BY BOB BREWIN BBREWIN @GOVEXEC.COM
The Military Health System plans to deploy patient-controlled personal health records by the end of the year, and could become one of the first large groups to adopt the technology.
In a blog post on the MHS Web site last week, S. Ward Casscells, assistant secretary of Defense for health affairs, said he believed the organization can offer "something like" personal health records developed by Google, Microsoft, WebMD or RevolutionHealth, a consumer-focused health care company headed by Steve Case, the founder of AOL.
"We are investigating ways to incorporate the services and features offered by these commercial vendors as a way to expedite the development of our PHR and expand its capabilities by November 2008," said Terry Jones, an MHS spokesman.
Full story: http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20080624_9941.php?zone=ngtoday <http://gove-media.com/portal/wts/ccmcfOaBvhaqkxBavD8rbk3TuFb>
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Study: Tech jobs booming in Washington region
BY ANDREW NOYES, CONGRESSDAILY
The high-tech industry in the Washington region added 6,100 jobs for a total of 295,800 workers in 2006, making the capital region the second largest "cybercity" by high-tech employment, behind only the New York metro area, the American Electronics Association said in a report released on Tuesday.
The nation's capital also has the fifth highest concentration of high-tech workers in the nation, according to the most current metropolitan data available. High-tech firms employed 132 of every 1,000 private sector workers in 2006. The jobs are high paying too -- the average tech sector worker in Washington earned $92,700, about 67 percent more than the region's average private sector wage.
Ninety-five percent of Washington's high-tech industry is in the services sectors, AeA noted in its report. The area ranked first in the nation by employment in computer systems design and related services, with 137,100 workers in 2006. It also ranked first in engineering services, with 44,400 jobs, and 2nd in R&D and testing labs, with 40,200 jobs.
Full story: http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20080624_6963.php?zone=ngtoday <http://gove-media.com/portal/wts/ccmcfOaBvhaqkxBavD8tbk3TuFb>
The high-tech industry in the Washington region added 6,100 jobs for a total of 295,800 workers in 2006, making the capital region the second largest "cybercity" by high-tech employment, behind only the New York metro area, the American Electronics Association said in a report released on Tuesday.
The nation's capital also has the fifth highest concentration of high-tech workers in the nation, according to the most current metropolitan data available. High-tech firms employed 132 of every 1,000 private sector workers in 2006. The jobs are high paying too -- the average tech sector worker in Washington earned $92,700, about 67 percent more than the region's average private sector wage.
Ninety-five percent of Washington's high-tech industry is in the services sectors, AeA noted in its report. The area ranked first in the nation by employment in computer systems design and related services, with 137,100 workers in 2006. It also ranked first in engineering services, with 44,400 jobs, and 2nd in R&D and testing labs, with 40,200 jobs.
Full story: http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20080624_6963.php?zone=ngtoday <http://gove-media.com/portal/wts/ccmcfOaBvhaqkxBavD8tbk3TuFb>
DoD approves new social networking Web site
By Karen Jowers - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Jun 20, 2008 8:11:32 EDT
A new social networking Web site has been approved by Pentagon officials to help service members and their families and friends stay in touch.
Families can get their own sites for free, and keep them as long as the sponsor is on active duty. The nonprofit network, Websites for Heroes, is funded by donations from individuals and corporations.
The network is secure, password-protected and requires little bandwidth. Last year, when officials blocked access to some popular social networking sites like MySpace and YouTube on Defense Department computers, they cited the need to guarantee bandwidth availability for mission-critical functions.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/06/military_socialnetworking_website_061908w/
Posted : Friday Jun 20, 2008 8:11:32 EDT
A new social networking Web site has been approved by Pentagon officials to help service members and their families and friends stay in touch.
Families can get their own sites for free, and keep them as long as the sponsor is on active duty. The nonprofit network, Websites for Heroes, is funded by donations from individuals and corporations.
The network is secure, password-protected and requires little bandwidth. Last year, when officials blocked access to some popular social networking sites like MySpace and YouTube on Defense Department computers, they cited the need to guarantee bandwidth availability for mission-critical functions.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/06/military_socialnetworking_website_061908w/
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Cartoon is Navy’s envoy to anxious Japan
By Philip Ewing - Staff writer Posted : Monday Jun 16, 2008 7:17:30 EDT
Damage Controlman 3rd Class Jack O’Hara is a bumbler. On his first sea tour aboard the carrier George Washington, O’Hara is seasick, gets lost, gets chewed out for showing up late to his work center, kills his shins on the knee-knockers, and, when he runs to the wrong space during a general quarters drill, a supervisor tells him he’s just been "killed." He has to play a corpse for the rest of the evolution.
