Hilltop Times – Hill Air Force Base Weekly Newspaper Since 1948

WASHINGTON — Following Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel’s announcement May 14

that most Defense Department civilian employees will experience up to 11 furlough days from early July through September, senior defense officials emphasized their goal to reduce adverse effects on the workforce and the mission.

Speaking to Pentagon reporters on background, two senior defense officials discussed details of the furlough, exemptions and stressed their intent to lessen its effects.

WASHINGTON — First lady Michelle Obama unveiled the new Information Technology Training and Certification Partnership April 30 to put thousands of service members to work with industry-recognized IT certifications in hand before they leave the military.

Obama, who made the announcement at the White House Forum on Military Credentialing and Licensing at the White House, said a public-private partnership will offer the certification program.

"This new partnership will provide up to 161,000 service memb

WASHINGTON — The thoughts and prayers of all members of the Defense Department are with the people of Boston and the victims of the marathon bombing, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said on April 16. 

WASHINGTON —The Defense Department has revised from 22 to 14 the number of days hundreds of thousands of civilian employees could be furloughed this year because of the budget sequester, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced on March 28.

WASHINGTON —The Department of Defense on March 27 released updated policies and procedures aimed at combating sexual assaults in the military and improving care for victims.

Senior defense officials said the updated policies and procedures provide a framework that improves safety for sexual assault victims, standardizes victim-assistance services across the force, enhances prevention efforts and provides victims added confidence to come forward to report assaults and seek treatment.

WASHINGTON — In solidarity with the Defense Department’s 800,000 civilian employees facing furloughs, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said he will voluntarily return part of his salary to the U.S. Treasury, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said in Washington on April 2.

Though furlough-exempt as a presidentially appointed, Senate-confirmed official, Hagel will commit to partial forfeiture over the 14-week furlough period, Little said at a Pentagon news conference.

WASHINGTON — Unless Congress acts to end sequestration, furloughs for Defense Department civilian employees can begin April 26, the department’s comptroller said here March 11.

Robert F. Hale discussed the furlough planning process with a Pentagon audience. The comptroller also took questions sent in via Facebook and Twitter.

DoD is the only agency in the U.S. government that has to notify Congress when it wants to impose furloughs. Officials did that Feb. 20. “There is a 45-day waiting period after we submit that notification before furloughs can start,” Hale said.

WASHINGTON — Just before his private swearing-in ceremony as the 24th secretary of defense, Chuck Hagel and his wife, Lilibet, arrived at the Pentagon on the morning of Feb. 27 and were greeted by Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Thomas D. Waldhauser, military assistant to the secretary of defense.

Hagel, delayed more than 30 minutes by Washington traffic, said hello to waiting members of the Pentagon press corps as he hurried up the steps of the Pentagon’s river entrance. From there, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little and other defense officials accompanied him into the building.

WASHINGTON — Defense Department officials have designated this week as “Military Saves Week” to highlight the need for military families to reduce debt and save for the future, something Pentagon officials emphasize is key to force readiness.

The event is part of the yearlong Military Saves campaign, an opportunity for leaders to stress the importance of good financial habits to all members of the force and their families to encourage saving, reducing debt and building wealth, officials said.

WASHINGTON -- The Defense Department has leveraged the buying power of more than two million information technology users to award a three-year, $617 million joint enterprise license agreement for Microsoft products, defense officials announced.

The deal, led by the Army Contracting Command in collaboration with the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), the Army and the Air Force, demonstrates the best pricing DoD has received to date for Microsoft desktop and server software licenses, officials said.