Federal Workers Union Opposes Cutting Civilian Jobs At The Pentagon

Roll Call: Federal workers oppose proposed Pentagon civilian workforce cut  

Republican proposal would trim defense workforce through attrition 

The federal workers union came out swinging Thursday against a Republican proposal to reduce the size of the Pentagon’s civilian workforce. 

The American Federation of Government Employees, in a letter to congressional and administration leaders, criticized a plan to purportedly save $25 billion in each of the next five years by not filling a portion of the civilian positions at the Defense Department that are vacated each year. 

“The problem with this approach is that actual waste is not being cut while cutting the civilian workforce will hollow out the Department’s capabilities, repeating mistakes from the past,” wrote Julie N. Tippens, director of the union’s legislative department, in the letter to defense appropriators and authorizers, congressional leadership, top officials at the Pentagon and the director of the White House Office of Management and Budget. 

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Update #1: Cutting Civilian Defense Jobs Won't Eliminate the Real Waste at the Pentagon, Union Says (Government Executive)  

Update #2: Federal unions warn cutting defense civilian personnel is sabotage (Federal Times)  

WNU Editor: The Defense Department employs more than 830,000 civilian employees, and the American Federation of Government Employees represents about 250,000 Defense Department employees.

How Inflation Makes The U.S. Military Poorer

Mackenzie Eaglen, 19FortyFive: How Inflation Makes the US Military Poorer Overnight 

Right now, it’s hard to find any good, commodity or service that is getting cheaper. Those same inflationary trends hold true for the Department of Defense’s finances. Congress keeping the military on a spending freeze for nearly half a year is only exacerbating budget challenges. 

The result is an agency surging troops forward as Russia builds up forces near Ukraine that is losing buying power near equivalent to sequestration levels of 2013. Absent a fast fix, the military will continue to financially triage as planned costs for everything from fuel to timber to rental assistance far outpace actual bills.  

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WNU Editor: With inflation expected to continue for the next few years, this is only going to get worse.

The Pentagon Has No Idea On How Many Websites It Runs

Stars and Stripes: Want to know how many websites the Pentagon runs? So does the Pentagon

The Pentagon could be responsible for 5,000 publicly accessible websites. Or it could be less than half that. Nobody appears to know for sure.

Speaking at a town hall event for employees of the military’s main public affairs organization, Army Col. Paul Haverstick said late last month that the number of Pentagon and military branch websites is “undefined.”

“Between 2,000 and 5,000 is the estimate,” said Haverstick, acting director of the Defense Media Activity, on April 24. “We have less than a third of that.”

DMA runs some 825 public websites and blogs for the military, its website says. That includes the Defense Department’s flagship public site and the official sites for the Air Force, Navy, Marines, Army Reserve, National Guard, Army Corps of Engineers and the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

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WNU Editor: How can the U.S. government talk about cyber security/warfare when they do not even know the number of websites that they run.

More Pentagon Reforms?

The Pentagon is shown in Arlington, Virginia, U.S., September 11, 2017. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts

Reuters: Pentagon wants 12 month procurement time for major weapons programs, official

(Reuters) - The Pentagon’s acquisition chief said on Wednesday she wants to cut the time for major procurements to 12 months from an average of 2.5 years, speaking during a congressional hearing on the reorganization of the Defense Department’s procurement system.

The Pentagon typically takes months and often years to make procurement decisions, especially for major weapons programs. A more rapid procurement process could accelerate the pace of orders for weapons makers like Lockheed Martin Corp and Northrop Grumman Corp.

During the hearing of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, panel chairman Senator John McCain called the Pentagon’s buying program a “system of organized irresponsibility.”

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WNU Editor: Efforts and promises to reform the Pentagon have been declared by every U.S. administration for as long as I can remember .... and nothing was ever done. Will the Trump administration do the same .... I do not know. But promises to reform the procurement system does look promising, and coupled with this announcement I have reasons to be optimistic .... Pentagon Announces The First-Ever Audit Of The Department Of Defense.

