Excerpt:
"Marshall has been recognized as a textbook model for the way military officers should handle disagreements with superiors and in particular with the civilians vested with control of the armed forces under our Constitution. So your duties as an officer are:
· To provide blunt and candid advice always;
· To keep disagreements private;
· And to implement faithfully decisions that go against you. "
http://www.defenselink.mil/speeches/speech.aspx?speechid=1233
Friday, April 25, 2008
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
DoD blasted for recruiting felons, not gays
By Andrew Tilghman - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Apr 22, 2008 18:25:57 EDT
Advocates for homosexuals in the military are criticizing the Pentagon for accepting hundreds of felons — including at least 350 into the Marine Corps — while continuing to prohibit gays and lesbians under the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy.
The criticism comes after yesterday’s release of statistics showing a sharp increase in the number of waivers granted for recruits with felony convictions. Between fiscal years 2006 and 2007, the number of felony waivers granted for Marine Corps active-duty recruits jumped by nearly 75 percent, from 208 to 350, Department of Defense data shows.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/04/marine_dontask_042208/
Posted : Tuesday Apr 22, 2008 18:25:57 EDT
Advocates for homosexuals in the military are criticizing the Pentagon for accepting hundreds of felons — including at least 350 into the Marine Corps — while continuing to prohibit gays and lesbians under the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy.
The criticism comes after yesterday’s release of statistics showing a sharp increase in the number of waivers granted for recruits with felony convictions. Between fiscal years 2006 and 2007, the number of felony waivers granted for Marine Corps active-duty recruits jumped by nearly 75 percent, from 208 to 350, Department of Defense data shows.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/04/marine_dontask_042208/
Pay Potential
By Brittany Ballenstedt
A new pay-for-performance system at the Defense Department is expected to set the pace for the rest of federal government in boosting productivity and leadership. It remains to be seen, however, whether annual pay increases will be enough to motivate and keep valued employees.
In January, the Pentagon announced that 98 percent of the 110,000 employees under the National Security Personnel System received performance-based payouts averaging 7.6 percent. That's more than twice the percentage given to General Schedule employees, who got 2.5 percent across the board and an additional 1 percent bump in locality pay.
Comparing NSPS raises with those in the GS system, however, is like comparing apples to oranges, many Defense employees say. The NSPS factors into the overall performance-based raise funds that the GS system directs to within-grade pay boosts, quality step increases and bonuses. The average NSPS payout also includes a 1.7 percent performance bonus, which General Schedule employees are eligible to receive on top of the annual increase.
One of the major concerns among employees and federal labor unions is because Pentagon officials are funding NSPS pay at the same level as the General Schedule, employees receiving average ratings must be receiving less to fund higher increases for those receiving top ratings. For the 2008 payout, 57 percent of employees received average ratings.
http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0408/042308mm.htm
A new pay-for-performance system at the Defense Department is expected to set the pace for the rest of federal government in boosting productivity and leadership. It remains to be seen, however, whether annual pay increases will be enough to motivate and keep valued employees.
In January, the Pentagon announced that 98 percent of the 110,000 employees under the National Security Personnel System received performance-based payouts averaging 7.6 percent. That's more than twice the percentage given to General Schedule employees, who got 2.5 percent across the board and an additional 1 percent bump in locality pay.
Comparing NSPS raises with those in the GS system, however, is like comparing apples to oranges, many Defense employees say. The NSPS factors into the overall performance-based raise funds that the GS system directs to within-grade pay boosts, quality step increases and bonuses. The average NSPS payout also includes a 1.7 percent performance bonus, which General Schedule employees are eligible to receive on top of the annual increase.
One of the major concerns among employees and federal labor unions is because Pentagon officials are funding NSPS pay at the same level as the General Schedule, employees receiving average ratings must be receiving less to fund higher increases for those receiving top ratings. For the 2008 payout, 57 percent of employees received average ratings.
http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0408/042308mm.htm
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Keel laid for MoH Marine’s namesake DDG
BATH IRON WORKSDan and Debra Dunham, parents of the late Cpl. Jason Dunham, stand April 11 in front of the keel of what will be the USS Jason Dunham, a destroyer named in their son's honor. Cpl. Dunham was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously in 2007 for diving on a live grenade in Iraq in 2004, saving the lives of two fellow Marines. He died from his injuries after being sent back to the U.S.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/04/navy_dunham_ddg_041808w/
Army Reserve to Mark Century of Service to Nation
By Retired Army Col. Randy Pullen
Special to American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, April 20, 2008 – The U.S. Army Reserve will celebrate its 100th birthday on April 23, marking a full century of service in which Army Reserve soldiers have continuously answered the nation’s call.
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=49633
Photo essay at http://www.defenselink.mil/PhotoEssays/PhotoEssaySS.aspx?ID=665
Special to American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, April 20, 2008 – The U.S. Army Reserve will celebrate its 100th birthday on April 23, marking a full century of service in which Army Reserve soldiers have continuously answered the nation’s call.
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=49633
Photo essay at http://www.defenselink.mil/PhotoEssays/PhotoEssaySS.aspx?ID=665
Transcript: DoD News Briefing with Commander, Regimental Combat Team 1 in Iraq
Today our briefer is Marine Colonel Lewis Craparotta, who is the commander of Regimental Combat Team 1. His unit began operations as part of Multinational Forces-West in January, and this is our first opportunity to talk to the colonel since he's taken responsibility in that AOR. He is speaking today from Camp Fallujah. And as is our normal format here; he's going to give you a brief overview and then take some questions.
http://www.defenselink.mil/transcripts/transcript.aspx?transcriptid=4215
http://www.defenselink.mil/transcripts/transcript.aspx?transcriptid=4215
Transcript: Secretary Gates Remarks at Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base, Montgomery Alabama
Excerpt:
An unconventional era of warfare requires unconventional thinkers. That is because this era's range of security challenges, from global terrorism to ethnic conflicts, from rogue nations to rising powers, cannot be overcome by traditional military means alone. Conflict will be fundamentally political in nature and will require the integration of all elements of national power. Success, to a large extent, will depend less on imposing one's will on the enemy or putting bombs on targets, though we must never lose our ability or our will to unsheathe the sword when necessary. Instead, ultimate success or failure will increasingly depend more on shaping the behavior of others, friends and adversaries, and most importantly, the people in between.
This new set of realities and requirements have meant a wrenching set of changes for our military establishment that until recently was almost completely oriented toward winning the big battles and the big wars. Based on my experience at CIA, at Texas A&M and now the Department of Defense, it is clear to me that the culture of any large organization takes a long time to change, and the really tough part is preserving those elements of the culture that strengthen the institution and motivate the people in it, while shedding those elements of the culture that are barriers to progress and achieving the mission.