But O’Hara isn’t just any novice sailor on his first deployment. He’s the Navy’s fictional ambassador to the people of Japan, starring in a Japanese-style comic book, known as "manga," designed to introduce the nuclear-powered George Washington to an uneasy nation that until now has hosted only conventionally powered carriers.
Bush signs new military tax breaks into law
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Jun 19, 2008 7:55:10 EDT
A military tax bill containing a combination of new tax benefits and the extension of existing benefits was signed into law Tuesday by President Bush.
The Heroes Earnings Assistance and Relief Tax Act of 2008, or HEART Act, includes a provision allowing military families to receive the $600-per-person economic stimulus rebate even if a spouse does not have a Social Security number.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/06/military_taxbill_061808w/
Posted : Thursday Jun 19, 2008 7:55:10 EDT
A military tax bill containing a combination of new tax benefits and the extension of existing benefits was signed into law Tuesday by President Bush.
The Heroes Earnings Assistance and Relief Tax Act of 2008, or HEART Act, includes a provision allowing military families to receive the $600-per-person economic stimulus rebate even if a spouse does not have a Social Security number.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/06/military_taxbill_061808w/
Study says women veterans lead nonvets in pay
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Jun 19, 2008 8:03:25 EDT
A newly released analysis of the earning power of veterans appears to show that women veterans benefit more in post-service earnings compared to women who have never served than male veterans do when compared to men who have never served.
A U.S. Census Bureau comparison of veteran and nonveteran earnings, based on 2005 information, shows that female veterans earn an average of $4,945 per year more than nonveteran females while the salary difference is just $2,248 per year for male veterans when compared to males who never served in the military.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/06/military_womenveterans_earnings_061808w/
Posted : Thursday Jun 19, 2008 8:03:25 EDT
A newly released analysis of the earning power of veterans appears to show that women veterans benefit more in post-service earnings compared to women who have never served than male veterans do when compared to men who have never served.
A U.S. Census Bureau comparison of veteran and nonveteran earnings, based on 2005 information, shows that female veterans earn an average of $4,945 per year more than nonveteran females while the salary difference is just $2,248 per year for male veterans when compared to males who never served in the military.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/06/military_womenveterans_earnings_061808w/
SouthCom chief encourages military bloggers
Stavridis to TFX News: Write On !
By Andrew Scutro - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Jun 18, 2008 9:55:29 EDT
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — The four-star chief of U.S. Southern Command urged service members to become published writers and bloggers at a three-day conference of the U.S. Naval Institute beginning here Tuesday.
Adm. James Stavridis, author of several guides and books on the Navy, said it’s important for members of the military, contractors and retirees to "read, think, write and publish."
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/06/military_stavridis_bloggers_061708w/
By Andrew Scutro - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Jun 18, 2008 9:55:29 EDT
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — The four-star chief of U.S. Southern Command urged service members to become published writers and bloggers at a three-day conference of the U.S. Naval Institute beginning here Tuesday.
Adm. James Stavridis, author of several guides and books on the Navy, said it’s important for members of the military, contractors and retirees to "read, think, write and publish."
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/06/military_stavridis_bloggers_061708w/
Ready for life after NMCI?
Few specifics so far for next-generation intranet system
By Antonie Boessenkool - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Jun 18, 2008 12:41:05
When the Navy’s $9.9 billion contract for its sprawling Navy-Marine Corps Intranet program expires in a little over two years, there will be changes.
Whether they will be the kind of changes that will make sailors and Marines — fed up with years of error messages and piles of other user problems — dance for joy remains to be seen. As for the Next Generation Enterprise Network, the follow-on to NMCI, Robert Carey, the Navy Department’s chief information officer, wouldn’t comment on when the Navy would put out a request for proposals.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/06/navy_nmci_061608w/
By Antonie Boessenkool - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Jun 18, 2008 12:41:05
When the Navy’s $9.9 billion contract for its sprawling Navy-Marine Corps Intranet program expires in a little over two years, there will be changes.
