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The Business of Governme

businessofgovernment.org spring/summe

Michael J. Astrue

U.S. Social Security Administration

Erin Conaton

U.S. Air Force

Seth Diamond

New York City Departme

Michael KaneU.S. Department o Ener

Malcolm JacksonU.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Gene DodaroU.S. Government Accountability Ofce

Steven KempfU.S. General Services Administration

Letitia LongNational Geospatial-Intelligence Agency

Admiral Robert PaU.S. Coast Guard

3 From the Executive Director

4 From the Managing Editors Desk

6 Conversations with LeadersGene Dodaro

Michael J. Astrue

Erin Conaton

Admiral Robert Papp

Letitia Long

31 Profles in Leadership

Malcolm JacksonMichael Kane

Steven Kempf

40 InsightsLeading New York Citys Response to the

Challenge of Homelessness

Revitalizing Public Service

51 PerspectivesGetting Big Things Done in Government

58 ForumGoverning to Win Enhancing National

Competitiveness

80 ViewpointsReform of the Federal IT Budget

Increasing Strategy, Decreasing Complexity

83 ManagementA Managers Guide to Evaluating Citizen

Participation

Using Wikis in Government:

A Guide for Public Managers

96 Research Abstracts

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3/102SP R I N G / Su mmeR 2 0 1 2 IBm Cntr for Th Bsinss of Govrnnt

Table of Contents

From the Executive DirectorBy Jonathan D. Breul................................................................................3

From the Managing Editors DeskBy Michael J. Keegan ............... ................. ................. .................. .............4

Conversations with LeadersGene DodaroCoptrollr Gnral, u.S. Govrnnt Accontability Offic ................ 6

Michael J. AstrueCoissionr, u.S. Social Scrity Adinistration ............................... 11

Erin Conatonundrscrtary of th u.S. Air Forc ...................................................... 16

Admiral Robert PappCoandant, unitd Stats Coast Gard ............................................. 21

Letitia LongDirctor, National Gospatial-Intllignc Agncy ................................ 26

Profiles in LeadershipBy Michael J. Keegan

Malcolm JacksonAssistant Adinistrator, Offic of environntal Inforation &Chif Inforation Officr, u.S. environntal Protction Agncy ......... 31

Michael KaneChif Han Capital Officr, u.S. Dpartnt of enrgy ..................... 34

Steven KempfCoissionr, Fdral Acqisition Srvicu.S. Gnral Srvics Adinistration .................................................... 37

InsightsLading Nw York Citys Rspons to th Challng of Holssnss:Insights fro Sth Diaond, Coissionr, Nw York CityDpartnt of Holss Srvics ................................................................40

Rvitalizing Pblic Srvic: Insights fro max StirPrsidnt and CeO, Partnrship for Pblic Srvic ....................................... 46

Perspectives: Getting Big Things Donein GovernmentEdited by John M. Kamensky................................................................. 51

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4/102The Business of Goverwww.bsinssofgovrnnt.org2

Forum: Governing to WinEnhancing NationalCompetitivenessIntrodction........................................................................................... 58

How Can Or Nation Bttr Copt to Win

in th Global econoy Today? .............................................................. 59

Govrnanc Is th Nw Coptitivnss Iprativ ............................. 64

Crating a Stratgic Approach to Bdgt Dcisions ............................... 69

us Tchnology to enhanc Prodctivity ............................................... 73

Rthink Govrnnt Prchasing and Spply Chains ............................. 76

ViewpointsRfor of th Fdral IT BdgtIncrasing Stratgy,Dcrasing CoplxityBy Dan Chenok ......................................................................................80

ManagementA managrs Gid to evalating Citizn ParticipationBy Tina Nabatchi ....................................................................................83

using Wikis in Govrnnt: A Gid for Pblic managrsBy Ines Mergel .......................................................................................91

Research AbstractsSocial Scrity in th BRIC Contris .................................................... 96

A managrs Gid to evalating Citizn Participation .......................... 96

A Ladrs Gid to Transforation ....................................................... 96

Fro Data to Dcisions: Th Powr of Analytics ................................... 97A Bst Practics Gid for mitigating Risk in th us of Social mdia .. 97

How to Order Recent Publications ........................................................98

The Business of GovernmeA Publication of the IBM Center for The Business of Governm

Jonathan D. Breul

Executive Director

John M. Kamensky

Senior Fellow

Daniel Chenok

Senior Fellow

Frank Strickland, Jr.

Senior Fellow

Michael J. Keegan

Managing Editor

The Business of Governmentmagazine and

Host/Producer, The Business of Government Ho

Ruth Gordon

Business and Web Manager

Gadi Ben-Yehuda

Social Media Director

Shenna A. Humphrey

Executive Assistant

IBM Center for The Business of Government

600 14th Street, NW, Second Floor

Washington, DC 20005

For subscription information, call (202) 551-9342. Web pa

www.businessofgovernment.org. Copyright 2012 IBM Glo

Business Services. All rights reserved. No part of t

publication may be reproduced in any form, by microfi

xerography, or otherwise, without the written permiss

of the copyright owner. This publication is designed

provide accurate information about its subject matter,

is distributed with the understanding that the articles do

constitute legal, accounting, or other professional advice.

Table of Contents (continued)

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From the Executive Director

Jonathan D. Breul is exctiv

Dirctor of th IBm Cntr forTh Bsinss of Govrnntand a Partnr, IBm GlobalBsinss Srvics. His -ail:

[email protected].

The Business of GovernmentSinc th IBm Cntr for Th Bsinss of Govrnnt was cratd ovr 14 yars ago,

has bn or goal to hlp pblic-sctor ladrs and anagrs addrss ral-world prob

ls by sponsoring indpndnt, third-party rports fro top inds in acad and t

nonprofit sctor. Or ai is to prodc rsarch and analysis that hlp govrnnt l

or ffctivly rspond to thir ission and anagnt challngs.

Th IBm Cntr is nad Th Bsinss of Govrnnt bcas its focs is on th

anagnt and opration of govrnnt, not th policis of govrnnt. Pblic-sc

ladrs and anagrs nd th bst, ost practical advic availabl whn it cos to

dlivring th bsinss of govrnnt.

W sk to bridg th gap btwn rsarch and practic by hlping to stilat andacclrat th prodction of actionabl rsarch. To do so, w solicit proposals that w

rslt in rports with insightfl findings and actionabl rcondations. Or rports

conicat what works and show bsy govrnnt ladrs and pblic anagrs ho

Th Bsinss of Govrnnt can b iprovd.

This fall will b doinatd by th prsidntial lction and a nbr of ajor isss

involving th fdral dficit and th ipnding astrity facing govrnnt opration

this dcad. For significant vnts occr btwn th lction and th nd of th ya

th Bsh tax cts will xpir, th tporary payroll tax rdction will xpir, th dbt

ciling will b hit onc again, and th atoatic sqstr rqird by th Bdgt Co

Act of 2011 will tak ffct. Th la-dck Congrss and a prsidnt who ay or a

b la-dck will b forcd to dal with ths vnts.

How this procss will play ot rains to b sn. In any rspcts, idntifying sorc

savings (whthr policy changs or oprational iprovnts) is th asy part. Th ch

lng will b to trn ths idas into action. This will b whr govrnnt ladrs an

anagrs co in. Thy will b th ons who do th havy lifting to iplnt ajo

progra adjstnts and ctbacks, to harnss ajor tchnological shifts and not jst

costs, bt also adopt innovativ practics to ak govrnnt far or prodctiv.

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By Michael J. Keegan

This dition ofThe Business of Governmentagazin provids a glips into th a

challngs, risks, and opportnitis facing todays govrnnt xctivs. mor ipotantly, it introdcs a slct grop of govrnnt ladrs who offr thir insights, ot

sccsss, and tll s how thy, in thir own niq way, ar aking a diffrnc in

ra of fiscal astrity. Todays conditions rqir govrnnt xctivs to go byond

siply doing or with lssto find sartr ways of doing bsinss, sing rsorcs

or fficintly, and invsting th or wisly. Th draatic natr of this historica

ont cannot b ovrstatd. It is flly rvald by th dpth of th vicissitds bin

facd. How govrnnt ladrs rspond attrs and th conditions rqir or tha

vag changs. It is to b ndrstood that todays actions affct ftr choics and los

opportnitis rslt in biqitos costs. In th nd, it is not ncssarily rtriving so

thing idal fro th past, bt discovring a nw path forward in th prsnt. Th iss

also contins and xpands on th cor ission of th IBm Cntr, which is to conn

pblic anagnt rsarch to practic. Whthr its gtting big things don in govnt, nhancing national coptitivnss, rvitalizing pblic srvic, rforing th

fdral IT bdgt, or valating citizn participation and sing wikis in govrnnt,

w bring togthr thoghtfl prspctivs fro so of th lading practitionrs and

acadics in th fild.

Forum on Enhancing National CompetitivenessIn th march 2012 Harvard Business Reviewarticl, Th Looing Challng to u.S.

Coptitivnss, michal Portr and Jan Rivik point ot that th u.S. facs a dpr,

or fndantal challng than rcovring fro a rcssion of nsal dpth and d

tionthat is, its ability to b coptitiv globally. To rstor its coptitivnss, A

nds a long-tr stratgy, consl Pottr and Rivik. With th rcnt rlas ofGove

to Win: Enhancing National Competitiveness Through New Policy and Operating

Approaches, Chck Prow has copild so 13 insightfl ssays by lading thinkrs practitionrs that can contribt to laying ot that long-tr stratgy. Givn todays fi

ralitis, Prow xplains, th nation st xplor altrnativ policy approachs and w

for govrnnt to do bsinss. H nots that th altrnativs otlind in his nw boo

can catalyz national coptitivnss in an nvironnt whr ajor nw invstn

will b difficlt. This for xcrpts slctd ssays fro th book that xplor th ins

foring th largr vision of th work. Ths ssays paint otlins of both opportnitis

challngs that th prsnt priod provids to govrnnt xctivs.

