Federal Daily - January 19, 2009

Inauguration Pulls in Many Agencies

A range of agencies will deploy their employees to assist in the 56th presidential inauguration on Jan. 20. From the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), about 300 transportation security officers will assist the Secret Service in screening participants along the parade route and at inaugural events. TSA also will deploy Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response teams to scan all types of transportation before and during the inauguration, TSA said in a statement. Additionally, more than a dozen TSA-certified explosive-detection canine (K-9) teams will supplement existing capital region teams to bolster mobile detection in area airports and mass transit systems. On Inauguration Day itself, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) personnel will provide perimeter security while the presidential party is in transit. During the Inaugural Parade, CBP personnel will provide security on the National Mall perimeter and help to secure other locations as CBP K-9 teams patrol the parade route itself, CBP said. In addition, CBP agents and officers will be screening visitors to the U.S. Capitol, and providing coordination and logistical support to the overall security effort. Additionally, more than 4,000 members of the National Guard from at least eight states will provide security, medical and other support, the National Guard said. Other federal entities involved in planning and implementation include the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Departments of Health and Human Services and Defense, the FBI, the Park Police, the Capitol Police, the General Services Administration, the Smithsonian Museum and others. Because the inauguration is classified as a National Special Security Event, the Secret Service is the lead agency for the design and implementation of the operational security plan. To see more, go to: www.secretservice.gov/press/GPA01-09InaugSecPlans_web.pdf, www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/news_releases/01152009_5.xml or www.tsa.gov/press/releases/2009/0114.shtm. Also see: www.army.mil/-news/2008/12/19/15356-national-guard-to-help-with-security-at-inauguration/.

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DoD Issues Interim Rule on Post-Government Employment

DoD on Jan. 15 issued an interim rule requiring some senior DoD officials to get written approval from an agency ethics officer before taking a post-government job with a DoD contractor. The interim rule applies to those who “participated personally and substantially in a DoD acquisition exceeding $10 million or who held a key acquisition position,” according to the notice published in the Federal Register. Officials who fall into that category will have a two-year window in which they will need to get an ethics officer’s approval before taking a contractor job. Furthermore, the rule prohibits the contractor from providing any salary to the new employee until the post-employment ethics opinion is completed. Contractors who break the rule could lose existing contracts or be suspended or debarred from government work, the rule said. Under current rules, former DoD acquisition officials are banned from working for defense contractors during a one-year post-government cooling-off period; top DoD employees are subject to a two-year curb. The public comment period ends March 16. To see more, go to: http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/E9-679.htm.

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New Military Psychological Health Outreach Center Opens

DoD on Jan. 15 announced the opening of a 24-hour telephone/e-mail outreach center to counsel military servicemembers, veterans, their families and others with questions about psychological health and traumatic brain injury (TBI). The new center, operated by the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury (DCoE), can be contacted around the clock by phone at (866) 966-1020 or via e-mail at resources@dcoeoutreach.org, DoD said. The center can address routine requests for information about psychological health and TBI, and answer questions about symptoms a caller is having, said Brig. Gen. Loree K. Sutton, director of DCoE.  “Getting the best possible information and tools, hassle-free, will empower and strengthen warriors and their families to successfully manage what can be confusing and disturbing circumstances,” Sutton said. The DCoE outreach center is staffed by behavioral health consultants and nurses, most with master’s degrees. In addition to answering questions, staffers will be able to refer callers to other DoD contact centers, other federal agencies and outside organizations. To see more, go to: www.defenselink.mil/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=12443.

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