Pentagon spars with SpaceX over Starlink price hike during Iran war
The Pentagon should be paying more for access to their satellite Wi-Fi network, SpaceX officials argues.
All-female Senate delegation sets off for High North amid growing military tensions
The itinerary is set to include briefings at Pituffik Space Base in Greenland on Arctic defense and strategic competition in the region.
Special Features
Open Season Coverage
Tips, tricks, and other information to help you navigate Open Season.
Federal workers, both Democrat and Republican, eager to vote this fall
Past behavior shows this population will show up big at the polls. How feds will vote is less clear.
Office reentry pushing feds to job hunt, Federal Times survey shows
Of those who left their government job, more than a third said the ability to work to telework was the deciding factor.
‘No greater honor’: Federal retirees proud of public service in survey
A desire to serve the public principally motivated many of the more than 530 respondents to pursue a career, long or short, in the federal government.
Latest
Commissaries reverse decision to charge for single-use bags
The decision came only one month after the bag fees went into effect.
The US military wants a fleet of missile-killing laser drones
The U.S. military is once again pursuing flying directed energy weapons to counter threats to American airspace.
After watchdog slams understaffing, AI to vet Pentagon-backed professors’ China ties
AI’s confusion over the nature of DOD research partnerships may mask real espionage if humans are not the final judge of foreign influence, experts warn.
‘Actively shrinking’: Guard generals push Congress for 100 new fighters a year
A total of 22 generals signed a letter to Congress this month calling for multiyear funding to buy between 72 and 100 new fighters per year.
Starlink outage hit drone tests, exposing Pentagon’s growing reliance on SpaceX
Last August, a global outage across Elon Musk’s satellite network left U.S. Navy unmanned surface vessels bobbing off California, halting operations.
Pentagon, Lockheed Martin agree to $4.7 billion PAC-3 interceptor deal
Lockheed in January discussed a target of increasing annual PAC-3 interceptor production from approximately 600 to 2,000 over a span of seven years.
Pentagon’s ouster of Anthropic opens doors for small AI rivals
Small defense industry artificial intelligence startups are suddenly fielding calls from generals, combatant commanders and deep-pocketed investors.
US defense stocks see no Iran war lift after early surge
U.S. defense stocks have declined even as the Iran war drags on.
The US Navy wants you ... to make ‘Drone Killer’ ammunition
The Navy designed the Drone Killer Cartridge to address the emerging threat of small quadcopters. It now wants ammo makers to make millions of the rounds.
Former VA executive charged with accepting $16K worth of gifts
The senior VA official has been charged with failing to disclose gifts he received from contractors working on the project he oversaw.
Federal Oversight
VA hospitals earn top marks in federal review
Roughly 78% of VA medical centers earned four or five star ratings from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services this year.
By Patricia Kime
Retirement
Ask Reg: Can I negotiate my federal salary offer?
Departments and agencies vary in the latitude they give their supervisors and managers to vary the step they offer to a prospective employee.
Ask Reg: How long does it take to be vested for federal pension?
A reader asks if their military service counts toward their retirement eligibility.
Ask Reg: The process for counting active duty time toward retirement
A reader asks what documents are needed to prove the time acquired while in the armed forces.
Your Career
Ask Reg: Can I stay on FEHB self-plus-one if spouse moves to Medicare?
A reader asks when he can shift back to self-only coverage once his spouse moves to Medicare.
Ask Reg: Social Security says I’m subject to Windfall Elimination. Why?
There have been ongoing attempts in Congress and by financial advocates to repeal the WEP.
Ask Reg: Does my military buyback count toward my retirement service?
A reader who wants to apply for deferred retirement wonders if their military buyback counts toward their service time.
Pay and Benefits
Guidance needed for doctors treating DOD, VA patients exposed to jet fuel in Hawaii water, report says
There are no known procedures to neutralize the effects of jet fuel exposure, and there's no clinical guidance for long-term treatment, researchers found.
By Karen Jowers
Management
White House proposes all federal employees sign nondisclosure agreements
Following a recent string of unathorized disclosures, or leaks, the Trump administration announced their intent to draft NDAs for federal workers.
AI and IT