Perspectives on Getting Big Things Done in GovernmentTwo profssional associations, th Arican Socity for Pblic Adinistration and th

National Acady of Pblic Adinistration, hav joind to sponsor a sris of for

addrssing th anagnt challngs likly to fac whovr is sworn in as prsidin Janary 2013. On of ths fors xaind th ladrship challngs associat

with gtting big things don on th ordr of th manhattan Projct, Intrstat Highw

Syst, and th rac to th oon, and xplord lssons fro past xprincs. Th

panl coprisd thr obsrvrs/participants in th iplntation of larg-scal f

initiativsProfssor Tiothy Conlan, Dwight Ink, and Profssor Harry Labright.

Thy shar thir prspctivs and offr lssons that can assist ftr govrnnt lad

charting a path toward th ftr.

From the Managing Editors Desk

Michael J. Keegan is managing

editor ofThe Business ofGovernmentagazin andHost/Prodcr ofThe Businessof Government Hour. His-ail: [email protected].

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From the Managing Editors Key

Conversations with LeadersWith ach agazin, w fatr convrsations with govrnnt xctivs who ar

aking a diffrnc. Thy shar thir in-dpth rflctions on th work thy do and th

fforts thy lad. In this dition, Gene Dodaro, coptrollr gnral of th unitd Sta

and ladr of th u.S. Govrnnt Accontability Offic, discsss GAOs fforts to

only hlp position th govrnnt to bttr anag risks that cold coprois th

nations scrity, halth, and solvncy, bt also to idntify opportnitis for anaginggovrnnt rsorcs wisly for a or sstainabl ftr. Michael Astrue, cois-

sionr, u.S. Social Scrity Adinistration, sks to nhanc SSAs ability to t its

ission, liinating clai backlogs, iproving srvics, and donstrating th nx

btwn adqat fnding and th ability to dlivr ral and asrabl progrss. Er

Conaton, ndrscrtary, u.S. Air Forc, discsss th stratgic vision for todays Air

Forc, anaging in an ra of fiscal constraint, and iproving its oprations and bco

or fficint and agil. Admiral Robert Papp, coandant, u.S. Coast Gard, otl

his fforts to stady th srvic whil nsring it is rady for today and prpard for

toorrow. Letitia Long, dirctor, National Gospatial-Intllignc Agncy, closs this

dition of or convrsations, otlining how NGA is ptting th powr of gospatial in

lignc into th hands of its srs.

Proles in LeadershipOvr th last six onths, wv intrviwd a host of govrnnt xctivs. In this

iss, w introdc yo to thr ladrs who ar changing th way govrnnt do

bsinss. Thy joind on The Business of Government Hourto discss critical iss

facing thir agncis. Malcolm Jackson, chif inforation officr, u.S. environnta

Protction Agncy, focss on his ffort to lvrag inforation tchnology to nhan

ission ffctivnss. Michael Kane, chif han capital officr, u.S. Dpartnt o

enrgy, otlins his fforts to tackl han capital challngs facing his dpartnt

Steven Kempf, coissionr, Fdral Acqisition Srvic (within th u.S. Gnral

Srvics Adinistration), dtails his lading of an agncy that provids cntralizd

acqisition soltions to fdral agncy cstors.

InsightsIn this dition ofInsights, w prsnt two distinct discssions that provid insight into

tackling th challng of holssnss and rvitalizing pblic srvic. Seth Diamond,

coissionr, Nw York City Dpartnt of Holss Srvics, provids insights into

lading th citys rspons to th challng of holssnss. Max Stier, prsidnt and

Partnrship for Pblic Srvic, offrs insights into his organizations ission to

rvitaliz pblic srvic.

To clos this dition, w offr ovrviws of or ost rcnt Cntr rports. If yo hav

to rad ths rports, w ncorag yo to do so by going to bsinssofgovrnnt.o

and bcoing a frind of th Cntr. W hop yo njoy what is offrd in this ditio

The Business of Governmentagazin. Plas lt s know what yo think by contacti

at [email protected]. I look forward to haring fro yo.

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Conversations with Leaders

A Convrsation with Gn Dodaro, Coptrollr

Gnral, u.S. Govrnnt Accontability Offic

Faced with seemingly intractable issues such as the ever-

growing deficit, economic uncertainty, unemployment,

and aging infrastructure, todays government leaders are

presented with many difficult choices that go to the core of

effective public management. Pressures to reduce the federal

deficit will mean a greater need for analyses of programs and

their effectiveness, as well as a reduction in improper federal

payments and closing the gap between taxes owed and paid.

GAO is uniquely positioned to help address the nationschallenges and identify opportunities. GAO seeks not only

to help position the government to better manage risks that

could compromise the nations security, health, and solvency,

but also to identify opportunities for managing government

resources wisely for a more sustainable future. How is GAO

working to put the country back on a sustainable fiscal path?

How is GAO overseeing federal programs and operations to

ensure accountability to the American people? Gene Dodaro,

comptroller general of the United States and leader of the

U.S. Government Accountability Office, joined me on Th

Bsinss of Govrnnt Hor to explore these questions and

so much more. The following provides an edited excerpt fromour interview. MJK

On the History and Mission of theU.S. Government Accountability OfceGAO was fondd in 1921 as part of a packag of bdgtary

and acconting rfors that wr pt in plac following

th larg dbt acclatd aftr World War I. In th bgin-

ning, GAOs rol was to xain vochrs on govrnnt

paynts and prchass. Following World War II as th

govrnnt grw and xpandd, ths fnctions wr trans-

frrd to th xctiv branch. GAO bgan or copr-

hnsiv financial aditing. As th govrnnt contind

to volv with th war on povrty and th Grat Socity

progras of th 1960s, GAO bgan doing progra val-

ations: looking at how progras oprat, whthr thyr

oprating as intndd, and [whthr thy] can b ad or

fficint and ffctiv. Ths valations ar what w ar

faos for today.

GAO is organizd along sbjct ara lins, covring th

fll rang of th fdral govrnnts rsponsibilitis. Fo

xapl, w hav tas focsd on national dfns, h

car, transportation, natral rsorcs and th nviron-

nt, t ctra. W also hav tas focsd on tchnica

disciplins sch as financial anagnt, aditing, and

acconting, and inforation tchnology. W hav a divi

focsd on conoics and on on scinc, tchnology

nginring. W hav a fll rang of isss st p both f

sbjct aras and tchnical disciplins. Or work is carr

ot in ltidisciplinary tas. Its vry iportant to ns

th qality and th sophistication of or work. Or bdg

ovr $500 illion a yar. W hav abot 3,000 popl i

organization.

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Conversations with L

Or voltion has contindw now provid a fll rang

of anagnt valations of cor fnctions ncssary to

carry ot th issions of todays govrnnt agncis. GAO

has a vry ltidisciplinary workforc right now and or

voltion contins basd pon th nds of th govrnnt

and th nds of or priary clints, th Congrss.

On Being Comptroller General and Leading GAOAs coptrollr gnral, I provid th stratgic dirction and

ladrship for th GAO. As its chif xctiv, its y job to

ak sr w carry ot or ission ffctivly, which is to

spport th Congrss in carrying ot its constittional rspon-

sibilitis and to hlp iprov th prforanc and nsr

th accontability of th fdral govrnnt for th bnfit

of th Arican popl. W do that throgh th prodc-

tion of hndrds of rports and tstionis ach yar to

th Congrss that ar also ad availabl to th pblic. Its

vry iportant that w hav good qality assranc systs

arond thos rports, so y job is to nsr that that happns

and that w hav th skilld workforc ncssary to carry otths rsponsibilitis. I also provid tstiony to th Congrss

bfor varios Congrssional coitts, particlarly on

GAOs or iportant broad-basd work dring th yar.

As coptrollr gnral, I also st govrnnt aditing stan-

dards and intrnal control standards for th fdral govrn-

nt. I hav vry iportant rprsntational rsponsibilitis

both for dostic accontability prposs, sch as chairan

of th National Intrgovrnntal Adit For, and also

intrnationally as th u.S. Rprsntativ to th Intrnational

Organization of National Adit Offics, which is coprisd

of approxiatly 189 contris arond th world.

Its vry iportant that GAO b viwd as indpn-

dnt, nonpartisan, profssional, objctiv, fact-basd, and

providing a fll rang of profssional srvics to th Congrss

that ar rspctd by both partis and both chabrs of

Congrss. Its vry iportant that w not only idntify prob-

ls, bt bring soltions to thos probls to hlp poli-

cyakrs and ladrs in th xctiv branch, as wll as

Congrss, to tak th ncssary actions to iprov govrn-

nt for th bnfit of th contry.

On Challenges Facing theU.S. Government Accountability OfceIts vry iportant for s to focs on th aras of highst

priority for th u.S. Congrss and ky national isss. Or

workload is a vry iportant challng as wr askd by

Congrss to do anywhr fro 900 to 1,000 valations

annally. W obviosly hav to st prioritis appropriatly.

To do this ffctivly, I t with chair and ranking brs

of all th standing Congrssional coitts to ndrsta

thir prioritis; th insights gathrd fro this intraction

thn infor or fforts.

Or scond challng cntrs on th bdgtary rali-

tis of today. All of govrnnt is facing bdgtary chal-

lngs; GAO is no xcption. Wr working throgh tho

isss vry carflly to ak sr that w aintain th h

qality of or work to th Congrss, work on its of hi

priority, and also iniiz any advrs ffcts on th v

ddicatd and talntd GAO workforc.

Third, I wold say a big challng is sccssion planning

Wv bn working vry hard on this iss ovr th last

dcad. Wll contin to b abl to do that bcas w

nd to hav th right skilld workforc; w nd to hav

th right popl in th right job. Having th right popl

th right job is abot 75% of sccss. I spnd a grat da

ti tackling ths challngs.

On the Strategic Vision of GAO[Althogh]w ar a lgislativ branch agncy and x

fro any of th anagnt rfors and lgislativ

rqirnts applicabl to xctiv branch agncis, w

volntarily coply with ths rqirnts. W nd to

hold orslvs accontabl in th sa way othr fdr

agncis do.

As part of that, wv dvlopd a stratgic plan that sr

th Congrss and th nation. It sts ot or vision for a f

yar priod that otlins th isss wr prsing to sp

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th Congrss in carrying ot its rsponsibilitis and hlping

to provid ladrship for th contry. Wv st broad goals

rootd in so of th constittional rsponsibilitis of th

Congrss. For xapl, w want to provid tily and

qality srvic to th Congrss and th fdral govrnnt

to addrss crrnt and rging challngs to th wll-

bing and th financial scrity of th Arican popl. Thisinclds vrything fro halth car to dcation to trans-

portation, t ctra, across th fll bradth of th govrn-

nts rsponsibilitis.