All of the services must examine their cultures critically if we are to have the capabilities relevant and necessary to overcome the most likely threats America will face in the years to come.
http://www.defenselink.mil/transcripts/transcript.aspx?transcriptid=4214
An unconventional era of warfare requires unconventional thinkers. That is because this era's range of security challenges, from global terrorism to ethnic conflicts, from rogue nations to rising powers, cannot be overcome by traditional military means alone. Conflict will be fundamentally political in nature and will require the integration of all elements of national power. Success, to a large extent, will depend less on imposing one's will on the enemy or putting bombs on targets, though we must never lose our ability or our will to unsheathe the sword when necessary. Instead, ultimate success or failure will increasingly depend more on shaping the behavior of others, friends and adversaries, and most importantly, the people in between.
This new set of realities and requirements have meant a wrenching set of changes for our military establishment that until recently was almost completely oriented toward winning the big battles and the big wars. Based on my experience at CIA, at Texas A&M and now the Department of Defense, it is clear to me that the culture of any large organization takes a long time to change, and the really tough part is preserving those elements of the culture that strengthen the institution and motivate the people in it, while shedding those elements of the culture that are barriers to progress and achieving the mission.
All of the services must examine their cultures critically if we are to have the capabilities relevant and necessary to overcome the most likely threats America will face in the years to come.
http://www.defenselink.mil/transcripts/transcript.aspx?transcriptid=4214
Administration hopes to leave performance management legacy
By Robert Brodsky, National Journal
Last November, President Bush issued an executive order that, compared with more-contentious policy decrees from the White House, seemed utterly benign. Littered with such bureaucratic buzz phrases as "promote greater accountability" and "objectively measurable outcomes," the order directed all federal departments and agencies to name a staff person to take on responsibility for program performance.
But as officials move to implement the order by its September deadline, critics are raising questions about the administration's motives and the edict's long-term implications for federal program management.
Each department and agency must appoint a "performance improvement officer" charged with overseeing its strategic plan and determining the realistic likelihood of achieving its goals with available funding and other resources. This information will be shared among agencies at monthly meetings of a new Performance Improvement Council and made public on the Web.
Full story: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=39818&dcn=e_gvet
Last November, President Bush issued an executive order that, compared with more-contentious policy decrees from the White House, seemed utterly benign. Littered with such bureaucratic buzz phrases as "promote greater accountability" and "objectively measurable outcomes," the order directed all federal departments and agencies to name a staff person to take on responsibility for program performance.
But as officials move to implement the order by its September deadline, critics are raising questions about the administration's motives and the edict's long-term implications for federal program management.
Each department and agency must appoint a "performance improvement officer" charged with overseeing its strategic plan and determining the realistic likelihood of achieving its goals with available funding and other resources. This information will be shared among agencies at monthly meetings of a new Performance Improvement Council and made public on the Web.
Full story: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=39818&dcn=e_gvet
DHS employees: Mission is important, but management is not so good
By Katherine McIntire Peters
There are a lot of unhappy campers at the Homeland Security Department. That's the takeaway from the 2007 Annual Employee Survey, conducted from Oct. 26 through Dec. 21. While 91 percent of respondents said the work they did was important and 80 percent enjoyed their jobs, only 18 percent of employees thought pay raises were based on job performance and only 25 percent believed promotions were based on merit. What's more, only slightly more than one-quarter of employees said managers took steps to deal with poor performers who could not or did not improve.
The survey results showed that fewer than half of employees held leadership in high regard; believed the department's culture promoted improvements in service or other outcomes; or thought Homeland Security had the talent required to accomplish its mission. The results were posted online late Thursday.
Of the 141,425 employees sampled across 13 organizational components, 65,753 responded to the electronic survey, for a response rate of 47 percent. The survey was designed to capture data across Homeland Security's various agencies, as well as draw from all levels of the workforce.
Full story: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=39821&dcn=e_gvet
There are a lot of unhappy campers at the Homeland Security Department. That's the takeaway from the 2007 Annual Employee Survey, conducted from Oct. 26 through Dec. 21. While 91 percent of respondents said the work they did was important and 80 percent enjoyed their jobs, only 18 percent of employees thought pay raises were based on job performance and only 25 percent believed promotions were based on merit. What's more, only slightly more than one-quarter of employees said managers took steps to deal with poor performers who could not or did not improve.
The survey results showed that fewer than half of employees held leadership in high regard; believed the department's culture promoted improvements in service or other outcomes; or thought Homeland Security had the talent required to accomplish its mission. The results were posted online late Thursday.
Of the 141,425 employees sampled across 13 organizational components, 65,753 responded to the electronic survey, for a response rate of 47 percent. The survey was designed to capture data across Homeland Security's various agencies, as well as draw from all levels of the workforce.
Full story: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=39821&dcn=e_gvet
TSP automatic enrollment, fund transfer restrictions move forward
By Alyssa Rosenberg
Thrift Savings Plan participants aren't likely to see changes in the types of funds they can invest in, despite roiled markets, federal and industry officials said on Monday. But modifications to interfund transfers and enrollment are coming down the pike.
"This has been one of the most turbulent times in the equity and debt market," Andrew Saul, chairman of the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board, told representatives of Barclays Global Investors Services. "You are facing fiduciaries who are responsible for a lot of hard-working people who are counting on that money for their retirement."
Blake Grossman, chief executive officer of BGI, said the company would take that turbulence into account in its modeling, but financial fundamentals were still strong, and BGI saw no particular need to make major changes in its investment approach at this time.
Full story: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=39820&dcn=e_gvet
Thrift Savings Plan participants aren't likely to see changes in the types of funds they can invest in, despite roiled markets, federal and industry officials said on Monday. But modifications to interfund transfers and enrollment are coming down the pike.
"This has been one of the most turbulent times in the equity and debt market," Andrew Saul, chairman of the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board, told representatives of Barclays Global Investors Services. "You are facing fiduciaries who are responsible for a lot of hard-working people who are counting on that money for their retirement."
Blake Grossman, chief executive officer of BGI, said the company would take that turbulence into account in its modeling, but financial fundamentals were still strong, and BGI saw no particular need to make major changes in its investment approach at this time.
Full story: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=39820&dcn=e_gvet
Defense acquisition chief requires program managers to sign tenure agreements
By Elizabeth Newell
The Defense Department's chief acquisition official is reinforcing a policy to make leadership continuity a top priority for weapons programs, in the wake of an annual report that cited frequent management changes as one cause of cost overruns and delays.
