The GAO found that the Anniston and Red River Army Depots lost nearly 800 permanent and term-limited employees when comparing fiscal 2021 to fiscal 2025.
Michele Sandiford
- The Army has lost 18% of its civilian workforce at two of its major depots. The Government Accountability Office found that the Anniston and Red River Army Depots lost nearly 800 permanent and term-limited employees when comparing fiscal 2021 to fiscal 2025. Specifically, Anniston’s workforce decreased by 616 people. Meanwhile, its contractor workforce more than doubled during this period. Depot officials said the hiring freeze has prevented them from replacing skilled maintainers who retired or took the deferred resignation program. They also said that contractors “often arrive without the required skills,” and that “contractor employee turnover and skill gaps can affect production continuity.”
- The National Institute of Standards and Technology wants to transform a critical cyber vulnerability database. NIST is accepting feedback on how it can transform the National Vulnerability Database to account for advancements in artificial intelligence. In a Federal Register notice scheduled for release today, NIST is seeking input on forward-looking approaches to vulnerability management. The deadline for responses is Oct.11. The NVD serves as a central repository of cyber vulnerabilities. But AI is speeding up the discovery and exploitation of cyber vulnerabilities. And even before recent AI advancements, NIST was struggling to process an increasing volume of software bugs.
- Companies can now pitch ideas for Golden Dome directly to the Defense Department through a new, unclassified web portal. The Golden Dome for America Ecosystem Hub lets anyone from traditional defense contractors to venture capitalists submit their concepts to Golden Dome’s program managers for consideration. The system can help DoD staff match ideas to the department’s needs and reach out for next steps. Defense officials hope the site will make it easier to harness commercial technology and drive down costs for the sweeping missile defense project.
- Combating fraud and reducing improper payments should be top priorities for the Office of Management and Budget. That’s according to a new slate of recommendations from the Government Accountability Office. GAO said OMB should also develop a full federal program inventory to better monitor spending and track programs. But the likelihood of OMB implementing those recommendations may be slim. OMB Director Russell Vought has repeatedly questioned GAO’s authority — and suggested that the government watchdog might not need to exist at all.
- The Senate has passed legislation that would improve emergency communications across federal buildings. The Federal Building Threat Notification Act would require the Department of Homeland Security to develop new guidance about emergency communications. That would include ensuring staff are notified about violent threats or other emergencies that occur in and around their workplaces. The bill comes after a January 2025 shooting that occurred outside Detroit’s Patrick V. McNamara Federal Building. Employees working inside were not informed until hours after the incident.
- A lawsuit alleging that the Army misused artificial intelligence in bid evaluation could shape how federal agencies document and disclose AI’s role in procurement decisions. TRAX International Corporation is asking the U.S. Court of Federal Claims to order the Army to reevaluate the proposals submitted for the White Sands Missile Range mission support services and make a new award decision, arguing the technical evaluation was distorted by AI hallucinations that weakened the contractor’s bid. Legal experts say this lawsuit is notable because AI has become such a prominent element of the case, and if it survives a motion dismissed, it could shape how agencies document AI use in source selection evaluation. Regardless of the outcome of the case, experts say contractors are likely to start pressing agencies to disclose whether they plan to use AI during the procurement process and how it will be used.
- The Small Business Administration’s new regulations for the 8(a) small business development program lay out three new requirements for possible applicants. The final rule, published yesterday, requires small firms to self-attest to whether they are a member of a particular group that faced public or private sector discrimination or bias based on actions, policies, rules, regulations or other practices, and whether they suffered “material harm.” For the third factor, small business owners must prove with evidence that they are socially disadvantaged. The SBA said the person now must show evidence like documentation of specific actions, policies, rules, regulations or other practices of the governmental or private entity favoring or disfavoring an identifiable group. The new regulations take effect on Sept. 10.
- A bipartisan bill to advance skills-based hiring in government has cleared a key hurdle. The Senate version of the Skills-Based Federal Contracting Act advanced unanimously out of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. The House passed the original bill earlier this year. If enacted, the legislation would bar agencies, in most cases, from setting minimum education requirements during federal contract solicitations.
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