Science & Tech
Coast Guard Needs Fresh IT, People to Keep Networks Secure
The service’s head of Cyber Command outlines his strategy for updating old systems and getting personnel to rethink cybersecurity.
Policy
Microsoft Vet to Lead DHS Cyber and Infrastructure Division
Christopher Krebs has been acting chief of the cyber and infrastructure protection division since August.
Policy
State Department Lost 12% of its Foreign Affairs Specialists in Trump’s First 8 Months
The department also lost 6 percent of its overall workforce in the first year of the new administration.
Policy
UPDATED: See Who Gets Sent Home in a Shutdown
Some agencies would furlough virtually everyone, while others would remain completely open if there is a lapse in appropriations.
Business
Federal Workers Don’t Trust Their Bosses as Much as Private-Sector Employees Do
That’s one big takeaway from the latest annual Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey.
Policy
Trump Administration Seeks Outside Help to Hire 26,000 New Immigration Enforcement Personnel
CBP just awarded a separate $300 million contract for Border Patrol hiring assistance.
Ideas
What Does a Government Shutdown Mean for the Department of Defense?
Four years ago, this staffer for the defense policy undersecretary helped the Pentagon figure out the impacts of a shutdown. Hint: it wasn’t pretty.
Threats
The Security Clearance Backlog Has Tripled in the Last 3 Years, And It's Only Getting Worse
The Government Accountability Office found there's no plan to reverse it.
Policy
One Chart Showing Every Military and Civilian Pay Raise Since 1984
Since 2000, military pay raises have been either higher than or equal to civilian ones.
Policy
Top Enlisted Leaders Push Back: There Is No Readiness ‘Crisis’
Recent deadly accidents are concerning, but part of the risk of military operations around the globe, they said.
Policy
Ordered to Ban Transgender Troops, Pentagon Plans A New Look at Three Factors
The courts will take their own look, thanks to a trio of lawsuits filed in the wake of Trump’s Friday-night memo.
Science & Tech
The Army’s Space Force Has Doubled in Six Years, and Demand Is Still Going Up
As the service hastens to mint new orbital operators, its leaders are watching the debate over a separate Air Force space corps — and just maybe a new service branch.
Ideas
Why Military Chiefs Are Condemning White Supremacy
The U.S. armed forces have had troubles with extremists enlisting in the past, and they don’t want it to happen again.
Policy
After the Marines United Scandal, ‘All Options’ Are on the Table
The Corps is considering integrating female recruits into West Coast training camps to help address subconscious biases, the assistant commandant said.
Ideas
Transgender Soldiers Want the Dignity of Serving Their Country
A CIA officer writes about the men and women in uniform alongside whom she serves.
Policy
Trump’s Transgender Troop Ban Sparks An Instant Opposition of Unusual Allies
The commander in chief tweet-declares a stunning change for military personnel, but it’s far from clear he can make it stick.
Business
Boeing to Cut 50 Executives, Reorganize Defense Business
Fresh off a move to from St. Louis to Washington, the firm’s defense division says it’s removing a layer of bureaucracy.
Ideas
The Civil Service’s Preference for Hiring Military Vets Comes at a Hidden Cost
The U.S. government has long shown a hiring preference for veterans. But because of the demographics of the U.S. military, this has limited the federal workforce's diversity.
Threats
Mattis Fills Key Executive Positions at the Pentagon
Former official: Defense Secretary James Mattis’ political SES appointments are mainstream choices.
Policy