Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Although the October 2012 and the August 2013 versions of the U.S. Civil-Military Strategic Framework for Afghanistan have similarities, the two versions differ in several aspects. These differences reflect, among other things, the U.S. government's heightened emphasis on the transition, through the end of 2014, of security responsibility for Afghanistan to Afghan security institutions and the Afghan National Security Forces as well as the transition in U.S. policy toward a more traditional diplomatic and development model. Both versions of the framework address four categories of U.S. efforts in support of U.S. national goals in Afghanistan, with security, the first category, as the foundation for the other three categories, or "pillars"--governance, rule of law, and socioeconomic development. Both versions also address the same crosscutting issues. Differences between the two versions include the following:"

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Defense's (DOD) military compensation package, which is a myriad of pays and benefits, is an important tool to attract and retain the number and quality of active duty servicemembers it needs to fulfill its mission. Compensation can be appropriate and adequate to attract and retain servicemembers when it is competitive with civilian compensation. However, comparisons between military and civilian compensation present both limitations and challenges. As we noted in 1986, exact compensation comparisons are not possible because no data exist which would allow an exact comparison of military and civilian personnel with the same levels of work experience. Also, nonmonetary considerations complicate military and civilian pay comparisons because their value cannot be quantified. Specifically, military service is unique in that the working conditions for active duty service carry the risk of death and injury during wartime and the potential for frequent, long deployments unlike most civilian jobs. The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 required that we conduct a study comparing pay and benefits provided by law to members of the Armed Forces with that of comparably situated private-sector employees to assess how …

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In summary, DOD's Office of the Secretary of Defense directed the Navy to cancel its competitive solicitation for 21 civilian Mi-17s because Russian authorities told DOD in late 2010 that, in accordance with Russian law, they would sell the helicopters only through Rosoboronexport since they were intended for military end use. Specifically, in response to letters written by the U.S. Ambassador to Russia, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed to DOD that it considered the Mi-17s to be military because they were for use by the Afghan Air Force, and therefore could be sold only through Rosoboronexport, the sole entity responsible for Russian military exports."

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission report recommended that the Army close Kansas and Lone Star Army Ammunition Plants and relocate certain munitions production-related functions from the Kansas and Lone Star Plants to Iowa and Milan (Tennessee) Army Ammunition Plants. As a result of the recommendations, the Army closed the Kansas and Lone Star Plants in 2009 and is in the process of relocating munitions production functions to the Iowa and Milan Plants. The 2005 BRAC recommendations must be completed by September 15, 2011. In addition, in February 2008, the U.S. Army Sustainment Command issued a request for proposals for operating and maintaining both the Iowa and Milan Plants. As part of the proposals, all offerors were to submit optimization plans for the optimum operation, maintenance, and utilization of the plants. In October 2008 the Army awarded a contract to American Ordnance for the operation and maintenance of the Iowa and Milan Plants at no direct cost to the government. Under the contract, American Ordnance will perform (among other things) security and maintenance for the facilities and will perform the actions identified in its Baseline Optimization …

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "CSP's activities, staff, and funding support strategic planning by individual CMS offices and centers as well as the agency itself. CMS officials told us that CSP assists individual offices and centers in developing strategic plans for their units, leads the agency's senior-level strategic planning meetings, and is helping to develop a centralized approach to monitor the implementation of CMS's agency-wide strategic plan. As of January 2013, CSP had 11 staff and it had $1.9 million in funds obligated for fiscal year 2012. Staff size and funding for CSP's most recent fiscal year represent a decrease compared to prior years, in part because CSP's activities have been narrowed in scope since the office was established in 2010, according to CMS officials. GAO provided a draft of this report to HHS for comment. After its review, HHS indicated that it did not have any comments."

Document issued by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas in Austin, Texas, providing an interpretation of Texas law. It provides the opinion of the Texas Attorney General, Greg Abbott, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification: Whether volunteer assistant fire marshals may be designated as “reserve deputies” (RQ-0927-GA)

Document issued by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas in Austin, Texas, providing an interpretation of Texas law. It provides the opinion of the Texas Attorney General, Greg Abbott, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification: Authority of the Harris County Department of Education to operate an on-site health clinic for its employees (RQ-0928-GA)

Placeholder title sheet referencing a physical archival collection. The materials are not included.

