ASMC RedRiver Chapter

Relay for life is coming up!
http://relay.acsevents.org/site/PageServer?pagename=relay

Find an event, type in Wichita falls (search), click on the relay for life of Wichita falls at Mcneil Junior high sign-up, log in with your account information from prior years or create a new account, look for our team "Money Warriors". There is a $10 commitment fee or $25 if you do not want to participate in fund raising.

Relay For Life Relay For Life events are life-changing cancer fundraising events that help communities across the globe fight back against cancer.

With so much available online please be aware of what personal information you make available to strangers. Recently a list was published by ISIS identifying multiple Air Force and Navy personnel believed to have been attained through Facebook profiles.

Looking for another volunteer event? Ask about Christmas in action!

82 CPTS ASMC will be hosting another highway cleanup this May. Please come support your ASMC and help Texas look good!

13. Thursday, October 23rd, 2014 Federal civilian retirees are set to receive a 1.7 percent cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) in 2015. Retirees covered under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) will see the increase reflected in their January 2015 payment.
The increase is slightly higher than the 1.5 percent COLA federal retirees received in 2014. The 2013 COLA was also 1.7 percent and the 2012 COLA was much higher at 3.6 percent. No adjustment was paid to retirees in 2010 and 2011.
The annual retiree COLA is calculated as the change in the average Consumer Price Index for Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W)—published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)—from the third quarter of the previous year to the third quarter of the current year.
This is the same calculation for the Social Security COLA. Social Security recipients will also receive a 1.5 percent increase.
In early September, President Obama notified Congress that he determined that federal civilian employees should receive a 1 percent across-the-board pay raise in 2015. Congress passed and the president signed a FY2015 Continuing Resolution that runs until December 11, 2014, which did not address the federal civilian pay raise. By remaining silent on the pay raise, Congress appears to support the president’s proposed 1 percent pay increase in January. If Congress takes no further action on the pay raise when it completes the FY2015 appropriations bills, the president can issue an executive order implementing the raise.

12. President orders agencies to upgrade government payment card security
Tuesday, October 21st, 2014 Federal agencies will soon be implementing greater security measures and new technology in their payment card programs to improve the data security of financial transactions.
Citing the significant economic consequences of recent data breaches (such as Target and Home Depot), President Obama issued an Executive Order directing “to transition payment processing terminals and credit, debit, and other payment cards to employ enhanced security features, including chip-and-PIN technology.”
Even though the government’s payment card program includes many safeguards against fraud and abuse, the president determined that “the Government must further strengthen the security of consumer data,” by upgrading its payment card program.
Agencies are to use the National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act of 1995 and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-119 as guides to determine which security enhancement to use.
By January 1, 2015, new payment processing terminals will “include hardware necessary to support such enhanced security features,” according to the Order. By the same date, the Treasury Department will develop a plan for installing “enabling software that supports enhanced security features.”
Existing government credit, debit, and payment cards (used for official business) that do not have enhanced security features will have to be replaced. The General Services Administration (GSA) will begin replacing such cards provided through GSA contracts no later than January 1, 2015.
Other agencies with such card programs will also have to provide OMB (by January 1, 2015) with plans that will ensure that their cards have enhanced security features.
The Executive Order also addresses the security of federal online transactions. The president orders the National Security Council (NSC), the Office of Science and Technology, and OMB to develop a plan that ensures “that all agencies making personal data accessible to citizens through digital applications require the use of multiple factors of authentication and an effective identity proofing process,” within 90 days. These plans will have to be implemented within 18 months.

