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

Pentagon Orders Even More HQ Cuts, Infuriating Employees' Union

Defense Department personnel officials are moving ahead with a more-severe version of an existing plan for cuts to headquarters staff—angering a major union in the process.

Threats

TSA's ‘Airport of the Future’ Will Use Biometrics, Risk-Based Screening

The airport security agency releases its ambitious strategy to upgrade its technology, connect more dots, and search fewer people.

Business

Second OPM Hack Stole Data of 21.5M People, Including Biometric

The breach affects nearly everyone that underwent a background check through OPM in 2000 or later.

Ideas

What Americans Don't Understand About Their Own Military

Reinstating the draft is hardly a realistic solution to bridging the military-civilian gap in the U.S. And here's why.

Science & Tech

VA Blocked More Than a Billion Cyber Threats in March

The VA could become quickly overwhelmed if the threat continues to escalate, the agency's top information officer said.

Business

Number of Security Clearance Holders Drops 12 Percent

Federal agencies have trimmed the ranks of employees and contractors with access to classified information.

Business

Veterans Sue the VA Over Access to Medical Records

Some veterans are upset they're having to waiting hundreds of days just to advance the process of applying for combat-related compensation.

Business

John McCain to Air Force: Fire More Civilians

The Arizona senator says that the Air Force's claims it met staffing cuts are in fact a ruse that resulted in none of the cost savings that were intended.

Business

Despite Scandal, the VA Has Actually Fired Very Few for Misconduct

Despite declaring a new culture of accountability, the Veterans Affairs Department fired about half the number of workers in 2014 than it did the previous year.

Business

White House Requests Modest Pay Increase for Troops and Civilians

The Obama administration's fiscal 2016 plan would give troops a slight increase in pay over last year's 1 percent bump while federal workers would receive their highest pay raise in six years.

Business

Obama's Budget Would Cut Just 3,500 Pentagon Civilian Jobs

The leaked plan to cut 3,500 civilians from the Pentagon's headquarters staff is not seen as an enormous loss for a workforce totaling roughly 800,000.

Business

Lawmakers Seek Tighter Restrictions on VA Executives' Bonus Pay

A new bill caps the number of VA executives eligible for bonuses, and instructs leaders to switch jobs within the department at least once every five years.