Th scond goal is to addrss th changing scrity thrats

and th challngs of global intrdpndnc, and this

inclds aras of national dfns, holand scrity, [and]

intrnational affairs, for xapl. Th third broad goal is to

hlp th govrnnt transfor itslf to iprov its progras

and activitis to t 21st-cntry challngs. Hr w

provid a lot of hlp in trs of iplntation of th

Govrnnt Prforanc and Rslts Act [GPRA], any

othr anagnt rfors across govrnnt, th applica-tion of nw tchnologis to iprov govrnnt srvics

and oprations, and to dvlop govrnnts anagnt

capacitis to b consrat with th challngs that th

fdral govrnnt facs right now and going forward. Or

last and final goal is to iprov orslvs on a continos

basisto ak sr that w ar an organization that has th

capacity to dlivr on its ission.

Or stratgic plan was inford by crtain trnds w idn-

tifid as shaping th contry and its plac in th world. W

spnt ti aking sr w ndrstand th trnds bcas

w bliv thy will shap th typs of challngs th

fdral govrnnt will fac and th dcisions that polic

akrs ight hav to ak now and into th ftr. Th

trnds ncopass th volving national scrity thrats,

th fiscal sstainability challngs facing th u.S. govrn

nt, conoic rcovry and growth isss, global int

dpndnc, scinc and tchnology brakthroghs, [anth] shifting rol of govrnnt. Th last trnd focss o

th shifting dographic and socital changs facing th

contry. With th rtirnt of th Baby Boo gnra-

tion, thr ar far fwr workrs now pr rtir. This ra

changs not only th financial stats of ntitlnt prog

bt also brings abot othr iportant changs. Ths d

graphic and socital changs ar vry iportant to nd

stand bcas thy prsnt srios policy raifications.

On Fiscal Sustainability and Debt ChallengesThis is a vry iportant iss. For yars GAO has don l

rang silations of th fdral govrnnts fiscal path

ordr to illstrat what th long-tr ffcts ay b of pdcisions. evn prior to this last rcssion, GAO warnd

th fdral govrnnt was incrasingly on an nsstain

abl fiscal path [and] that significant dficits and dbt w

acclating. Th rcssion itslf affctd th govrn

financs and th govrnnts policy rspons to th rc

sion addd to th govrnnts dbt brdn, as wll.

Th Bdgt Control Act of 2011 has soght to iprov t

fdral govrnnts fiscal sitation. It calls for $2.1 trill

of cts btwn 2013 and 2021; ths will hlp iprov

th sitation in th short tr, bt vn with ths chang

Dbt Hld by th Pblic as Prcnt of GDP

Historical and Crrnt Policy Projctions

for th Coposition of Non-Intrst Spnding

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Its vry iportant that GAO b viwd as indpndnt, nonpartisan,

profssional, objctiv, fact-basd, and providing a fll rang of profssional

srvics to th Congrss that ar rspctd by both partis and both chabrs

of Congrss.

Gene Dodaro

in th longr tr srios isss rain and nd to b

addrssd. Th Bdgt Control Act also providd a backp

in th vnt th so-calld Spr Coitt did not rach

consnss. That wold b a $1.2 trillion sqstration or

changs in th caps ovr th nxt 10 yars. This part will go

forward, bt obviosly thr ar any iplntation isss

associatd with that, and Congrss always has th flxibility

to dal with ths attrs going forward.

W will contin to do or long-rang silations to hlp

spport th Congrss in aking difficlt tradoffs, [and] try

to idntify ways to sav ony, to nhanc rvns, and

hlp Congrss valat policy options for daling with this

long-tr fiscal iss.

On the Changing Dynamic of GlobalInterdependenceThis is a vry iportant trnd that prsnts significant rai-

fications for th fdral govrnnt. A pri xapl is in

th financial instittions and financial arkts sctor. Th

rcnt financial crisis, abov all, illstratd th xtnt towhich conois, trad, and inforation flows hav bco

linkd. W saw [this] whn th fdral govrnnt ndd

to chang its fdral rglatory rgi in ordr to dal with

ths probls; th failr to do so ld to so of th isss

that casd th troil in th financial arkts. Going

forward, thr ar nw capital rqirnts that ar intrna-

tional standards w hav to iplnt.

This intrdpndnc gos byond th global financial

arkts and flows of capital. It involvs how w dal with

nsring food safty for or pblic. most of th safood,

frits, and vgtabls now co fro forign sorcs. In th

dical prodcts ara its bn stiatd by th FDA that

80% of th ingrdints for prscription drgs co fro

forign anfactrrs. Th assranc and ovrsight systs

wr originally st p for dostic prodction. Givn this

sitation, wv pt th ovrsight of food safty, dical

prodcts, and th odrnizing of th financial rglatory

syst on or high-risk listisss and progras w onitor.

On Eliminating Overlap, Duplication, andFragmentation in Government ProgramsGAO has a stattory rqirnt to prodc an annal

rport on ovrlap and dplication in th fdral govrn

On Fbrary 28, 2012, [w] rlasd th scond annal

rport to Congrss in rspons to th stattory rqir

that GAO idntify and rport annally on fdral progra

agncis, offics, and initiativs, ithr within dpartn

govrnnt-wid, which hav dplicativ goals or activ

W bliv this work can hlp to infor govrnnt po

akrs as thy addrss th fiscal prssrs facing th fd

govrnnt.

W issd th first rport in this sris in march 2011, w

prsntd 81 opportnitis to rdc potntial govrn-

nt dplication, achiv cost savings, or nhanc rv

For xapl, w idntifid that ach [ilitary srvic

had [its] own ilitary coand, and that thr had b

options xplord by th Pntagon to try to stralin thi

procss that cold hav ld to savings of anywhr fro

$200 illion to $400 illion a yar. W also idntifid opportnitis for cost savings or rvn nhancnts,

xapl, with or growing tax gap whr thrs a diffr

of abot $385 billion btwn whats owd and collct

Wv fond ovrlap and dplication in dozns of progr

that focsd on tachr qality, conoic dvlopnt,

srfac transportation.

On Achieving a Clean Financial Audit for theFederal GovernmentThis is a vry iportant ara that Iv bn working on fo

any yars. Its vry good that thrs progrss at individ

dpartnts and agncis, with 21 ot of 24 rciving anqalifid adit opinion. Whn w first startd this, i

nting it across govrnnt in 1996, only six of 24 w

abl to gt a clan opinion. Thrs bn grat progrss,

bt thr ar vry iportant larg agncis, sch as th

Dpartnt of Dfns and th Dpartnt of Holan

Scrity, which hav yt to rciv clan opinions.

7/31/2019 BoG Spr-Sum 2012

12/102The Business of Goverwww.bsinssofgovrnnt.org1 0


Th first ain ipdints to gtting an opinion on govrn-

nt-wid consolidatd statnts ar focsd on aking

iprovnts in th Dpartnt of Dfns. DoD owns so

ch proprty and thir bdgt, xpnditrs, and opra-

tions ar so larg that thyr a vry atrial it to th

consolidatd financial statnts of th fdral govrnnt.

Th scond ipdint involvs liinating intra-govrnntal

transactions aong dpartnts and agncis. Rconciling

agncy fnd balanc with th Trasry has bn an iss

thats bn vry nttlso and difficlt to rdy.

Th third ipdint is th procss of prparing th finan-

cial statnts; Trasrys copilation procss to ak sr

that it is consistnt with th ndrlying financial statnts

at dpartnts and agncis hasnt yt bn abl to b

don withot atrial changs to th financial statnts or

adjstnts in th nbrs.

Thr ar any activitis ndrway to ak th ncs-sary iprovnts. Th Congrss has lvid so togh

rqirnts on DoD to iprov its financial statnts

and b aditabl by 2017. Th Scrtary of Dfns has said

thy want to b aditabl in thir statnt of bdgtary

rsorcs by 2014; DoD has a plan ndrway to b abl

to do this that is focsd on iproving th dpartnts

bdgtary nbrs and th xistnc and copltnss of

thir rcords on ilitary qipnt. Both lnts ar c

ical to thir oprations. Trasry has a nbr of activiti

ndrway with OmB to dal with intra-govrnntal li

nations and prparing th financial statnts. I hop

that wll s contind progrss on ths its bfor t

nd of y tnr.

On the FutureW nd to contin doing th ost iportant work nc

sary for th contry. Popl co to GAO and stay bca

of th intrsting work that w do and th ability to ak

a diffrnc on ky national isss. It is vry iportant;

gos back to y arlir discssions abot prioritizing o

work and working with th Congrss to ak sr that w

working on th ost iportant isss.

Fdral anagrs and pblic srvants can stp p dring

ths priods in a nbr of ways. First, pay attntion to

popl; pay attntion to th workforc. Whn thr ar d

clt challngs a workforc can fl dvald and dispiYo nd to ngag th popl in th procss to hlp th

anag th changs, and not lt th changs anag th

Scond, stp p fforts to fix high-risk or longstanding p

ls in fdral agncis that drain rsorcs nncssar

away fro prodctiv ans.

Pblic srvic is a trndos way to giv back to yor

contry. Its th rason that I was drawn to th fdral gov

nt any yars ago and why Iv stayd in th fdral

govrnnt. Its a vry rwarding carr; popl shold t

abot prsing a carr in pblic srvic at any point in

carr whthr thy start ot as an ntry lvl prson, coin as a id-carr anagr, or snior anagr in govrn

nt. W nd to do th bst w can to ak sr w h

th strongst contry possibl now and into th ftr.

To har The Business of Government Hours intrviw with Gn

Dodaro, go to th Cntrs wbsit at www.bsinssofgovrnn

To download th show as a podcast on yor coptr or mP3

fro th Cntrs wbsit at www.bsinssofgovrnnt.org, r

click on an adio sgnt, slct Sav Targt As, and sav th

To rad th fll transcript ofThe Business of Government Hour

intrviw with Gn Dodaro, visit th Cntrs wbsit at

www.bsinssofgovrnnt.org.

To larn or abot th u.S. Govrnnt Accontability Offic,

go to www.gao.gov/.