11. Next ASMC Meeting will be 30 Oct 2014. Time and location to be determined.

10. The cost of military operations in Iraq and Syria to combat the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) is growing as Department of Defense (DoD) operations continue and expand.
The Pentagon announced a few weeks ago that the cost of the operations in Iraq were averaging $7.5 million dollars per day. Since then the air operations have been expanded to include strikes against ISIL forces in Syria and costs have increased. The U.S. and its partners have conducted 43 air strikes against ISIL forces in Syria, according to Hagel.
Last week, in a news conference Defense Secretary Hagel said the cost of DoD’s operations is now running between $7 and $10 million per day. A study prepared by the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessment (CSBA) estimated that DoD spent between $780 and $930 million through September 24.
Secretary Hagel stressed that the costs for these operations are being funded from the Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) appropriations provided by Congress for FY2015.
Hagel also underscored that the U.S. is not acting alone in this effort. “A broad coalition has been and will continue to be a cornerstone of our strategy against ISI, he said.
But, he warned, the “diplomatic economic and military campaign will require a long-term commitment from the United States and all of our partners and allies.” “We are at the beginning, not the end of our effort to degrade and destroy ISIL” he cautioned. And, he said, the costs of ongoing operations will “require additional funding from Congress.” He said the administration is working with Congress to determine the source of this funding.
Some members of Congress have been calling for hearings to assess the cost as well as a debate on the goals and strategy underlying military operations against ISIL. However, the full Congress does not return until after the November elections so these hearings and congressional debate will probably not happen until mid-November.

9. Help us raise $200 by taking a survey!!!
The defense acquisition process is so complex and involves so many different organizations, laws, and regulations that comprehending the main points and flow of the process and the relationships among the players can be difficult, especially for non-acquisition personnel.
The Congressional Research Service’s (CRS) updated overview on how DoD acquires weapon systems may help you navigate through this maze. This report does not provide a detailed cookbook approach to the acquisition process, but it is a good overview that can help resource managers and analysts more easily understand the defense acquisition process.
The CRS report “Defense Acquisitions: How DOD Acquires Weapon Systems and Recent Efforts to Reform the Process” provides a description of the acquisition process with relevant charts and timelines. The report includes a history of the statutory and regulatory underpinnings of the defense acquisition process, the major components of the process with a timeline, a description of the organizational structure supporting the process, and definitions of important terms.
The report also describes recent DoD acquisition reform efforts and legislation affecting defense acquisition passed between 2008 and the present.

8. The defense acquisition process is so complex and involves so many different organizations, laws, and regulations that comprehending the main points and flow of the process and the relationships among the players can be difficult, especially for non-acquisition personnel.
The Congressional Research Service’s (CRS) updated overview on how DoD acquires weapon systems may help you navigate through this maze. This report does not provide a detailed cookbook approach to the acquisition process, but it is a good overview that can help resource managers and analysts more easily understand the defense acquisition process.
The CRS report “Defense Acquisitions: How DOD Acquires Weapon Systems and Recent Efforts to Reform the Process” provides a description of the acquisition process with relevant charts and timelines. The report includes a history of the statutory and regulatory underpinnings of the defense acquisition process, the major components of the process with a timeline, a description of the organizational structure supporting the process, and definitions of important terms.
The report also describes recent DoD acquisition reform efforts and legislation affecting defense acquisition passed between 2008 and the present.

7. House Appropriations Committee approves FY2015 DoD spending bill
Wednesday, June 11th, 2014 Yesterday, the full House Appropriations Committee (HAC) approved the FY2015 Department of Defense (DoD) Appropriations bill. The HAC bill would provide $491 billion for the DoD base budget (excluding military construction), $200 million higher than the president’s request.
The HAC bill also includes $79.4 billion for Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) in FY2015. This amount is the same as the placeholder request included in the president’s budget. The White House has recently announced its plan for reducing U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan and is expected to submit a detailed OCO request soon.
Committee chairman Rep. Hal Rogers (R-KY) called the bill “fiscally responsible” and said it reflects current and future threats. “By prioritizing the security of the American people, the readiness of our military, and the health and well-being of our brave warfighters, this bipartisan legislation will help create a safer America,” he said.
The HAC bill would fund a 1.8 percent military pay raise that is authorized in the House-passed FY2015 Defense Authorization bill. The president’s budget requests a 1 percent pay raise for military personnel. The bill rejects the administration’s proposal to reduce the Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH).
The bill would fund the Defense Health Program (DHP) at $31.6 billion, $360 million below the request. The bill would also add $100 million to the Defense Commissary Agency funding level. The president’s budget request proposed a cut in the subsidy to commissary operations.

6. Tommorrow is Relay for Life. Come out and support our team! We have reach our goal of $2500 and have exceeded it by about $200 so far.

2014 PDI was a huge success. Networking and learning more about FIAR, systems, and upcoming events is what it is all about. Next year it could be you going.... Just make sure you are involved if you need more information please let Charlie Sine or Brenda Walker know and we will get you the information!