The Department of Defense (DOD) has recently created three new programs to help military spouses obtain employment: (1) the Military Spouse Career Advancement Accounts (MyCAA) tuition assistance program, (2) the Military Spouse Employment Partnership (MSEP), which connects military spouses with employers, (3) and the Military Spouse Career Center, consisting of a call center and a website for mil

On the basis of data submitted by the 41 departments and agencies and our discussions with them, 77 individuals holding noncareer positions were converted to career positions during the 32 months from May 1, 2001, through December 31, 2003. These conversions were reported by 18 of the 41 departments and agencies we surveyed. The other 23 departments and agencies reported no conversions during thi

Federal agencies' foreign language needs have increased during the past decade because of increasing globalization and the changing security environment. At the same time, agencies have seen significant reductions-in-force and no-growth or limited-growth environments during the last decade. As a result, some agencies now confront an aging core of language-capable staff while recruiting and retain

The Department of Defense (DOD) has been at the forefront of federal agencies in using the OMB Circular A-76 process. In 1995, DOD made it a priority to reduce operating costs and free funds for other needs. DOD has also augmented the A-76 program with what it terms strategic sourcing--a broader array of reinvention and reengineering options that may not necessarily involve A-76 competitions. The

GAO reviewed the Department of the Navy's implementation of total quality management (TQM). GAO found that: (1) as the Navy invested more time and effort in TQM activities, TQM implementation matured, barriers became less difficult, and greater benefits could be achieved; (2) 68 percent of the Navy's facilities have implemented various phases of TQM and most Navy personnel believed the TQM progra

GAO reviewed the Department of the Army's implementation of total quality management (TQM). GAO found that: (1) as the Army invested more time and effort in TQM activities, TQM implementation matured, barriers became less difficult, and greater benefits could be achieved; (2) 67 percent of the Army's facilities had implemented various phases of TQM and nearly two-thirds of Army personnel believed

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO commented on the extent to which federal agencies support federal fitness facilities with appropriated funds. GAO noted that: (1) 40 of 77 departments and agencies surveyed reported supporting federal fitness facilities with federal appropriations; (2) those 40 departments and agencies reported supporting 1.25 million federal civilian employees and 653 fed

GAO discussed its review of the Office of Government Ethics' (OGE) oversight of agency ethics programs, focusing on recommendations OGE made to the Departments of Agriculture (USDA), State, and Housing and Urban Development (HUD). GAO found that: (1) OGE staff limitations prevented agency audits every 3 years; (2) OGE recommendations had not been accepted and implemented until 1988 or 1989, when

GAO found that the number of: (1) part-time federal employees increased during 1979 and 1980 but decreased by 11 percent from January 1981 to January 1986; (2) permanent federal employees increased by 1.5 percent from January 1981 to January 1986; (3) permanent part-time employees in the lower salary grades is significant; (4) permanent part-time white-collar employees at grades GS-10 and above r

GAO found that: (1) a DOD directive on polygraph examinations does not authorize their use for training purposes; (2) DOD did not inform recruits who were given polygraph examinations that they were participating in a training exercise; (3) the school was instructing examiner trainees in specific techniques that could violate DOD policies designed to protect individual rights and privacy; and (4)