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RECENT NEWS STORIES

• From Nextgov.com: Series of firms win Defense contracts to provide new RFID technology (12/23/08)
  Procurement will bring competition to an area long dominated by Lockheed Martin subsidiary.
• Defense lays groundwork for new management chief (12/22/08)
  Deputy Secretary Gordon England has outlined the responsibilities of the position, which will go to an Obama appointee.
• Cadet survey on sexual harassment and violence shows mixed results (12/18/08)
  Students at the military academies continue to underreport incidents to authorities.
• Budget analyst: Recent funding approach masks true costs of war (12/15/08)
  Use of supplemental budget requests makes congressional oversight more difficult, report says.
• Self-reporting rule for contractors takes effect (12/12/08)
  Companies now must disclose certain violations to inspectors general.
• From Nextgov.com: Defense launches personal health record application test (12/08/08)
  Soldiers and their families use Google and Microsoft health-records software to manage their medical files online.
• Gates outlines commitment to military reform (12/05/08)
  Strategy and risk assessments should drive procurement and not the other way around, Defense secretary asserts.
• Improving language skills of military personnel is easier said than done (12/04/08)
  Congress finds the challenge is exacerbated by a public education system that fails to value foreign languages.
• Defense proposes hiring, promotion flexibilities for NSPS (12/04/08)
  New rules would give recruiters the option of considering only local job applicants if pool is large enough.
• Study reveals the success of Pentagon personnel system is unclear (12/01/08)
  The Congressional Budget Office says it's too early to tell whether NSPS is improving employee performance and making hiring and pay decisions easier.
• From Nextgov.com: NASA bans some removable storage devices (11/24/08)
  Prohibition is not as sweeping as the one instituted by the Defense Department earlier this month.
• Vendors might have to vouch for product authenticity (11/21/08)
  Industry views rule to crack down on counterfeit equipment and software as too burdensome.
• From Nextgov.com: Defense bans use of removable storage devices (11/21/08)
  Ban could be the result of a virus from the nonclassified network moving to the Pentagon's classified system via a thumb drive.
• Obama urged to make quick decision on fighter jet (11/20/08)
  New administration will end up costing taxpayers more money if it waits much past Jan. 21 to make the call, Defense acquisition chief says.
• Defense acquisition official gives himself, military low marks (11/20/08)
  But John Young emphasized that 60 percent to 70 percent of the Pentagon's acquisition programs are run well.
• Administration touts continued progress on financial audits (11/19/08)
  Twenty of 24 major agencies passed their evaluations, including the Treasury Department, which had to submit its statements just as the economic rescue began.
• President-elect takes deliberate, organized approach to transition (11/14/08)
  Obama focuses on groundwork, rather than major appointments.
• Report urges military to move away from private security personnel (11/14/08)
  New America Foundation suggests contractors still could take part in training and peacetime defensive operations.
• Defense acquisition caters to bigger companies (11/13/08)
  Many of the goods and services bought annually by Defense are better suited for large contractors, research group finds.
• Pentagon to provide 'nonprescriptive' transition guide (11/13/08)
  General overview includes a timeline for the first 90 days of the new administration, as well as other information on the state of play of military issues.