John Young, Defense undersecretary for acquisition, technology and logistics, said at a media roundtable on Friday that the department has been working on an initiative to reduce turnover by requiring program managers to sign service agreements. Under these agreements, program managers serve three or four years or to the nearest milestone in the contract. They also delineate cost, schedule and performance expectations for the length of the agreement.
The department has had a policy of service agreements for program managers on the books since December 2005, soon after a Government Accountability Office report identified management instability as a hindrance to the progress of weapons programs. A follow-up report in November 2007, however, showed that Defense still was working to implement tenure requirements. As recently as May 2007, the department was issuing memos on program manager agreements clarifying what exactly they would include, when they would be signed and by whom. GAO's recently released annual report on weapons programs showed the problem to be persistent.
Full story: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=39824&dcn=e_gvet
The Defense Department's chief acquisition official is reinforcing a policy to make leadership continuity a top priority for weapons programs, in the wake of an annual report that cited frequent management changes as one cause of cost overruns and delays.
John Young, Defense undersecretary for acquisition, technology and logistics, said at a media roundtable on Friday that the department has been working on an initiative to reduce turnover by requiring program managers to sign service agreements. Under these agreements, program managers serve three or four years or to the nearest milestone in the contract. They also delineate cost, schedule and performance expectations for the length of the agreement.
The department has had a policy of service agreements for program managers on the books since December 2005, soon after a Government Accountability Office report identified management instability as a hindrance to the progress of weapons programs. A follow-up report in November 2007, however, showed that Defense still was working to implement tenure requirements. As recently as May 2007, the department was issuing memos on program manager agreements clarifying what exactly they would include, when they would be signed and by whom. GAO's recently released annual report on weapons programs showed the problem to be persistent.
Full story: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=39824&dcn=e_gvet
Study: UAV crews tired, strained by shortage
By Erik Holmes - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Apr 21, 2008 6:42:43 EDT
Unmanned aerial vehicle operators are more likely than other aircrews to suffer from chronic fatigue, emotional exhaustion, burnout and impaired domestic relationships, according to a new study by the Naval Postgraduate School.
… Surprisingly, changing to a monthly rather than weekly shift system that was intended to allow operators to adjust to their schedules did not decrease the level of fatigue.
This finding led the authors to conclude that manpower shortages, rather than any particular shift system, are to blame. Modeling of the effects of changing to different shift systems predicted no improvement, the study found.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/04/airforce_uav_fatigue_041808w/
Posted : Monday Apr 21, 2008 6:42:43 EDT
Unmanned aerial vehicle operators are more likely than other aircrews to suffer from chronic fatigue, emotional exhaustion, burnout and impaired domestic relationships, according to a new study by the Naval Postgraduate School.
… Surprisingly, changing to a monthly rather than weekly shift system that was intended to allow operators to adjust to their schedules did not decrease the level of fatigue.
This finding led the authors to conclude that manpower shortages, rather than any particular shift system, are to blame. Modeling of the effects of changing to different shift systems predicted no improvement, the study found.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/04/airforce_uav_fatigue_041808w/
Tribe eyes its own medal of honor for vets
By Felicia Fonseca - The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Apr 21, 2008 6:41:44 EDT
The leader of the Navajo Nation Council wants to recognize all honorably discharged Navajo veterans with a special medal adorned with bow and arrows and geometric shapes that represent tribal ceremonies performed on warriors returning from battle.
The Dine Nation Medal of Honor would be similar to the Congressional Medal of Honor but with a different meaning, Council Speaker Lawrence Morgan said.
“This medal is something that our Navajo veterans can have as an appreciation long into the future,” Morgan said. But some Navajo veterans say the medal would be a waste of money and would belittle the U.S.’s highest award for valor in action.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/04/ap_navajo_041808/
Posted : Monday Apr 21, 2008 6:41:44 EDT
The leader of the Navajo Nation Council wants to recognize all honorably discharged Navajo veterans with a special medal adorned with bow and arrows and geometric shapes that represent tribal ceremonies performed on warriors returning from battle.
The Dine Nation Medal of Honor would be similar to the Congressional Medal of Honor but with a different meaning, Council Speaker Lawrence Morgan said.
“This medal is something that our Navajo veterans can have as an appreciation long into the future,” Morgan said. But some Navajo veterans say the medal would be a waste of money and would belittle the U.S.’s highest award for valor in action.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/04/ap_navajo_041808/
Campaign stars approved for deployments
Staff report
Posted : Monday Apr 21, 2008 6:39:11 EDT
Service members who have been on multiple deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq are now eligible to wear campaign stars on their Afghanistan or Iraq campaign medals.
The Defense Department on Wednesday approved the wearing of campaign stars. Information on applying to wear the stars is pending.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/04/military_campaign_medal_stars_041808w/
DoD Release at
http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=11848
Posted : Monday Apr 21, 2008 6:39:11 EDT
Service members who have been on multiple deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq are now eligible to wear campaign stars on their Afghanistan or Iraq campaign medals.
The Defense Department on Wednesday approved the wearing of campaign stars. Information on applying to wear the stars is pending.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/04/military_campaign_medal_stars_041808w/
DoD Release at
http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=11848
Nation faces billions in long-term care costs for wounded troops
By Bob Brewin
The United States must prepare to provide lifetime care for troops severely wounded in combat operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Navy's top doctor warned this week. And an independent study released on Thursday concluded that the country also faces a steep mental health care bill for dealing with combat stress.
In the study, the RAND Corp. estimated the costs of dealing with stress issues and psychological illnesses of combat troops at $6.2 billon for just the first two years after those troops return home. That includes direct medical care costs, the price of lost productivity and suicides. The study is the first nongovernmental assessment of the psychological needs of veterans who have served in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Meanwhile, Lt. Gen. Eric Schoomaker, the Army's surgeon general, told reporters at the Pentagon on Thursday that treatment of troops with amputations or severe burns could dramatically improve during the next few years through research efforts led by the new Armed Forces Institute of Regenerative Medicine. The institute, backed by more than $250 million in funding, will grow new cells from a wounded individual to repair burned flesh or replace digits lost in combat, akin to "a salamander growing a new tail," Schoomaker said.
Full story: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=39812&dcn=e_gvet
The United States must prepare to provide lifetime care for troops severely wounded in combat operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Navy's top doctor warned this week. And an independent study released on Thursday concluded that the country also faces a steep mental health care bill for dealing with combat stress.
