Federal Daily - July 17, 2008

OPM Director Springer to Resign

Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Director Linda Springer on July 15 told staffers in an email that she will leave her post in mid-August for an undisclosed private-sector job. In the email, Springer said she would be working with Deputy Director Howard Weizmann and senior staff to ensure a smooth transition. Springer’s last day will be Aug. 13, an OPM spokesman told FEND. As of early Wednesday, OPM had not yet issued an official announcement on the departure. Springer was confirmed as the eighth director of OPM in June 2005. Prior to becoming OPM director, Springer served as controller of the Office of Management and Budget and head of the Office of Federal Financial Management. To see more, got to www.opm.gov.

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TSA Says It Needs More Compliance Officers

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) told federal auditors it may not have enough compliance inspectors to oversee implementation of a system to physically screen 100 percent of cargo on passenger aircraft by August 2010, said a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report. The report, presented in testimony on July 15 before a House Homeland Security subcommittee, looked at how well TSA was developing the Certified Cargo Screening Program (CCSP), which would allow the screening of cargo to occur prior to placement on an aircraft. Although TSA anticipates adding 150 inspectors in Fiscal Year 2010, the agency has yet to formally assess the number of inspectors the agency will need, the report said. Without such an assessment, TSA may not be able to ensure that air carriers are meeting TSA requirements to screen and secure cargo. Adequate CCSP oversight is critical, the report noted, in light of a previous GAO finding that TSA had conducted compliance inspections on fewer than half of the nation’s 10,000 freight forwarders and—of those it did inspect—found violations in more than 40 percent. To see more, go to: www.gao.gov/highlights/d08959thigh.pdf.

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Construction Started on $1 Billion DoD Medical Training Center

DoD on July 15 held a groundbreaking ceremony in Texas at Fort Sam Houston that launched a $1 billion project to consolidate all Army, Navy and Air Force basic and specialty enlisted medical training on one campus. The project, authorized by Base Realignment and Closure legislation, will centralize all such training at the Medical Education and Training Campus (METC) at the San Antonio-area military installation by 2011, DoD said in a statement. Construction will include five instructional facilities, six dormitories, an Air Force and Navy headquarters building, a dining facility, a gym and lighted troop walks. The six existing Fort Sam Houston Army Medical Department Center and School buildings will be incorporated into the METC, DoD said. “With this institution becoming the largest in the world solely dedicated to medical training and education, San Antonio will be transformed into a national center for education and training,” said Air Force Maj. Gen. Melissa Rank, chairman of METC Flag Officer Steering Committee. To see more, go to: www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123106669.

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