FederalDaily - May 3, 2005
DoD Calls for Increasing Foreign Language Skills
The Department of Defense (DoD) announced on April 27 the release of its white
paper recommending immediate and long-term engagement by government agencies
to improve the nation’s foreign language competency. DoD published this
document, which is available at www.nlconference.org,
in an effort to create dialogue on the issue of expanding language capabilities
and cultural understanding across the U.S. “We need to immediately and
drastically change how we value and teach foreign languages,” a DoD statement
said.
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Soldier Sentenced to Death for Murder
A U.S. servicemember, Sgt. Hasan Akbar, was sentenced to death by a military
panel on April 28. He was found guilty of murder by a general court-martial
at Fort Bragg, California, a week earlier. The panel was unanimous on two specifications
of premeditated murder and three specifications of attempted premeditated murder.
Akbar was convicted of throwing grenades into the tents of fellow 101st Airborne
Division soldiers the night before they left Kuwait to advance into Iraq, March
23, 2003. Two were killed and 14 were wounded. The general court-martial convening
authority may approve the sentence or reduce it in part or in whole.
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Government Recruitment is Imperative
The Partnership for Public Service (the Partnership) issued a new report this
week saying that public work is in jeopardy. The reason: not enough people
are being inspired or encouraged to serve. The Partnership said about half
of the 1.9 million people in the federal government will be eligible to retire
in the next five years, including about 70 percent of employees in supervisory
positions. Further, only 28 percent of recent college graduates say they are “very
interested” in a federal government job, according to a 2004 Partnership
poll.
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DHS Planning Needs Improvement
The creation of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was the largest
government reorganization in over 50 years, involving 170,000 employees, 22
agencies and a $40 billion budget. However, stakeholder involvement in the
planning process was limited, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) reported
on May 2. As DHS updates its strategic plan, more stakeholder consultation
would be beneficial—it would help ensure that DHS’ efforts and
resources are targeted at the most important priorities. GAO also reported
that several of the elements in DHS’ strategic plan that are required
by the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 could be further developed.
For example, DHS should identify the specific budgetary, human capital and
other resources needed to achieve its goals.
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