In the study, the RAND Corp. estimated the costs of dealing with stress issues and psychological illnesses of combat troops at $6.2 billon for just the first two years after those troops return home. That includes direct medical care costs, the price of lost productivity and suicides. The study is the first nongovernmental assessment of the psychological needs of veterans who have served in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Meanwhile, Lt. Gen. Eric Schoomaker, the Army's surgeon general, told reporters at the Pentagon on Thursday that treatment of troops with amputations or severe burns could dramatically improve during the next few years through research efforts led by the new Armed Forces Institute of Regenerative Medicine. The institute, backed by more than $250 million in funding, will grow new cells from a wounded individual to repair burned flesh or replace digits lost in combat, akin to "a salamander growing a new tail," Schoomaker said.
Full story: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=39812&dcn=e_gvet
Distinguished executives honored at Washington gala
By Alyssa Rosenberg
The Senior Executives Association honored an elite group of current and former senior executives at the 23rd annual Presidential Distinguished Rank Award Banquet at the State Department in Washington on Thursday night.
"This evening has provided the recognition so richly deserved and so seldom received by federal executives," said Carol Bonosaro, president of SEA.
Full story: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=39809&dcn=e_gvet
The Senior Executives Association honored an elite group of current and former senior executives at the 23rd annual Presidential Distinguished Rank Award Banquet at the State Department in Washington on Thursday night.
"This evening has provided the recognition so richly deserved and so seldom received by federal executives," said Carol Bonosaro, president of SEA.
Full story: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=39809&dcn=e_gvet
Building a Deep Leadership Bench
The Army Knowledge Leaders Program develops bench strength to replace outgoing baby boomers.
Full column: http://www.governmentexecutive.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=39815m
Full column: http://www.governmentexecutive.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=39815m
Friday, April 18, 2008
Study: 300,000 vets have depression or PTSD
By Pauline Jelinek - The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Apr 18, 2008 9:26:26 EDT
WASHINGTON — Three hundred thousand U.S. troops are suffering from major depression or post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of serving in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and 320,000 received brain injuries, a new study estimates.
Only about half have sought treatment, said the study released Thursday by the RAND Corp.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/04/ap_mental_041708/
Posted : Friday Apr 18, 2008 9:26:26 EDT
WASHINGTON — Three hundred thousand U.S. troops are suffering from major depression or post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of serving in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and 320,000 received brain injuries, a new study estimates.
Only about half have sought treatment, said the study released Thursday by the RAND Corp.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/04/ap_mental_041708/
Top military doctors say six- to nine-month combat tours would reduce stress
By Bob Brewin
The surgeon generals of the Army, Navy and Air Force told senators on Wednesday that the optimal tour in Afghanistan and Iraq to reduce combat stress should be six to nine months with 18 months at home, far shorter than the cut in tours from 15 to 12 months ordered by President Bush last week.
Army Surgeon General Lt. Gen. Eric Schoomaker emphasized that his was a medical assessment of the optimal length for combat tours and that "operational imperatives dictate [length of] deployments."
Vice Adm. Adam Robinson, the Navy's surgeon general, said less time at home between deployments has had a "devastating" effect on troops and their families since the United States commenced operations in Iraq five years ago.
Full story: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=39796&dcn=e_gvet <http://get.govexec-media.com/portal/wts/ccmcfOa8jMaqji8aqAuRaTngy9g>
The surgeon generals of the Army, Navy and Air Force told senators on Wednesday that the optimal tour in Afghanistan and Iraq to reduce combat stress should be six to nine months with 18 months at home, far shorter than the cut in tours from 15 to 12 months ordered by President Bush last week.
Army Surgeon General Lt. Gen. Eric Schoomaker emphasized that his was a medical assessment of the optimal length for combat tours and that "operational imperatives dictate [length of] deployments."
Vice Adm. Adam Robinson, the Navy's surgeon general, said less time at home between deployments has had a "devastating" effect on troops and their families since the United States commenced operations in Iraq five years ago.
Full story: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=39796&dcn=e_gvet <http://get.govexec-media.com/portal/wts/ccmcfOa8jMaqji8aqAuRaTngy9g>
House committee presses State and Defense officials on lack of coordination on nation building
By Rafael Enrique Valero
Lawmakers told State and Defense department leaders at a House Armed Services Committee hearing on Tuesday that their lack of farsighted interagency coordination is blurring jurisdictions in countries like Iraq and Afghanistan. But Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Joints Chiefs Staff Chairman Adm. Michael G. Mullen defended their approach of letting Defense take the lead on foreign military training programs that have traditionally been funded by State.
In 2005, the Army made stability operations a core military objective to keep weak nations from collapsing. The unprecedented shift in military policy has since eclipsed State's traditional budgetary control of some key nation-building programs. In 2006, the Armed Services Committee asked the White House to reconsider whether Defense should be in budgetary control of training and equipping foreign forces and providing stabilization aid instead of State's Foreign Military Financing program.
"That you're both back here today in support of greater authority for the Defense Department would indicate that the administration has not taken the hint," said committee chairman Rep. Ike Skelton, D-Mo. He said that State should lead foreign assistance projects and that changing missions on the battlefield should not drive long-term solutions.
Full story: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=39801&dcn=e_gvet <http://get.govexec-media.com/portal/wts/ccmcfOa8jMaqji8aqAvcaTngy9g>
Lawmakers told State and Defense department leaders at a House Armed Services Committee hearing on Tuesday that their lack of farsighted interagency coordination is blurring jurisdictions in countries like Iraq and Afghanistan. But Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Joints Chiefs Staff Chairman Adm. Michael G. Mullen defended their approach of letting Defense take the lead on foreign military training programs that have traditionally been funded by State.
In 2005, the Army made stability operations a core military objective to keep weak nations from collapsing. The unprecedented shift in military policy has since eclipsed State's traditional budgetary control of some key nation-building programs. In 2006, the Armed Services Committee asked the White House to reconsider whether Defense should be in budgetary control of training and equipping foreign forces and providing stabilization aid instead of State's Foreign Military Financing program.
"That you're both back here today in support of greater authority for the Defense Department would indicate that the administration has not taken the hint," said committee chairman Rep. Ike Skelton, D-Mo. He said that State should lead foreign assistance projects and that changing missions on the battlefield should not drive long-term solutions.
Full story: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=39801&dcn=e_gvet <http://get.govexec-media.com/portal/wts/ccmcfOa8jMaqji8aqAvcaTngy9g>
Airline settles USERRA class-action suit
By Karen Jowers - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Apr 18, 2008 9:31:54 EDT
American Airlines has agreed to a settlement in a class action lawsuit alleging that the airline violated the rights of pilots who are military reservists, by not allowing them to accrue vacation and sick leave benefits while on military leave, according to the Justice Department.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/04/military_pilots_USERRA_041708w/
Posted : Friday Apr 18, 2008 9:31:54 EDT
American Airlines has agreed to a settlement in a class action lawsuit alleging that the airline violated the rights of pilots who are military reservists, by not allowing them to accrue vacation and sick leave benefits while on military leave, according to the Justice Department.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/04/military_pilots_USERRA_041708w/
Bill offers better GI Bill for Guard, reserve
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Apr 18, 2008 9:31:38 EDT
A proposal for a simplified and more generous GI Bill for National Guard and reserve members was unveiled Wednesday by a bipartisan group of 10 senators.
