FederalDaily - August 17, 2006

OSC, VA Worker Settle Hatch Act Case

The Office of Special Counsel (OSC) has settled a complaint for disciplinary action against a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) employee for Hatch Act violations. OSC said Aug. 15 that it had settled its case with Eric Foster, a VA employee in Columbus, Ohio, whom OSC had charged with engaging in political activity while in a government room or building. OSC filed its complaint with the Merit Systems Protection Board in February. As part of the settlement, Foster admitted that he had distributed campaign stickers that supported the presidential candidacy of Sen. John Kerry at the VA’s Chalmers P. Wylie Outpatient Clinic in Columbus. Foster also admitted that the activity was a violation of the Hatch Act, and agreed to retire from his post by Sept. 5.

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Bush Visits Counter-Terrorism Center

President Bush visited the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) in McLean, Va. Aug. 15 in a tour that came just days after British authorities arrested alleged participants in a plot to blow up transatlantic airliners bound for the U.S. Bush, who established NCTC in August 2004 to serve as the primary federal organization for analyzing intelligence pertaining to terrorism and counterterrorism, called the protection of the American people “the most solemn duty in the federal government.” Of NCTC employees, Bush said: “Recently we saw the fruits of their labor in conjunction with their counterparts in Great Britain. Because of the good work in Great Britain and because of the help of the people there at NCTC, we disrupted a terror plot.”

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Navy Launches Exercise in Philippines

The final phase of an annual maritime training exercise began in the Philippines on Aug. 15, the Navy said. CARAT—Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training—is a yearly series of maritime training and security drills conducted between the United States and six Southeast Asian nations to bolster regional cooperation and operational readiness. While at sea, Navy personnel train in a range of areas, including maritime interdiction and surveillance. CARAT Philippines is the final stop for the five-ship CARAT task group that has transited the South China and Java seas since May.

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