Defense secretary Leon Panetta announced recently that the White House is planning to ask Congress to authorize new rounds of base realignment and closures, likely for 2013 and 2015.

DoD needs to cut $487 billion in defense spending as mandated by Congress and is planning to reduce Army personnel from 562,000 to 490,000, and Marines from 202,000 to 182,000 by 2017, which would in turn allow the Air Force to trim its fleet.

In announcing the request, Panetta noted that as the force is drawn down, the infrastructure supporting it would need to be reduced.

The last BRAC process was completed in 2005 and its mandate is only now being fully carried out, and although no details on specific bases or assets have been released, stakeholders are already digging in for another fight.

For example, Sens. More

MSPB in a recent online posting provided its advice for managers when developing performance standards, which it said is becoming more difficult as federal work is increasingly knowledge-based and involves "complicated, long-term projects that are not as easily described in terms of the standard quality, quantity, and timeliness measures used in the past.”

To make performance standards reasonable and measurable, MSPB advises:

"Define the critical aspects of the job. More

OPM has posted on telework.gov updated training modules for agencies under the 2010 Telework Enhancement act, which requires agencies to provide interactive telework training for employees who are eligible and interested in participating in telework and for their managers.

The training is free and must be successfully completed prior to the signing of a written telework agreement, OPM said in a memo to agencies at www.chcoc.gov/transmittals.

"Alternatively, agencies that have their own Learning Management System will now have the capability to download the training for internal use. More