7/31/2019 BoG Spr-Sum 2012



For over 75 years, the U.S. Social Security Administration,

or SSA, has touched the lives of virtually every American,

whether it is after the loss of a loved one, at the onset of a

disability, or during the transition from work to retirement.

The profound demographic and systemic forces at work in

the early 21st century have shaken the core belief that the

programs administered by the Social Security Administration

will be there for future generations. It is at this critical junc-ture in history that SSA seeks to enhance its ability to meet its

mission, eliminating claim backlogs, reversing negative trends,

improving services, and demonstrating the nexus between

adequate funding and the ability to deliver real and measur-

able progress.

What is the Social Security Administration doing to reduce

disability backlogs? How is SSA improving service and stew-

ardship efforts? What does the future hold for the United

States Social Security Administration? Michael Astrue,

commissioner of the U.S. Social Security Administration,

joined me on Th Bsinss of Govrnnt Hor to explorethese questions and so much more. The following provides

an edited excerpt from our interview.MJK

On Managing the Mission of theU.S. Social Security AdministrationSSA was fondd in 1935; its on of th largst fdral

agncis. W hav abot 65,000 fdral ploys and

abot 16,000 stat ploys. SSA has abot 1,500 phys-

ical facilitis coposd of both fild and haring offics.

most of th popl who work for th agncy ar on th front

lin, trying to hlp popl in fild offics. In FY 2011, w

paid ovr 60 illion popl a total of abot $770 billion in

Social Scrity bnfits and SSI paynts. Or rsponsibili-

tis ar vry oprational. Sinc SSA bca an indpndnt

agncy isss on solvncy ar or proprly handld by th

scrtary of th trasry.

Th SSA coissionr has a six-yar tr. Its considrd

a soft tr rathr than a hard traning that whn y

tr is ovr Janary 19th, 2013, I dont hav to lav i

diatly; I allowd to stay ntil a sccssor is confir

I think that rflcts Congrsss intnt to try to aintain

continity.

On Crafting a Realistic Strategic Vision in anEra of Fiscal AusterityOn of th aras whr Iv bn abl to ak a signific

contribtion was to chang th lgislativ stratgy [on ag

fnding]. SSA is a wondrfl plac; w hav so of th

ost otivatd and can-do staff availabl. For a long ti

w wnt p to Congrss with that can-do attitd asking

what w thoght w ndd. Th rspons wold b, w

thats nic, bt can yo do it with ins 5%? Or answ

was, wll, itd b hardr, bt wr a can-do agncy, w

it! On a crtain lvl w ndd p hrting th agncy an

th popl w srv.

A Convrsation with michal J. Astr

Coissionr, u.S. Social Scrity Adinistration

7/31/2019 BoG Spr-Sum 2012



W had a thr-yar strtch whr w did, I bliv on

avrag, bttr than any of th othr larg dostic agn-

cis. Congrss hard th concrns, dcidd that w wr

right, and rspondd. Th last copl yars, yo know, its

bn ostly across-th-board fnding cts. I think that hrts

s disproportionatly for a copl rasons. On is, Congrss

pt what was ssntially oprating ony into th Rcovry

Act and thn didnt cont that as part of or baslin going

forward. Scond, w dont rally hav vry ch othr than

bildings and popl in trs of xpnss. If yor a grant-

aking agncy yo can do 3% fwr grants and 3% lss

ony; yov got so flxibility.

At SSA, w dont hav that flxibility. W hav ntitlnts;

w hav popl; and w hav bildings. Congrss is having

trobl ndrstanding th wrckag bing casd with ths

kinds of rdctions in staffing at SSA. W hav no ral choic

bt to consolidat facilitis. Whn w do bco lanr

and or fficint, it affcts Congrssional districts, so wr

having a lot of nplasant convrsations with th Congrss

bcas w ar consolidating facilitis. Its bn a vry diffi-

clt copl of yars.

On the Measuring of Success:Quality over QuantityYo hav to b carfl abot anaging jst to trics

bcas that can rslt in nintndd consqncs

qality is always iportant and it ay not always show

p in trics. Wv ad vry conscios dcisions to

focs on qality and th asrs that nabl s to nsr

qality. For instanc, pnding cass is an ovrratd way

of asring backlog. It dosnt attr how any pop

ar in lin in th grocry stor. What attrs is how lon

taks to actally chck ot. W dlibratly ad or p

rss on backlog rdction hardr in th na of qality

W lookd at or stdis, and dcidd that if a jdg

was procssing or than a crtain nbr of cass h

coldnt b adjdicating it in a qality annr. W blithat th jdgs who wr xcding th thrshold wv

stablishd had to b ctting cornrs. Thrs no absol

nbrs yo can look at to asr that kind of qality

bt that was a qalitativ jdgnt that was ad with

carfl rsarch. Ptting qality ovr qantity was abso

th right thing for s to do.

On the Disability ProgramI think th first thing is to raliz w rally hav two

progras. W rn on of th nations largst ntitlnt

prograsth Old-Ag, Srvivors, and Disability Insra

progra. W also adinistr th Spplntal Scrity

Inco (SSI) progra, which provids financial spport agd, blind, or disabld adlts and childrn with liitd

inco and rsorcs. Th basic standard is a prson wh

has dical ipairnts that prvnt th fro doing w

for a priod of 12 onths or or.

What wv trid to do is to s ch or p-to-dat

dical inforation. Whn I startd, w had rglations

for significant aras of dicin that had not bn pda

Social Security Revenues, 2011

Intrst on Soci

Scrity Assts

$114 billion (14

Ribrsnt

th Gnral Fn

th Trasry

$103 billion (13

Social Scrity

Payroll Contrib

$564 billion (70

Inco Taxs o

Social Scrity

$24 billion (3%

Source: The 2012 Annual Report of the Board of Trustees of the FederalOld-Age and Survivors Insurance and Federal Disability Insurance Trust Fu

7/31/2019 BoG Spr-Sum 2012


Wv also introdcd two ways to fast-track disability clais which hav

draatically iprovd th syst. Its particlarly rgnt to xpdit approval

of cass that, givn th natr or svrity of th claiants diagnosis or

conditions, ar likly approvals. Ths fast-track initiativs hav bn two of

or gratst sccsss in rcnt yars.

Michael J. Astrue

sinc th 1970s. I knw fro y xprinc in th biotch

indstry that th world changs ch or qickly. Wr

trying to kp all this dical inforation pdatd, at last

vry fiv yars, and or oftn if w can. Wv also bn

abl to fast-track rarr disass and conditions by idnti-

fying th arlir in th procss. many of ths conditions

ar dvastating. Wr bringing th to th front nd of th

procss. Wr doing abot 6% of or cass in this annr

and thy ar gnrally dcidd [in] btwn 10 to 15 days

on avrag. This is a ajor iprovnt. Prviosly, wd

ask for an noros aont of dical vidnc, voca-

tional vidnc, and if th disas or condition wr obscr

wd conslt spcialists to advis s. In ost cass, it was a

wastd ffort. Going in this dirction has rprsntd on of

th grat sccsss of SSA; wv rcivd awards and othr

agncis ar starting to look at if thr ar ways thy can

dplicat or approach whr applicabl.

Th stats prfor th first two lvls of rviw bfor w gt

into harings and appals. Th bst way to solv any backlog

is to catch rrors arlir in th procss. Wr doing aprtty good job in this ara. Wr sing sophisticatd soft-

war for strctrd rviws and disability dtrination

at th stat lvl. Its a syst w call elctronic Clais

Analysis Tool (CAT) and its proving to b xtrly val-

abl to iproving th qality of or disability dtrinations.

CAT aids xainrs in docnting, analyzing, and adjdi-

cating th disability clai in accordanc with rglations.

Wv also introdcd two ways to fast-track disability

clais which hav draatically iprovd th syst. W

considr it particlarly rgnt to xpdit approval of cass

that, givn th natr or svrity of th claiants diagnosis

or conditions, ar likly approvals. Or two initiativs,

Qick Disability Dtrinations (QDD) and Copassionat

Allowancs (CAL), s tchnology to idntify claiants

with th ost svr disabilitis and allow s to xpdit

or dcisions on thos cass. Ths fast-track initiativs

hav bn two of or gratst sccsss in rcnt yars.

Th QDD procss ss a coptr-basd prdictiv odl

to idntify cass whr a favorabl disability dcision i

highly likly. Th CAL procss hlps s qickly idntify

dical conditions that invariably qalify ndr th lis

ings of ipairnts basd on inial objctiv dic

inforation. For xapl, if yo hav th sa for of

brain cancr that Snator Knndy had (which y fath

also did of), thr is no srvival. Onc th diagnosis i

confird, th claiant shold b givn bnfits as q

as possibl, so thats what w do.

Today, abot 1% of or cass (and growing or rapidly

copassion allowancs. Abot 5% ar QDD cass. It w

largly y back-of-th-nvlop stiat with or 2008

that w cold do 6% to 9% of or cass that way. It loo

lik wr going to hit th ppr nd of that rang. W a

On August 14, 1935, President Roosevelt signs the Social Security Act iCabinet Room of the White House.

7/31/2019 BoG Spr-Sum 2012



working with th National Institts of Halth (NIH) sing

sophisticatd progras and tplats to idntify disass

and conditions that look vry siilar on ky dinsions with

or crrnt copassion allowancs; its a vry prodctiv

partnrship and fro it w hav idntifid abot 25 addi-

tional conditions sitabl for fast-track rviw.

On Leveraging Health ITW hav bn vry xcitd by halth IT fro th gt-go.

Th Rcovry Act ncoragd s to spnd approxiatly

$25 illion gtting rady for th s of halth IT. Wv

don pilots working with md Virginia. Wv workd with

a copl of th sallr ntitis arond th contry that

ar prtty ch alrady thr in trs of spplying lc-

tronic dical rcords. Its workd xtrly wll fro or

vantag point, bt it hasnt bn withot so bps along

th way. For xapl, th inforation w wr rciving

also containd xtranos ribrsnt inforation and

othr inforation w had to scrn ot. Doing this proprly

rqird that w rdsign so of or bsinss procsss. Inth nd, w wr ctting or rviw tis [in] th nighbor-

hood of abot 40% as a rslt of th s of halth IT. I think

w can do bttr ovr ti.