Broad Funding Opportunity Announcement Project: FastCAP is improving the performance of an ultracapacitor—a battery-like electronic device that can complement, and possibly even replace, an HEV or EV battery pack. Ultracapacitors have many advantages over conventional batteries, including long lifespans (over 1 million cycles, as compared to 10,000 for conventional batteries) and better durability. Ultracapacitors also charge more quickly than conventional batteries, and they release energy more quickly. However, ultracapacitors have fallen short of batteries in one key metric: energy density—high energy density means more energy storage. FastCAP is redesigning the ultracapacitor’s internal structure to increase its energy density. Ultracapacitors traditionally use electrodes made of irregularly shaped, porous carbon. FastCAP’s ultracapacitors are made of tiny, aligned carbon nanotubes. The nanotubes provide a regular path for ions moving in and out of the ultracapacitor’s electrode, increasing the overall efficiency and energy density of the device.

Transcript of a public hearing held by the Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq & Afghanistan held April 1, 2011 in Washington, D.C. This hearing includes testimony from USAID administrator Dr. Rajiv Shah on the reform progress for the U.S. Agency for International Aid's contracting policy.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with David Kinsey. Kinsey has assistance from his son during the interview. Kinsey joined the Marine Corps and was assigned to the 13th marines, 5th Marine Division. He landed on Iwo Jima on the first day of the battle. He remained at Iwo Jima for the duration of the battle. He was in a communication outfit and his job was to establish and maintain lines of communication. Kinsey was exposed to radiation at Nagasaki after the war and continued to suffer from radiation poisoning well after the exposure.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Dean Earl Wilson. Wilson joined the Army Air Corps in May of 1941. He completed Communications School and Radio School, serving as a Maintenance Technician. Throughout 1942, he served at Henderson Field on Guadalcanal, overseeing aircraft and control tower radio maintenance. Wilson shares his experiences living and working on the island. In 1943, he continued his work on New Georgia. In 1944, Wilson completed additional schooling in cryptography. He returned to the US after the war ended and received his discharge around late 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Harry W. Borst. Borst joined the Navy on 31 December 1942. Beginning May of 1943, he served as a signalman aboard USS Caperton (DD-650). Beginning in January of 1944, they participated in the Battle of Kwajalein, the invasions of Emirau Island and Hollandia, the battles of the Philippine Sea and Leyte Gulf. They assisted with picket duty off Okinawa through June of 1945. He shares experiences of kamikaze planes attacking ships. After the war ended, he continued service on occupation duty in Tokyo. Borst returned to the US and received his discharge in February 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Milton Lackowitz. Lackowitz joined the Navy in mid-1943. He completed Aviation Radioman’s School, and served as a TBF Avenger Radioman/Gunner aboard the USS Santee (CVE-29). He later served as a Gunner’s Mate in the Fire Control Division. They participated in the New Guinea Campaign, the Philippines Campaign, the Battle of Iwo Jima and the Battle of Okinawa. Lackowitz returned to the US after the war ended.

The National Museum of the pacific War presents an oral interview with George Kempfe. Kempfe was working when the war started. He decided to join the Navy and trained for service aboard PT boats. After training, he was assigned to PT-372 in Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron 27. Kempfe shares several anecdotes about PT operations in the Solomon Islands and the Philippines. When the war ended, Kempfe opted for discharge and mustered out of the Navy in late 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Woodrow Graham. Graham joined the Navy in 1942 at the age of 27 and received basic training in California. He attended yeoman school at the University of Indiana and was trained in coding and decoding messages at Harvard. Upon completion, he was assigned to the Navy Department in Washington, D.C., where he worked in the medals and awards division, sending out Purple Hearts. He was reassigned to Admiral Nimitz’s office at Pearl Harbor, operating a machine for encrypted communications. Graham worked closely with Nimitz and found him to be humble and hard-working. Graham was invited to the signing of the surrender at the end of the war but chose to go home instead. He returned to work for his former employer and received a big promotion.