7 Marines Killed During Training Exercise – Plus the DorobekINSIDER’s 7 Stories

On GovLoop Insights’ DorobekINSIDER:

• Transparency is essential for good government. Federal scientists play an important role in fulfilling that mandate by providing critical expertise to decision makers. So how open is your agency. Look at the report card. Click here for the full recap.

Sequestration Reader

• The Washington Post: House hearing will examine decisions behind sequester cuts
• MSNBC: Sequestration Undercuts Veterans, Students
• AOL Jobs: 2,500 Nuclear Site Workers to Be Furloughed

The SEVEN stories that impact your life

1. Seven Marines were killed and eight wounded late Monday when a 60mm mortar round exploded during a training exercise at the Hawthorne Army Depot in Nevada, according to military and defense officials. USA Today reports, the Marines were part of the 2nd Marine Division, a ground combat force based at Camp Lejeune, N.C.
   

2. Federal Times reports, President Obama’s acting Commerce secretary is heading to the University of Wisconsin. A special committee of the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents picked Rebecca Blank, who has been serving as acting Commerce secretary for the last nine months, to be the school’s next chancellor from a field of four finalists. Black has been at the Commerce Department for four years, serving as economic adviser and deputy secretary.
3. More than 250 mid-level managers at Lockheed Martin are leaving the company this week with buyouts. Federal Times reports the company announced the voluntary program last month for 4,000 eligible employees in its information systems and global solutions unit. A total of 260 employees applied, and 243 were approved for buyouts. Those employees will receive severance benefits and must leave the company by March 22.
4. NextGov reports, within three years, the Pentagon’s Cyber Command will deploy more than 100 teams focused predominantly on defending military networks rather than attacking adversaries’ systems. The department recently reorganized Cyber Command, which since 2010 has directed offensive and defensive operations in cyberspace, into three “mission forces.” Two of those forces will engage in digital assaults, while the third will shield the dot-mil domain.
5. Federal News Radio reports, the Senate will vote today on a mostly bipartisan bill to fund the government for the rest of fiscal 2013. A continuing resolution expires March 27. If passed, the bill would head to the House, where it is also expected to pass and head to the president’s desk later this week. The bill keeps sequestration cuts mostly in place. But it re-allocates funds so that the Pentagon gets some of its operations and maintenance funds back. It shifts $55 million to food inspection operations at the Agriculture Department. Beef and chicken industry lobbyists say that money will keep thousands of inspection stations open.
6. Federal News Radio reports, two Arlington executives pleaded guilty to fraudulently obtaining federal contracts under the 8(a) program. The Justice Department says Keith Hedman and Dawn Hamilton could face up to 10 years in prison for abuse of a program intended to help small and minority owned businesses. They obtained contracts for security services worth $31 million. Hedman claimed his company was minority owned and controlled, DoJ says. The pair forfeited a total of nearly $8 million. An investigation was originally launched by the NASA inspector general.
7. And on GovLoop, have you registered for the DorobekINSIDER LIVE panel. It’s a free discussion going on tomorrow 3.20 at noon ET. The chat will feature industry and government leaders talking about the role of Gov 2.0.Register now.

DorobekINSIDER water-cooler fodder

• Fiscal Times: Today is also the anniversary of the start of the Iraq war.

• Cool Pics: Astronaut snaps photos of the world from the international space station. Here is one of Sicily.