In a series of articles today, Politico took on the “pruning the Pentagon.” And, while much ink has been spilled on the topic of the exit strategies from Afghanistan and Iraq, Politico focused on that of Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, himself, and what his departure will mean for the department’s budget-trimming efficiencies initiatives. Politico [...]

The new deputy chief technology officer for government innovation is already receiving high marks, with many expressing high hopes for the tech official tasked with open government innovation, according to a Nextgov report. Previously, the chief information officer of San Francisco’s technology department, Chris Vein, worked on a clearinghouse of municipal data, akin to a [...]

The prevalence of mobile devices, especially among federal workers, could be the next step in decentralizing agency-level IT departments, allowing the government’s technology to be deployed more nimbly, the nation’s chief information officer said at a tech conference last week. The overarching consumerization of IT represents a “megashift” in how federal IT departments provision technology, [...]

As the federal government reforms IT acquisition, one of the main provisions has been beefing up the authority of agency chief information officers. CIO of the Department of Veterans Affairs Roger Baker has been an exemplar of the kind of agency-level CIO the administration wants to see more of. Spurred on by his successes, the [...]

ExecutiveGov’s parent company and publisher, Executive Mosaic, announced today that Gerry A. Simone has been named editor-in-chief of the company’s host of media properties covering federal marketplace news and government contracting. Executive Mosaic CEO and Publisher Jim Garrettson praised Simone as “an accomplished and trusted adviser in online and media print media.” He added that [...]

The Federal Communications Commission’s rules governing Internet content and traffic, known collectively as net neutrality, face an uphill battle after House Republicans voted to defund the provision in a stopgap spending bill. The continuing resolution passed by House Republicans last week also included $61 billion in cuts, making it politically unpalatable for many in the [...]

A number of high-level Energy Department officials announced their departures from the agency this week, casting doubt on the administration’s renewable energy efforts. Undersecretary of Energy Cathy Zoi, who oversaw energy efficiency and renewable energy efforts for the department, will head west after she leaves DOE in March for a private-sector position in California. Meanwhile, [...]

The General Services Administration, the federal agency tasked with managing government buildings and properties, announced Thursday it has named Office of Federal Procurement Policy analyst Mindy Connolly GSA’s new chief procurement officer. GSA Administrator Martha Johnson announced the new hire in a Thursday staff memo, Government Executive reports. Connolly, a procurement policy analyst for OFPP, [...]

The Obama administration announced last week it would take steps to improve training and hiring for the federal civilian workforce’s top executives, according to a report in Federal Times. In a memo to the 8,000-member Senior Executive Service from Office of Management and Budget Deputy Director Jeffrey Zients and Office of Personnel Management Director John [...]

Federal Acquisition Service Commissioner Steve Kempf said the procurement arm of the General Services Administration must modernize to meet the government’s challenges. In an interview with Federal News Radio, Kempf, who took over a year ago, said the agency has seen an infusion of new personnel — about 200 employees in three months. “We have [...]