Jared Serbu covers the Department of Defense for Federal News Radio. Jared's reports can be heard Monday - Friday on the Federal Drive and In Depth.

Navy's ship IT modernization program faces budget-related delays

The fledgling effort to replace IT systems aboard 193 Navy ships, called CANES, will take longer than expected. With or without sequestration, the Navy expects eight installations scheduled for 2013 to be interrupted.

Comment

Navy finds billions of dollars in under-the-radar IT expenses

As the Navy scours its IT systems to determine exactly what it owns, it's discovered it operates double the data centers and tens of thousands of servers and applications more than it previously thought. The findings come more than a decade after the Navy implemented its Navy-Marine Corps Intranet, which was supposed to reduce the number of disparate systems run by the agency and eliminate stovepipes. All told, Navy's IT budget could be as much as $4 billion more than it initially thought.

4

Cyber information sharing bill gets new life in House

Despite a veto threat a year ago, House proponents of a cyber information sharing bill say productive talks now are underway with the Obama administration. Reps. Mike Rogers and Dutch Ruppersberger re-introduced the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) trying to address privacy and civil liberties concerns.

Comment

Military issues dire warnings of readiness crisis, decries political gridlock

Among the warnings the military's top uniformed officers delivered to the Senate Tuesday: Half of Marine Corps units will fall below readiness standards by the end of the year, the Army will have to curtail training for 80 percent of its ground forces and shipyards are already becoming short-staffed because of DoD's hiring freeze.

4

Air Force study to focus on 'game-changing' technology

Dr. Mark Maybury, the Air Force's chief scientist, discusses a wide-ranging study of potential future "game changers" and best practices in each of the service's core mission areas.

Comment

Air Force: Sequestration already creating 'chronic inefficiency'

The Air Force's long-range planning and modernization takes back seat to preparations for near-term crises, including contingency plans to scale back civilian workforce. Civilian furloughs would be "breach of faith," Air Force says.

4

Pentagon to pare back military pay increase request for 2014

DoD's 2014 budget will ask Congress for a 1 percent increase in military pay, down slightly from previous projections.

1

DoD, VA accelerate schedule for integrated health record

The two departments are looking for "quick wins" in their integrated health-record strategy, aiming to bring the most important capabilities online three years early.

Comment

By year's end, troops will be unable to respond to crises, Pentagon says

Shortfalls in operating accounts would mean military units would be undertrained, underequipped and unable to deploy by the end of fiscal 2013, senior DoD officials predict.

10

Navy details two rounds of budget cutbacks for 2013

Round one is already in effect and includes a civilian hiring freeze, cancellation of conferences, cutbacks on training, and a reduction in IT spending for the Navy. Round two would involve unpaid civilian furloughs, operational reductions for deployed ships, and cuts to tuition assistance for sailors.

Comment

Sequestration effects becoming clear for DoD

DoD's operations and maintenance accounts will likely be hit first if sequestration goes into effect. Unlike its procurement and research and development activities, which can continue to function on funds obligated in prior years, O&M dollars generally get spent right away. In preparation for sequestration, the Pentagon has already let go of tens of thousands of temporary hires and is drawing up a contingency plan for one-day-a-week furloughs. Deputy Secretary Ashton Carter says the unpaid furloughs would begin in April and continue through the remainder of the fiscal year if sequestration is not avoided.

9

Pentagon tears down final barrier for women in combat

On Thursday, DoD eliminated its Clinton-era policy that excluded women from serving in many front-line jobs. But full implementation will not happen immediately.

Comment

Air Force creating 'battle rhythm' to stop sexual assault

The Air Force said it has identified 59 victims at a basic training facility. Thirty-two instructors are among those who have been accused or convicted of committing sexual improprieties with trainees. Senior leaders say they must do more to stop the problem.

4

DoD standardizing, synchronizing cyber training

The department is creating and trying out a universal curriculum for five foundational cyber roles in 2013. DISA is leading the effort and will add new roles next year as it refines the training. The agency says it is doing all it can to synchronize its training not just across DoD, but across the entire federal government in line with the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE).

1

Navy Undersecretary Robert Work to leave post

Robert Work, the Navy's undersecretary, will not serve a second term under President Obama.

Comment

Navy living out its 'heyday,' but rough seas ahead

Robert Work, the undersecretary of the Navy, says forget about the Reagan-era aspirations of a 600-ship fleet. Even with a smaller Navy, things are better than ever, he says, even if they're about to get worse due to smaller budgets and the threat of sequestration. "Yes, things might get worse. In fact, they probably will get worse. But this is the heyday of the U.S. Navy. And, if you're not excited, you ain't breathing," he said at the Surface Navy Association's annual symposium this week.

Comment

Begin saving cash now, Air Force tells commanders

The Air Force orders commanders to start cutbacks in advance of the next budget emergency.

Comment

Air Force's sequestration hit would mean less of everything

Air Force commanders will get orders in the next few days to plan for the possibility of fewer flying hours, providing fewer office supplies and working on fewer IT upgrades. Part of the service's planning will be to figure out how many civilian workers would need to be furloughed and for how long.

5

Pentagon orders planning for civilian furloughs, other cutbacks

Defense Deputy Secretary Ashton Carter told DoD components Thursday to draw up plans for full-year continuing resolution, plus sequestration. The approach to deal with across-the-board cuts would be to freeze civilian hiring, cut training, travel and conferences and reduce business technology expenditures.

2

Sequestration 2.0 would mean furloughs for DoD's entire civilian workforce

New version of sequestration would reduce overall tab to DoD but compress across-the-board cuts into just seven months. A leading-think tank's "back of the envelope" calculations show the military would have to furlough almost every civilian.

2