HHS CIO Michael Carleton, Photo: CIO.gov Michael Carleton, chief information officer of the Department of Health and Human Services, will retire at the end of next month, FedScoop reports. As HHS CIO, a position he has had since 2007, Carleton also holds the title of deputy assistant secretary for information technology. In both roles, he [...]

It’s no secret that federal agencies and departments are faced with tightening bottom lines. But what happens when, in this age of scaleback, a division or department is actually faced with staff increases? The answer, as Federal Times reports, is “tight-sizing.” It’s not so much that agencies are cutting back on staff, but that their [...]

Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III helped launch last week a new $500 million-dollar government initiative aimed at bolstering “advanced manufacturing,” by bringing together private industry, academia and the government to invest in new and emerging technologies. The new program will help create a new class of high-tech manufacturing jobs and enhance U.S. global [...]

When Robert M. Gates was named defense secretary at the end of 2006, the former CIA chief was thrust into the midst of the debate about sending more troops to quell the insurgency in Iraq. Now, after serving longer in his Pentagon post than all but four of his predecessors and as the the nation [...]

The Small Business Administration gave the federal government an overall grade of “B” on its annual scorecard of small-business contracting efforts. Fiscal year 2010 saw nearly $100 million in federal contracts awarded to small businesses, according to SBA, representing an increase in federal prime contract dollars for the second year in a row. SBA rated [...]

Following hearings this week, the chairman of a House Small Business subcommittee on contracting has proposed that the Office of Management and Budget halt in-sourcing efforts until agencies publish guidelines and allow the public to comment on them. Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-S.C.), who chairs the contracting and workforce subcommittee, said agencies are in-sourcing, or bringing [...]

The General Services Administration is launching a project to push mobile-technology efforts at federal agencies. The site — the Making Mobile Gov project — is aimed at helping agencies develop mobile strategies and share best practices. The site, launched by GSA’s Office of Citizen Services and Innovative Technologies, will act  as a repository of information, [...]

The Defense Department’s top policy official, Michele Flournoy, said President Barack Obama’s announcement of a troop withdrawal over the 14 months is a continuation of a policy of troop surge he initiated in 2009. In a primetime address Wednesday night, Obama announced that 33,000 U.S. troops, about the same number of troops committed there in [...]

A group of business and industry organizations is asking Congress to bolster federal agencies’ access to “competitive sourcing,” according to a Federal Computer Week report. The Business Coalition for Fair Competition, which encompasses 31 organizations, sent a letter to the House Appropriations Committee, urging it to pass spending bills that are “free of damaging language [...]

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen said the House Armed Services Committee today he endorses President Barack Obama’s Afghanistan troop withdrawal plan, even though he initially wanted a less accelerated timetable. In a primetime address last night, Obama announced that 33,000 U.S. troops, about the same number of troops committed there [...]