Pentagon Announces The First-Ever Audit Of The Department Of Defense

© Jason Reed / Reuters

The Hill: Pentagon starting first-ever financial audit

Department of Defense (DOD) officials announced Friday that the agency would undergo the first full-scale audit in its history.

Defense Department Comptroller David Norquist said at a press conference that the audit would begin this month.

"It is important that the Congress and the American people have confidence in DOD's management of every taxpayer dollar," Norquist said.

The massive undertaking will examine every aspect of the Defense Department, from personnel and supplies to bases and weapons. At least 2,400 auditors will be tasked with spreading out across the department to examine the Pentagon's estimated $2.4 trillion in assets.

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WNU Editor: 2,400 auditors will be involved in this audit.

More News On The Pentagon's Announcement Of It's The First-Ever Audit Of The Department Of Defense

Officials Announce First DoD-Wide Audit, Call for Budget Certainty -- U.S. Department of Defense
Pentagon Announces First-Ever Audit Of The Department Of Defense -- NPR
Pentagon announces first-ever audit -- RT
Watching the Watchmen: First Ever Pentagon Audit Begins -- Sputnik

After Washington Naval Yard Shooting Pentagon Orders Global Review of Security Procedures and Clearances

Hagel Orders Reviews of Security Procedures and Clearances -- New York Times

WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Wednesday acknowledged that the process used to grant security clearances and access to military installations was in need of review, and most likely repair, two days after a former Navy reservist shot and killed 12 people at the Washington Navy Yard. Mr. Hagel admitted that “red flags” about the gunman’s past behavior were missed.

“Obviously, something went wrong,” Mr. Hagel said as he announced that he had ordered reviews of physical security, access procedures and the process for granting and renewing security clearances at Defense Department installations around the world.

“Where there are gaps we will close them, where there are inadequacies we will address them, where there are failures we will correct them,” he said. “Our people deserve safe and secure workplaces.”

The gunman, Aaron Alexis, who was also killed during the rampage, was an independent contractor who worked on Navy computers.

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More News On The Pentagon Ordering A Global Review of Security Procedures and Clearances

Pentagon announces probe of security clearance process -- NBC
Hagel orders 2 reviews in response to shooting -- AP
Hagel says 'red flags' missed before Navy Yard shooting -- Reuters
US military missed 'red flags' before shooting: Hagel -- AFP
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel orders worldwide reviews of U.S. security personnel -- New York Daily News
'Something went wrong': Hagel orders security review after Navy Yard shooting -- FOX News
All US Defense Security and Clearance Policies Under Review -- Voice of America
Pentagon Orders Security Review of All US Military Facilities -- Voice of America
Shooting at Washington Navy Yard Exposes Screening Lapses -- Wall Street Journal

Update: Obama to Attend Navy Yard Shooting Memorial Sunday -- AP

WNU Editor: This is heartbreaking .... I feel for the shooter's mother and especially for all the families who have been destroyed by this senseless shooting.

Pentagon Responds To Questions On Benghazi Attacks

Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta and Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, brief the media at the Pentagon, Oct. 25, 2012. DOD photo by Glenn Fawcett

U.S. Knew Too Little To Deploy Troops To Benghazi: Pentagon -- Reuters

(Reuters) - The Pentagon defended its decision not to deploy forces to Benghazi, Libya, as soon as the U.S. mission came under attack on September 11th, saying it would have been irresponsible to put forces in harm's way without better information.

President Barack Obama's response to the attacks in Libya has been a contentious issue in the hard-fought U.S. presidential race, with Republican opponents raising questions about his administration's truthfulness and competence.

Obama supporters have in turn accused Republicans of making unfounded accusations in an effort to score political points from the death of a U.S. ambassador and the three others killed in the Benghazi attack.

