CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY OVERSIGHT: Opportunities Exist to Strengthen Coordination and Increase Efficiencies and Effectiveness, GAO-15-52: Published: Nov 19, 2014. Publicly Released: Nov 19, 2014. DEFENSE CONTRACTORS: Additional Actions Needed to Facilitate the Use of DOD’s Inventory of Contracted Services, GAO-15-88: Published: Nov 19, 2014. Publicly Released: Nov 19, 2014. FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT: DHS Should Take Steps to Improve Cost Reporting and… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Defense
New GAO Reports – Health Care Transparency, Human Trafficking, Highway Projects, Public Transportation, Overseas Military Construction
HEALTH CARE TRANSPARENCY: Actions Needed to Improve Cost and Quality Information for Consumers, GAO-15-11: Published: Oct 20, 2014. Publicly Released: Nov 18, 2014. HIGHWAY PROJECTS: Many Federal and State Environmental Review Requirements Are Similar, and Little Duplication of Effort Occurs, GAO-15-71: Published: Nov 18, 2014. Publicly Released: Nov 18, 2014. HUMAN TRAFFICKING: Oversight of Contractors’ Use of Foreign Workers in High-Risk Environments… Continue Reading
Audit Faults State Dept’s Kabul Embassy Security Management
Via POGO: “A federal audit has found problems with the State Department’s oversight of security at the U.S. embassy in Afghanistan. The audit, issued November 3, showed that, years after the deadly attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, and long after Washington policymakers pledged to bolster protection for diplomats in danger zones, the State… Continue Reading
Two Pentagon Studies Reveal Scale of Overhaul for Nuclear Weapons Infrastructure
David E. Sanger and William J. Broad, New York Times: “The Pentagon will have to spend billions of dollars over the next five years to make emergency fixes to its nuclear weapons infrastructure, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel …announce[d] on Friday, after two separate Pentagon studies concluded that there are “systemic problems across the nuclear enterprise,” according to senior… Continue Reading
Executive Summary of DHS Report on White House Incursion of September 19, 2014
Via Homeland Security Digital Library (HSDL) – Executive Summary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Report on the White House Incursion of September 19, 2014 Training: “Due to staffing shortfalls, USSS has not conducted regular training for Uniformed Division Officers. […] the training did not prepare personnel for non-lethal force scenarios such as preventing a noncompliant individual… Continue Reading
New GAO Reports – 2013 Government Shutdown, DOE and Enriched Uranium, Nuclear Commerce
2013 Government Shutdown: Three Departments Reported Varying Degrees of Impacts on Operations, Grants, and Contracts. GAO-15-86, October 15. 2014 Department of Energy: Interagency Review Needed to Update U.S. Position on Enriched Uranium That Can Be Used for Tritium Production. GAO-15-123, October 14. Nuclear Commerce: Additional Actions Needed to Improve DOE’s Export Control Process. GAO-15-124, October… Continue Reading
WaPo – Chinese hack U.S. weather systems, satellite network
Mary Pat Flaherty, Jason Samenow and Lisa Rein: “Hackers from China breached the federal weather network recently, forcing cybersecurity teams to seal off data vital to disaster planning, aviation, shipping and scores of other crucial uses, officials said. The intrusion occurred in late September but officials gave no indication that they had a problem until Oct. 20,… Continue Reading
World Oil Transit Chokepoints
EIA: World Oil Transit Chokepoints – Last Updated: November 10, 2014 “World chokepoints for maritime transit of oil are a critical part of global energy security. About 63% of the world’s oil production moves on maritime routes. The Strait of Hormuz and the Strait of Malacca are the world’s most important strategic chokepoints by volume… Continue Reading
The Employment Status and Occupations of Gulf War-Era Veterans
“A new report, “The Employment Status and Occupations of Gulf War-Era Veterans,” looks at those Gulf War veterans who began service on or after August 1990, the official start of the first Gulf War. It differentiates between “Gulf War I” veterans — those who served only during the August 1990 to August 2001 period —… Continue Reading
New GAO Reports – Defense Contract Audit Agency, IRS Financial Audit, Spent Nuclear Fuel Management, Federal Real Property
DEFENSE CONTRACT AUDIT AGENCY: Additional Guidance Needed Regarding DCAA’s Use of Companies’ Internal Audit Reports, GAO-15-44: Published: Nov 12, 2014. Publicly Released: Nov 12, 2014. FINANCIAL AUDIT: IRS’s Fiscal Years 2014 and 2013 Financial Statements, GAO-15-173: Published: Nov 12, 2014. Publicly Released: Nov 12, 2014. SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL MANAGEMENT: Outreach Needed to Help Gain Public Acceptance for Federal Activities That Address Liability, GAO-15-141: Published:… Continue Reading
Defining Criticality in a Networked World
Fleming, Matthew H. and Goldstein, Eric and Abott, Stephen and Bromberger, Seth and Kendall, Joseph, Defining Criticality in a Networked World: Implications of the Use of Information and Communications Technology for Efforts to Promote the Security and Resilience of Critical Infrastructure (January 17, 2014). Available for download at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2519887 “Current approaches to critical infrastructure… Continue Reading
Qatar: Background and U.S. Relations
CRS – Qatar: Background and U.S. Relations, Christopher M. Blanchard, Specialist in Middle Eastern Affairs. November 4, 2014. “Qatar, a small peninsular country in the Persian Gulf, emerged as a partner of the United States in the mid-1990s and currently serves as host to major U.S. military facilities. Qatar holds the thirdlargest proven natural gas reserves in the world, and… Continue Reading