Th probl for s right now is that vry fw insrrs

ar that far along. Thr was significant ony fro th

Rcovry Act dirctd to th privat sctor to acclrat th

adoption and s of halth IT. Whn halth IT cos to fri-

tion its going to b aazing how ch things chang. Wll

start to s what this will do for s and I think itll b vry

iprssiv. I also slightly frstratd bcas fiv yars ago

I thoght all this iprovnt wold happn on y watch,bt thats not going to b th cas. Onc it raps p, thr

yars fro now instad of stting 270 days as or nor for

haring an appal ayb 200 days will b ralistic. Today,

w do 60 to 100 days for stat first-lvl rviw. With th

xpandd s and adoption of halth IT, w ight b abl to

s 40 to 60 days.

Th whol procss ay spd p. W ay b abl thr

yars fro now to talk abot liinating th scond stp

in th stats bcas not only will w do things fastr with

halth IT, itll b ch or accrat, and w ight not

nd a scond-stp rviw. This isnt a forgon conclsion

prsntly, thogh it is iportant to kp in ind that not

only is chasing down dical rcords on of SSAs biggst

costs, an incoplt dical rcord is or biggst sorc of

rror. A lot of th ti w dont vn know that a dical

rcord is incoplt. If yo gt th inforation xchangd

in a bttr way arly in th procss vrything will not o

work fastr, bt th qality will b highr.

On Program IntegrityW had bn oving backwards for a nbr of yars

in trs of accracy and progra intgrity. Wr still no

back to whr wd lik to b, bt at last wr ovingth right dirction. So so of it is or brad and bttr

prforing contining disability rviws, looking priod

cally at popl on th rols and [confiring ligibility].

Dspit or bdgt isss, w hav incrasd or contin

disability rviw prtty ch yar by yar. Wr not p

at th optial lvl yt, bt its bttr and yo can s th

ipact on th botto lin. Wv savd th taxpayrs fo

dical rviws abot $10 for vry adinistrativ doll

w spnd. Whn w jst do a work rviw its abot $7

vry dollar w spnd. W hav so nw initiativs tha

ar vry xciting. For th disability progra whr assts

an iss, w hav a nw syst that can chck bank rc

Commisioner of Social Security Michael Astrue (L), speaks alongside Seof Labor Hilda Solis (R) and Secretary of Health and Human Services KaSebelius (not shown), as the Social Security Board of Trustees holds a pconference at the U.S. Treasury Department in Washington, D.C., May 12011, announcing that their annual report estimates that the Old-Age aSurvivors Insurance and Disability Insurance Trust funds will be exhauste2036, one year earlier than projected last year.

7/31/2019 BoG Spr-Sum 2012



vry fficintly to idntify nrportd assts. Th nbrs

ay flctat as th syst flly atrs, bt right now

wr gtting in th ballpark of a 20-to-1 rtrn for taxpayrs

sing this approach. Wr looking at th fasibility of doing

siilar rviw on ral proprty; it is on of th advantags

of having accss to all th databass ot thr. W hav th

ability to prvnt frad sing tools and tchnology not avail-abl thr or for yars ago.

On Forging Partnerships and CollaborationWith all d rspct to a nbr of th agncis w partnr

with, I think th on that has bn th ost rarkabl

and ost hlpfl for s is th National Institts of Halth.

Rgarding SSAs fast-track disability progras, NIH has a

snior prson attnd SSA harings to hlp s work throgh

th tstiony, ask th right qstions, and think abot th

disass and conditions in th right way. Rcntly, NIH has

ngagd in a rarkabl rsarch progra profiling th

disass and conditions that can crrntly rciv fast-track

rviw and coparing th to othr disass and condi-

tions. Th nd rslt of th rsarch progra is to idntify

othr disass or conditions that ight b addd to SSAs

fast-track rviw procss.

In th bginning, thr wr any low-hanging frits. Jst

last yar, w had 100 disass and conditions on th fast-

track list. I hoping to dobl that in th nxt copl

yars, bt its gtting slowr and hardr. NIH providd its

prliinary rslts and it rockd y had back. Thy had

25 disass and conditions [ost of which] ar going to b

copassion allowancs. Thr ay b tns of thosands of

Aricans who by th nd of th yar will b gtting thbnfit of SSAs fast-track procss bcas of this partnrship

with NIH. NIH has bn absoltly topnotch, and I cant say

nogh good things abot what thyv don for s.

On Working at SSATraditionally, w hav bn a grat plac to work. In rcnt

yars, w had slippd slightly ot of th top 10 of th bst

placs to work [in fdral govrnnt] as idntifid by th

Partnrship for Pblic Srvic. Wr happy to b back and

aspir to do vn bttr.

Thr ar any things I cannot chang, bt th biggst

accoplishnt that wv ad in trs of ploy satis-

faction is nhancing or conication. In ost cass, I

cant chang working conditions vry qickly. What I can do

is lt or folks know thr ar popl at hadqartrs who

ar vry coittd to spporting what thy ar doing; w

ar concrnd that thyr doing thir work wll, doing it

fficintly, aking sr thyr scr in th workplac,

as w ak changs, to xplain what wr doing and w

On His Legacy as SSA CommissionerIv spnt alost 14 yars in th fdral govrnnt no

and Iv sn any agncy hads at th nd focsing o

stablishing thir lgacy. Ironically, bing too worrid aons lgacy can rslt in crating a ngativ lgacy. W

don so vry iportant things on y watch, sch as

fast-tracking th disability progras with th introdcti

of high-qality lctronic srvics, and changing th

dirction of th physical IT infrastrctr to ak sr

th chcks contin to go ot on a rglar basis; ths

incrdibly iportant.

W startd so longr-tr projcts that wont b finis

on y watch. Wr sing a 1938 tool that labor stoppd

pdating ffctivly in 1977 for a lot of or vocational d

sions. Prvios coissionrs wr discoragd abot

taking that on bcas its a vry long-tr and xpnsiv

projct. So vn ndr drss, with a lot of coptin

dands for rsorcs, I jst thoght it was iportant to

that. Wv bn working on it for a nbr of yars. W

probably wont s any bnfit in th agncy for two o

yars, bt I think its iportant that w rplac th dictio

of occpational titls.

Thrs a whol st of things that wv ovd forward

that I think for th bttr or wors will b y lgacy. In th

last yar, I want to ov ths longr-tr projcts closr

copltion, as wll as contin to driv th backlogs dow

isnt a sart thing to start anything trndosly nw or atios in yor last yar nlss yo absoltly nd to do it.

To har The Business of Government Hours intrviw with micha

Astr, go to th Cntrs wbsit at www.bsinssofgovrnnt.o


fro th Cntrs wbsit at www.bsinssofgovrnnt.org, rclick on an adio sgnt, slct Sav Targt As, and sav th


intrviw with michal J. Astr, visit th Cntrs wbsit at


To larn or abot th u.S. Social Scrity Adinistration,

go to www.SSA.gov.

7/31/2019 BoG Spr-Sum 2012



The United States military must adapt to a world of dynamic

threats and hazards. For the U.S. Air Force, this does not

mean change for changes sake, but purposeful transforma-

tion with strategic intent, always focusing on the first priority,

which is duty to the country and mission execution. In a

nutshell, it means fly, fight, and win. Of course, building the

worlds foremost air, space, and cyberspace force requires

substantial investment, providing the best possible value to

the American people. To that end, the U.S. Air Force mustbalance capabilities between current combat operations and

the need to address emerging threats and challenges, with

the ultimate aim to be lean, lethal, and agile. What is the stra-

tegic vision for todays U.S. Air Force? How is the Air Force

managing in an era of fiscal constraint? What is the Air Force

doing to improve its operations and become a more efficient

and agile force? Erin Conaton, undersecretary of the U.S.

Air Force, joined me on Th Bsinss of Govrnnt Hor

to explore these questions and so much more. The following

provides an edited excerpt from our interview. MJK

On the History and Evolving Role ofUndersecretary of the U.S. Air ForceTh u.S Air Forc was cratd as part of th National

Scrity Act in 1947. Sinc its incption, th Air Forc has

had an ndrscrtary. It was intrsting; in prparing for this

convrsation I wnt back to look at what th rsponsibili-

tis of th ndrscrtary of th Air Forc wr in 1947. It

involvd sch aras as procrnt, indstrial obilization,

atrial rqirnts, and atoic nrgy.

Its intrsting to s how w hav volvd as an organiza-

tion ovr ti. For xapl, thr was a priod fro abot

2002 to 2007 whn th ndrscrtary was vry focsd on

th spac ission. Thos in th ndrscrtary job at that

ti wr tripl-hattd: thy wr ndrscrtary of th Air

Forc, th DoD xctiv agnt for spac, and th dirctor

of th National Rconnaissanc Offic. Fro 2007 ntil I

arrivd in 2010, thr was no ndrscrtary of th Air

Forc. In 2010, w r-nvisiond this rol. At th broadst

lvl, y rsponsibilitis ncopass organizing, training,

and qipping th popl and th qipnt of th un

Stats Air Forc in partnrship with Scrtary of th Air

michal Donly. I a acting scrtary on his bhalf wh

ncssary. I a also th Air Forcs chif anagnt

officr, which was a rcnt rol stablishd by Congrss

Thn I hav so spcific rsponsibilitis as th snior

nrgy and sstainability official for th Air Forc and a

as th Air Forc focal point for spac.

On the U.S. Air Forces Strategic VisionTh nw dfns stratgy calls for th u.S. to aintain it

ilitary capability across a rang of conflicts. All th lss

that wv larnd in Iraq and Afghanistan ovr th last

yars, w s thos contining to b broght to bar as w

concld th conflict in Afghanistan, bt also as w nd

tak contrtrroris oprations against al-Qada and it

affiliats globally.

A Convrsation with erin Conaton

undrscrtary of th u.S. Air Forc

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Wr going to b prpard to dal with aggrssion in any

cornr of th glob to nsr that th unitd Stats aintains

its frdo of ovnt in thos aras of th world whr

a potntial advrsary ight want to kp s ot. W know

that w hav to do all this whil w do othr things, lik

aintaining or nclar capability as a nation. Its partic-

larly iportant to th Air Forc. W aintain two lgs of thso-calld triad, which is th thr diffrnt ways of dliv-

ring a nclar wapon. Whil th adinistration obvi-

osly blivs that w shold b oving to a world withot

nclar wapons, th Air Forc is ddicatd to bing good

stwards of th national nclar capability for as long as it is

part of or national arsnal. First and forost, w contin

to strngthn or nclar ntrpris: or inspction rats ar

ch bttr, th training or popl rciv is otstanding,

and wv bn abl to stand-p a nw CoandAir

Forc Global Strik Coandwith a ddicatd focs on

or nclar ntrpris.