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More News On The Pentagon's Response To Questions On Why Did They Not Intervene When The US Consulate Attack Was Underway In Libya

Secretary, Chairman Respond to Reporters on Benghazi Attack -- US Department of Defense
Panetta: US lacked early info on Benghazi attack -- AP
Panetta: Fuzzy intel slowed Libya response after attack -- Stars and Stripes
Panetta Says Poor Intelligence Barred Forces to Benghazi -- Bloomberg Businessweek
Panetta: Benghazi attack occurred too fast for U.S. military intervention -- Washington Times
Pentagon: Benghazi attack too fast, too murky, too risky for U.S. military -- E-Ring/Foreign Policy
Poor Intel Held Military Out of Benghazi -- Military.com
Panetta: Too little information, too much risk to send military into Benghazi during attack -- Calgary Herald/AP
No reliable intelligence during Benghazi attack: US -- AFP
Military response to Benghazi attack questioned -- CBS
Panetta criticizes ‘Monday-morning quarterbacking’ on Libya attack -- The Hill

My Comment: I am disappointed with these answers .... I expected more. A drone was in the air watching the attack in real time. Specialists were in situation rooms in the U.S. watching the attack in real time. U.S. troops were 1-2 hours away. But even with all of these assets .... and the attack lasted for 7 hours .... no decision was made to even respond tells me that the rules of engagement are clearly not in place to respond to such events. The intel was not murky .... what was murky was that no one had the authority and responsibility to respond when the full dimensions of the attack were becoming known.

How Defense Cuts Will Shape The U.S. Military

This Is How The Huge Defense Budget Cuts Will Shape The US Military -- Business Insider

Wednesday, Deputy Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter gave a talk to the American Enterprise Institute, the conservative think tank that develops an immense amount of defense policy in D.C.

While he was there and speaking to a room full of defense insiders, wonks, academics and professionals, Carter opened up about the future of the Department of Defense, specifically what's getting the axe with recent budget cuts, which branches are getting slimmed, where the United States is concentrating its military power, and — the biggest question on everyone's mind — what the Department of Defense is going to do after we leave Afghanistan.

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My Comment: This is my sober reading for Saturday.

What Is The Christmas Wish List For The US Defense Department

...And Checking It Twice Senior Airman Nayibe Ramos runs through a runs through a checklist during GPS operations. The Marines' new proposal would obviate GPS. USAF photo by Airman 1st Class Mike Meares

What The Defense Department Wants For Christmas -- Popular Science

Military dreamers unleash their latest wishlist.

When you control a budget that exceeds a trillion dollars, you don’t have to wait until after Thanksgiving to start writing your holiday present wish list. The Department of Defense (DoD) has just released an early version of its small business programs for 2012, with every branch clamoring for futuristic technology that ranges from transforming robots to nanotech medicine to sensors that can figure out political beliefs through language analysis.

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My Comment: Someone has to tell the US Department of Defense that Santa Claus does not exist .... but Scrooge does.

Changes At The Top Of The U.S. Military Are Expected Soon

Marine Corps General James Cartwright (R), vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, speaks during a joint news briefing with U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates at the Pentagon in Washington September 17, 2009. (Photo: REUTERS / Yuri Gripas)

Major Shake-Up Coming Soon For Top Military Officers -- Stars And Stripes

WASHINGTON — Within weeks, roughly a dozen of the U.S. military’s most popular and highest-ranking officers will begin rotating out of some of the highest-profile jobs in the armed forces.

Those due for change this year include the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the vice chairman, several service chiefs, NATO’s supreme allied commander Europe and other combatant commanders, as well as the Afghanistan War’s commanding general and his top two deputies.

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My Comment: We now know that General Petraeus will be the next CIA Director .... as to who will be his replacement in Afghanistan .... that is still unknown as well as the other positions in the U.S. military hierarchy. But the shake-up is coming soon .... and probably sooner rather than later.

