The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton

Tanks, armored vehicles, trucks: The Army buys them all from contractors. But over their sometimes long life cycles, the Army relies on its own production and maintenance facilities. Those make up what the military calls the organic industrial base. At this week's Association of the U.S. Army (AUSA) conference, Federal Drive Host Tom Temin got an in-person, one-on-one update from Brig. Gen. Michael Lalor, the Commander of the Army's Tank-automotive and Armaments Command.

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On this episode of the Federal Drive with Tom Temin:

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Starting in January, federal retirees and other beneficiaries will see another cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) added to their Social Security benefits.

The 2024 COLA will be 3.2%, the Social Security Administration announced Thursday. It’s a relatively smaller adjustment compared with the COLA that beneficiaries received for 2023.

The annual COLA is meant to keep federal retirees and Social Security recipients’ benefits on pace with rising inflation. COLA amounts are determined by the third quarter each year of the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W).

But like every year, not all federal retirees will receive the full 2024 COLA. Depending on the system under which a federal employee retires, the exact 2024 COLA amount varies.

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When Congress passed the so-called Bipartisan Infrastructure law two years ago, it also strengthened buy-American requirements for construction projects. Now the final guidance is out from the White House on the BABA part of the law, Build American, Buy American. For analysis, Federal Drive Host Tom Temin spoke with Haynes Boone procurement attorney Dan Ramish.

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Few experiences, at least in the civilized world, are worse than airline screw-ups. Flights that take off hours late, if they take off at all. Passengers forced to sleep in cold, noisy airports. But a team at the Transportation Department has managed to get compensation for thousands of passengers. Now they're finalists in this year's service to America Medals program. Federal Drive Host Tom Temin spoke with Senior Trial Attorney Rob Gorman.

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Army platforms depend on software, and software has to run on the often old or limited hardware mounted aboard ground vehicles. At this week's Association of the U.S. Army (AUSA) conference, I discussed what's going on with the commander of the Army's Communications and Electronics Command, Maj. Gen. Robert L. Edmonson II.

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On this episode of the Federal Drive with Tom Temin:

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A top Biden administration official who helped rethink federal buildings and office space for government employees, after pandemic-era work-from-home policies lapsed, is stepping down later this week.

Nina Albert, the commissioner of the General Services Administration’s Public Buildings Service, is leaving the agency and federal service on Friday.

Albert led PBS as the Biden administration faced bipartisan calls from Congress to make better use of federal office space, and get rid of buildings that agencies no longer need.

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Everywhere you look in the world, you see the use of missiles in military operations. Some by good guys, some of it from bad guys. That is why defending against missiles is a chief mission for the Army. For the United States, missile defense and freedom to operate in space go hand-in-hand. At this week's Association of the U.S. Army conference (AUSA) in Washington, Federal Drive Host Tom Temin go a in-person, one-on-one update from the Commander of the Army Space and Missile Defense Command, Lt. Gen. Daniel Karbler.

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