Federal Daily - August 11, 2009

Senate Approves Two for FLRA

The Senate by unanimous consent on Aug. 7 approved the nominations of Julia Akins Clark and Ernest DuBester to the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA). Clark, who will be the new FLRA general counsel, served as general counsel of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE) before her appointment. “During her 21 years of employment with IFPTE, Julie has served with extraordinary honor and distinction,” said IFPTE President Gregory J. Junemann. “She has worked tirelessly to provide assistance to all IFPTE locals, in which her efforts had a significant and positive impact on every local and every sector of our union.” DuBester, who will serve as an FLRA board member, served as chairman and a member of the National Mediation Board (NMB) under President Clinton. Since July of 2005, he has worked as a mediator at the NMB. The FLRA is an independent agency that administers the labor-management relations program for 1.9 million non-Postal federal employees worldwide, approximately 1.1 million of whom are exclusively represented in 2,200 bargaining units. It is charged with providing leadership in establishing policies and resolving disputes. To see more, go to: www.ifpte.org/Downloads/Archives/Press%20Releases/2009/
PRAkinsClarkFLRAconfirmed.pdf or http://hsgac.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?Fuse
Action=Press.MajorityNews&ContentRecord_id=f664841c-5056-8059-76da-b7133b9a633b.

:: Back to Top ::

Air Force Launches Global Strike Command

The Air Force on Aug. 7 activated the Global Strike Command, which will control all the Air Force’s nuclear missions. At a ceremony at the Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana, Air Force officials announced the activation of the new command, which will control the service’s three major weapons systems—the B-2 and B-52 bombers and intercontinental ballistic missiles—at five bases across the country. Like other Air Force major commands, the Global Strike Command will be will comprise both Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard units. When it is fully operational in August 2010, it will include 23,000 personnel, officials said. “The activation of Global Strike Command is part of a broader, comprehensive strategy the Air Force is undertaking to ensure we have the proper focus on our critical missions that provide nuclear deterrence,” said Lt. Gen. Frank Klotz, who will lead the new command. The new command, a single entity focused on nuclear operations, is in many ways similar to the old Strategic Air Command, which led the Air Force’s nuclear operations until it was disbanded 1992. To see more, go to: www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123162363.

:: Back to Top ::

Army Closes Criminal Inquiry into Servicemember’s Electrocution

The Army announced Aug. 7 that it had closed the criminal investigation into the death of a servicemember electrocuted in Iraq without bringing any criminal charges in his death. Sgt. Ryan D. Maseth was electrocuted while taking a shower in his living quarters in the Radwaniyah Palace Complex in Baghdad in January 2008. An initial Army investigation showed that Maseth died because of improper grounding of the electric water pump that supplied water to the building’s pipes. The Army Criminal Investigation Command (ACIC) said it concluded that there is insufficient evidence to establish criminal culpability of any person or entity in the death of Maseth. “This has been a complex investigation involving numerous people, circumstances and contractual agreements,” said Brig. Gen. Rodney Johnson, ACIC commanding general. “As with all of our criminal investigations, if new, credible information becomes available, we stand ready to reopen the investigation to pursue the truth, wherever it may lead.” The Army noted that since Maseth’s death in 2008, there has not been another confirmed electrocution death of a soldier in Iraq. To see more, go to: www.army.mil/-news/2009/08/07/25666-army-completes-staff-sgt-maseth-death-investigation/?ref=news-releases-title0.

:: Back to Top ::