Defense

OPM and Defense Dept. Issue Guidelines for Civilian Employees on Coronavirus

New memos spell out expanded telework flexibilities, leave policies, alternative work schedules and more.

Workforce

GovExec Daily: How Unions Are Protecting Feds From Everything from Relocation to Coronavirus

Courtney Bublé and Erich Wagner spoke to the podcast about the state of public service unions and their place in the federal ecosystem.

Workforce

The President Is Winning His War on American Institutions

How Trump is destroying the civil service and bending the government to his will.

Management

Warren, Sanders Warn Defense Chief Against Using New Collective Bargaining Authority

Democratic senators demand that Esper “commit, in writing,” not to act on his new authority to abolish unionization at the Pentagon.

Management

Senators From Both Political Parties Urge Trump to 'Reconsider' Defense Union Memo

Lawmakers say the president’s January decision to give Defense Secretary Mark Esper blanket authority to abolish collective bargaining runs counter to congressional intent.

Management

Defense Chief Says He Didn’t Ask for Union Memo, Declines to Say How He Will Use New Power

Esper told lawmakers he would wait for staff recommendations before using the newly granted authority to outlaw collective bargaining among Pentagon civilian workers.

Defense

Trump’s New Spy Chief Failed to Report $100,000 from a Group Funded by Hungary

Richard Grenell’s past clients could raise concerns about his access to state secrets, according to his own office’s rules.

Pay & Benefits

Military Family Members and Retirees Could Lose Medical Clinic Access under Pentagon Plan

The Defense Department this week published a plan to downsize dozens of military treatment facilities and make many accessible only to active duty troops.

Management

Trump Administration Publishes Memo That Could End Defense Unions

More than three weeks after President Trump signed a memo authorizing Defense Secretary Mark Esper to effectively outlaw collective bargaining at the Defense Department, the White House has posted the document to the Federal Register.

Defense

Senator Denies Threatening to Make Defense Secretary's Life 'Hell' If He Cuts AFRICOM Troops

"No, I never said that," Graham said in a brief phone call with Defense One. "It was a good conversation."

Defense

Warship Accidents Left Sailors Traumatized. The Navy Struggled to Treat Them.

Recent wars have forced the U.S. military to acknowledge and treat the psychological wounds caused by trauma. But some sailors who survived 2017’s deadly crashes say the Navy’s efforts to help them sometimes fell short.

Defense

100 U.S. Soldiers to Transfer into Space Force in 2021

The Army is the first branch outside the Air Force to announce initial plans regarding the new branch of service.

Workforce

Viewpoint: The U.S. Military Is Not Ready for a Constitutional Crisis

When I joined the Navy, I swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution. But not once, in all of my training, did I receive meaningful instruction on the document to which I had pledged my life.

Management

White House Memo Could End Unionization at the Pentagon

In a January memo, President Trump authorized Defense Secretary Mark Esper to exempt the Defense Department from the law governing collective bargaining in the federal government.

Defense

Defense Secretary Reminds Employees to Remain Apolitical and Ethical

The statement was released right after Esper attended President Trump’s remarks following the president’s acquittal on impeachment charges.

Defense

A Preventable Disaster Killed Six Marines, and Congress Has Questions for Military Leaders

A ProPublica investigation showed senior military leaders were worried about how prepared American sailors and Marines were for combat.

Management

Analysis: In Impeachment Spotlight, Dueling Views of Professionalism Appear

Public officials are now in the spotlight: Does the public view them as professionals, bound by duty, or as elites who invoke ideals while pursuing their own agendas?

Defense

Defense Policy Bill Establishes a Defense Civilian Training Corps

The corps will address “critical skills gaps” in the department’s workforce.