Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "To ensure that essential government services are available in emergencies, federal agencies are required to develop continuity of operations plans. According to guidance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which is responsible for providing guidance for and assessing agency continuity plans, a key element of a viable capability is the proper identification of essential functions. GAO previously reported on agency continuity plan compliance, and determined that a number of agencies and their components did not have continuity plans in place on October 1, 2002, and those that were in place did not generally comply with FEMA's guidance. GAO was asked to testify on its most recent work in continuity planning, which is discussed in a separate report, being released today (GAO-05-577). In this report, GAO reviewed to what extent (1) major federal agencies used sound practices to identify and validate their essential functions, (2) agencies had made progress since 2002 in improving compliance with FEMA guidance, and (3) agency continuity of operations plans addressed the use of telework arrangements (in which work is performed at an employee's home or at a work location other than a traditional …

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In addition to external security threats, our nation is threatened from within by growing fiscal imbalances. The combination of additional demands for national and homeland security resources, the long-term rate of growth of entitlement programs, and rising health care costs create the need to make difficult choices about the affordability and sustainability of the recent growth in defense spending. At a time when the Department of Defense (DOD) is challenged to maintain a high level of military operations while competing for resources in an increasingly fiscally constrained environment, DOD's business management weaknesses continue to result in billions in annual waste, as well as reduced efficiencies and effectiveness. Congress asked GAO to provide its views on (1) the fiscal trends that prompt real questions about the affordability and sustainability of the rate of growth of defense spending, (2) business management challenges that DOD needs to address to successfully transform its business operations, and (3) key elements for achievement of reforms. One key element would be to establish a full-time chief management official (CMO) to take the lead in DOD for the overall business transformation effort. In this regard, we …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Ralph S. Long. Long joined the Navy in June, 1944. After basic training, he was assigned to ACORN 29 and went overseas from Port Hueneme and arrived in time for the invasion of Okinawa. He landed with a Navy construction battalion and assisted in establishing a small airfield for close air support. Long was discharged from the Navy in 1946. He entered the Air Force in 1951 with a commission and served as a psychologist. He retired in 1971.