Whether they will be the kind of changes that will make sailors and Marines — fed up with years of error messages and piles of other user problems — dance for joy remains to be seen. As for the Next Generation Enterprise Network, the follow-on to NMCI, Robert Carey, the Navy Department’s chief information officer, wouldn’t comment on when the Navy would put out a request for proposals.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/06/navy_nmci_061608w/
Troops risk ruin while awaiting benefit checks
By Michelle Roberts - The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Jun 18, 2008 13:11:28 EDT
SAN ANTONIO — His lifelong dream of becoming a soldier had, in the end, come to this for Isaac Stevens: 28, penniless, in a wheelchair, fending off the sexual advances of another man in a homeless shelter.
Stevens’ descent from Army private first class in 3rd Infantry Division began in 2005 — not in battle, since he was never sent off to Iraq or Afghanistan, but with a headfirst fall over a wall on the obstacle course at Fort Benning, Ga. He suffered a head injury and spinal damage.
The injury alone didn’t put him in a homeless shelter. Instead, it was military bureaucracy — specifically, the way injured service members are discharged on just a fraction of their salary and then forced to wait six to nine months, and sometimes even more than a year, before their full disability payments begin to flow.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/06/ap_wounded_soldiers_061608/
Posted : Wednesday Jun 18, 2008 13:11:28 EDT
SAN ANTONIO — His lifelong dream of becoming a soldier had, in the end, come to this for Isaac Stevens: 28, penniless, in a wheelchair, fending off the sexual advances of another man in a homeless shelter.
Stevens’ descent from Army private first class in 3rd Infantry Division began in 2005 — not in battle, since he was never sent off to Iraq or Afghanistan, but with a headfirst fall over a wall on the obstacle course at Fort Benning, Ga. He suffered a head injury and spinal damage.
The injury alone didn’t put him in a homeless shelter. Instead, it was military bureaucracy — specifically, the way injured service members are discharged on just a fraction of their salary and then forced to wait six to nine months, and sometimes even more than a year, before their full disability payments begin to flow.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/06/ap_wounded_soldiers_061608/
Mercy wins hearts amid danger in Philippines
By Jim Gomez - The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Jun 16, 2008 8:18:46 EDT
CALBAYOG, Philippines — A mayor waited five years in vain for Filipino politicians to make good on a promise to build a badly needed health clinic in this far-flung city. U.S. Navy Seabees helped local troops construct it — in 30 days.
The Seabees, the Navy’s construction units, arrived weeks ahead of the hospital ship USNS Mercy, which visited impoverished Calbayog for the second time Saturday after treating thousands of people for free in 1987.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/06/ap_mercy_philippines_061508/
Posted : Monday Jun 16, 2008 8:18:46 EDT
CALBAYOG, Philippines — A mayor waited five years in vain for Filipino politicians to make good on a promise to build a badly needed health clinic in this far-flung city. U.S. Navy Seabees helped local troops construct it — in 30 days.
The Seabees, the Navy’s construction units, arrived weeks ahead of the hospital ship USNS Mercy, which visited impoverished Calbayog for the second time Saturday after treating thousands of people for free in 1987.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/06/ap_mercy_philippines_061508/
Veterans groups seek funding in advance
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr., National Journal
Veterans benefits are one of the most popular causes in Congress. But Veterans Affairs hospitals and clinics are routinely buffeted by the annual uncertainties of the increasingly dysfunctional budget process on Capitol Hill. Now veterans advocates have proposed a controversial fix.
For years, veterans groups have argued, in vain, for making veterans health care funding automatic, as it is for Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare. In recent months, however, a coalition led by the 1.4 million-member Disabled American Veterans has switched tactics. Instead of seeking politically unpalatable mandatory funding, the group is proposing that VA health care be funded through an obscure legislative mechanism called "advance appropriations."
In contrast to mandatory or entitlement funding, the advance-appropriations process does let Congress vote on funding levels--but it does so a year in advance of the regular budget cycle. So while Congress debates most programs' appropriations for fiscal 2009, it is setting aside almost $30 billion worth of advance appropriations for 2010. This money funds an eclectic mix of programs ranging from Section 8 housing subsidies to education grants to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. No matter how delayed or disrupted funding may be for the rest of the federal government, these advance-appropriations programs are guaranteed to get their money on time, at the start of each fiscal year. "The VA has had a hideous problem for a decade" with tardy funding bills, said John M. Bradley, a longtime Hill staffer who is now with the Disabled American Veterans. "Advance appropriations are a very attractive potential vehicle."
