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In Depth Newscast – July 25

In Depth Newscast.

Federal News Network Staff

July 25, 2011 4:11 pm

1 min read

The Army plans to hire 2,000 acquisition experts by 2015, Nextgov reports. The announcement of the acquisition personnel beef-up follows the publication of a report showing the Army wasted $15 billion over the last five years on programs that never worked out. The study, released last week, blames the broken acquisition process on ill-informed people setting requirements and doing the buying, according to Nextgov .
The Navy announced it’s making progress testing equipment for its Littoral Combat Ships, according to DoDBuzz . The Navy wants it fleet of LCS to take over its mine-sweeping missions and to swap in equipment that will let it hunt submarines or fight on the surface. The testing is now in the second phase. Ultimately, the equipment is meant to arm 55 of the ships.
Agencies may need more guidance when it comes to emergency telework plans. In a recent report, GAO said the Office of Personnel Management needs to consult with other agencies to develop a definition of telework along with a cohesive set of practices for incorporating telework into emergency planning. Only four agencies provide guidance on telework during emergencies.
The Social Security Administration will close field offices to the public 30 minutes earlier than posted starting August 15 due to budget pressures. SSA Commissioner Michael Astrue says trimming public office hours is the way the agency can deal with a 2011 budget that’s a billion dollars less than the administration requested.