Adm. Karl Schultz, commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, said the military branch will award a contract to build the first vessel of its heavy polar icebreaker fleet in the spring, National Defense Magazine reported Thursday.

The $11.34B USCG budget proposed by the White House for fiscal 2019 includes $35 million to fund design work on new Polar Security Cutters and another $15 million to maintain the existing Polar Star icebreaker. Schultz told audience during his State of the Coast Guard address on Thursday that the service plans to buy three large PSCs. The cost of each vessel could reach $1 billion, according to the publication.

USCG issued a request for proposal for the advance procurement and detail design of the heavy polar icebreaker variant last year. The branch conducted a full and open competition for the contract.

Following the launch of a federal initiative to provide workers with new skills in information technology, cyber security and law enforcement, the Trump administration is rethinking its compensation and performance management to help in workforce modernization, Federal News Network reported Thursday.

The administration plans to study benefits, rewards and recognition opportunities for employees, including pay, retirement, leave and work-life balance programs, said Margaret Weichert, acting director of the Office of Personnel Management and deputy director for management for the Office of Management and Budget.

The White House included the plan in its latest budget request to reward top performers in the government, an effort that follows the president’s management agenda.

The government is “rethinking how we articulate the need for performance-driven, total compensation rewards and recognition,” Weichert said. “We’re putting to field this investigation to help Congress understand how to think about pay as part of a broader, holistic strategy.”

Regulatory changes are also being considered to add incentives for agency managers. The administration wants to provide officials with more authority to reward top employees with bonuses that exceed a specified limit without seeking approval from OPM.

The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency will award up to $1.2M in prizes for the MagQuest challenge focused on collecting geomagnetic data from the Earth’s magnetic field, the agency said Wednesday.

The agency seeks U.S. and international participants that can provide aerial, terrestrial and space-based capabilities to update the World Magnetic Model, which supports global military, commercial navigation and communications.

The model, created by the NGA in partnership with Britain’s geographic defense agency, currently requires alternative data collection methods to ensure its sustainability.

“MagQuest is a critical component of NGA’s work to develop a new system for measuring Earth’s geomagnetic field to power the future of navigation,” said Richard Salman, director of the NGA Office of Geomatics. 

An independent judging panel will select up to 10 awardees for Phase 1 who will share a prize of $200K. Phase 1 participants and other parties that were not able to participate in the first increment may compete for Phase 2.

NGA may award a maximum prize pool of $1M to five winners that can provide detailed descriptions, 3D models and prototype development and testing plans for their concepts. The agency might offer additional phases for $2.5M in cash and potential non-monetary prizes. Interested parties may submit proposals through May 16.

The U.S. Army Network Cross Functional Team plans to purchase equipment and begin operations supporting branch efforts to  develop an integrated tactical network by 2020, FCW reported Thursday. The network will combine computer, satellite and radio capabilities to form a streamlined and mobile battlefield network.

Maj. Gen. Peter Gallagher, head of the cross functional team, said the Army wants to assess and field equipment before providing deliverables to brigade units by 2021. The Army will work on four capability sets which include satellite communications, cloud technology, anti-jamming weapons, automated units and multi-domain systems.

The service branch is currently conducting experiments with European units ahead of a potential full network modernization by 2028.

The U.S. Navy’s latest budget justification documents reveal plans to award the fourth contract under the Virginia-class submarine program in April, Inside Defense reported Wednesday.

The contract calls for 10 nuclear-powered submarines in the Block V configuration and cover fiscal years 2019 through 2023. All of these future units would include acoustic superiority modifications, and seven among them will feature the Virginia Payload Module, a four-tube launcher made to shoot out 28 missiles.

The Virginia Payload is designed to make up for the retirement of the Navy’s guided missile submarines in the mid-2020s, the documents reported.

The Office of Inspector General found that the Veterans Benefits Administration failed to update its system for processing housing stipends under the Forever GI Bill, according to a Department of Veterans Affairs report released Wednesday.

As of December 2018, the benefits department did not properly modify electronic platforms such as the Long-Term Solution software that was intended to improve housing payment procedures for service members, veterans and their families.

The report states that VBA faced challenges such as “unclear communication of implementation progress and inadequately defined expectations, roles, and responsibilities” regarding the contractors involved in the effort.

The VA noted defects in the software which failed testing on certain scenarios that were not accounted for during the development phase. To help the department improve operations, Mitre released a report in November containing recommendations on the management and technical aspects of the software.

The General Services Administration is looking to expand its centers of excellence program in three additional agencies in 2019 to support President Donald Trump’s management agenda, Fedscoop reported Wednesday.

Anil Cheriyan, leader of the agency’s Technology Transformation Service, said that GSA is currently discussing how to proceed with the program and may announce another participating agency next month.

“There’s no reason why we shouldn’t have [another] three running by the end of this year,” he said at a National Academy of Public Administration event.

The three future centers would follow five existing sites with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and other agencies.

“We’ve saved over $21M for USDA so far, and going forward we’re going to be able to save between $6.9M and $8.5M per year,” said Emily Murphy, GSA administrator.