Full story: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=40258&dcn=e_ndw <http://ndw.govexec-media.com/portal/wts/ccmcfOaBe-aqkteqvtEhbjrM2yd>
Veterans benefits are one of the most popular causes in Congress. But Veterans Affairs hospitals and clinics are routinely buffeted by the annual uncertainties of the increasingly dysfunctional budget process on Capitol Hill. Now veterans advocates have proposed a controversial fix.
For years, veterans groups have argued, in vain, for making veterans health care funding automatic, as it is for Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare. In recent months, however, a coalition led by the 1.4 million-member Disabled American Veterans has switched tactics. Instead of seeking politically unpalatable mandatory funding, the group is proposing that VA health care be funded through an obscure legislative mechanism called "advance appropriations."
In contrast to mandatory or entitlement funding, the advance-appropriations process does let Congress vote on funding levels--but it does so a year in advance of the regular budget cycle. So while Congress debates most programs' appropriations for fiscal 2009, it is setting aside almost $30 billion worth of advance appropriations for 2010. This money funds an eclectic mix of programs ranging from Section 8 housing subsidies to education grants to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. No matter how delayed or disrupted funding may be for the rest of the federal government, these advance-appropriations programs are guaranteed to get their money on time, at the start of each fiscal year. "The VA has had a hideous problem for a decade" with tardy funding bills, said John M. Bradley, a longtime Hill staffer who is now with the Disabled American Veterans. "Advance appropriations are a very attractive potential vehicle."
Full story: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=40258&dcn=e_ndw <http://ndw.govexec-media.com/portal/wts/ccmcfOaBe-aqkteqvtEhbjrM2yd>
Management Matters: Crossing Boundaries
By Adrian Wolfberg
The Defense Intelligence Agency's Knowledge Laboratory works to change behaviors from Cold War norms to those that foster agile networked collaboration and rapid integration of knowledge. It focuses on getting people to work together - sharing their research and analysis while it's in progress, not just when projects are finished. It also helps people overcome their tendency to hold on to information as if it belonged to them, since government cannot afford to behave this way anymore.
Full column: http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0608/061808mm.htm <http://get.govexec-media.com/portal/wts/ccmcfOaADBaqkr-qvknRbiE9Atk>
The Defense Intelligence Agency's Knowledge Laboratory works to change behaviors from Cold War norms to those that foster agile networked collaboration and rapid integration of knowledge. It focuses on getting people to work together - sharing their research and analysis while it's in progress, not just when projects are finished. It also helps people overcome their tendency to hold on to information as if it belonged to them, since government cannot afford to behave this way anymore.
Full column: http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0608/061808mm.htm <http://get.govexec-media.com/portal/wts/ccmcfOaADBaqkr-qvknRbiE9Atk>
Millions of contract employees to be vetted for legal employment status
By Robert Brodsky
Federal contractors will be required to vet nearly 4 million current and future employees through an online government database to verify their legal working status, under a proposed rule published last week in the Federal Register.
The Federal Acquisition Regulation notice, however, does not resolve questions about how the government will oversee the system or punish companies that fail to fire illegal immigrants.
President Bush issued an executive order on June 9 requiring that, as a condition of all future federal contracts, companies must agree to use E-Verify, an electronic employment eligibility verification system. The program currently is voluntary for private sector companies but mandatory for federal agencies.
Full story: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=40257&dcn=e_tma <http://tma.govexec-media.com/portal/wts/ccmcfOaA8BaqkkuqvfjFbi3dked>
Federal contractors will be required to vet nearly 4 million current and future employees through an online government database to verify their legal working status, under a proposed rule published last week in the Federal Register.
The Federal Acquisition Regulation notice, however, does not resolve questions about how the government will oversee the system or punish companies that fail to fire illegal immigrants.
President Bush issued an executive order on June 9 requiring that, as a condition of all future federal contracts, companies must agree to use E-Verify, an electronic employment eligibility verification system. The program currently is voluntary for private sector companies but mandatory for federal agencies.
Full story: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=40257&dcn=e_tma <http://tma.govexec-media.com/portal/wts/ccmcfOaA8BaqkkuqvfjFbi3dked>
Execs' association calls for pay reform, more career positions
By Alyssa Rosenberg
The Senior Executives Association will push the new Congress to reform the civil service compensation system and the new president to fill more high-ranking positions with career civil servants instead of political appointees, SEA president Carol Bonosaro and general counsel William Bransford said at the organization's conference on Tuesday.
