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Bob Brewin

Editor at Large

Bob Brewin joined Government Executive in April 2007, bringing with him more than 20 years of experience as a journalist focusing on defense issues and technology. Bob covers the world of defense and information technology for Nextgov, and is the author of the “What’s Brewin” blog.

Results 21-30 of 2539

Chuck Yeager: F-35 Not The Right Stuff

May 2, 2013 Chuck Yeager, the first pilot to break the sound barrier, had some trenchant comments on the $397 billion F-35 Joint Strike Fighter on his Twitter feed last week: “I was asked my opinion about the F-35. It's a waste of money. Far too expensive. Give me an F-15 E -- ...

Defense IG: TRICARE Acquisition Staff Lack Required Certification and Training

May 2, 2013 Procurement personnel at the TRICARE Management Activity, which had an acquisition budget of $18.8 billion in 2012, lacked formal certification for their jobs, proper training and accurate position descriptions, the Defense Department Inspector General said in a highly critical report released yesterday. These problems start at the top, the IG ...

The Defense-VA-Vendor Conference Nobody Wants You to Know About

May 1, 2013 An outfit called the Defense Strategies Institute will hold a conference in Alexandria, Va., May 15-16 on the Defense and Veterans Affairs departments’ planned integrated electronic health record featuring high ranking speakers from both departments. Any vendor who wants to attend can do so. But the media will be prohibited. ...

DARPA Seeks 'Far Out' Ideas for Mobile Networks

May 1, 2013 The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency wants “far out” ideas to improve mobile wireless networks, and those ideas should not rely on Internet protocols to relay data between nodes. DARPA, in a notice posted on the Federal Business Opportunities website Tuesday, said it and other government research organizations want to ...

VA Eliminates Bonuses for Benefits Officials

April 30, 2013 Senior executives of the Veterans Benefits Administration will not receive 2012 performance bonuses and the funds will be invested to accelerate elimination of the disability claims backlog, according to the Veterans Affairs Department. “Based on VBA’s organizational performance goals, senior executives will not receive performance awards for fiscal 2012,” VA ...

Who Wants To Steer a Nuclear Bomber with an iPad?

April 30, 2013 There’s an iPad app for almost everything, including software to help crews of B-52 and B-2 nuclear bombers find their way about the skies. The Air Force Global Strike Command wants to acquire between 700 and 1,000 electronic flight bags packed with FAA and National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency flight navigation software ...

Military Health System and TRICARE Lose Control Over IT Budget

April 30, 2013 The Defense Department has quietly shifted management and oversight of health information technology, including procurements from the Military Health System and the TRICARE Management Activity, to Frank Kendall, under secretary of Defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, Nextgov has learned. Multiple industry sources confirmed the shift. One official said the ...

Sixty-Seven Senators Urge Obama to Resolve VA Claims Backlog

April 29, 2013 More than two-thirds of the U.S. Senate sent a letter to President Obama Monday urging his “direct and public involvement” to end the Veterans Affairs Department’s disability claims backlog. The letter, co-authored by Sens. Bob Casey, D-Pa., and Dean Heller, R-Nev., and signed by a bipartisan group of another 65 ...

DISA Eyes Wi-Fi at Fort Meade

April 29, 2013 The Defense Information System Agency plans to cover its Fort Meade, Md., campus with Wi-Fi service, a technology embraced by coffee shops worldwide about a decade ago. In a request to industry earlier this month, the agency said it wants the network to blanket its campus, which includes five buildings ...

So Long TRICARE Health Management Activity, Hello Defense Health Agency

April 25, 2013 Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel tapped Air Force Maj. Gen. Douglas Robb for promotion today to the rank of lieutenant general and to serve as director of the new Defense Health Agency. Deputy Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter directed the establishment of the new agency – and the dissolution of ...