The Reserve Educational Assistance Program Enhancement Act would allow reservists who serve multiple deployments to accumulate credit toward larger education benefits.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/04/military_guardreserve_gibill_041708w/
Posted : Friday Apr 18, 2008 9:31:38 EDT
A proposal for a simplified and more generous GI Bill for National Guard and reserve members was unveiled Wednesday by a bipartisan group of 10 senators.
The Reserve Educational Assistance Program Enhancement Act would allow reservists who serve multiple deployments to accumulate credit toward larger education benefits.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/04/military_guardreserve_gibill_041708w/
Senators: VA should do more to help vets vote
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Apr 18, 2008 9:25:26 EDT
Rebuffed by the Department of Veterans Affairs in an effort to have the federal government help hospitalized veterans register to vote, two Democratic senators are planning their next move, which could include legislation to force VA to create a voter assistance program.
Sens. Dianne Feinstein of California and John Kerry of Massachusetts are pressing VA to allow volunteer groups into hospitals and nursing homes to help veterans register to vote, but VA is resisting.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/04/military_veterans_voterregistration_041708w/
Posted : Friday Apr 18, 2008 9:25:26 EDT
Rebuffed by the Department of Veterans Affairs in an effort to have the federal government help hospitalized veterans register to vote, two Democratic senators are planning their next move, which could include legislation to force VA to create a voter assistance program.
Sens. Dianne Feinstein of California and John Kerry of Massachusetts are pressing VA to allow volunteer groups into hospitals and nursing homes to help veterans register to vote, but VA is resisting.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/04/military_veterans_voterregistration_041708w/
Lack of mental health workers worries senator
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Apr 16, 2008 6:40:05 EDT
One of the chief architects of last year’s Wounded Warrior Act will press the service surgeons general about why the Defense Department doesn’t have enough psychologists, psychiatrists and mental health counselors to deal with the flood of combat veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health issues.
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., will have the opportunity to question the surgeons general at a Wednesday hearing before the Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/04/military_mentalhealth_surgeonsgeneral_041508w/
Posted : Wednesday Apr 16, 2008 6:40:05 EDT
One of the chief architects of last year’s Wounded Warrior Act will press the service surgeons general about why the Defense Department doesn’t have enough psychologists, psychiatrists and mental health counselors to deal with the flood of combat veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health issues.
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., will have the opportunity to question the surgeons general at a Wednesday hearing before the Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/04/military_mentalhealth_surgeonsgeneral_041508w/
More interagency coordination urged for terrorism fight
By William H. McMichael - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Apr 16, 2008 6:39:52 EDT
The idea of boosting the number of multiagency government civilians involved in national defense and better coordinating their efforts in tandem with the military — shortfalls that became apparent after the 2003 invasion of Iraq — appears to have drawn broad support.
The personnel shortfalls had their genesis in the post-Cold War drawdown of the 1990s, when the number of State Department Foreign Service Officers slipped dramatically to the current total of a little less than 6,500.
That was according to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who testified before the House Armed Services Committee on Tuesday in a joint appearance with Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs.
"I think Bob Gates has said that’s somewhere near the number of people in ... military bands or Pentagon lawyers," Rice told the committee.
Gates interrupted her. "A lot more lawyers," he said with a wry grin, drawing chuckles from the committee and observers.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/04/military_cooperation_041508w/
Posted : Wednesday Apr 16, 2008 6:39:52 EDT
The idea of boosting the number of multiagency government civilians involved in national defense and better coordinating their efforts in tandem with the military — shortfalls that became apparent after the 2003 invasion of Iraq — appears to have drawn broad support.
The personnel shortfalls had their genesis in the post-Cold War drawdown of the 1990s, when the number of State Department Foreign Service Officers slipped dramatically to the current total of a little less than 6,500.
That was according to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who testified before the House Armed Services Committee on Tuesday in a joint appearance with Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs.
"I think Bob Gates has said that’s somewhere near the number of people in ... military bands or Pentagon lawyers," Rice told the committee.
Gates interrupted her. "A lot more lawyers," he said with a wry grin, drawing chuckles from the committee and observers.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/04/military_cooperation_041508w/
Blast From the Past (Pay for Performance)
By Brian Friel
The phrase "pay for performance" gets civil servants hot under the collar these days, as government leaders grapple with the perception that all members of the federal workforce receive the same treatment, regardless of their level of effort.
The 1883 Pendleton Act launched the current civil service system. That law's basic tenets of merit-based hiring and firing, free of partisan meddling, remain the foundation of the system 125 years later. Looking back at the debates raging in Washington in the early 1880s, one can understand why the system ended up putting so much emphasis on equal treatment.
http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0408/041608mm.htm
The phrase "pay for performance" gets civil servants hot under the collar these days, as government leaders grapple with the perception that all members of the federal workforce receive the same treatment, regardless of their level of effort.
The 1883 Pendleton Act launched the current civil service system. That law's basic tenets of merit-based hiring and firing, free of partisan meddling, remain the foundation of the system 125 years later. Looking back at the debates raging in Washington in the early 1880s, one can understand why the system ended up putting so much emphasis on equal treatment.
http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0408/041608mm.htm
Many troops with PTSD aren’t treated
Advocates blame stigma, lack of access
By Kelly Kennedy - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Apr 14, 2008 6:08:51 EDT
Post-traumatic stress disorder experts say service members aren’t seeking care, aren’t getting enough time to recover between deployments and aren’t receiving medications or therapies that are known to be effective.
"Problems related to getting troops adequate mental health treatment cannot be resolved unless two issues — stigma and access — are addressed," Todd Bowers, director of government affairs for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, told the House Veterans’ Affairs subcommittee on health on April 1.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/04/army_ptsd_041208w/
By Kelly Kennedy - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Apr 14, 2008 6:08:51 EDT
Post-traumatic stress disorder experts say service members aren’t seeking care, aren’t getting enough time to recover between deployments and aren’t receiving medications or therapies that are known to be effective.
"Problems related to getting troops adequate mental health treatment cannot be resolved unless two issues — stigma and access — are addressed," Todd Bowers, director of government affairs for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, told the House Veterans’ Affairs subcommittee on health on April 1.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/04/army_ptsd_041208w/
Bill would let more reservists retire early
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Apr 9, 2008 16:06:00 EDT
A bipartisan group of 10 senators moved Wednesday to greatly expand a new reserve retirement pay formula to provide credit toward earlier retirement checks for any time spent mobilized since Sept. 11, 2001.
