FederalDaily - August 9, 2007

Policy Barring Women from Ground Combat Problematic in Iraq

The Army is generally following a DoD policy barring the assignment of women to some combat units, said a new study, but the policy is hard to implement in Iraq, where there is no clearly defined battlefield. The Rand Corp report, released Aug. 7, looked at how well the Army was following a DoD directive that requires women to be assigned to all positions where they are qualified, but excludes them from assignments to “units below the brigade level whose primary mission is to engage in direct combat on the ground.” Rand researchers noted that the policy language is difficult to apply to Iraq, which is riddled with insurgency. “Neither the letter nor the spirit of the policies is clear,” said Margaret Harrell, lead author of the report. “A large part of the problem appears to be that the policies do not anticipate the style of combat experienced in Iraq where there is no clearly defined battlefield.” To see more, go to: www.rand.org/news/press/2007/08/07/index.html

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AFGE Lauds Congress for Blocking NSPS Funding

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) this week applauded lawmakers for their bipartisan support of a measure that blocks funding of the National Security Personnel System (NSPS) for civilian defense workers. Language blocking NSPS was successfully inserted into the FY 2008 Defense Appropriations bill (H.R. 3222) last weekend at the urging of Reps. Jay Inslee, D-Wash., Walter Jones R-N.C., and Chris Van Hollen D-Md., AFGE said. The House passed the appropriations bill shortly after the last-minute inclusion of the amendment. John Gage, AFGE national president, said the union has “no doubt that in the end, DoD employees will be treated fairly and in a just manner.” To see more, go to: www.afge.org/Index.cfm?Page=PressReleases&PressReleaseID=779

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Forum Helps Agencies Reduce Energy Use, Costs

Feds in New Orleans this week learned how to help their agencies reduce energy use and costs to meet requirements outlined in the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Attendees of the three-day GovEnergy conference, which ended Aug. 8, were presented with more than 80 sessions focusing on energy topics such as renewable energy, metering strategies and new technologies. The 10th annual conference—sponsored by the General Services Administration (GSA), the Departments of Defense, Energy, Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security, and the Environmental Protection Agency—provided federal, state and local energy managers with access to training sessions, networking opportunities and educational credits, GSA said. Next year’s conference will be held from Aug. 3-6, 2008, in Phoenix, Ariz. To see more, go to: www.govenergy.com.

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