House Fears Cuts Will Damage Contractors
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The impact of sequestration cuts and the scheduled end of some major weapon acquisitions has US House members concerned that the double hit could damage the defense industrial base, reports Defense News. A House report indicates that the reductions, “could result in continued financial losses to several high-risk sectors, which could force consolidations, decisions to forgo defense contracts, and facility closures.” Lawmakers are worried because major Pentagon programs usually distribute work across facilities in multiple states, meaning many lawmakers could have a stake in any given weapon system or company.
A contractor executive salary reimbursement rate cap will be expanded to include almost all contractor employees under DoD contracts, according to the Federal Times. The Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council made the cap retroactive, leaving contractors responsible for employee costs incurred and reimbursed over the last 18 months for all contracts awarded on or after December 31, 2011. The cap was set at at $763,029 during that time.
Pentagon officials are starting to define the Defense Information Systems Agency’s (DISA) role in its cyber forces expansion which includes the imminent hiring of some 6,000 cyber professionals, according to the Federal Times. US Cyber Command is responsible for DoD’s ongoing expansion into the cyber domain and its new commander, ADM Michael Rogers, hopes that DISA participation will alleviate some of the time-intensive network defense and cyber operations.
The F-35C carrier-based version of the Joint Strike Fighter is making steady progress towards sea-trials onboard USS Nimitz in October, reports USNI News. However, the F-35 must pass several benchmarks before the jet can make its first carrier launches and arrested recoveries. This includes a structural survey of the aircraft’s landing gear and airframe which is designed to determine how the jet reacts both aerodynamically and structurally in extreme conditions.
Federal employees had zero success in their appeals of last year’s sequestration-triggered furloughs, according to the Washington Post. The Merit Systems Protection Board, which decides challenges to government personnel decisions, reported that hearing officers turned down employees in every furlough appeal that reached a decision as of March 31. Sequestration budget limits forced approximately 800,000 federal employees in a number of agencies to take unpaid time off last year. More than 600,000 DoD employees had to take off six days.
A Cyber Incident Response Assistance (CIRA) accreditation from the National Security Agency Information Assurance Directorate was recently earned by Lockheed Martin, according to The Wall Street Journal. CIRA was designed to meet growing cyber protection needs by utilizing the expertise of cyber security industry leaders. Lockheed Martin is one of the first federally-recognized companies accredited to help organizations respond to attacks on their networks.
CAPT Gregory McWherter, who twice served as commanding officer of the Blue Angels, was found guilty at an admiral’s mast of condoning crude practices on the elite flight team that led to a sexually hostile climate, reports the Navy Times. A statement from Pacific Fleet commander ADM Harry Harris indicated that CAPT McWherter faced a “broken dynamic” when he resumed command in 2011 that he attempted to “resolve with camaraderie and democracy.” Unfortunately, this led to inappropriate behavior and a majority rule, even when the majority went against Navy policy.
A bill that addresses VA mismanagement was introduced Tuesday by Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), reports The Hill. Ms. Shaheen’s bill, the Veterans Access to Care Accountability Act, includes provisions to reduce delayed healthcare for veterans, strengthen department accountability and hold individual VA officials responsible, including withholding bonuses from VA executives involved in mismanagement.
The DoD is asking for $211 million from Pratt & Whitney for contract cost accounting problems, according to Reuters. A Pentagon IG report released Tuesday was initiated by a hotline complaint that alleged a 2006 settlement with the contractor for accounting issues was about $500 million less than required by procurement regulations. The IG’s office said it substantiated that the settlement was not consistent with contract law, but found no evidence top officials exerted pressure to settle for a lower amount.