A new law took effect in January that allows reservists, who now must wait until age 60 to draw military retirement pay, to get payments 90 days earlier for every 90 days of continuous mobilization. But credit is given only for days spent on active duty as of the date the bill became law.
The lack of retroactive credit in the new law, included in the 2008 Defense Authorization Act that was signed on Jan. 28, prompted complaints from a host of military and veterans groups, including the major National Guard and reserve associations.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/04/military_reserve_retiredpay_040908w/
Posted : Wednesday Apr 9, 2008 16:06:00 EDT
A bipartisan group of 10 senators moved Wednesday to greatly expand a new reserve retirement pay formula to provide credit toward earlier retirement checks for any time spent mobilized since Sept. 11, 2001.
A new law took effect in January that allows reservists, who now must wait until age 60 to draw military retirement pay, to get payments 90 days earlier for every 90 days of continuous mobilization. But credit is given only for days spent on active duty as of the date the bill became law.
The lack of retroactive credit in the new law, included in the 2008 Defense Authorization Act that was signed on Jan. 28, prompted complaints from a host of military and veterans groups, including the major National Guard and reserve associations.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/04/military_reserve_retiredpay_040908w/
VA pay hurts recruiting of medical personnel, panel says
By Alyssa Rosenberg
Pay systems pose significant challenges to the Veterans Affairs Department's efforts to hire enough doctors and nurses to meet the growing health care needs of veterans, said lawmakers and witnesses at a Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee hearing on Thursday.
"A simple truth of VA health care is that its providers are the real backbone of the system," said committee Chairman Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii. "If the providers are not present, or are there but unhappy in their jobs, it is unlikely that veterans will receive the quality care they need and deserve."
A number of witnesses pointed to the growing vacancy rate of certified registered nurse anesthetists as an indication of the challenge's magnitude.
Full story: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=39737&dcn=e_ndw <http://ndw.govexec-media.com/portal/wts/ccmcfOa72raqjcuqoCBFaR6SrTg>
Pay systems pose significant challenges to the Veterans Affairs Department's efforts to hire enough doctors and nurses to meet the growing health care needs of veterans, said lawmakers and witnesses at a Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee hearing on Thursday.
"A simple truth of VA health care is that its providers are the real backbone of the system," said committee Chairman Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii. "If the providers are not present, or are there but unhappy in their jobs, it is unlikely that veterans will receive the quality care they need and deserve."
A number of witnesses pointed to the growing vacancy rate of certified registered nurse anesthetists as an indication of the challenge's magnitude.
Full story: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=39737&dcn=e_ndw <http://ndw.govexec-media.com/portal/wts/ccmcfOa72raqjcuqoCBFaR6SrTg>
Collecting Human Capital Practices
By Tom Shoop Friday, April 11, 2008 09:09 AM
The Chief Human Capital Officers Council released a report last week that could help federal agencies develop better human capital strategies. In the 96-page report, called "Collection of Human Capital Practices," 12 high-performing agencies describe their approaches to not only performance management, training and telework programs, but pandemic influenza planning, and preparations for the transition to the next presidential administration.
The CHCO Council chose the agencies featured in the report -- which include the Social Security Administration, the National Science Foundation and the Homeland Security Department -- for their human capital successes based on two studies (here and here), and a performance culture index established by the Office of Personnel Management. OPM described the "high performing" agencies as having had "the greatest improvements in performance management." -- Rafael Enrique Valero
http://blogs.govexec.com/fedblog/2008/04/collecting_human_capital_pract.php
The Chief Human Capital Officers Council released a report last week that could help federal agencies develop better human capital strategies. In the 96-page report, called "Collection of Human Capital Practices," 12 high-performing agencies describe their approaches to not only performance management, training and telework programs, but pandemic influenza planning, and preparations for the transition to the next presidential administration.
The CHCO Council chose the agencies featured in the report -- which include the Social Security Administration, the National Science Foundation and the Homeland Security Department -- for their human capital successes based on two studies (here and here), and a performance culture index established by the Office of Personnel Management. OPM described the "high performing" agencies as having had "the greatest improvements in performance management." -- Rafael Enrique Valero
http://blogs.govexec.com/fedblog/2008/04/collecting_human_capital_pract.php
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
From President Bush's Remarks at Medal of Honor Ceremony for Petty Officer Michael A. Monsoor, U.S. Navy
"Nearly every SEAL on the West Coast turned out for Mike's funeral in California. As the SEALs filed past the casket, they removed their golden tridents from their uniforms, pressed them onto the walls of the coffin. The procession went on nearly half an hour. And when it was all over, the simple wooden coffin had become a gold-plated memorial to a hero who will never be forgotten."
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Monsoor’s family to get MoH today
Navy Times Staff report
Posted : Tuesday Apr 8, 2008 9:05:32 EDT
The family of a Navy SEAL who was killed in Iraq when he dove on a grenade to save his shipmates will accept his Medal of Honor at the White House today.
Master-at-Arms 2nd Class (SEAL) Michael Monsoor was with a four-man sniper team on a rooftop in Ramadi when he smothered the grenade that took his life Sept. 29, 2006. He will be the first member of the Navy to receive the Medal of Honor for actions in Iraq and the second since the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan began.
A Navy Web site dedicated to Monsoor offers a schedule of events honoring the SEAL.
Navy web site http://www.navy.mil/moh/monsoor/index.html
Lincoln sailors honor dead in burial at sea
By Jim Haley - The Herald
Posted : Monday Apr 7, 2008 6:24:32 EDT
EVERETT, Wash. — The Everett-based aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln came to a halt in the Pacific Ocean a week after leaving its home port to take care of a solemn and time-honored tradition.
Containers with the ashes of 33 former military service members were deposited in the sea March 19 off the southern California coast, the requests of military people or their families.
Burial-at-sea ceremonies often are conducted using deployed naval vessels and are coordinated through hospitals and the Defense Department, said Lt. Karin Burzynski, a ship’s spokeswoman.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/04/ap_burialatsea_040408/
Posted : Monday Apr 7, 2008 6:24:32 EDT
EVERETT, Wash. — The Everett-based aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln came to a halt in the Pacific Ocean a week after leaving its home port to take care of a solemn and time-honored tradition.
Containers with the ashes of 33 former military service members were deposited in the sea March 19 off the southern California coast, the requests of military people or their families.
