Federal Drive with Tom Temin

National guardsmen are fed up with what members feel is unnecessary training. Yet few people who think issues like sexual harassment and suicide prevention training are not important for the Army. Federal News Radio's Scott Maucione talks with Command Sgt. Maj. of the Army National Guard Christopher Kepner on Federal Drive with Tom Temin about how the military is trying to balance training in some matters with getting commanders to take more risk in others.

The Army says it has a seven point plan to fix its tactical network, and time is of the essence. Thats because officials have concluded the current network simply won't work if the Army has to do battle against a technologically sophisticated enemy. Federal News Radio's Jared Serbu has details on Federal Drive with Tom Temin.

Short of protesting a contract award to a competitor, there's nothing a contractor can do when it gets a bad performance rating. Well, not quite. But remedies beyond appealing to the contracting officer can turn into a bureaucratic donnybrook. For more, Federal Drive with Tom Temin turns to Joseph Petrillo, a procurement attorney with Petrillo and Powell and a consultant for his new blog, Patterns of Procurement.

It's no secret, a lot of appointed policy and management jobs remain vacant for the Trump administration. One glaring example is the Office of Personnel Management. It even had an acting director for the last year of the Obama administration. Now there's an OPM nominee at least one employee group can get behind. The nominee is Jeff Tien Han Pon. Renee Johnson, national president of the Federal Managers Association, tells Federal Drive with Tom Temin why he's the right man for the job.

A small part of Northern Command has Army troops across the U.S and its territories. At one end they're helping with the hurricane cleanup in Puerto Rico. At the other end, they're helping put out wildfires in the West. U.S. Army North has a short roster of permanent billets, but big leverage when help is needed. At this week's Association of the U.S. Army convention in Washington, Federal Drive with Tom Temin caught up with Army North's commander, Brig. Gen. John Hashem.

They support operations. They house families. They store everything a big army might need. Now the Army is rethinking its facilities. Leading the effort is Randy Robinson, the acting assistant Army secretary for installations, environment and energy. Federal Drive with Tom Temin spoke with him about the installation of the future at the Association of the U.S. Army convention in Washington,

Recruitment and retention challenges are big ones for the government trying to maintain continuity. Fresh research by Deloitte and the Senior Executives Association shows many federal executives feel don't trust the systems in place to develop and keep talent. To discuss highlights and how agencies can better invest in senior leadership, Federal News Radio's Eric White speaks with Margot Conrad, director of Education and Outreach at the Partnership for Public Service, on Federal Drive with Tom Temin.

The Army is preparing to grow for the second year in a row. But like all federal departments, it's dealing with budget stops and starts. And it's operating in a world situation you might say is a bit unstable. The human side of the Army is in large measure the responsibility of Lt. Gen. Thomas Seamands, the deputy chief of staff. At the Association of the U.S. Army convention in Washington, Federal Drive with Tom Temin asked Seamands about the challenges of uncertainty.

Dozens of federal inspectors general working over 18 months managed to come up with a one-stop-shop for accountability. It's called Oversight.gov. It brings together the work of a diverse IG community. Visitors can review reports and follow the status of recommendations. Federal News Radio's Meredith Somers reviewed the ongoing work with Justice Department IG Michael Horowitz and shares the details on Federal Drive with Tom Temin.

Proposal after proposal to change federal retirement has employees worried and wondering whether they should change their retirement plans. But financial planners advise don't jump to conclusions. As always, hope for the best and plan for the worst. Greg Klingler, director of the wealth management division at the Government Employees' Benefit Association, tells Federal News Radio's Nicole Ogrysko on Federal Drive with Tom Temin what to do if you're worried about possible retirement benefits changes.

Congress is thinking about federal employees this week. A new House bill is named for a Veterans Affairs Department whistleblower who committed suicide. Another would give bonuses to employees who expose waste. These debates take place against a backdrop of ongoing budget talks. Loren Duggan, editorial director of Bloomberg Government, shares the details on Federal Drive with Tom Temin

If you fly, you've probably noticed how much airport procedures have continuously evolved ever since 9/11. It takes a team to establish innovation in something as complicated as airport passenger screening. Steve Karoly, acting TSA administrator in the Office of Requirements and Capabilities Analysis, tells Federal Drive with Tom Temin about the makeup and mission of the agency's innovation task force.

Internal Revenue Service criminal investigators had their highest annual budget back in 2012. Since then, budgets have fluctuated or fallen. Now it's operating with 400 fewer agents than it had then. You don't have to guess what that means. Fewer investigations and fewer recovered dollars for the Treasury. Matt Weir, assistant inspector general for compliance and enforcement operations at the Treasury Inspector General For Tax Administration, joins Federal Drive with Tom Temin with all the details.

Senior Army leaders say they're starting what's likely to wind up being the largest organizational shake-up in 40 years: standing up a brand new command dedicated to acquisition and other aspects of modernization. The motivation: officials say they need a completely reeingineered process, because the current one is too slow. Federal News Radio's Jared Serbu writes about the coming changes in this week's edition of Inside the DoD Reporter's Notebook. He shares the details on Federal Drive with Tom Temin.

Software giant Oracle has turned what usually are bland, run-of-the-mill comments on a draft federal policy into an indictment of the IT modernization efforts over the last nine years. Oracle unloaded on nearly everything the Obama administration tried to do to modernize federal IT, including digital services, open source and agile. In his weekly feature the Reporter's Notebook, Executive Editor Jason Miller combed through all 90-plus comments and found Oracles and others to be more biting than usual. He shares the details on Federal Drive with Tom Temin.