Monday federal headlines – October 27, 2014

The Federal Headlines is a daily compilation of the stories you hear discussed on Federal News Radio each day. It is designed to give FederalNewsRadio.com reade...

The Federal Headlines is a daily compilation of the stories you hear discussed on the Federal Drive and In Depth radio shows each day. Our headlines are updated twice per day — once in the morning and once in the afternoon — with the latest news affecting federal employees and contractors.

  • Veterans in the federal workforce are less satisfied with their agencies’ managers and personnel practices than other federal employees. The Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey finds 29 percent of veterans say promotions are based on performance, compared with 34 percent of the rest of federal employees. Veterans make up 29 percent of the federal workforce. (Federal News Radio)
  • The Defense Department declassifies a joint publication on cyberspace operations. It clarifies the Pentagon’s role for its daily cyber missions. It also says DoD could take over for other agencies’ cyber missions under special circumstances. (Federal News Radio)
  • This weekend formally marked the end of U.S. military operations in the volatile southwestern region of Afghanistan. Marines lowered the American flag at Camp Leatherneck and gave Afghan soldiers control over the base. British troops did the same with neighboring Camp Bastion. The two bases once housed 40,000 service members and contractors. Now, Reuters reports, it resembles a ghost town. The military leaves behind an airstrip, roads and buildings. (Reuters)
  • A new public website will help federal agencies with Ebola relief efforts. The National Geospatial Intelligence Agency launched the unclassified data site, which features maps overlayed with geospatial imagery and tools. The maps show power grids, transportation infrastructure and emergency treatment units in West African countries. Users can even pinpoint Ebola cases by location. Data feeds continually update the maps with new information. The website has no limits on distribution. That means organizations outside government can access the data too. NGA has helped with other disaster relief efforts. It released data and maps during Hurricane Sandy, Typhoon Haiyan and the Haitian earthquake. (NGA)
  • Hazmat suits and protective gear may be a look of the past, the Pentagon is developing portable isolation units. Military Times reports the units will be able to transport up to 12 Ebola patients on military planes. They’re in the testing phase now, and will be deployed to the field in January. But the Pentagon said the units are a precautionary measure. It doesn’t think it will need the units for service members. The 3,000 troops in West Africa aren’t directly treating Ebola patients. They’re building clinics, training personnel and testing blood samples for Ebola. (Military Times)
  • The 2014 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey paints an overall glum picture of the federal workforce. But the Office of Personnel Management’s survey reveals more than just low morale and unhappiness with senior leaders. NASA, the Federal Trade Commission and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission top the charts for most engaged employees. They were also the top three agencies in 2010. Same goes for the bottom of the list. Homeland Security, the Broadcasting Board of Governors and Housing and Urban Development consistently rank on the low end for engagement. (Federal News Radio)
  • Military services are giving employees travel cards to pay for all of their moving expenses, and the Pentagon says the services will save money by doing it. It’s playing the credit-card game, trying to make the most of the cash-back incentive. Our DoD reporter Jared Serbu said if the department can get personnel to spend just 5 percent more overall, then it will earn a rebate of 11 percent. Plus, DoD gets better data that officials said will help it negotiate better deals with rental car companies and other travel vendors. The Army and Air Force are following the new rules now. The Navy is doing a pilot first. (Federal News Radio )
  • The Commerce Department’s former chief information officer lands in the private sector. Simon Szykman has joined Attain as chief technology officer of the federal services division. He will oversee corporate alliances at the consulting firm. Szykman’s move came after seven years at Commerce. That includes three years at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. He announced he was leaving government in February and stayed on the job until June. Steve Cooper replaced Szykman as the new CIO. Cooper’s background is a mix of public and private sector experience. (Federal News Radio)
  • The National Park Service is going even greener in the Washington area. On the Mall, it will install an intelligent lighting systems that alerts maintenance workers when a bulb burns out, and that automatically adjusts to lighting conditions. It’s one of 81 energy-efficiency and water conservation projects the agency will launch throughout the region. It’s doing so through a 23-year contract in which the company, Siemens Government Technologies, pays for the up-front costs. The Park Service estimates the cost at $29 million. The Obama Administration has encouraged agencies to use so-called Energy Savings Performance Contracts. (National Park Service)
  • Five agencies could use help with customer service, according to auditors. The Government Accountability Office says the five failed to include all the key elements of good customer service standards as defined by laws and executive orders. It cites the National Park Service for not having performance targets or measures, and for not making its standards easily available. To be fair, the agency has its own “Visitor’s Bill of Rights,” but GAO says it doesn’t include those key elements. Other agencies dinged in the report include Customs and Border Protection, Forest Service, Federal Student Aid and two services in the Veterans Benefits Administration. (GAO)
  • The Veterans Affairs Department has removed the head of its Alabama health care system under a new law that speeds up the process for firing senior executive service members. The department’s new Office of Accountability Review substantiated allegations against James Talton. Talton was placed on administrative leave in August for neglect of duty. The move followed reports that the Alabama system had manipulated patient records, experienced long delays in appointments and that one employee had helped a veteran buy illegal drugs. Talton was one of four senior executives that VA planned to remove this month. Two of the others retired before they could be fired. (VA)

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