Bipartisan civil service reform needed but maybe not moving OPM, former CHCO says

The commander of Air Education and Training Command said the Air Force is moving toward an entirely new paradigm for how it trains pilots. It's likely to involve as big a role for artificial intelligence as it does for human instructors. The service said it's moving away from an "industrial age" training model with preset timetables, to one that adapts to each airman's learning pace. Federal News Radio's Jared Serbu had details on Federal Drive with Tom Temin.

You work for the government. You do one of a million jobs. The pay and benefits are good, and there's almost never a layoff. But would you recommend a job in the government to a friend, to a child? Jeff Neal, the former chief human capital officer at Homeland Security, has been thinking about this question and discussed it on Federal Drive with Tom Temin.

For all the buzz about open offices made popular by Silicon Valley beehives, federal employees hold some apprehensions about shared spaces. But recent studies have tried to quantify both the benefits and the drawbacks of various ways of packing people in. Federal News Radio's Jory Heckman joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin for more.

It might seem like a harmless enough idea: Finding a remote but fertile patch of federal land and growing marijuana. But in reality it damages forests, poisons wildlife and pollutes rivers and streams. Now the Justice Department is teaming up with state and local authorities to put an end to it. Jeff Wood, acting assistant attorney general for the environment and natural resources division, joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin for more.

If a recent survey of federal acquisition employees is right, there is a growing desire for innovation in procurement. That brings up a few questions. Which agencies are actually innovating in procurement? Does innovation even exist and if so, it worth the risk? Soraya Correa, the Homeland Security Department chief procurement officer, believes she can answer all of those questions. She told Federal News Radio Executive Editor Jason Miller about how the Procurement Innovation Lab or PIL is taking innovative acquisition risks. Hear the interview on Federal Drive with Tom Temin.

The Army is debating whether to kill off a unit at the Army War College known as the Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute. Army Secretary Mark Esper wants it gone because the service is composed of warriors, not peacekeepers, but Army brass want to keep it. Tammy Schultz, professor of strategic studies at the Marine Corps War College, argues for keeping it because it protects American interests and saves service members' lives. She joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin for more.

Last year, Congress was all about continuing resolutions and a lapse in appropriation. This year a few appropriations bills are already past conference and ready to send to the White House. But only two weeks remain in the fiscal year and the Senate is twisted around the axle of Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination. Here with a look ahead, Bloomberg Government Editorial Director Loren Duggan joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin.

Those who have lost loved ones in the military can expect a little more stability in the aftermath thanks to a provision in the 2019 defense appropriations bill. The same bill also contains a crackdown on the fast-growing use of other transaction authorities. That and more is in Federal News Radio reporter Scott Maucione's DoD personnel notebook. He joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin to discuss.

The Trump administration's plan to bring the federal workforce into the 21st century begins with a few facts. More than 45 percent of the federal workforce is more than 50 years old. And 25 percent of them are more than 55 years old. A mere 6 percent of feds are under 30 years old. This means agencies have a lot of training and rethinking to do as every job will have to evolve. New technology also impacts the routine and complex parts of a fed's day. In his weekly feature, the Reporter's Notebook, Federal News Radio Executive Editor Jason Miller brings an inside look at how the White House's recent federal workforce summit is trying to reskill or upskill agency employees. He joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin for more.

Members of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee want federal managers to know they don't like that year-end buying spree that happens every year. But are these members and their colleagues the cause of the buying spree in the first place? Larry Allen, president of Allen Federal Business Partners, gave one opinion on Federal Drive with Tom Temin.