Th Air Forc also has a lot of vry aging platfors. Forxapl, or tankr flt is alost 50 yars old on avrag.

Or fightrs and bobrs, whil yongr, ar also dcads

old. So on of th challngs w fac is prsing or

odrnization progras in th fac of todays bdgtary

ralitis. Wr vry xcitd that th acqisition procss is

coplt for or tankr progra and wr abl to ov

forward to actally procr thos. Wr also oving ahad

with th F-35, th joint strik fightr, which is th ftr

of or fightr forc. Bt wv got a lot of othr odrn-

ization fforts waiting in th wings; so hav to do with

or nclar wapons, hlicoptr flt, and training aircraft

w s to ak sr or pilots ar rady to gt into thsadvancd platfors.

Or odrnization fforts ar critically iportant to nsring

that th yong n and won who srv as airn hav

th bst and ost capabl qipnt thy nd to b

sccssfl on any battlfild of th ftr. Or nations Air

Forc is th nvy of th world, and w ar coittd to

nsring that th unitd Stats rains th worlds gratst

air and spac powr.

On Challenges Facing the Undersecretaryof the Air ForceI wold lik to giv contxt on th scop of th ntrpris

that w dal with as an Air Forc. In trs of popl, wr

abot 332,000 activ dty, 153,000 civilians, and thn

anothr 170,000 or so in or rsrv coponnt. If yo

add that all p, th Air Forc ploys or popl than

Citigrop and uPS cobind. With $115 billion in or

bdgt, wd b nbr svn on th Fortn 500 list, abov

AT&T and abov Ford. Or Air Forc installations ar ab

10 illion acrs, abot two tis th siz [of] y ho

of Nw Jrsy. Or facilitis footprint is abot 626 illio

sqar ft; thats roghly th siz of Wal-mart globally.

Whn w think abot anaging an ntrpris of that sca

its a littl y-popping.

On big challng is anaging in this nw bdgtary

rality: How do w ov into this nw bdgtary cont

whil doing right by or popl? Th individals who s

in th u.S. Air Forc, whthr in nifor or as civilians,

rprsnt th backbon of th srvic and w ow it to to act in a [annr] that rally honors th srvic of tho

who ar with s.

Anothr significant challng involvs aintaining or o

ational xcllnc in an ra of bdgt rdction. Th foc

on bdgts is a rcrring th hr, bt its how w

tain all th good stff that w want to do vn in a ti

fiscal constraint. This ncrtainty has rqird s to chan

th way w do bsinss and bco sartr and or

cost-ffctiv.

Th third biggst challng I think w fac is ti, ti

th calndar, ti to gt into th whol rang of isss w

ight gt into. As I was thinking abot this I ad a list

fiv or six othr things that I think ar in th nbr thr

plac, which jst donstrats that th scop of th iss

in front of s garant that yor not going to b bord

any givn day at th offic.

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On Strengthening the U.S. Air ForcesSpace PostureTh u.S. ilitary contins to rly havily on or spac

progras for a whol varity of activitis that allow s to b

ffctiv on th battlfild. Th u.S. Air Forc provids that

spac capability.

Strngthning or spac postr is critical to th fll varity

of issions that w tak on fro th contrtrroris fight

on th low nd to th anti-accss/ara-dnial challng on

th high nd.

Or oprators hav ovr 80 consctiv sccssfl satl-

lit lanchs, which is rally rarkabl. I hav nothing bt

grat prais for th trndos spac oprators and indstry

partnrs who hav nabld s to b so sccssfl ovr ti.

To that nd, wr also transforing or acqisition procss.

As part of th FY12 bdgt, w pt forward th evoltionary

Acqisition for Spac efficincy (eASe) approach; its na

is not as iportant as what it dos, which is to gt th bst

pric for th taxpayr as wll as provid stability of contract

on th satllit vndor sid. In th nd, it ans w block

prchas satllits sing fixd-pric contracts with contind

invstnt in rsarch and dvlopnt, and a fnding

profil throgh advancd appropriations ovr ltipl yars.

Wr also trying to gt a handl on or lanch ntrpris

I an I talkd abot how sccssfl it is oprationally,

and its otstanding bt its xpnsiv. Its bn gtting

xpnsiv ovr ti. Wr taking a twofold approach h

W dvlopd th nw ntrants critria for coptitors w

wold lik to gt into this bsinss of spac. W ar bas

tlling thos nw providrs whod lik to gt into this bnss xactly what thy nd to do to b considrd qal

Wv st a clar path on how to gt crtifid in this ar

w think that coptition ovr ti will not only b goo

for th Air Forc, bt also will b good for th taxpayr b

potntially bringing ovrall costs down. At th sa ti

rcogniz that in th nar tr w only hav on provid

and wr bying fro that providr in an incrdibly in

ficint way. Wr looking at bying a consistnt nb

of boostrs pr yar in ordr to gain stability to th crr

providr and to nsr w gt th bst pric possibl n

sch ti as nw coptitors ar in this bsinss spac.

On Transforming the Way the Air ForceDoes BusinessI jok sotis that bing chif anagnt officr

that vry hard iss finds its way into y offic. Bt I k

I not alon in that. Wr driving iprovnts in or

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Whn yo ar at an inflction point lik this, whr yor coing ot of

a conflict, lik w ar, and as yor bdgtary sitation changs, its a ti

of grat strss as wll as opportnity. Thr is an opportnity for ladrs to

ncorag innovativ thinking.

Erin Conaton

bsinss procsss, systs, and tchnologis. W ar always

thinking abot how to iprov or bsinss procsss and

iprov th organization. I hav rsponsibility for bilding

bdgts and for anagnt of thos progras that hav an

ipact on th bsinss sid of or instittion.

most rcntly, I hav also workd xtnsivly prsing th

fficincy initiativ chapiond by forr DoD Scrtary

Gats that nabld s to ov abot $33 billion frospport activitis into ky war-fighting capabilitis. This was a

hg ffort that took th tawork of th ntir Dpartnt

of th Air Forc. As chif anagnt officr, I rally at

th had of th pyraid, if yo will, trying to ak sr that

w actally raliz ths fficincis and ndrstand thir

scond-ordr ipacts. Th bst xapl I can offr involvs

th s of or big transport plans or th rfling plans.

W spnt ti bncharking orslvs against bst practics

in th corcial airlin indstry. W fond that if w cold

fly sartrgt rid of xcss wight, s powr or wisly,

and fly in ways that ar or fficintw cold idntify

abot $715 illion worth of fl fficincis ovr a fiv-yarpriod. W took a siilar approach on th inforation tch-

nology sid, prsing data cntrs consolidation and othr

activitis bing don in th privat sctor.

W ar also focsd on th acclratd driv toward adit

radinss. Adit radinss is not jst abot th financial

anagnt conity. Its abot vry fnctional part of

th Air Forca rsponsibility throghot th srvic. Wv

nsrd that th prforanc plan[s] of or ost snior

carr civilians ha[v] adit radinss factord into th.

Thrs no dobt that th acclration to 2014 is going to

b vry challnging for s. Wr working to powr and

nabl or chif financial officr, Dr. Jai morin, and his

ta as thy sk to t Scrtary Panttas goals arond

adit radinss. W ar working closly with or Navy and

Ary collags and across th ntir DoD sharing bst

practics. Wr all daling with prtty siilar isss. Wv

also rcivd significant spport fro DoD undrscrtary

Bob Hal and othrs adding ndd rsorcs to nsr that

w stay on targt. It will b vry difficlt, bt DoD snio

ladrship is dply coittd to gtting thr.

In th nd, w dvlopd prtty ralistic idas and

approachs, bt now w hav to ak th rality. W

spnt th bttr part of th last yar looking in a vry stra

tgic way at what fnctions w st tak car of first. W

approachd this nw rality vry stratgically, bt chang

of sch a agnitd ar not withot pain; its bn vrydifficlt.

On Diversifying Energy SourcesW ar th largst consr of nrgy in th fdral gov

nt; wr abot 11% of th total aviation fl arkt.

brn or fl than u.S. Airways and Fdex cobind, s

w ar rnning a significant ission-drivn opration. Th

s of this fl nabls qipnt and popl to gt wh

thy nd to b to sav livs on th battlfild. W do ha

an nrgy stratgy that has thr coponnts. Th first is

rdcing dand; w hav idntifid goals to rdc f

consption. On th spply sid wr trying to divrsifyspplis of nrgy sorcs. What wv said to indstry is

by 2016 it is or goal to procr 50% of or fl fro al

nativ sorcs, providd indstry can dlivr it at a cop

tiv pric. Wr talking with th altrnativ fls indstry

abot thir progrss with viabl altrnativs and what ca

don to incntiviz th dvlopnt. Ninty-nin prcn

or aircraft flt is crtifid on th so-calld Fischr-Trops

fl sorcs. Wr abot 90% thr in trs of biofls;

wr doing so liitd tsting on what thy call th th

ajor pathway, which is th convrsion of alcohol into j

fl to assss its viability as an altrnativ fl sorc.

On Taking Care of Service Members andtheir FamiliesIproving th livs of or airn and thir failis is on

th top fiv prioritis for th u.S. Air Forc. Whn yo a

abot th gratst challngs wr facing Id pt po

first. Honstly, or sccss rsts on having th right pop

This is an ara of contind focs. Looking at th bdg

7/31/2019 BoG Spr-Sum 2012



nvironnt going forward, wv bn coittd tosstaining progras that spport or airn and thir fai-

lis. W ay b a sallr forc ovr ti, bt w want to

nsr that th folks who rain with s hav th bst that

w can possibly offr.

