National Defense Week

Defense procurement case cited in delay of women’s contracting programBy Elizabeth Newell

1. The Small Business Administration has become one of the first agencies to explore whether a recent court ruling striking down the legality of the Defense Department’s small disadvantaged business program has broader ramifications.SBA announced on Monday that it was reopening the comment period for the long-delayed women’s contracting program and extending it for 60 days, partially in light of the ruling. The extension will allow stakeholders additional time to submit formal comments on a September 2008 revised plan to declare women-owned small businesses under-represented in 31 industries and allow set-aside contracts for women-owned firms in those industries.SBA said that by granting the extension it was acquiescing to requests from Congress and members of the public, and noted that agency officials were assessing the November U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit’s Rothe Development Corp. v. Department of Defense decision and its potential relevance to the women’s program.Full story: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=41788&dcn=e_ndw 

1. Defense official urges new military construction in EuropeBy Otto Kreisher, CongressDailyThe U.S. commander in Europe Friday said he needs additional military construction funding, particularly for Defense Department schools and family housing, and warned that the poor condition of the schools could become a readiness issue.Army Gen. Bantz Craddock, the Supreme Allied Commander-Europe, also endorsed recommendations by a special Pentagon commission on the need to retain nuclear weapons there, and said the NATO allies are awaiting the Obama administration with “expectation and anxiousness.”Funding for facilities in Europe has been constrained for years because of the deep reduction in U.S. forces since the end of the Cold War.Full story: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=41767&dcn=e_ndw 
   

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2. Shinseki to seek transformation of Veterans AffairsFrom CongressDailyRetired Gen. Eric Shinseki told senators Wednesday that, if confirmed as Veterans Affairs secretary, he will work to transform the department into a “21st century organization.”Shinseki, who helped begin a massive Army transformation effort when he served as the service’s chief of staff between 1999 and 2003, said he expects to face similar challenges modernizing the VA. “Leadership, commitment and teamwork enable the challenges of transformation to become opportunities to innovate and better serve our veterans,” Shinseki told the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee during a confirmation hearing.In the near term, Shinseki said he would work to craft a “credible and accurate” fiscal 2010 budget during his first 90 days in office. Shinseki said he would focus on the backlog of medical claims at the department, adding there is no reason it should take six months for veterans’ claims to be processed.Full story: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=41795&dcn=e_ndw 
   

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1. Admiral sees difficulty meeting goals for fleet expansionFrom CongressDailyThe Navy’s top resources official Wednesday said the nation and the service were facing “the most challenging fiscal environment” in decades and it cannot afford to buy the ships and aircraft it wants.Vice Adm. Barry McCullough, the deputy chief of naval operations for integrating capabilities and resources, gave that grim assessment to a Navy and industry audience while acknowledging he did not know what level of procurement funding the service would receive in the fiscal 2010 defense budget.McCullough reiterated that Navy leadership regards a 313-ship fleet and a certain number of aircraft as minimum requirements to meet the increasing demand for naval forces. But, he continued, “when you look at the budget, you can’t buy them all. There’s not enough in the top line to buy them all.”Full story: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=41802&dcn=e_ndw

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