Nextgov
VA Reaches ‘Tipping Point’ in Processing Backlogged Disability Claims
Department reduced pending claims by 74,000 since March.
Defense
Pentagon Preparing Two Budget Plans for Fiscal 2014
Sequestration cuts are ‘embarrassing,’ could require sharp workforce reductions, official says.
Defense
Retirement Cuts Offset Health Care Spending Increases in Defense Bill
Extension of TRICARE Prime would increase costs, while eliminating back pay to some retirees would reduce them.
Defense
Military Commanders Retain Powers in Sexual Assault Cases
Senate Armed Services Committee chair Carl Levin killed the proposal.
Management
Pentagon Leaders Put Support Contractors on Notice for Deep Cuts
Shift should return clout to civil servants.
Nextgov
Analysis: Government’s Vast Lockers of Data Threaten Basic Individual Freedoms
Freedom is a joke when a life's history resides forever in a vast database.
Defense
The Army's Weapon of Mass Deliciousness
D.C. bakery gives away cupcakes to celebrate the service's birthday.
Defense
Ask Us for More Money to Fill Defense Budget Holes, Senator Says
Furloughs directly linked to unexpected war spending, Susan Collins says.
Defense
Has Sequestration Hit Defense Contractors Hard Enough?
Senator wants to know if federal civilians are shouldering too much of the burden.
Tech
Bill Would Help Federal Firefighters Get Career Jobs
Western Democrats back measure to permanently hire seasonal firefighters.
Defense
Edward Snowden and the Magical World of Security Clearances
Washington runs on security clearances, with more than 4.2 million people holding them by 2011.
Oversight
Congress Ineffectively Oversees National Security, Insiders Say
Only one-fourth in a National Journal survey felt lawmakers were effective checks.
Pay & Benefits
Defense Civilians Make Last Ditch Effort to End Furloughs
Online petition says feds have borne the brunt of cuts over the last three years.
Defense
Next Move China—Will Hong Kong (or Beijing) Refuse to Extradite the NSA Leaker?
Edward Snowden’s reasons for choosing Hong Kong may have included its determination to stand up for freedom of expression.
Defense
What Little We Know About the NSA Leaker
Profiles describe Snowden as being fully aware of the risks he took, both in revealing the data and in coming forward.
Defense
Why Edward Snowden Leaked the Secret NSA Information
Snowden says he cannot 'allow the U.S. government to destroy privacy, internet freedom and basic liberties.'
Management
Pentagon Still Doesn’t Have a Grasp on Improper Payments, Auditors Find
Estimate of $1.1 billion 'not statistically valid,' says GAO.
Defense
The Surveillance State: How We Got Here
NSA’s tracking programs were pushed by the Senate, House and executive branch after 9/11.
Defense