Wr focsd on th ipact of continos dploynt

and bilding rsilinc in or forc. W ar aking sr

that or srvic brs and thir failis hav all avail-

abl rsorcs providd to th dring dploynt and

pon rtrn fro dploynts. W hav th Coprhnsiv

Airan Fitnss progra that ncopasss a rang of activi-

tis dsignd to iprov th capabilitis of or Air Forcfaily. Th goal of Coprhnsiv Airan Fitnss is to

hlp or Airn, Air Forc civilians, and faily brs

bco or rsilint and bttr qippd to dal with th

rigors of ilitary lif. Wv also stablishd th Dploynt

Transition Cntr at Rastin [Air Bas], Grany. Or

activ dty srvic brs [rtrning fro dploynt]

go throgh Rastin ithr to tak a ilitary flight ho or

to go throgh th corcial airport at Frankfrt. Th tran-

sition cntr provids an opportnity for srvic brs

coing fro cobat to transition or asily into a civilian

lif. W ar also coittd to th progras that sppor

failis on th ho front. W rcogniz that this is a fa

ndrtaking; thogh or airn ar th ons who rais t

right hand and swar an oath, it is that ntir faily that

spporting th and allowing th to b sccssfl.

On the FutureGoing forward, th biggst challng is th bdgtary sitation. Scrtary of Dfns Pantta and th Chairan of

th Joint Chifs hav laid ot a vry clar stratgic vision

it provids s a roadap. Whn yo ar at an inflction

point lik this, whr yor coing ot of a conflict, lik

w ar, and as yor bdgtary sitation changs, its a ti

of grat strss as wll as opportnity. Thr is an opport

for ladrs to ncorag innovativ thinking. This shold

b a priod of drad for fdral srvic. I dont think th

is any or rwarding carr than th work that w do;

is a rally rwarding job, particlarly in th Dpartnt

of Dfns, bcas yo know vry day that what yo

doing is spporting n and won in a ral fight. I finthat to b a rally asy thing to gt p ot of bd and do

th orning.

Editor's Note: Since this conversation, President Obama

nominated Ms. Conaton to be undersecretary of defense

for personnel and readiness, which is pending Senate

confirmation.

To har The Business of Government Hours intrviw with erin

Conaton, go to th Cntrs wbsit at www.bsinssofgovrn


fro th Cntrs wbsit at www.bsinssofgovrnnt.org, r



intrviw with erin Conaton, visit th Cntrs wbsit at


To larn or abot th u.S. Air Forc, go to www.af.il.

7/31/2019 BoG Spr-Sum 2012



A Convrsation with Adiral Robrt Papp

Coandant, unitd Stats Coast Gard

The United States Coast Guard has ensured the safety, secu-

rity, and stewardship of the nations maritime domain for

more than 220 years. Since its inception, the Coast Guard

continues its rich tradition of being an adaptable, highly

responsive force whose multi-mission authority, breadth of

assets, geographic footprint, and unique competencies have

made it an essential component in the nations national

security portfolio. In fact, the demand for the Coast Guards

unique capabilities has never been greater. Facing new chal-lenges has required the Coast Guard to organize more effi-

ciently and manage operations more effectively.

What is the U.S. Coast Guards strategic direction? How

will steadying the service make the U.S. Coast Guard ready

for today and prepared for tomorrow? Admiral Robert

Papp, commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, joined me on

Th Bsinss of Govrnnt Hor to explore these ques-

tions and so much more. This conversation is based on that

interview.MJK

On the History and Evolving Mission of theU.S. Coast GuardI lik to dscrib th Coast Gard as a sris of rgrs and

frindly takovrs ovr a cors of two cntris. W act-

ally startd back in 1790. W wr th brainchild of Alxandr

Hailton, who was th first scrtary of th trasry. Th

srvic rcivd its prsnt na in 1915 ndr an act of

Congrss that rgd th Rvn Cttr Srvic with th

Lif-Saving Srvic, thrby providing th nation with a singl

ariti srvic ddicatd to saving lif at sa and nforcing

th nations ariti laws. W kpt or ilitary charactr;

dring World War II w addd th Light Hos Srvic aids

to navigation, and thn th Bra of marin Inspction and

Navigation which gav s or rchant arinr licnsing,

ship inspction, [and] ship safty rsponsibilitis. W hav

addd rsponsibilitis throghot or history starting ot in

th Dpartnt of th Trasry, oving to th Dpartnt of

Transportation in 1967, and now bing an intgral coponnt

of th u.S. Dpartnt of Holand Scrity sinc 2003. Th

Coast Gard is crtainly niq as w hav a dal ilitary

and law nforcnt rol. W hav abot 42,000 nifor

activ dty popl right now. W hav 8,000 civilians, 8,0

Coast Gard rsrvists that w can call p in rgncis

hav this othr niq organization calld th Coast Ga

Axiliary that is a volntr organization. Thy ar a forc

ltiplir for s at virtally no cost to taxpayrs, so wr

prod of th. Or bdgt is roghly a $10 billion bdg

On the Challenges of Leading theU.S. Coast GuardI a srvic chif siilar to th othr srvic chifs (i.,

coandant of th marin Corps, chif of staff of th Air

chif of staff of th Ary, and th chif of Naval Oprati

or priary rol is to organiz, train, and qip or srv

b prpard for th dtis that th contry givs s. Thr

diffrnc for th coandant of th Coast Gard thogh

othr srvic chifs organiz, train, and qip, bt th fo

ar transfrrd oprationally to th cobatant coand

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I th only srvic chif that coands all Coast Gard

oprations. In practic this is xrcisd throgh two ara

coandrsAtlantic and Pacific coandrs. Two vic

adirals carry ot th day-to-day oprations of th Coast

Gard, bt I still hold th rsponsibility for it.

Th top challng w fac is how do yo contin to

provid th srvics that th Arican pblic has co to

xpct fro thir Coast Gard and qit frankly dsrvs?

W lik to t thir xpctations, bt th challng is

w cannot do 100% of all or issions on any givn

day. W hav finit rsorcs with only so any ships,boats, aircrafts, and popl that I challng y two ara

coandrs to dcid on a daily basis thir highst priori-

tis. Ill giv yo an xapl that illstrats this procss.

Whn I was Atlantic coandr, on any givn day I wold

allocat so any ships to do fishris patrols, drg nforc-

nt, and alin intrdiction. Thn, ovr two yars ago, thr

was th arthqak in Haiti. W had thr Coast Gard

ships on scn th nxt orning to start providing aid to th

popl of Haiti. W dont hav arthqak rspons cttrs

sitting arond, so w divrtd thr ships fro othr opra-

tions. At that ti, w dcidd, th contry dcidd aid to

Haiti was th ost iportant thing on that givn day. W

took a short-tr dficit in drg intrdiction, igrant intr-

diction, and fishris in ordr to provid thos ships to hlp

th popl of Haiti and thats rally what w do on a daily

basis. W hav a wid ission st, finit rsorcs, and w

plac oprational dcision-aking as far down in th orga-

nization as possibl. W try to do vrything. Its on of or

strngths and on of or waknsss.

Th scond challng involvs or rcapitalization fforts

Abot 10 yars ago, w barkd on a significant rcapi

ization initiativ sking to rplac or aging flt and air

Wv jst abot rnovatd or ntir aviation flt. Or s

ar th ost in nd of rcapitalizing, bt thy ar also th

ost xpnsiv to tackl. Or ajor ships ar in xcss o

40 yars of ag. Th u.S. Navy gnrally plans on a 25-ysrvic lif for its ships, bt th Coast Gard, nfortnatl

gnrally rns its ships to a srvic lif of abot 40 yars.

my third challng has to do with rging issions. Th

forost in y ind is or xpanding rsponsibilitis in

Arctic. It is xpctd that Shll Oil ay start drilling in t

Chkchi Sa and th Bafort Sa this sr. If so, o

rsponsibilitis in th Arctic will incras with no co

srat incras in rsorcs.

On the Importance of Steadying the ServiceIts not jst th ships and th aircraft, its also th popl

Wd bn throgh 10 yars of rapid growth sinc 9/11 incrasing rsponsibilitis. In addition to incrasing rsp

sibilitis, both y prdcssors had barkd pon aj

strctral rorganization within th Coast Gard.

eight yars ago, Adiral Collins initiatd th Sctor conc

which was a ajor fild chang. H strssd that th n

to strngthn nity of coand ncssitatd th adoptio

of intgratd, oprational fild coands, calld Sctor

Th nw Sctor organizational constrct rprsnts a tra

foration fro a Coast Gard traditionally organizd

arond its oprational progras to on organizd aron

cor oprational srvic dlivry procsss. For yars aAdiral Alln startd th odrnization procss, which

contins today, taking th ppr lvl of th organizatio

and sking to rstrctr it. H wantd to find a bttr

to provid spport to or fild activitis. W dsignatd

dpty coandant, stablishing a vic adiral for is

spport that organizd all fild spport activitis (i.., log

tics, nginring, and prsonnl) xctd throgh 13 b

arond th contry ndr a singl coand. Th origin

odrnization plan soght to do away with th Pacific a

coand. I was th Atlantic ara coandr and I had

nogh work to kp bsy jst inding th Atlantic.

was y dcision to rtain th Pacific ara coandr.

Whn I bca coandant nithr rstrctring initia

tiv had bn copltd. Both wr taking p instittion

nrgy and having an ipact on or oprations. As a rs

I want to stady th srvic, which rally gos back to

roots as a sailor. Whnvr yo fl lik yor ship is a li

ot of kiltr yov got to shift ballast and gt yor ship

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Th challng as a ladr is finding balanc btwn ission and xpctation.

I trying to convinc or popl that w hav to liv within or ans. If w

dont, not only ar yo going to war ot th qipnt, bt wr also going

to war down or popl.

Admiral Robert Papp

stady. I a not going to bring any wholsal changs or

rstrctring. my focs is on coplting th ajor initiativs

wv bn prsing ovr th last ight yars.

I also want to rfocs on bilding or workforc proficincy

and prhaps ctting back a fw rsponsibilitis in ordr to

focs on cor coptncis that hav distingishd s ovr

th yars. I hav bn concrnd abot th strss or orga-

nization has bn ndr givn yars of incrasd oprational

tpo. Rcntly, wv also xprincd a rash of aviation

and srfac accidnts that has proptd to focs on

rally gtting back to basics.

my wif and I hav both barkd pon a projct to do

bttr for or Coast Gard failis. W sotis dont

giv popl th opportnity to dvlop thir coptncis

and thir oprational xprinc bcas w transfr th

too qickly. Wv slowd that procss. In fact, this yar

jst by nacting a copl prsonnl rls in trs of trying

to provid stability, w actally savd 20 illion dollars in

transfr costs. Wr trying to iprov hosing and othrthings for or popl.

