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.

Business

The Pentagon Has No Idea How Many Employees It Needs

Defense headquarters offices were asked to reduce their budgets 20 percent by 2019. So far, the Pentagon cannot say how it will meet that goal. By Eric Katz

Policy

Republican Lawmakers Try Again To Cut 115,000 Civilian Defense Jobs

Rep. Kevin Calvert, R-Calif., is leading the charge to rein in an 'out of control' bureaucracy and save $82.5 billion over five years. By Eric Katz

Ideas

What Fallows Missed About the Military-Civilian Gap

Why there is a gap between the military and America is as important as how it occurs. By Mark Seip

Business

VA Bonuses for Bad Employees Targeted Again

The House introduced legislation Monday that would give the VA authority to make employees pay back bonuses. By Kellie Lunney

Business

Who Will Be the Next 'Mayor of the Pentagon'?

Congress wants to upgrade the chief management officer position to the third most powerful position at the Defense Department. By John Kamensky

Ideas

Improve the VA by Keeping It Simple

Cultural change at the VA has to go beyond the necessary initial focus on ethics and values. It needs to penetrate the bureaucracy. By Alex Nicholson

Business

Ahead of Veteran’s Day, VA Announces Major Reforms

VA Secretary Bob McDonald just announced a major overhaul of the government's second-largest agency. Will it work? By Ben Watson

Business

Hagel Approval Rating Just 26 Percent Among National Security Workers, Troops

Defense Secretary Hagel’s logs a rock-bottom approval rating among his own workers as Obama reportedly considers cabinet shakeup. By Gordon Lubold

Business

VA Secretary Says He’s Moving Fast To Remove Bad Employees

VA Secretary Bob McDonald is defending his commitment to holding employees accountable and firing them when necessary. By Kellie Lunney