There really was an institutional bias within Veterans Affairs against a Congressional dictum to centralize its information technology processes and The Hill has a “secretly recorded” tape to prove it, reports the Congressional newspaper. On this tape, one VA official says, “It’s about power; it’s about Congress saying, “VA, you’re accountable to us.” The security of veterans’ personal information became a major issue on Capitol Hill last spring when a laptop computer—containing information on more than 26.5 million veterans and military personnel—was stolen from the employee’s home. The laptop eventually was recovered and apparently no data compromise had occurred.
The Air Force will promote 11.07 percent of eligible master sergeants to senior master sergeant this year, a decline from last cycle that snaps a four-year streak of increases. Out of a pool of 13,315 eligible individuals, 1,474 new E-8s were selected.