"The problem in our view is not only the loss of a lot of talent, experience and accomplishment from the government, but are the most talented GS-15s going to aspire to prepare themselves for and apply to the SES?" Bonosaro asked, citing pay caps as a major barrier to recruiting. "GS-14s and 15s are saying, 'Yes, the honor is nice, the importance of the job is nice, but I can add.' "
A 2006 SEA study showed that 47 percent of senior executives thought the new pay system would discourage applications for SES positions. A subsequent survey by the Office of Personnel Management found that 60 percent of senior executives were unfamiliar with their agency's executive compensation plan and 65 percent had not seen a summary of executive performance evaluations and performance awards. Bonosaro said those numbers were signs that OPM had not gone far enough to make executive compensation seem fair and transparent.
Full story: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=40228&dcn=e_wfw <http://wfw.govexec-media.com/portal/wts/ccmcfOaA47aqkjjqvb7dbiuEiyj>
The Senior Executives Association will push the new Congress to reform the civil service compensation system and the new president to fill more high-ranking positions with career civil servants instead of political appointees, SEA president Carol Bonosaro and general counsel William Bransford said at the organization's conference on Tuesday.
"The problem in our view is not only the loss of a lot of talent, experience and accomplishment from the government, but are the most talented GS-15s going to aspire to prepare themselves for and apply to the SES?" Bonosaro asked, citing pay caps as a major barrier to recruiting. "GS-14s and 15s are saying, 'Yes, the honor is nice, the importance of the job is nice, but I can add.' "
A 2006 SEA study showed that 47 percent of senior executives thought the new pay system would discourage applications for SES positions. A subsequent survey by the Office of Personnel Management found that 60 percent of senior executives were unfamiliar with their agency's executive compensation plan and 65 percent had not seen a summary of executive performance evaluations and performance awards. Bonosaro said those numbers were signs that OPM had not gone far enough to make executive compensation seem fair and transparent.
Full story: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=40228&dcn=e_wfw <http://wfw.govexec-media.com/portal/wts/ccmcfOaA47aqkjjqvb7dbiuEiyj>
Management Matters: Great Expectations
By Peter H. Daly
On the evening of Nov. 4, as the nation awaits the presidential election results, the best senior leaders in the federal bureaucracy already will have spent many months considering the effect that a new administration will have on the organizations and programs they administer. Many others, however, will have delayed such transition planning, running the risk of quickly falling behind the curve when newly appointed policy officials take office, assess the people around them and institute changes.
Here are key questions senior leaders must ask themselves as they prepare for the arrival of a new administration:
Full column: http://www.governmentexecutive.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=40204 <http://tma.govexec-media.com/portal/wts/ccmcfOaA8BaqkkuqvfjTbi3dked>
On the evening of Nov. 4, as the nation awaits the presidential election results, the best senior leaders in the federal bureaucracy already will have spent many months considering the effect that a new administration will have on the organizations and programs they administer. Many others, however, will have delayed such transition planning, running the risk of quickly falling behind the curve when newly appointed policy officials take office, assess the people around them and institute changes.
Here are key questions senior leaders must ask themselves as they prepare for the arrival of a new administration:
Full column: http://www.governmentexecutive.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=40204 <http://tma.govexec-media.com/portal/wts/ccmcfOaA8BaqkkuqvfjTbi3dked>
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
President Bush Presents Medal of Honor to Private First Class Ross Andrew McGinnis
June 2, 2008
A week ago on Memorial Day, the flag of the United States flew in half-staff in tribute to those who fell in service to our country. Today we pay special homage to one of those heroes: Private First Class Ross Andrew McGinnis of the U.S. Army. Private McGinnis died in a combat zone in Iraq on December the 4th, 2006 -- and for his heroism that day, he now receives the Medal of Honor.
Full remarks at http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2008/06/20080602-1.html
McGinnis MOH website at http://www.army.mil/medalofhonor/mcginnis/
A week ago on Memorial Day, the flag of the United States flew in half-staff in tribute to those who fell in service to our country. Today we pay special homage to one of those heroes: Private First Class Ross Andrew McGinnis of the U.S. Army. Private McGinnis died in a combat zone in Iraq on December the 4th, 2006 -- and for his heroism that day, he now receives the Medal of Honor.
