Defense

Air Force tanker lease deal approved at lower price

Bill would direct the Pentagon to establish an independent panel to ensure the Air Force strikes a good deal.

Management

Safety concerns ground large firefighting air tankers

Probe into three crashes concludes that incomplete maintenance records make it impossible to determine the airworthiness of the fleet of retired military planes.

News

Senate bill would allow private tax collection

Private-sector debt collection companies would have to follow the same rules as federal agents.

Management

Delivering Your Message

Put the mouse down and back away from your desk.

Defense

Armed Services chair pushes new 'buy American' provision

Measure would restrict the Pentagon's ability to buy technology from foreign companies whose governments require U.S. firms to assist their defense industries as a condition of purchasing U.S. weapons.

Defense

Two-year base-closing delay could derail process

A proposed delay in the next BRAC round would give states and their lobbyists two more years to fight for their bases.

Defense

Committee expands Coast Guard's law enforcement powers

Coast Guard officers could get the authority to carry firearms while at a waterfront facility, make arrests for felony offenses and seize property.

Defense

TSA to adjust screener staffing levels at airports

Agency needs to reallocate staff based on limit of 45,000 screeners set by Congress.

Defense

House committee backs two-year base-closing delay

Lawmaker says the current climate of conflict in Iraq and the ongoing war on terrorism make it the wrong time to close military installations.

Defense

Union, Democrats demand flight attendant security training

Flight attendants demand the Transportation Security Administration require airlines to provide them with counterterrorism training.

News

Lawmakers consider legislation to close diploma-mill loophole

The goal is to stop the flow of federal dollars into fake degree-granting institutions.

Defense

Homeland security turf battle brews in House

Transportation and Infrastructure Committee chairman says Homeland Security panel is supposed to focus on oversight, not legislation.

Defense

Rumsfeld defends Iraq policies

Joint Chiefs chairman acknowledges that forces in Iraq and Afghanistan are using up equipment faster than anticipated.

Tech

Report: Visitor-tracking program needs better management

US-VISIT effort lacks "rigorous, disciplined management," General Accounting Office concludes.

Management

House panel backs union-supported changes in competitive sourcing

Measure paves the way for a broadening of federal employees' rights to protest outsourcing decisions.

Management

Safety assessments released on four NASA projects

A safety center created in the aftermath of the space shuttle Columbia disaster has released its first assessments on four high-profile National Aeronautics and Space Administration projects.

Defense

House presses for DHS management, procurement overhaul

House chairmen push for organizational change and plan to send a letter calling for a reduction in red tape in procurement processes.

Management

Defense encounters obstacles to small business contracting

At a time when federal agencies are awarding more prime contracts than ever to small businesses, those looking for Defense-related subcontracts may feel left out.