The General Services Administration has announced plans to form a new travel-advisory committee and freeze per diem travel reimbursement rates this year. The advisory committee, which the agency intends to fill with representatives of the travel industry, corporations and all levels of government, will provide advice and recommendations for for improving efficiency and effectiveness, reducing costs, and promoting sustainability, according to the GSA.
ON THE FIGHT
Bahawal Khan, who also goes by the name Salahuddin Ayubi, has taken command of a notorious militant group in Pakistan. Pakistani militant leader Mullah Nazir died when he found himself on the losing side of a time-sensitive targeting fire mission in the tribal area of South Waziristan this week. He headed one of four insurgent factions in Pakistan’s northwest and was a leading figure in the effort to support the Afghan Taliban.
Robert F. Godec was nominated and confirmed as the United States Ambassador to the Republic of Kenya.
POTOMAC TWO-STEP
Massachusetts Senator John Kerry, tapped at the top of the year to serve as Hillary Clinton’s replacement and Barack Obama’s chosen emissary to the globe, has begun meeting with Department of State transition team members. Kerry is on the cusp of facing Senate confirmation on the heels of further revelations about the tragedy in Benghazi which will surely be used as a pretext for increased diplomatic security and overall diplomatic facilities funding.
Brigadier General Gould has been tapped as deputy chief, support, Office of Security Cooperation – Iraq, U.S. Department of State. He’ll serve in Baghdad, presiding over a cadre of US military personnel not engaged in combat but tasked to the embassy and ultimately serving at the pleasure of the Ambassador.
Robert Caruso is a veteran of the United States Navy, and has worked for the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, Business Transformation Agency and the Office of the Secretary of Defense.