On Asset Recapitalization and Capacity BuildinTh flagships of or flt ar or 378-foot Hailton class

ndranc cttrs. unfortnatly, ths ships wr bilt in

th 1960s containing 40-to-45-yar-old systs that ar v

xpnsiv to aintain. Wr facing block obsolscnc o

flt vry soon, so a dcision has to b ad. W ithr b

th rplacnts or w stop intrdicting drgs, intrdictin

illgal igrants, or protcting fishris. W wont b abl

do ths issions, so its vry iportant to gt nw ships

W hav don vry wll rcapitalizing forcs closr to

shor. Wv rplacd alost th ntir boat flt along

coast. Wv bilt nw patrol boats. Or aircraft flt ha

bn copltly rnovatd. Howvr, w want to catch

thrats bfor thy arriv in port. W nd to intrdict t

at sa and that capability is th layr of or infrastrctr

which is crbling.

On the Coast Guards Acquisition ProcessTh history of th dpwatr progra will b dbatd for

yars. I was chif of Congrssional affairs as w wr trydo this in th lat 90s. Th fact of th attr is dring th

th Coast Gard lost 6,000 popl. Th staff that was ct

nginring and acqisition; it probably ad sns bc

w wrnt gtting any ony to bild ships anyway. W

wold hav bn in vn wors shap xcpt 9/11 happ

and aftr that th ony startd flowing. W startd gtti

popl and ony to bild ships and aircraft. W didnt

hav th intrnal acqisition staff to b abl to do that so

wnt with sothing nw, niq, and innovativs o

lad syst intgrator. In fact, arly in th procss, th C

Gard rcivd an award for prsing this approach. In t

nd, it didnt work wll; w ran into probls.

Ovr th last for yars, w hav broght orslvs to wh

I rally bliv w hav th bst acqisition workforc in

govrnnt for a siilarly sizd organization. Clarly, w

dont hav th capacity that so of th largr srvics

possss, bt w hav so vry good popl. W brogh

th Dfns Acqisition univrsity. W startd hiring pop

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away fro NAVSeA, a sa systs coand, and bringing in

acqisition xprts. For xapl, th National Scrity Cttr

acqisition was stablishd as a fixd pric contract. W drov

a hard ngotiation. W hav nros othr projcts that ar

rnning soothly now, xctd proprly with prdictabl

costs, and providing s a qality prodct. Its bn an vol-

tion. Its bn hard, bt lik anything ls th Coast Gardtaks on, whn w st or ind to it wr going to do it right.

On Leading the Nations Maritime Engagementin the ArcticWv opratd in th Arctic bfor, priarily with

icbrakrs and doing rsarch. Thrs bn an absnc of

han activity yar-rond in th Arctic, bt thats changing

now. I can rcall trying to gt to Kotzb, Alaska, in Jly of

1976, bt coldnt ak it throgh th ic. Fast-forward 35

yars latr in Agst of 2010, I flw into Kotzb for a visit

and as I approachd I cold s no ic. Th ic has rcdd

and with that a significant incras in han activity. Any

han activity on u.S. watrs ans thrs a Coast Gard

play whthr its sarch and rsc, nvironntal rspo

or law nforcnt.

Prsing th prits ar approvd, Shll Oil will bgin

drilling in two locations in th Arctic. Thy will introdc

33 ships, two obil drilling platfors, and abot 600

popl. Thyll b transfrring popl by hlicoptr, rotacrws which throw in th potntial for rscs. W know

that thr ar nvironntal grops that will try to prot

this that ay vn try to obstrct th procss. Law nfor

nt cos into play. Wll nd to provid for th sc

of not only th protstors, bt also th lgitiat co

that will occr. Thrs also th potntial for nvironn

daag which w hav a rsponsibility for as wll. In

aras of th contry, wd hav shor-basd infrastrctr

bt w hav non in th Arctic. Wr going to snd on

or nw national scrity cttrs to th Arctic to oprat

a coand cntr with worldwid coand and contr

capabilitis. W hav hangars for two hlicoptrs on th

and thr boats with crws that can b lanchd fro th

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cttr as wll. Itll b lik having a Coast Gard sctor offic

p thr xcpt its going to b afloat. Wv bn actally

xprinting ovr th last for yars snding qipnt to

th Arctic, sing what fnctions in th wathr xtrs.

W hav a good ida of th qipnt wll nd to xct

or ission in th Arctic.

W nd to dvis a plan for long-tr shor infrastrctr.

I dont think this is a cost that th Coast Gard shold bar

alon. Wv bn talking to th Alaska National Gard as

wll as Gnral Jacoby of th u.S. northrn coand. Wr

working with or partnrs to s what sort of facilitis

conications, landing strips, hangars, and othr things

wr going to nd thr. Wll pt forth rsorc proposals

and coordinat with or partnrs to nsr w liit any

rsorc rdndancis.

On Balancing Mission and ExpectationsI tll y ladrs in th fild that I will indnify th for

things that thy cant do. W hav a rich and prod can do

cltr. Th challng as a ladr is finding balanc btw

ission and xpctation. I trying to convinc or po

that w hav to liv within or ans. If w dont, not o

ar yo going to war ot th qipnt, bt wr also

going to war down or popl. ergncis ar always

going to aris; wll nd to srg in rspons to thos

vnts. Howvr, I think its lgitiat at tis to tak apas and catch or brath. I want to nsr that wr

for th long hal. Popl dont join th Coast Gard nl

thyr otivatd to srv. As I talk to folks I jst aa

by thir patriotis, thir xcitnt, thir ddication, so

challng for s is or how do yo sstain it? How do

kp it going? Wv got a prtty rsilint bnch, bt so

tis thy dont know what thy dsrv. I want to do s

ch bttr for or popl. I think wr aking progr

bt thrs still a long ways to go.

On Being a Sailor and LeaderThr ar any popl that ak a lot of ony writing

fancy books talking abot ladrship thory. To its asd vry sipl. Yor givn a job and yov got to

a job don. evry ladr shold hav clarly dfind rs

sibilitis, th athority to carry ot th job, and thn b

accontabl. Whn I joind th Coast Gard all I want

to do was to go to sa and b a ship captain. I was fort

nat to b abl to gt that opportnity for a ajor sg

of y carr. It ford y viw of lif and how things

workd bcas whn yor on a ship if yor a capta

yo qickly raliz yo cant gt th job don by yors

Yov got to work throgh yor officrs. Yo nd to a

sr thy ar all alignd with yor philosophy, goals, an

objctivs, and thn s th to anag th crw and yrsorcs to gt th job don[lading] is working thro

othrs. Rcntly, I was snt an ssay on ladrship with

kinds of fancy diagras. I snt it back and said yo hav

to siplify it. I coldnt ndrstand it, yt I can ndrsta

sipl concpts lik athority, rsponsibility, and acco

ability. I dont think it has to b or coplicatd.

To har The Business of Government Hours intrviw with Ad

Papp, go to th Cntrs wbsit at www.bsinssofgovrnnt.o


fro th Cntrs wbsit at www.bsinssofgovrnnt.org, ri



intrviw with Adiral Papp, visit th Cntrs wbsit at


To larn or abot th unitd Stats Coast Gard, go to www.s

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The end of the Cold War and the dawn of a new era in global

security brought about tumultuous changes in the U.S. intel-

ligence community. The shift in the threat environment, the

evolving nature of conflict, and the revolutionary technolo-

gies of the digital age prompted many of these changes and

a need to rethink approaches to national security. Leveraging

intelligence based on the earths physical and manmade attri-

butes and practicing the art and science of interpreting that

information have become valuable assets for the country.

As both a member of the U.S. intelligence community and a

Department of Defense (DOD) combat support agency, the

National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) has sought to

produce timely, relevant, and accurate geospatial intelligence

(GEOINT) for government leaders in responding to and antic-

ipating the countrys most critical national security challenges.

How is NGA putting the power of geospatial intelligence

into the hands of its users? How does NGA support disaster

relief, homeland security, and war fighter operations? Letitia

Long, director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency,

joined me on Th Bsinss of Govrnnt Hor to explorethese questions and so much more. The following provides an

edited excerpt from our interview. MJK

On the History and Mission of the NGAW wr stablishd as an agncy in 1996 as th National

Iagry and mapping Agncy (NImA). Th origins rally ca

ot of Dsrt Shild/ Dsrt Stor whn thr was th rcog-

nition that w wrnt gtting as ch as w cold ot of

or iagry intllignc, iagry analysis, and or apping

initiativs. Th NImA cobind th Dfns mapping Agncy

(DmA), th iagry analysis portion of th CIA, along with th

iagry xploitation, dissination, and procssing lnts

of a host of othr agncis, sch as th Dfns Intllignc

Agncy and so sallr organizations. [With th cration

of NGA in 2003, this ara of intllignc took anothr

lap forward, allowing s to intgrat ltipl sorcs of

inforation, intllignc, and tradcrafts to prodc an inno-

vativ and sophisticatd nw disciplin that thn-NGA dirctor

Jas Clappr nad gospatial intllignc, or GeOINT.]

It is th s of iagry, iagry intllignc and gospa-

tial data to dscrib and dpict fatrs and activitis and

thir location on th earth, hlping srs visaliz what is

happning, whr it is happning, and why it is happnin

On Managing NGANGA has abot 16,000 govrnnt prsonnl: civilian,

ilitary, as wll as contractors. W rciv or rsorc

fro both th intllignc conity and fro th DO

sid. W rciv prioritis fro both that flow fro th

Prsidnt throgh th Dirctor of National Intllignc a

fro th Scrtary of Dfns as wll as fro th coba

coandrs. W crtainly hav a prsnc in Afghanist

and in othr aras whr w hav troops on th grond.

Wr bddd with th; wr also bddd with

of th 10 cobatant coandrs. Wr also bddd

in othr fdral agncisth Dpartnt of Holand

Scrity, FBI, as wll as in th intllignc conity w

A Convrsation with Ltitia Long

Dirctor, National Gospatial-Intllignc Agncy

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