A new Congressional Budget Office report says the Defense Department saw an estimated $64 billion growth in operation and maintenance funds within its base budget from 2000 through 2012.

CBO said in the report approximately 60 percent of the increase in O&M budget could be attributed to spending on healthcare of uniformed personnel, veterans and their dependents, as well as spending on fuel and civilian compensation.

Operations of small agencies within the department and contracted services accounted for approximately 40 percent of the growth in O&M budget between 2000 and 2012, according to the report.

DoD’s O&M spending on military personnel’s healthcare increased from $16 billion to $31 billion over the 12-year period due to expanded benefits that Congress authorized in early 2000s, while compensation for civilian employees rose to $48 billion from $31 billion driven by the increase in the number of civilians employed by the Pentagon.

Fuel spending also climbed to $8 billion from $3 billion over the same period due to fuel price hikes, according to the congressional budget watchdog.

CBO also found that DoD allocated 40 percent or $200 billion of its base budget to O&M account in 2015.

O&M funds also accounted for 80 percent of the $60 billion in appropriated overseas contingency operations budget in 2015, CBO added.

The Federal Trade Commission has kicked off the search for an information technology specialist or chief information security officer who will work for the office of the chief information officer within the commission’s office of the executive director.

The IT specialist/CISO will oversee IT services and employees or vendors that work to drive customer experience and compliance under a major IT acquisition, according to a USAJobs notice posted Dec. 28.

FTC seeks candidates who would evaluate personnel performance, provide training and development opportunities and make decisions on employment, promotions and adverse actions, among other leadership duties.

The incumbent will also develop short- and long-term plans, set priorities and perform planning and resource management to help align OCIO’s activities with FTC’s objectives and goals.

The notice stated the IT specialist/CISO will also join industry standard analysis and discussions, provide thought leadership and drive standards toward implementation.

The chosen candidate will support research on recommended alternatives or solutions to challenges based on the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, the Freedom of Information Act and other best practices.

The Air Mobility Command predicts it will increasingly run short on mobility pilots over the next few years, Air Force Times reported Thursday.

Stephen Losey writes the command currently has an overall shortfall of 4 percent out of 7,940 total force pilots that comprise active duty, guard and reserve.

AMC Commander Gen. Carlton Everhart said up to 1,600 pilots will become eligible to separate over the next four years and that the U.S. Air Force aims to identify strategies to address the shortfall, according to the report.

“We’re watching the forecast, and it’s going to start dropping precipitously, starting at the end of this year,” Everhart was quoted as saying.

Air Force Times reports the military branch also considers reassignment of extra duties the pilots do not want to perform in an effort to keep them in the service.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection has implemented the Mobile Passport Control application in California’s Sacramento International Airport as part of efforts to speed up processing at major international airports.

CBP said Thursday the app is designed to help travelers submit their passport data and other information to the agency through their mobile devices before their arrival.

“CBP remains committed to keeping the international arrivals process as secure and traveler-friendly as possible by offering new and innovative technology,” said Brian Humphrey, director of field operations in San Francisco.

The app is available for download from the Google Play Store and Apple App Store and, with the addition of SMF, is accessible at 21 international airports.

In June 2016, CBP also deployed the app to the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City and Liberty International Airport in Newark, New Jersey.

The app was launched in August 2014 for travelers arriving at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and has now reached 1 million downloads, according to the agency.

CBP partnered with the Airports Council International- North America and its technical partners to develop the app.