Full remarks at http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2008/06/20080602-1.html
McGinnis MOH website at http://www.army.mil/medalofhonor/mcginnis/
Honorable Mentions
By Bob Berwin
June 2, 2008
I'm a traditionalist and believe Memorial Day should be a solemn occasion to honor those who have died in service of their country and not an excuse for a three-day weekend.
So, today, May 30 -- the real Memorial Day -- I would like to pay tribute to the men and women who, as any grunt knows, count the most in combat: the Navy corpsman and Army medic known as Doc, both of whom too often sacrifice their lives so others may live.
Based on information furnished to me by the Military Health System, the Army Medical Department and the Navy Bureau of Medicine have lost about 180 Army medics and 32 Navy corpsmen serving with the Marine Corps in operations in Afghanistan and Iraq since 2002
An abbreviated honor roll of the 212 medics and corpsmen who have fallen in Iraq.
http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0608/060208wb.htm
June 2, 2008
I'm a traditionalist and believe Memorial Day should be a solemn occasion to honor those who have died in service of their country and not an excuse for a three-day weekend.
So, today, May 30 -- the real Memorial Day -- I would like to pay tribute to the men and women who, as any grunt knows, count the most in combat: the Navy corpsman and Army medic known as Doc, both of whom too often sacrifice their lives so others may live.
Based on information furnished to me by the Military Health System, the Army Medical Department and the Navy Bureau of Medicine have lost about 180 Army medics and 32 Navy corpsmen serving with the Marine Corps in operations in Afghanistan and Iraq since 2002
An abbreviated honor roll of the 212 medics and corpsmen who have fallen in Iraq.
http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0608/060208wb.htm
Forward Observer: Our Pricey Military
By George C. Wilson, CongressDaily
June 2, 2008
Skyrocketing health and weapons costs are eating up so much of the defense budget that the next president will find himself or herself commanding a military that cannot do much in the world outside of Iraq and Afghanistan. This is the message from the very top of the defense establishment.
Besides that, mid-level officers fresh from combat in Iraq tell me that this war has demonstrated that today's small, high-paid, all-volunteer force just does not have the staying power to wage long wars. They contend that the Pentagon's quick fix of sending the same troops and officers back to Iraq again and again for lack of enough trained warriors amounts to shooting the all-volunteer force in the foot.
President Richard Nixon suspended draft calls in 1973 in response to the anti-Vietnam War protests. The five-year war in Iraq is the first time the all-volunteer force and National Guard have had to fight that long a conflict.
http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=40141&dcn=e_tma
June 2, 2008
Skyrocketing health and weapons costs are eating up so much of the defense budget that the next president will find himself or herself commanding a military that cannot do much in the world outside of Iraq and Afghanistan. This is the message from the very top of the defense establishment.
Besides that, mid-level officers fresh from combat in Iraq tell me that this war has demonstrated that today's small, high-paid, all-volunteer force just does not have the staying power to wage long wars. They contend that the Pentagon's quick fix of sending the same troops and officers back to Iraq again and again for lack of enough trained warriors amounts to shooting the all-volunteer force in the foot.
President Richard Nixon suspended draft calls in 1973 in response to the anti-Vietnam War protests. The five-year war in Iraq is the first time the all-volunteer force and National Guard have had to fight that long a conflict.
http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=40141&dcn=e_tma
How the Army is winning the Pentagon's Internet 'civil war'
By David Axe, Wired Blog Network
May 31, 2008
This winter, the Air Force, as the Pentagon’s point agency for "cyberwarfare," banned access from official networks to many blogs, declaring that they weren’t "established, reputable media." But the Army cleverly dodged the Pentagon's Web 2.0 crackdown, scoring the upper hand in a growing "civil war" within the military over how to deal with the Internet.
http://gove-media.com/portal/wts/ccmcfOa-EEaqjV7LuwrvbgeQrVi
May 31, 2008
This winter, the Air Force, as the Pentagon’s point agency for "cyberwarfare," banned access from official networks to many blogs, declaring that they weren’t "established, reputable media." But the Army cleverly dodged the Pentagon's Web 2.0 crackdown, scoring the upper hand in a growing "civil war" within the military over how to deal with the Internet.
http://gove-media.com/portal/wts/ccmcfOa-EEaqjV7LuwrvbgeQrVi
Marine general lays groundwork for unprecedented change
By Elaine M. Grossman, National Journal
May 30, 2008
James Cartwright has a passion for Pop-Tarts. Not the fruity flavors, mind you: no blueberry and no strawberry. But bring this Marine Corps general a brown sugar cinnamon pastry fresh from the toaster and he's yours.
