The Defense Business Board this week released its final assessment of the National Security Personnel System, saying the “depth of the systemic problems discovered” could not be overcome by a “fix” and warranted a “reconstruction.” That announcement prompted an American Federation of Government Employees statement, saying the union is “angered, frustrated, and perplexed,” considering that, like the union, the DBB found “the system was fundamentally flawed.” AFGE noted that, although Congress rendered most union members “immune,” the union may still move forward “with a possible class-action lawsuit against DOD” because of the system’s “inherent discriminatory nature.” The DBB said the Pentagon should “reestablish a DOD commitment to partnership and collaborating with employees through their unions.” It also suggested that at some point union employees might still be brought into a single DOD personnel system. (DBB report)
U.S. Southern Command recently announced its first lethal strike on a suspected narco-trafficking vessel in two months, and the first under a newly formed permanent counter-cartel task force. The U.S. is also reportedly planning to transfer MQ-9 drones to Colombia to bolster its counter-cartel efforts.