The recently passed continuing resolution has allotted the Department of Defense an additional $10 billion; however, the DOD still faces a cut of nearly $41 billion. With the financial restrictions in place and a $22 billion shortfall in the current fiscal year, the Department must determine its spending priorities. The DOD’s missions, military readiness, and personnel cannot be compromised, which leads to the difficult decisions forced upon the incoming Secretary of Defense, Chuck Hagel. Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey expanded on the difficult task acknowledging, “the uncomfortable truth is…on Monday, we’ll be halfway through the fiscal year, and we’ll be 80 percent spent in our operating funds.” While DOD has cut the number of furlough days from 22 to 14 saving roughly $2.5 billion annually, the cuts to equipment and facilities are unpopular and all employees must remain flexible and willing to adapt to the inescapable reforms.

Amber Corrin has reported on the growing need for a relationship between the federal government and private sector with regards to cybersecurity. Following the failed cybersecurity legislation in 2012, the private sector has expressed interest in coordinating with the federal government to improve security measures and become operators of critical infrastructure. The desire to work with the government has increased in the previous year as utility CEOs identify the importance of security measures. Recognizing the partnership will benefit both parties, the private sector has determined the necessity to work alongside the government to reach economic and security goals.

According to a report from the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, there was a record amount of 16,906 recommendations made in various inspectors’ general reports that have not been implemented. These recommendations could potentially save taxpayers $67 billion if they were put into action. Committee staff noted that this amount is likely much higher. This report states, “If evidence continues to mount that the administration is dismissive of the work of the IG community, Congress should aggressively incorporate unimplemented recommendations into legislative actions.” There is evidence supporting the correlation between the absence of a permanent inspector general in agencies and a high number of open and unimplemented recommendations. Collectively, The State Department, Homeland Security Department and Agency for International Development, combined with the Interior, Labor and Defense departments have not had a permanent inspector for the past 15 years. These agencies are among the highest in the number of open and unimplemented recommendations.

Yesterday, March 28th, the draft RFP’s for OASIS were released for public review and comment. Furthermore, on the OASIS Industry Community board it was stated that the General Services Administration (GSA) is tentatively planning an industry day on May 13th.

A recent article by Camille Tuutti examines the use of unencrypted communications networks used to transfer sensitive information by the Veterans Affairs Department. The use of these unsecured networks creates the potential for hackers and other pernicious internet users to identify router information in Veterans Affairs and therefore target the agency’s crucial mission systems. A review by the department’s Office of the Inspector General in May of 2012 discovered third parties had conducted unencrypted transfers of information. Although the companies involved signed waivers accepting the security risks associated with a transfer of sensitive information such as IP addresses and health records, this practice undoubtedly puts the entire Veterans Affairs system in jeopardy of a cyber attack.

In recent years, government agencies have been required to reduce costs and cut back on spending. There are many ways to accomplish this, such as increasing employee efficiency which saves both time and tax dollars. Increasing collaboration and communication among employees is imperative for all agencies in the US to enhance employee satisfaction and improve efficiency. This not only leads to long-term benefits of the employees, but also increases transparency for citizens and supports their mission of serving the public.