Burial-at-sea ceremonies often are conducted using deployed naval vessels and are coordinated through hospitals and the Defense Department, said Lt. Karin Burzynski, a ship’s spokeswoman.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/04/ap_burialatsea_040408/
Panel approves bill to restore back raises to GAO employees
By Brittany R. Ballenstedt bballenstedt@govexec.com
April 7, 2008
Hundreds of employees at the Government Accountability Office are one step closer to receiving lump-sum payments for pay increases they were denied in 2006 and 2007.
The House Oversight and Government Reform Federal Workforce Subcommittee passed legislation on Thursday that would restore raises to more than 300 analysts who were excluded under a pay system that began in 2005, even though they received satisfactory performance ratings.
Pay reforms under David M. Walker, who recently resigned as comptroller general, resulted in a split payband in the mid-level ranks. Employees assigned to the lower half of the salary range were denied raises, even though most received ratings of "meets expectations." The changes fueled complaints that led to a congressional hearing and an employee effort to unionize.
http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=39718&dcn=todaysnews
April 7, 2008
Hundreds of employees at the Government Accountability Office are one step closer to receiving lump-sum payments for pay increases they were denied in 2006 and 2007.
The House Oversight and Government Reform Federal Workforce Subcommittee passed legislation on Thursday that would restore raises to more than 300 analysts who were excluded under a pay system that began in 2005, even though they received satisfactory performance ratings.
Pay reforms under David M. Walker, who recently resigned as comptroller general, resulted in a split payband in the mid-level ranks. Employees assigned to the lower half of the salary range were denied raises, even though most received ratings of "meets expectations." The changes fueled complaints that led to a congressional hearing and an employee effort to unionize.
http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=39718&dcn=todaysnews
Diversity lacking among agencies' senior ranks, say lawmakers
By Alyssa Rosenberg arosenberg@govexec.com
April 4, 2008
Lawmakers sharply criticized the Office of Personnel Management and agencies for failing to advance diversity in the Senior Executive Service at a joint hearing of the House and Senate's federal workforce subcommittees on Thursday.
"Despite the outreach and federal requirements, agencies just haven't been up to the task of promoting diversity in the senior ranks in a way that is convincing," said Rep. Charles Gonzalez, D-Texas. "Members of our communities can no longer wait for agencies to wake up and discover that they need to include diversity in their succession planning. Agencies by themselves cannot and will not do it."
The lawmakers expressed dismay at a Government Accountability Office report that found the number of African-American men in SES positions fell from 5.5 percent in October 2000 to 5 percent in September 2007. The same report found that the representation of women and minorities in the SES, and in General Schedule levels 14 and 15 -- employees most likely to become senior executives -- had increased since 2000.
http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=39705&dcn=todaysnews
April 4, 2008
Lawmakers sharply criticized the Office of Personnel Management and agencies for failing to advance diversity in the Senior Executive Service at a joint hearing of the House and Senate's federal workforce subcommittees on Thursday.
"Despite the outreach and federal requirements, agencies just haven't been up to the task of promoting diversity in the senior ranks in a way that is convincing," said Rep. Charles Gonzalez, D-Texas. "Members of our communities can no longer wait for agencies to wake up and discover that they need to include diversity in their succession planning. Agencies by themselves cannot and will not do it."
The lawmakers expressed dismay at a Government Accountability Office report that found the number of African-American men in SES positions fell from 5.5 percent in October 2000 to 5 percent in September 2007. The same report found that the representation of women and minorities in the SES, and in General Schedule levels 14 and 15 -- employees most likely to become senior executives -- had increased since 2000.
http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=39705&dcn=todaysnews
More lawmakers float plans for better GI Bill
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Apr 4, 2008 9:33:40 EDT
Two key lawmakers have unveiled a compromise proposal for increasing GI Bill benefits that might be acceptable to the Defense Department, which is worried that an overly generous education benefits program would hurt readiness by encouraging troops to leave service.
For those who serve at least three years on active duty, the Veterans Education Improvement Act, introduced Wednesday, would provide basic benefits of $1,450 a month — which just happens to be the amount top Pentagon officials named in January as the maximum acceptable level before the GI Bill would become so attractive that it would hurt retention.
In addition, the Department of Veterans Affairs would pay a $500 monthly stipend for those attending school at least half-time and a $250 monthly stipend for those attending less than half time.
While the proposed full-time payment is well above the current maximum payment of $1,101 per month, the $1,450 paid over nine months of schooling per year still would be slightly less than the national annual average cost of $13,589 in tuition and fees for attending a four-year public college or university. It also would be far short of the average $32,307 average cost for a four-year private school.
Stipends, not paid under the current GI Bill, would leave GI Bill users far better off than they are today.
Reps. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, D-S.D., and John Boozman, R-Ark., are the chief sponsors of the bill, HR 5684.
Herseth Sandlin is the chairwoman and Boozman the ranking Republican on the House Veterans’ Affairs economic opportunity subcommittee, which is responsible for GI Bill initiatives. That automatically gives their proposal a leg up.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/04/military_gibill_compromise_040408w/
Posted : Friday Apr 4, 2008 9:33:40 EDT
Two key lawmakers have unveiled a compromise proposal for increasing GI Bill benefits that might be acceptable to the Defense Department, which is worried that an overly generous education benefits program would hurt readiness by encouraging troops to leave service.
For those who serve at least three years on active duty, the Veterans Education Improvement Act, introduced Wednesday, would provide basic benefits of $1,450 a month — which just happens to be the amount top Pentagon officials named in January as the maximum acceptable level before the GI Bill would become so attractive that it would hurt retention.
In addition, the Department of Veterans Affairs would pay a $500 monthly stipend for those attending school at least half-time and a $250 monthly stipend for those attending less than half time.
While the proposed full-time payment is well above the current maximum payment of $1,101 per month, the $1,450 paid over nine months of schooling per year still would be slightly less than the national annual average cost of $13,589 in tuition and fees for attending a four-year public college or university. It also would be far short of the average $32,307 average cost for a four-year private school.
Stipends, not paid under the current GI Bill, would leave GI Bill users far better off than they are today.
Reps. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, D-S.D., and John Boozman, R-Ark., are the chief sponsors of the bill, HR 5684.
Herseth Sandlin is the chairwoman and Boozman the ranking Republican on the House Veterans’ Affairs economic opportunity subcommittee, which is responsible for GI Bill initiatives. That automatically gives their proposal a leg up.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/04/military_gibill_compromise_040408w/
Surgeon General: Focus on outcomes will advance Army health care
BY BOB BREWIN
The Army should adopt the combat medicine practices used in Afghanistan and Iraq and shift its medical model away from one focused on costly processes to one based on health outcomes, its surgeon general said.
