Posts Tagged: Pentagon

Who Will Be the Next “Mayor of the Pentagon?”

The selection of the next Secretary of Defense is in the headlines. But there’s a new senior-level Defense position that will be important in coming years, and who is appointed will matter. Years ago, career executive David O. “Doc” Cooke was informally called the “Mayor of the Pentagon.” He was responsible for the internal administrationRead… Read more »

Reshaping and resizing the Pentagon – Plus your Weekend Reads

Government restructuring. It seems like we have been talking about eliminating duplicative programs for years. But there hasn’t been much progress. But now that sequestration and other budget cuts are on the table a restructuring of government seems to be inevitable, especially at the Defense Department. So how do you restructure correctly? Christopher Lamb isRead… Read more »

New Tricare Agency Opens Its Doors

The Defense Health Agency has assumed responsibility for Tricare, pharmacy benefits, medical information technology and other military-related health programs, Military Times reports. Patricia Kime writes the Pentagon started the new agency as part of a reorganization aimed to streamline operations and eliminate duplicative services. Jonathan Woodson, assistant defense secretary for health affairs, estimates the moveRead… Read more »

Robert Hale: Shutdown Costs $600M in Pentagon Civilian Services

Pentagon Comptroller Robert Hale told House lawmakers Thursday the Defense Department was forced to shed $600 million in civilian services for national security objectives as a result of the shutdown, American Forces Press Service reports. “The lapse forces us to waste a good deal of the public’s money. About 400,000 DOD civilian personnel on furloughRead… Read more »

DFAS: Troops to Receive Mid-Month Pay Despite Shutdown

The Defense Finance and Accounting Service says all military service members will receive their salaries and allowances for the current pay period by Oct. 15, Military Times reported Tuesday. Andrew Tilghman writes DFAS started processing the mid-month payroll as the Pentagon works to interpret a federal law that guarantees military pay during the shutdown. ARead… Read more »

Robert Hale: CIOs Not Exempt from Pentagon Worker Furloughs

Chief information officers within the Defense Department could not be protected from furlough exemptions outlined under the Pay Our Military Act, the American Forces Press Service reports. Pentagon Comptroller Robert Hale told reporters Sunday that Internet protocol and cyber functions were protected from the temporary layoffs, as well as internal public affairs communications. POMA wasRead… Read more »

DISA Wants 10 for Cloud Contract, Only 5 Have Passed FedRAMP

The Defense Information Research Agency wants to award 10 positions on a potential $450 million cloud computing products and services contract even as only five companies have gone through the new governmentwide cloud certification process, Federal Times reports. Nicole Blake Johnson writes companies that hold the FedRAMP authority to operate are Amazon Web Services, AutonomicRead… Read more »

Robert Hale: Pentagon Stops War Budget Shift

The Defense Department has stopped moving funds from its overseas contingency operations budget covering the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to its base budget. Robert Hale, Pentagon comptroller, told Defense News the department stopped the shifts because of uncertainties such as sequestration cuts surrounding the budget. Hale said the Pentagon included $88.5 billion in OCORead… Read more »

White House Wants Funds for New Industrial Base Support Program

The White House’s budget request for fiscal year 2014 includes $14 million for the Defense Department to start a new program aiming to help defense companies manage breaks in production. This program also intends to help defense vendors avoid reconstitution costs for capability after either a defense procurement hiatus for a large program, according toRead… Read more »