual assault at the U.S. service academies during the 2006-2007 school year, officials are calling them a sign that programs designed to encourage victims to report are working. Story
Related Links:
Report
U.S. Military Academy
U.S. Naval Academy
U.S. Air Force Academy
Sexual Assault Report Shows System Works
WASHINGTON, Dec. 13, 2007 – Rather than being alarmed by 40 reports of sexual assault at the U.S. service academies during the 2006-2007 school year, officials are calling them a sign that programs designed to encourage victims to report are working. Story
Related Links:
Report
U.S. Military Academy
U.S. Naval Academy
U.S. Air Force Academy
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Great White Fleet celebrates 100 years
The Associated PressPosted : Tuesday Dec 11, 2007 7:45:19 EST
NORFOLK, Va. — Navy Secretary Donald Winter will be in Norfolk on Saturday to mark the 100th anniversary of the Navy’s Great White Fleet.
NORFOLK, Va. — Navy Secretary Donald Winter will be in Norfolk on Saturday to mark the 100th anniversary of the Navy’s Great White Fleet.
Sixteen battleships departed Hampton Roads on Dec. 16, 1907, for a 14-month global naval voyage.
The deployment included about 14,000 sailors, covered 43,000 miles and made 20 port calls on six continents. The ships that took part were later be dubbed the Great White Fleet because each was painted white.
Naval history says the trip was supposed to be a "grand pageant of American sea power."
The ceremony will take place on board the Norfolk-based aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt.
More info at:
Lawmakers told federal Web efforts hinder accessibility
By Gautham Nagesh
Information technology executives and congressional leaders today questioned the progress of the Bush administration's efforts to make public documents easily accessible online and to inform Americans how it is protecting their personal information, as required by law.
John Lewis Needham, manager of public content partnerships at Google Inc., told a hearing of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee that the configurations of many agencies' Web sites prevent search engines such as Google from finding public documents and displaying them in search results. He cited technical barriers including outmoded Web sites and proprietary federal databases that require unique search forms.
The 2002 E-Government Act requires agencies to make documents more accessible to the public via the Internet in an effort to make government policy-making more transparent. The law required the Office of Management and Budget to oversee the creation of a governmentwide portal (now called USA.gov), where citizens can access information from agencies and other organizations. Committee Chairman Joseph Lieberman, I-Conn., Tuesday introduced a measure to reauthorize the E-Gov Act for another five years.
Full story: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=38804&dcn=e_gvet
Information technology executives and congressional leaders today questioned the progress of the Bush administration's efforts to make public documents easily accessible online and to inform Americans how it is protecting their personal information, as required by law.
John Lewis Needham, manager of public content partnerships at Google Inc., told a hearing of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee that the configurations of many agencies' Web sites prevent search engines such as Google from finding public documents and displaying them in search results. He cited technical barriers including outmoded Web sites and proprietary federal databases that require unique search forms.
The 2002 E-Government Act requires agencies to make documents more accessible to the public via the Internet in an effort to make government policy-making more transparent. The law required the Office of Management and Budget to oversee the creation of a governmentwide portal (now called USA.gov), where citizens can access information from agencies and other organizations. Committee Chairman Joseph Lieberman, I-Conn., Tuesday introduced a measure to reauthorize the E-Gov Act for another five years.
Full story: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=38804&dcn=e_gvet
Media Roundtable: Disability Evaluation System Pilot
Media Roundtable with Michael Dominguez, Bill Carr, and Assistant Surgeon General for Warrior Care and Transition Brig. Gen. Michael Tucker from the Pentagon, Arlington, Va
Mon, 3 Dec 2007 15:55:00 -0600
http://www.defenselink.mil/transcripts/transcript.aspx?transcriptid=4100
Mon, 3 Dec 2007 15:55:00 -0600
http://www.defenselink.mil/transcripts/transcript.aspx?transcriptid=4100
Executive diversity legislation gains support
By Alyssa Rosenberg
Diversity organizations are confident that legislation aimed at increasing the number of women and minorities in the Senior Executive Service can pass Congress in 2008, and they are moving forward with training programs to help members move up in the ranks.
Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii, and Rep. Danny Davis, D-Ill. introduced bills in October that would create a resource center for oversight of SES diversity efforts, promote mentoring programs and collect and publish statistics in the Federal Register.
"It seems pretty noncontroversial," said Janet Kopenhaver, a representative for Federally Employed Women, a Washington advocacy group. "I would hope that we could get it through the Congress next year. They've had a lot on their plate. This is not one of these big issues that you read about, but maybe we can get it through on the merits."
Full story: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=38669&dcn=e_wfw
Diversity organizations are confident that legislation aimed at increasing the number of women and minorities in the Senior Executive Service can pass Congress in 2008, and they are moving forward with training programs to help members move up in the ranks.
Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii, and Rep. Danny Davis, D-Ill. introduced bills in October that would create a resource center for oversight of SES diversity efforts, promote mentoring programs and collect and publish statistics in the Federal Register.
"It seems pretty noncontroversial," said Janet Kopenhaver, a representative for Federally Employed Women, a Washington advocacy group. "I would hope that we could get it through the Congress next year. They've had a lot on their plate. This is not one of these big issues that you read about, but maybe we can get it through on the merits."
Full story: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=38669&dcn=e_wfw
Forward Observer: Military's Anguish
GovExec.com Today -- December 4, 2007
By George C. Wilson, CongressDaily
The stage is set for our armed services to relive the worst days of the 1970s when discipline broke down, crime ran rampant, race relations soured, many of the best and brightest in the junior officer corps left the military in disgust, planes couldn't fly and ships couldn't sail for want of spare parts and technical specialists.
Generals, admirals and Defense secretaries favored buying new over fixing up the old, generating a readiness crisis. It doesn't take a crystal ball to make those predictions, just time in grade.
Full story: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=38720&dcn=e_gvet
By George C. Wilson, CongressDaily
The stage is set for our armed services to relive the worst days of the 1970s when discipline broke down, crime ran rampant, race relations soured, many of the best and brightest in the junior officer corps left the military in disgust, planes couldn't fly and ships couldn't sail for want of spare parts and technical specialists.
Generals, admirals and Defense secretaries favored buying new over fixing up the old, generating a readiness crisis. It doesn't take a crystal ball to make those predictions, just time in grade.
Full story: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=38720&dcn=e_gvet
Tech Insider: Needed: Presidential IT IQ
What's happening and what's being discussed in the federal IT community.
Monday, December 3, 11:37 a.m. ET:
For years, information technology has been trying to break into the corporate board room or the high-level government management meetings where it can help inform strategies to accomplish an organization's goals, be it making more profit or serving the public interest. Despite assertions that state otherwise, IT still, by a long shot, has yet to really become a driver in helping government deliver public services and fundamentally transform how agencies do business. IT has tinkered at the edges.
Full column: http://blogs.govexec.com/techinsider/
Monday, December 3, 11:37 a.m. ET:
For years, information technology has been trying to break into the corporate board room or the high-level government management meetings where it can help inform strategies to accomplish an organization's goals, be it making more profit or serving the public interest. Despite assertions that state otherwise, IT still, by a long shot, has yet to really become a driver in helping government deliver public services and fundamentally transform how agencies do business. IT has tinkered at the edges.
Full column: http://blogs.govexec.com/techinsider/
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