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DoD, The U.S. Army and the Association of the U.S. Army are invested in the Asia Pacific Region–Are You?

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Despite U.S. spending cuts and ongoing budget debates in Congress, the Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton Carter recently said DoD is using whatever flexibility it has in managing its budget to favor and protect the rebalance of forces in the Asia- Pacific region. "The rebalance will continue and in fact gain momentum for two reasons. First, U.S. interests here are enduring and so also will be its political and economic presence," Carter told an audience of nearly 1,500 defense, government and security officials from around the world.

"We will be able to leverage more capacity from our ground forces, including the Army, Marines and special operations forces, now that they are coming home to the Pacific from Iraq and Afghanistan," Carter said, adding, "Also we are modernizing and enhancing our forward presence across the region in cooperation with our allies and partners." Beginning with Northeast Asia, Carter said DoD is modernizing and updating alliances with Japan and South Korea.

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1105 Meet-Up: Sequestration & Government Events, Mobile & Government Workforce

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Vienna, VA--1105 Media Group, organizers of the FOSE and GovSec Conferences & Expos, hosted a FOSE 2013 Blogger & Speaker Meet-up Thursday, March 21 at 1105 Media Group offices in Vienna, VA. Invitation-only and held specifically for government technology influencers, the FOSE 2013 Blogger & Speaker Meet-up is the fifth in an ongoing series of high-level meetings, where FOSE speakers and bloggers are given an opportunity to discuss significant topics including sequestration and government events, mobile and the government workforce, cybersecurity and more.

This meet-up included influencers Brand Niemann, Ph.D., Director and Senior Enterprise Architect - Data Scientist at Semantic Community, Ghadi Ben-Yehuda,  Director of Innovation and Social Media for IBM Center for The Business of Government., Brad Barker, Director of Professional Services at Master Key Consulting and Young AFCEANs  National Capitol Region President , Ajay Budhraja, Chief Technology Officer, EOIR at the United States Department of Justice, and Nick Wakeman, Editor-in-Chief at Washington Technology. The meet-up was also attended by representatives from the Capital Area Food Bank and GovEvents.

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FARENTHOLD CONFERENCE SPENDING BILL ADVANCES THROUGH OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE

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Originally posted on Congressman Blake Farenthold's website

WASHINGTON --- On Wednesday, March 20, U.S. Representative Blake Farenthold (TX-27) released the following statement after the Oversight and Government Reform Committee adopted his bill, The Government Spending Accountability Act of 2013 (H.R. 313). This bill would cap federal non-military travel spending at a reasonable level, and would require a detailed report of federal conference spending. The Government Spending Accountability Act unanimously passed the committee by voice vote.

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NDIA Test & Evaluation Division Will Host Luncheon to Honor the Achievements of the Walter W. Hollis and Testers of the Year Awards Recipients

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Originally posted on PRWEB

National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) has announced it will be hosting its Test & Evaluation Division Awards Luncheon on March 26, 2013 at The Army Navy Club in Washington, DC. The Test & Evaluation Division plans to honor the achievements of the winners of both the Walter W. Hollis Award and the Tester of the Year Awards.

The Walter W. Hollis Award is presented annually in recognition of lifetime contributions and achievement in the area of defense Test & Evaluation. The award is presented in the name of Walter W. Hollis who is recognized for his dedicated and long-standing service in the field of Defense Test & Evaluation.

The Tester of the Year awards are presented to outstanding individuals in the field of Test & Evaluation. These awards offer OSD and each Military Service Test & Evaluation Department the opportunity to select three award recipients for recognition as the Tester of the Year in specific categories. The three categories recognized are: Military, Civilian and Contractor.

Awards will be presented by The Honorable Dr. J. Michael Gilmore, Director, Operational Test and Evaluation, OSD.

Agenda for the event is as follows:

  • 11:30 am - Registration and Lunch Buffet
  • 12:15 pm - Presentation of Awards
  • 1:00 pm - Adjourn

Award winners are:

  • Mr. Edward R. Greer, Former DASD, DT&E, USD (AT&L) - Walter W. Hollis Award
  • USA Major Ryan McEwan, USA - Military Tester of the Year Mr. Michael Tegtmeyer - Civilian Tester of the Year Mr. William Moonan - Contractor Tester of the Year
  • USN Lieutenant Commander Gregory M. Harkins, USN - Military Tester of the Year Mr. John R. Aldis - Civilian Tester of the Year Mr. Thomas Grafton - Contractor of the Year
  • USAF Master Sergeant Jason J. Taitano, USAF - Military Tester of the Year Mr. Wayne L. Jackson - Civilian Tester of the Year Mr. Alfred Y. McWright - Contactor Tester of the Year
  • USMC Lieutenant Colonel Matthew G. Kelly, USMC - Military Tester of the Year Mr. John Quintanna - Civilian Tester of the Year Mr. Peter Wilson - Contractor Tester of the Year
  • OSD Lieutenant Colonel John Schroeder, USAF - Military Tester of the Year Ms. Michele Sitler - Civilian Tester of the Year Mr. David P. Conrad - Contractor Tester of the Year

Registration for the Awards Luncheon, which is scheduled from 11:30 am - 1:00 pm, is now open. For more information and to register, visit http://www.ndia.org/meetings/393A.

About NDIA: The National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) is America's leading Defense Industry association promoting national security. NDIA provides a legal and ethical forum for the exchange of information between Industry and Government on National Security issues. NDIA members foster the development of the most innovative and superior equipment, training and support for warfighters and first responders through our divisions, local chapters, affiliated associations and events.

GSA cuts last of its national conferences scheduled for this year

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Originally posted by Josh Hicks on The Washington Post

The General Services Administration canceled the last of its national conferences scheduled for this year due to a lack of demand from agencies facing budget constraints, the administration announced Monday.

The GSA said it suspended its FedForum, which the agency had planned for July 16-18 in New Orleans, and its SmartPay training event, slated for Aug. 6-8 in Chicago.

Acting GSA Administrator Dan Tangherlini.

The cancellations mark the second time in less than a month that the agency has called off major events due to a lack of demand. In February, the GSA suspended its annual expo and training conference.

"In the current fiscal climate, agencies and businesses alike have been forced to make tough spending cuts," the GSA said in a statement Monday. "After carefully reviewing the projected spending and attendance for this year's conferences, GSA will suspend both in an effort to use our resources more responsibly."

SmartPay is the federal government's charge-card program. Last year, more than 6,400 people attended the GSA's SmartPay training event in Las Vegas, but only 151 people had registered so far for this year's event in Chicago, according to the agency.

Instead of moving ahead with the Chicago conference, the GSA said it plans to offer a virtual SmartPay forum this fall.

FedForum is an annual GSA training event relating to acquisition, motor vehicles, aviation, transportation, boats, real property, personal property, and green buildings.

GSA said only 192 people had registered for this year's event, compared to 211 at around the same time last year.

GSA spokeswoman Mafara Hobson said the agency was still determining how much savings the cancellations would create for the federal government.

Last year, former GSA Administrator Martha N. Johnson resigned, and a host of other top agency officials were fired or placed on leave amid reports of lavish spending at a regional conference near Las Vegas.

(Image by Alex Wong -- Getty Images)