That might be useful advice for the nation's next president. Cartwright is just nine months into what could be a four-year term as the second-highest-ranking officer in the nation. As vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the 58-year-old Rockford, Ill., native has a powerful and unique role in determining how the military invests its vast resources just as a new commander-in-chief will be coming into office.
Whether it is John McCain, Hillary Rodham Clinton, or Barack Obama at the helm, the Pentagon expects to undergo some changes. Yet, to a degree known only by a few Defense Department insiders, Cartwright is already laying the groundwork for unprecedented change at the one federal agency that claims more than half the annual federal discretionary budget and is frequently the central instrument of U.S. policy abroad.
http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=40091&dcn=e_tma
May 30, 2008
James Cartwright has a passion for Pop-Tarts. Not the fruity flavors, mind you: no blueberry and no strawberry. But bring this Marine Corps general a brown sugar cinnamon pastry fresh from the toaster and he's yours.
That might be useful advice for the nation's next president. Cartwright is just nine months into what could be a four-year term as the second-highest-ranking officer in the nation. As vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the 58-year-old Rockford, Ill., native has a powerful and unique role in determining how the military invests its vast resources just as a new commander-in-chief will be coming into office.
Whether it is John McCain, Hillary Rodham Clinton, or Barack Obama at the helm, the Pentagon expects to undergo some changes. Yet, to a degree known only by a few Defense Department insiders, Cartwright is already laying the groundwork for unprecedented change at the one federal agency that claims more than half the annual federal discretionary budget and is frequently the central instrument of U.S. policy abroad.
http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=40091&dcn=e_tma
Intellipedia's next act
By Ben Bain, Federal Computer Week
May 30, 2008
Dozens of intelligence officials, Pentagon brass and invited guests met recently to discuss how to advance the Office of the Director of National Intelligence?s efforts to use online collaboration to bolster sharing across the intelligence community. About 70,000 users from the intelligence community, other federal agencies and local law enforcement, along with sponsored academics and experts, can search, add and edit entries in Intellipedia, ODNI's wiki.
http://gove-media.com/portal/wts/ccmcfOa-EEaqjV7LuwrubgeQrVi
May 30, 2008
Dozens of intelligence officials, Pentagon brass and invited guests met recently to discuss how to advance the Office of the Director of National Intelligence?s efforts to use online collaboration to bolster sharing across the intelligence community. About 70,000 users from the intelligence community, other federal agencies and local law enforcement, along with sponsored academics and experts, can search, add and edit entries in Intellipedia, ODNI's wiki.
http://gove-media.com/portal/wts/ccmcfOa-EEaqjV7LuwrubgeQrVi
OPM suspends contract for electronic retirement system
BY BRITTANY R. BALLENSTEDT
May 29, 2008
The Office of Personnel Management has suspended a 10-year, $290 million contract awarded to Hewitt Associates to create a new electronic retirement system.
Two federal sources who requested anonymity said on Thursday that OPM Director Linda Springer decided late Wednesday to suspend the contract with Hewitt, a human resources consulting company based in Lincolnshire, Ill. Under the contract, Hewitt would create a database that would allow employees to view their work history and salary, calculate different annuity scenarios, and process their retirement online.
"The prime vendor for the contract and OPM have had increasingly more concerns regarding aspects of the program that the vendor has maintained are out of scope of the contract," one federal source said. "Additionally, there have been numerous problems with data cleansing. If the data is not correct, annuity calculations will not be correct."
http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20080529_6870.php?zone=ngtoday
May 29, 2008
The Office of Personnel Management has suspended a 10-year, $290 million contract awarded to Hewitt Associates to create a new electronic retirement system.
Two federal sources who requested anonymity said on Thursday that OPM Director Linda Springer decided late Wednesday to suspend the contract with Hewitt, a human resources consulting company based in Lincolnshire, Ill. Under the contract, Hewitt would create a database that would allow employees to view their work history and salary, calculate different annuity scenarios, and process their retirement online.