Comment on this article in The Forum.The Army practices "effects-based" medicine in Afghanistan and Iraq, which includes investing in such services as an aero-medical evacuation system that can transfer a soldier from the battlefield to a stateside hospital in 24 hours, said Lt. Gen. Eric Schoomaker. The procedure has boosted survival rates for wounded soldiers to about 95 percent as compared with a 70 percent survival rate for wounded soldiers in the Vietnam War.
The Air Force has evacuated 40,000 military personnel from those countries in the past five years on airborne intensive care units "and has never lost a patient" due to the level of care provided on these flights, said Schoomaker, who spoke on March 27 at the Defense Health Care Information Technology Conference at Georgetown University.
Full story: http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20080328_6213.php?zone=ngtoday <http://gove-media.com/portal/wts/cgmcfOcD8aecmCyd7x0qnhDOfVa>
The Army should adopt the combat medicine practices used in Afghanistan and Iraq and shift its medical model away from one focused on costly processes to one based on health outcomes, its surgeon general said.
Comment on this article in The Forum.The Army practices "effects-based" medicine in Afghanistan and Iraq, which includes investing in such services as an aero-medical evacuation system that can transfer a soldier from the battlefield to a stateside hospital in 24 hours, said Lt. Gen. Eric Schoomaker. The procedure has boosted survival rates for wounded soldiers to about 95 percent as compared with a 70 percent survival rate for wounded soldiers in the Vietnam War.
The Air Force has evacuated 40,000 military personnel from those countries in the past five years on airborne intensive care units "and has never lost a patient" due to the level of care provided on these flights, said Schoomaker, who spoke on March 27 at the Defense Health Care Information Technology Conference at Georgetown University.
Full story: http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20080328_6213.php?zone=ngtoday <http://gove-media.com/portal/wts/cgmcfOcD8aecmCyd7x0qnhDOfVa>
Pentagon blurred line between contractors, feds: GAO
By Robert Brodsky
The Defense Department relies excessively on a growing band of private contract specialists to assist with its acquisitions, blurring the line between federal employees and contractors and opening the door for serious conflicts of interest, according to a new report by the Government Accountability Office.
Auditors found that 42 percent of the Army Contracting Agency's Contracting Center of Excellence's contract specialists work for private industry but often were not identified as such when dealing with the public.
These contractor employees, who assist in preparing statements of work, managing acquisition plans and drawing up contracting documents, are paid 27 percent more than their similarly graded federal counterparts, even when including benefits. The contractors, however, were found to have more acquisition-related experience than the federal employees. In 2007, CCE handled nearly $1.8 billion in contracts.
Full story: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=39628&dcn=e_gvet <http://get.govexec-media.com/portal/wts/cgmcfOcDe6ecmyyd7cjangwj-8a>
The Defense Department relies excessively on a growing band of private contract specialists to assist with its acquisitions, blurring the line between federal employees and contractors and opening the door for serious conflicts of interest, according to a new report by the Government Accountability Office.
Auditors found that 42 percent of the Army Contracting Agency's Contracting Center of Excellence's contract specialists work for private industry but often were not identified as such when dealing with the public.
These contractor employees, who assist in preparing statements of work, managing acquisition plans and drawing up contracting documents, are paid 27 percent more than their similarly graded federal counterparts, even when including benefits. The contractors, however, were found to have more acquisition-related experience than the federal employees. In 2007, CCE handled nearly $1.8 billion in contracts.
Full story: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=39628&dcn=e_gvet <http://get.govexec-media.com/portal/wts/cgmcfOcDe6ecmyyd7cjangwj-8a>
Study: agencies should capitalize on strengths to attract mid-level hires
By Brittany Ballenstedt
Federal service has strengths that agencies can capitalize on to attract highly skilled mid-level workers, according to a study released on Tuesday by the Merit Systems Protection Board.
The study found that upper-level new hires hold favorable views of their agencies compared with their previous employers. Contributing factors included more workplace flexibility, challenging work, and better opportunities for training and development.
The report -- part of a series of three studies that explore how the federal government attracts and hires employees -- examined personnel data from fiscal 1990 through 2005. MSPB also surveyed a random sample of upper-level employees hired in fiscal 2005 and their supervisors to learn more about their views and experiences with the hiring process.
Full story: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=39629&dcn=e_gvet <http://get.govexec-media.com/portal/wts/cgmcfOcDe6ecmyyd7cjLngwj-8a>
Federal service has strengths that agencies can capitalize on to attract highly skilled mid-level workers, according to a study released on Tuesday by the Merit Systems Protection Board.
The study found that upper-level new hires hold favorable views of their agencies compared with their previous employers. Contributing factors included more workplace flexibility, challenging work, and better opportunities for training and development.
The report -- part of a series of three studies that explore how the federal government attracts and hires employees -- examined personnel data from fiscal 1990 through 2005. MSPB also surveyed a random sample of upper-level employees hired in fiscal 2005 and their supervisors to learn more about their views and experiences with the hiring process.
Full story: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=39629&dcn=e_gvet <http://get.govexec-media.com/portal/wts/cgmcfOcDe6ecmyyd7cjLngwj-8a>
Intelligence community places premium on collaboration and job satisfaction, survey says
By Rafael Enrique Valero
The intelligence community has embraced a spirit of collaboration and rates higher on job satisfaction than government as a whole, according to a recent employee survey by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. But there's room for improvement, the report said.
"Yes, we are collaborating more, but we're still not at the level we that need to be," said Ronald Sanders, chief human capital officer at ODNI. "There's still a significant gap between the indentified need for collaboration and the amount of it that actually occurs."
Eighty-four percent of those surveyed at the 16 military and civilian intelligence agencies said their mission depended on "sharing knowledge and collaborating," according to the 2007 IC Annual Employee Climate Survey. That figure rose 9 percent from the previous year.
Full story: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=39624&dcn=e_gvet <http://get.govexec-media.com/portal/wts/cgmcfOcDe6ecmyyd7cmqngwj-8a>
The intelligence community has embraced a spirit of collaboration and rates higher on job satisfaction than government as a whole, according to a recent employee survey by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. But there's room for improvement, the report said.
"Yes, we are collaborating more, but we're still not at the level we that need to be," said Ronald Sanders, chief human capital officer at ODNI. "There's still a significant gap between the indentified need for collaboration and the amount of it that actually occurs."
Eighty-four percent of those surveyed at the 16 military and civilian intelligence agencies said their mission depended on "sharing knowledge and collaborating," according to the 2007 IC Annual Employee Climate Survey. That figure rose 9 percent from the previous year.
Full story: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=39624&dcn=e_gvet <http://get.govexec-media.com/portal/wts/cgmcfOcDe6ecmyyd7cmqngwj-8a>
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