Ideas
Let’s Talk about Food — and What Happens In a Crisis
Sweden is telling its citizens to be ready to feed themselves for a week. Other nations should follow suit.
Ideas
What Austria Can Teach the US About Civil-Military Relations
I was raised in a culture in which soldiering is seen as just another dangerous profession.
Ideas
Bridging America's Civil-Military Gap — At Sea
As a former senior defense official, I wanted to help my undergraduate students learn about the military. Fortunately, so did several of my veteran shipmates.
Science & Tech
Anti-Terrorist Technology Has a New Target: Immigrants
In a trend begun under Obama, the use of gear designed for foreign battlefields is increasingly coming home.
Policy
Trump Budget Includes 1.9 Percent Pay Raise for Civilians, Retirement Cuts
Military personnel would see a 2.1 percent pay increase in 2018 under the proposal.
Science & Tech
Here's a Look at New Exosuits for the Civilian World
After years of tinkering and military adventures, the first exoskeleton suits are finally walking out of the lab and into the market.
Ideas
The 'Civilian Control of the Military' Fallacy
Retired officers like James Mattis who are nominated for civilian posts should be judged on their merits—not disqualified on the basis of their past service.
Ideas
Carter Proposes 'Huge' Pentagon Personnel System Overhaul
The defense secretary unveiled major proposals that would reform the military's 'up or out' promotion system and allow civilian recruiters to bypass the traditional federal hiring process.
Ideas
Why Is the US Military Short-Staffing Its Sickest Children?
The military health-care system serves 2 million children with just a handful of full-time pediatric social workers. In the civilian world, this kind of staffing is 'unimaginable.'
Business
The Pentagon's New Grading System for Civilians May Take Even Longer to Get Started
Six years after Congress mandated it, the U.S. military says it's ready to test a new way to assess its civilian workers. But a federal union claims the test-run will be deeply flawed.
Ideas
The US Needs to Whip Its Disaster-Response Plans Into Shape
It's time to digest the lessons of Haiti and Ebola and get ready for the mega disasters ahead.
Business
Livestream: Supporting the Warfighter
Join us today — Tues., Feb. 23 — for a livestreamed conversation with DoD civilian leaders about their methods and challenges in maintaining a strong civilian workforce.
Business
Putting Civilians in US Troop Support Jobs Could Save Billions, Report Says
Converting 80,000 active-duty jobs to civilian positions could save as much as $5.7B per year, according to a new Congressional Budget Office analysis.
Threats
Troops Would Get Paid On Time During Shutdown Under Bill
The Pay Our Military Act proposed by Rep. Mike Coffman would ensure pay in the event of an appropriations lapse and expire at the end of 2016.
Policy
Congress Plans To Keep Government Open
A short-term spending measure would keep the government running until early December.
Threats
Five Times More Fingerprints Stolen in OPM Hack Than Previously Thought
Office of Personnel Management officials now say 5.6 million sets of prints were taken.
Business
White House, Agencies Begin Prepping for ‘Executing an Orderly Shutdown’
OMB is currently reviewing contingency plans submitted by all agencies in preparation for an appropriations lapse.
Policy
Lawmakers Reheat War Over Defense vs Non-Defense Spending
The announcement from Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell is seen as a coup for Democrats who want a plan to raise budget caps on both defense and nondefense spending.
Business
Pentagon Civilian Worker Reclassification Draws Fire
Union calls the plan "vague, non-specific, and often conflicting."
Business