Pay & Benefits
Is It Too Late for Comprehensive Civil Service Reform?
HR experts suggest reformers tinker with the current system rather than attempt to create a new one.
Management
Agencies Prepare For Hurricane Matthew
FEMA and the Pentagon have teams and supplies in place in the southeastern U.S. to respond to the storm if necessary.
Route Fifty
Hurricane Matthew to Test Resiliency of Utility and Communications Systems
As utility workers are mobilized to restore service knocked out by the storm, this real-life emergency scenario will test investments in stronger infrastructure and response.
Pay & Benefits
Higher Medicare Premiums, New Fertility Benefits, Back Pay Calculator and More
A weekly roundup of pay and benefits news.
Route Fifty
Car Privileges Revoked for Some Mass. State Workers; Big Jump in St. Louis’ Foreign-Born Residents
Also in our State and Local Daily Digest: 50 guards, inmates charged in federal investigation of Maryland’s prisons; concerns over Utah county official’s cognitive health; creating the ‘Queen’ of Michigan State Parks
Defense
Obama Orders New Diversity Push in National Security Agencies
Presidential memo adds new reporting requirements and rewards aimed at enhancing problem-solving.
Defense
Army Warns that Future War with Russia or China Would Be ‘Extremely Lethal and Fast’
Leaders say warfare in the coming decades will be fundamentally different from the past 25 years.
Defense
Pentagon Fronts Bomb Buys For Allies Fighting ISIS
A special budget account is being used to boost weapons production ahead of allies' formal orders.
Defense
Military Spending by the U.S. Has Declined, but It Still Dwarfs That of Any Other Nation
Last year the military spending of nearly $600 billion accounted for 36% of the world share.
Tech
Yahoo Reportedly Helped the Government Spy On All Its Users’ Emails, As They Came In
It did what Apple refused to do for U.S. intelligence.
Oversight
Play of the Day: Tim Kaine's Got (Bad) Jokes
Hillary Clinton's running mate may have prepared too much for the vice presidential debate.
Management
The Surprisingly Simple Fix for Ineffective Leadership Teams
Just passing the time together in a meeting isn’t enough to create cohesion.
Nextgov
DOT's Innovation Officer: Moonshots Are Just a Series of Small Steps
The government needs to get comfortable with innovation in increments.
Pay & Benefits
A Last-Minute Push for Turning Feds Into At-Will Employees
Measure would also end official time and restrict pay raises.
Nextgov
How One Federal Official Uses Comedy Techniques to Teach 'Innovation'
The Transportation Department's chief innovation officer sometimes starts meetings with improv exercises.
Nextgov
CIA Can Anticipate Social Unrest ‘Three to Five Days’ Out in Some Cases
The agency's use of sophisticated algorithms and analytics have significantly improved its ability to predict events.
Defense
Government’s Recent Hostage Recovery Activities Deemed Largely Effective
Several dozen were recovered in first year since Obama clarified policies, counterterrorism agency’s report notes.
Oversight
Clinton and Trump Are Shuffling the Electoral Map
Democrats are increasingly looking toward Sunbelt states rather than Rustbelt states for victory in 2016 and beyond. Not long ago that would have been unthinkable.
Management
Longer Probationary Periods For New Defense Hires
New civilians in the competitive service and senior executives hired or appointed after Nov. 26, 2015, are on probation now for two years instead of one.
Route Fifty