"The prime vendor for the contract and OPM have had increasingly more concerns regarding aspects of the program that the vendor has maintained are out of scope of the contract," one federal source said. "Additionally, there have been numerous problems with data cleansing. If the data is not correct, annuity calculations will not be correct."
http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20080529_6870.php?zone=ngtoday
The Institute of Heraldry to Modify Several Campaign and Service Medals
DoD News Release
Fri, 23 May 2008
The Department of Defense announced today that The Institute of Heraldry (TIOH) will remove the word "medal" from four campaign and service medals in order to align their designs with heraldic protocols.
The word "medal" will be removed from the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Korea Defense Service Medal and Armed Forces Service Medal.
In addition, TIOH will resize eight campaign and service medals that were initially designed one-eighth of an inch larger in diameter than required by specification. The larger medals will be gradually replaced over the next several years as current stock levels are depleted. These medals will not be made obsolete and will remain authorized decorations. In addition, the applicable miniature medals will also be re-sized from eleven-sixteenths of an inch diameter to five-eighths of an inch.
http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=11945
Fri, 23 May 2008
The Department of Defense announced today that The Institute of Heraldry (TIOH) will remove the word "medal" from four campaign and service medals in order to align their designs with heraldic protocols.
The word "medal" will be removed from the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Korea Defense Service Medal and Armed Forces Service Medal.
In addition, TIOH will resize eight campaign and service medals that were initially designed one-eighth of an inch larger in diameter than required by specification. The larger medals will be gradually replaced over the next several years as current stock levels are depleted. These medals will not be made obsolete and will remain authorized decorations. In addition, the applicable miniature medals will also be re-sized from eleven-sixteenths of an inch diameter to five-eighths of an inch.
http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=11945
Key lawmakers impatient for security clearance reform
By Florence Olson, Federal Computer Week
May 23, 2008
Sens. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii, and George Voinovich, R-Ohio, who oversee the federal security clearance program, criticized a recent reform proposal for being skimpy. The 10-page proposal delivered to President Bush in April “is still short on much detail,” Akaka said at a Senate subcommittee hearing on May 22.
http://gove-media.com/portal/wts/ccmcfOa-6CaqjTeLsDrzbfr9eDd
May 23, 2008
Sens. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii, and George Voinovich, R-Ohio, who oversee the federal security clearance program, criticized a recent reform proposal for being skimpy. The 10-page proposal delivered to President Bush in April “is still short on much detail,” Akaka said at a Senate subcommittee hearing on May 22.
http://gove-media.com/portal/wts/ccmcfOa-6CaqjTeLsDrzbfr9eDd
Disabled teens get grant for online IT training
By K.C. Jones, InformationWeek
May 22, 2008
The Computing Technology Industry Association Educational Foundation has garnered a $25,000 grant from the NEC Foundation of America to help young people with disabilities get a helping hand with new online IT services. The program is part of Creating Futures, a CompTIA Educational Foundation initiative to provide career development opportunities for people who have been underrepresented in IT fields.
http://gove-media.com/portal/wts/ccmcfOa-ysaqjQy6s7Bbbe8c7sd
May 22, 2008
The Computing Technology Industry Association Educational Foundation has garnered a $25,000 grant from the NEC Foundation of America to help young people with disabilities get a helping hand with new online IT services. The program is part of Creating Futures, a CompTIA Educational Foundation initiative to provide career development opportunities for people who have been underrepresented in IT fields.
http://gove-media.com/portal/wts/ccmcfOa-ysaqjQy6s7Bbbe8c7sd
DoD Submits Proposed NSPS Regulations to Federal Register
May 22, 2008
The Department of Defense and the Office of Personnel Management have issued proposed joint regulations revising the National Security Personnel System, one of DoD's human resources management systems. NSPS was originally authorized by the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2004 and amended by NDAA 2008.
While Congress made significant changes to the underlying NSPS statute, the core features of NSPS remain essentially intact, including the pay banding and classification structure, compensation flexibilities, and pay for performance system.
NSPS proposed regulation is posted on the Federal Register and will be open for public comment for the next 30 days. This regulation may be accessed on line at: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/index.html
The Department of Defense and the Office of Personnel Management have issued proposed joint regulations revising the National Security Personnel System, one of DoD's human resources management systems. NSPS was originally authorized by the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2004 and amended by NDAA 2008.
While Congress made significant changes to the underlying NSPS statute, the core features of NSPS remain essentially intact, including the pay banding and classification structure, compensation flexibilities, and pay for performance system.
NSPS proposed regulation is posted on the Federal Register and will be open for public comment for the next 30 days. This regulation may be accessed on line at: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/index.html
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