Getting Ready For The Shakeup In U.S. Defense Leadership Positions

Gen David Petraeus talks to reporters in Kabul last December (Photo: Toby Harnden)

Analysis: Is Obama Ready For Pentagon Leadership Turnover? -- Reuters

(Reuters) - As Libya adds a third war to President Barack Obama's growing list of foreign policy challenges, a big question is how soon a long-anticipated shakeup of U.S. defense leadership might unfold.

Admiral Mike Mullen, the military's top officer, is expected to retire after his term as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff ends in September -- a tight timeline for congressional confirmation that could require the White House to nominate a replacement soon.

But the hardest part will be naming a successor to Robert Gates, who has announced his intention to retire as defense secretary this year.

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More News On Leadership Changes At America's National Security/Military Posts

Obama weighs shuffle of top national security posts -- AFP
Gen. Petraeus Being 'Seriously Considered' For CIA Director, NPR Reports -- NPR
U.S. war hero Petraeus could take over at CIA after missing out on top Pentagon role -- The Daily Mail
Factbox: Who could Obama pick to lead the military? -- Reuters

My Comment: I do not see a radical change .... what I do see is the shifting of chairs into different positions. In short .... the same individuals .... but different titles.

Who Takes Over From Defense Secretary Gates If He Should Die Unexpectedly

Should Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates die unexpectedly, new succession rules are in force. Stephen Crowley/The New York Times

Obama Restores Former Pentagon Line of Succession -- New York Times

WASHINGTON — It is a morbid theme, but one that no superpower can ignore. So the Obama administration has quietly reviewed, and revised, the sequence in which Pentagon civilian officials would take command should Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates die unexpectedly, say in a surprise attack.

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My Comment: An interesting shifting of the flow chart on who succeeds who in the Pentagon ....but will it make an impact .... probably not.

Pentagon to Outline Shift in War Planning Strategy

From The New York Times:

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon will adopt a new strategy that for the first time orders the military to anticipate that future conflicts will include a complex mix of conventional, set-piece battles and campaigns against shadowy insurgents and terrorists, according to senior officials.

The shift is intended to assure that the military is prepared to deal with a spectrum of possible threats, including computer network attacks, attempts to blind satellite positioning systems, strikes by precision missiles and roadside bombs, and propaganda campaigns waged on television and the Internet. The new strategy has broad implications for training, troop deployment, weapons procurement and other aspects of military planning.

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My Comment: It appears that the Pentagon has embraced the concept of hybird war as a template for all future conflicts. This New York Times article is a good summary of this change in strategic planning from the Pentagon.

Look At Who Is Being Hired By The U.S. Department Of Defense

DoD Hires LA Times Columnist Who Belittled Al Qaeda Threat -- Weekly Standard

LA Times columnist Rosa Brooks once wrote that al Qaeda was "little more than an obscure group of extremist thugs, well financed and intermittently lethal but relatively limited in their global and regional political pull. On 9/11, they got lucky. . . . Thanks to U.S. policies, al Qaeda has become the vast global threat the administration imagined it to be in 2001.” She's now headed to Obama's Defense Department.

An email floating around the Hill:

LA Times columnist Rosa Brooks recently announced to her readers that she will “soon be starting a stint at the Pentagon as an advisor to the undersecretary of Defense for policy.” In her time in academia and as a newspaper columnist, some of the more interesting policy positions Ms. Brooks has advocated include:

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Obama Names DoD Team: Lynn for DepSec; Flournoy For Policy

From DoD Buzz:

The word is finally out on who will fill the crucial Defense Department posts under Secretary Gates. Biggest news — Bill Lynn will be nominated as Deputy Defense Secretary, the man who runs the department on a day to day basis. Lynn brings one crucial skill at this challenging economic time: he knows how to work the numbers, having served as comptroller under President Clinton for roughly four years.

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My Comment: I have no opinions on these appointments yet ..... but I suspect that it will be President Obama's White House that will be dictating policy.