Business

Afghanistan Growing More Dangerous for US Rebuilders

The Taliban now controls more territory than at any time since 2001, the inspector general noted in just one of many downward trends for a country now in its 15th year of fighting.

Business

NSA Will Overhaul Its Workforce Next Year

Spy agency wants to ‘break down cylinders,’ tie domestic and overseas action together, and create an entirely new legal regime.

Business

Pentagon Bought Itself $150M in Unnecessary Luxury Homes in Afghanistan, Watchdog Says

Twenty percent of a special task force's budget went to things like queen-sized beds and private security guards rather than far cheaper stays on a military base, a new report alleges.

Policy

Intelligence Whistleblowers Need More Protection, Advocate Group Argues

A new report criticizes the White House for its heavy use of the 1917 Espionage Act amid complaints of retaliation against whistleblowers in the Defense and Justice Departments.

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.

Business

Defense Contractors to Obama: Enough With the Executive Orders

Industry organizations lead a push against a tide of new regulations, such as the requirement to allow employees to take up to 56 hours' annual paid sick leave.

Business

The Original NSA Whistleblower Is Still Rebuilding His Life

Working in an Apple store in Bethesda, Thomas Drake is advocating heavily for more protections for national security whistleblowers.

Business

What the White House Hates About the Senate Defense Policy Bill

It’s not just that sequestration lives on like a vampire; the Obama administration also objects to McCain’s acquisition reform proposals and more.

Business

Punish US Generals for Mismanaging Afghan War Funds, Says Inspector General

The Army failed to stop the construction of never-to-be-used $36 million command center.

Business

Defense Contractors Unsatisfied with Thornberry's Acquisition Bill

A contractor's trade group representing some 400 companies say Rep. Mac Thornberry's acquisition reform bill further complicates an already complicated process.

Business

VA Pushes Back Against Claims Its Officials Lied to Congress

The VA's Carol Clancy condemned reports that its officials lied about improvements to patient waiting times during recent Congressional testimony.

Business

SIGAR Says $416M for Afghan Women Could Go To Waste

The inspector general for reconstruction in Afghanistan warns USAID may not be able to track more than $400 million in spending to promote the status of women.

Business

DOD's Commissary Cuts Would Start a 'Death Spiral,' Pentagon Union Warns

The Pentagon's largest employee union wants to stop Congress from enacting a DOD plan to cut subsidies for the Defense Commissaries Agency by more than $4 billion.

Business

Now SIGAR Wants To Know How Big Afghanistan's Security Force Will Become

John Sopko has been merciless about the wake of wasteful spending the U.S. left behind in Afghanistan. Now he wants to know the U.S. plan for Afghan forces to come.

Policy

Air Force General's Treason Comments Spark Investigation

The Air Force is now investigating a general who reportedly accused Air Force pilots of committing treason for sharing successes of the A-10 aircraft with lawmakers.

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

Afghan Reconstruction Audits Saved More Than $1 Billion, Watchdog Says

The Defense Department has saved or repurposed $1.1 billion in taxpayer funds since 2008, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction said Tuesday. By Charles S. Clark

Business

Lockheed Contractor Must Repay $27.5M for Overcharging Troops in Iraq and Afghanistan

A Lockheed Martin contractor agrees to repay the government for overbilling for its products and services to U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. By Charles S. Clark

Policy

Here Are All the US Ambassador Nominees the Senate Left in Limbo

After a flurry of confirmations, the Senate left a dozen U.S. ambassador nominees hanging until next year. By Charles S. Clark