Category «Defense»

New GAO Reports – Defense Acquisitions, Defense Transportation, DOE Loan Programs

DEFENSE ACQUISITIONS: Observations on Whether the Military Service Chiefs’ Role in Managing and Overseeing Major Weapon Programs Should Be Expanded, GAO-14-520: Published: May 1, 2014. Publicly Released: May 1, 2014. DEFENSE TRANSPORTATION: DOD Needs to Take Actions to Improve the Transportation of Hazardous Material Shipments, GAO-14-375: Published: May 1, 2014. Publicly Released: May 1, 2014: “Over 3 billion tons of HAZMAT …

Subjects: Defense, Energy, Government Documents

House Armed Services Readiness Subcommittee Mark Released

“The House Armed Services Committee today released legislative language scheduled to be considered by the Subcommittee on Readiness at their markup tomorrow.  By releasing the legislative language ahead of the mark, Chairman McKeon is complying with House disclosure rules and overseeing the most transparent process in Congress for composing national security legislation. Read the Readiness Subcommittee Mark. …

Subjects: Congress, Defense, Government Documents, Legislation

New GAO Reports – Advanced Imaging Tech, Commercial Aviation, Financial Literacy, NIH, Nuclear Weapons, OPM

ADVANCED IMAGING TECHNOLOGY: TSA Needs Additional Information before Procuring Next-Generation Systems, GAO-14-357:  Published: Mar 31, 2014. Publicly Released: Apr 30, 2014. COMMERCIAL AVIATION: Status of Air Service to Small Communities and the Federal Programs Involved, GAO-14-454T:  Published: Apr 30, 2014. Publicly Released: Apr 30, 2014. DEFENSE ACQUISITIONS: Addressing Incentives is Key to Further Reform Efforts, GAO-14-563T: Published: Apr 30, 2014. Publicly Released: …

Subjects: Defense, Economy, Education, Financial System, Government Documents, Health Care

New GAO Reports – Regulators’ Foreclosure Review, DHS Acquisitions, Weapons Systems Management

FORECLOSURE REVIEW: Regulators Could Strengthen Oversight and Improve Transparency of the Process, GAO-14-376: Published: Apr 29, 2014. Publicly Released: Apr 29, 2014: “Rather than defining specific objectives for the $6 billion in foreclosure prevention actions regulators negotiated with servicers, regulators identified broad principles, including that actions be meaningful and that borrowers be kept in their homes. To inform …

Subjects: Defense, Economy, Financial System, Government Documents

New GAO Reports – Defense Health Care, Defense Logistics, Electricity Markets

DEFENSE HEALTH CARE: More-Specific Guidance Needed for Assessing Nonenrolled TRICARE Beneficiaries’ Access to Care, GAO-14-384: Published: Apr 28, 2014. Publicly Released: Apr 28, 2014. DEFENSE LOGISTICS: Actions Needed to Improve Department-Wide Management of Conventional Ammunition Inventory, GAO-14-182: Published: Mar 31, 2014. Publicly Released: Apr 28, 2014. ELECTRICITY MARKETS: Demand-Response Activities Have Increased, but FERC Could Improve Data Collection and Reporting Efforts, GAO-14-73: Published: …

Subjects: Defense, Energy

Stanford scholar says greatest dangers to nuclear facilities are sabotage, theft from insiders

News release: “Insider threats are the most serious challenge confronting nuclear facilities in today’s world, a Stanford political scientist says. In every case of theft of nuclear materials where the circumstances of the theft are known, the perpetrators were either insiders or had help from insiders, according to Scott Sagan and his co-author, Matthew Bunn of Harvard University, in …

Subjects: Censorship, Defense, Government Documents

SIGAR Reports Calls Out 3 Largest Recipients of State Dept. Afghan Aid

Via POGO: “The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) just released a top-level analysis of State Department reconstruction funding in Afghanistan. SIGAR found that State has obligated nearly $4 billion for Afghanistan reconstruction between the beginning of fiscal year 2002 and March 2013, more than two-thirds of which ($2.8 billion, or 69 percent) will go to …

Subjects: Defense, Government Documents, Legal Research

CRS – Declarations of War and Authorizations for the Use of Military Force

Declarations of War and Authorizations for the Use of Military Force: Historical Background and Legal Implications. Jennifer K. Elsea, Legislative Attorney. Matthew C. Weed,  Analyst in Foreign Policy Legislation. April 18, 2014 “From the Washington Administration to the present, Congress and the President have enacted 11 separate formal declarations of war against foreign nations in five different wars. Each declaration …

Subjects: Congress, Defense, Government Documents, Legal Research, Legislation

DoD Defense Suicide Prevention Office Annual Report

“DSPO’s annual report for Fiscal Year (FY) 2012 details the office’s evolution, goals, priority areas, and key accomplishments. DSPO’s first annual report describes a range of initiatives it has led in collaboration with the Services and other public and private partners to prevent suicide among the U.S. Armed Forces…“The department takes suicide prevention very seriously …

Subjects: Defense, Government Documents, Health Care

Senate panel report on allegations of Homeland Security IG misconduct

Via WaPo – “Report from an oversight panel of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Operations Committee finds that Charles K. Edwards, the former senior watchdog for the Department of Homeland Security, altered and delayed investigations at the request of senior administration officials, compromising his independent role as an inspector general. Read the related story.”

Subjects: Copyright, Defense, Government Documents, Legal Research

A User’s Guide to the Fiscal Year 2015 Defense Budget

“The U.S. Department of Defense’s fiscal year 2015 budget request outlines a sound path to responsibly meet the risks and challenges of the current national security environment. The plan also proposes a number of smart, targeted reductions to defense spending that will maintain U.S. military capabilities and the All-Volunteer Force while helping return the country …

Subjects: Defense, Economy, Government Documents