The Pentagon’s new Inspector General, Claude Kicklighter, took office April 30, replacing Thomas Gimble, who has served as acting IG since September 2005. Kicklighter, who received his Senate confirmation on April 12, is a retired Army lieutenant general and previously served as chief of staff for Veterans Affairs. Earlier his served on State Department and DOD joint teams dealing with stabilization efforts in Southwest Asia.
A new report from the Government Accountability Office calls for the Pentagon’s Chief Technology Officer to have budget certification authority over the military services’ research and development accounts—a move the services say would add a burdensome and unnecessary layer of bureaucracy.

