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GovExec.com Today
August 25, 2004
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In this issue:
* Panel: Prison abuses reveal 'string of failures'
* Pay problems widespread in Army Reserve, GAO says
* Memo details OMB's expectations for top e-government grades
* Agencies misuse classification authority, managers say
* Intelligence reform proposal finds little outright support
* Today's column: Management Matters
* The Earlybird: Today's headlines --->
* Quote of the day
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1. Panel: Prison abuses reveal 'string of failures'
By Katherine McIntire Peters
An independent panel created by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to review military
detention operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo found widespread abuses, but
no evidence of a policy of abuse promulgated by senior officials or military
authorities.
"Abuses of varying severity occurred at differing locations under differing
circumstances and context. They were widespread and, though inflicted on only a small
percentage of those detained, they were serious both in number and in effect. No
approved procedures called for or allowed the kinds of abuses that in fact occurred,"
the report found. "Still, the abuses were not just the failure of some individuals to
follow known standards, and they are more than the failure of a few leaders to enforce
proper discipline. There is both institutional and personal responsibility at higher
levels."
The consequences of the abuses have been enormous, the panel noted, and have had a
"chilling effect" on interrogations and intelligence gathering in the war on
terrorism. It is critical that all federal agencies adapt to new realities far
different from those of the Cold War, and further define their policies regarding the
status and treatment of detainees, the panel noted in its report.
Full story: { Link: http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0804/082404kp1.htm }
http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0804/082404kp1.htm
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2. Pay problems plague Army Reserve, GAO says
By David McGlinchey
A significant percentage of Army Reserve soldiers experience some form of pay
problems after they are called up to active duty, according to a study released Monday
by the Government Accountability Office.
The Army Reserve's pay system is "so error-prone, cumbersome and complex that neither
[the Defense Department] nor, more importantly, Army Reserve soldiers themselves,
could be reasonably assured of timely and accurate payments," according to the report
(GAO-04-911).
GAO's study found that the majority of pay errors resulted in overpayments. The survey
covered eight Army Reserve units and 348 soldiers. Of those, 95 percent - 332 soldiers
- experienced some form of pay irregularity between August 2002 and January 2004.
Full story: { Link: http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0804/082404d1.htm }
http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0804/082404d1.htm
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3. Memo details OMB's expectations for top e-government grades
By Amelia Gruber
The Office of Management and Budget handed agency chief information officers more
information Monday on what's needed to achieve top grades for managing e-government
projects.
To reach a green light--the highest possible mark--in e-government on OMB's quarterly
management score card, agencies must show that they use a technique called "earned
value management" to justify and track technology investments, according to an Aug. 23
memorandum. The technique entails determining the level at which existing IT systems
perform and analyzing the extent to which a given investment has enhanced that
baseline performance.
Agencies striving for top e-government marks share an earned value management policy
with OMB, E-Government Administrator Karen Evans said in the memo. They must show that
they use this technique to evaluate projects, and must indicate whether investments
are boosting performance as much as expected.
Full story: { Link: http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0804/082404a1.htm }
http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0804/082404a1.htm
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4. Agencies misuse classification authority, managers say
By Chris Strohm
Government officials said on Tuesday that federal agencies improperly classify at
least half of all documents, adding that senior managers have a responsibility to set
a tone and provide adequate training that prevents abuse of classification authorities.
"It is no secret that the government classifies too much information," William
Leonard, director of the Information Security Oversight Office, told the House
Government Reform Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats and
International Relations. He said the amount of improperly classified information has
been "disturbingly increasing" since last year in "clear, blatant violation" of
regulations.
A recent focus on classification issues has prompted reviews by federal agencies and
departments. For example, the Defense Department is reviewing whether it properly
classified information in reports on abuses at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, and
whether documents related to pre-war Iraq and Afghanistan can be declassified, said
Carol Haave, Defense undersecretary for counterintelligence and security.
Full story: { Link: http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0804/082404c1.htm }
http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0804/082404c1.htm
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5. Intelligence reform proposal finds little outright support
By Mike Nartker, Global Security Newswire
A far-reaching intelligence reform proposal unveiled Sunday by Senate Select
Committee on Intelligence Chairman Pat Roberts, R-Kan., has been met this week with
reactions ranging from cool to hostile from the White House, current and former
administration officials and lawmakers.
The most radical aspect of Roberts' proposal, which is supported by other Republican
members of the Senate intelligence panel, would convert the three main directorates of
the CIA into separate agencies and place them under the control of a national
intelligence director. The new director would also be given control over some
intelligence agencies and operations currently controlled by the Defense Department -
the National Security Agency, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and the
human intelligence service of the Defense Intelligence Agency.In addition, the
national intelligence director would have full budgetary and personnel authority over
the intelligence units of other Cabinet-level departments and the remaining DIA
analytical elements.
Roberts' proposal is the latest move in a debate on intelligence reform set off by the
release last month of the recommendations of the Sept. 11 commission, one of which was
the creation of a national intelligence director to oversee the entire U.S.
intelligence community.Most of the discussion on the proposed position has focused on
what level of budgetary and personnel authority the new director should have.
Full story: { Link: http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0804/082404gsn1.com }
http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0804/082404gsn1.com
_____
_____
Brought to you by The Brookings Institution
{Image: Brought to you by The Brookings Institution}
Brookings Executive Education
Realistic. Practical. Relevant.
Upcoming Public Policy and Leadership Development Seminars:
Executive Leadership in a Changing Environment, September 12-17, 2004 and October
3-8, 2004
Inside Congress: Understanding the Legislative Process, September 13-17, 2004
Managing the Federal Employee, September 14-15, 2005
Challenge your Mind. Advance your Career.
Brookings Executive Education.
_____
_____
6. Today's column: Management Matters
Active Management
Few government handbooks actually describe, with verbs, what managers can do to
improve their agencies' performance.
Full column: { Link: http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0804/082504mm.htm }
http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0804/082504mm.htm
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7. Quote of the day
"A lot of careers are going to be ruined over this."
-- Harold Brown, member of an independent panel to review military detention
operations in Iraq, saying { Link: http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0804/082404kp1.htm
}
disciplinary actions are likely in response to widespread abuses.
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