http://www.executivegov.com Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:17:30 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en [caption id="attachment_3435" align="alignleft" width="119" caption="Janet Napolitano"][/caption] Janet Napolitano is the third secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. She leads the nation's collective efforts to secure it from various threats, including terrorism and natural disasters. To counter the threat of terrorism, Napolitano has forged new partnerships with international allies and expanded information ... http://www.executivegov.com/2010/03/janet-napolitano/ General Services Administration’s Federal Acquisition Service commissioner Jim Williams has opted to retire.  On April 3, he will step down from his position, he said in a message, with confirmation coming from the GSA shortly after. “I feel like I have been incredibly blessed and fortunate to have been able to ... http://www.executivegov.com/2010/03/gsa-official-jim-williams-set-to-retire/ The White House released a memo on Monday on how agencies can legally arrange contests in order to engage citizens to find new ideas on how to use technology to improve open government. The memo was from Jeffrey Zients, the Deputy Director for Management, in the Office of Management and ... http://www.executivegov.com/2010/03/zients-releases-contest-guidelines/ In a three-day trip to Afghanistan, Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates visited soldiers to get the "ground truth" directly from those in areas of conflict. “These incredible young people, the enthusiasm they have, and they have some good feedback about partnering with the Afghans,” Gates said. “And talking to them ... http://www.executivegov.com/2010/03/defense-secretary-gates-visits-soldiers-in-afghanistan/ Last week, Secretary Napolitano announced the “National Cybersecurity Awareness Campaign Challenge.” This initiative will call upon industry leaders as well as the public to give ideas on how to enhance cybersecurity awareness. In her address at a conference in San Francisco, Napolitano declared, “We need to recognize that those answers are ... http://www.executivegov.com/2010/03/napolitano-calls-for-cybersecurity-awareness/ Recent media reports that suggest federal employees are overpaid compared to their private-sector counterparts are "misleading," Office of Management and Budget Director Peter R. Orszag said Tuesday. At a Government Executive Leadership Briefing held yesterday, Orszag talked about the recent press coverage that showed that for certain occupations, average salaries are ... http://www.executivegov.com/2010/03/federal-employees-not-overpaid-says-omb-chief-peter-r-orszag/ [caption id="attachment_3384" align="alignleft" width="260" caption="DoD Deputy Secretary William Lynn"][/caption] Yesterday, the U.S. Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM) launched its official Facebook and Twitter pages. In response to DOD Deputy Secretary William Lynn’s memo regarding the responsible and effective use of social media and web 2.0 applications on Friday, February 25, USTRANSCOM moved forward ... http://www.executivegov.com/2010/03/us-transportation-command-launches-facebook-and-twitter-pages/ What does the PCI picture look like from the government’s perspective? The GAO describes DoD contractor employees as “closely supporting inherently governmental functions” but notes that some DoD officials have a different perspective. Program managers that the GAO interviewed say contractor employees provide “technical” input into the decision-making process as opposed ... http://www.executivegov.com/2010/03/personal-conflicts-of-interest-and-inherently-governmental-functions/ President Obama proposed an IT budget of $3.3 billion for the VA Department for the fiscal year of 2011. Now the Senate panel has decided to add another 1% ($30 million) for fiscal 2011 for various projects. The increased funds will go into projects that are in the Veterans Health Administration, ... http://www.executivegov.com/2010/03/roger-baker-veteran-affairs-cio-gets-more-funding-for-2011/ A report issued by the National Research Council has indicated multiple issues in an environmental impact statement from the U.S. Army regarding its expansion of biocontainment laboratories at Fort Detrick in Frederick, Md. The report was requested by Congress. However, the report also indicates that “current safety procedures and regulations ... http://www.executivegov.com/2010/03/despite-environmental-concerns-nrc-confident-in-army-lab-expansion/