author archives

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 31-40 of 2577

Cost of Modernized GPS Ground Control System Soars by $3.4 Billion

May 28, 2013 The cost of a modernized ground control system for Global Positioning System satellites has increased $3.4 billion above its original $1.4 billion price tag, the Pentagon reported. Meanwhile, delays in development of the ground control system pushed back the launch of GPS III satellites with enhanced encryption and new civil ...

from govexec

Tech Roundup

May 28, 2013 Transparency Moves President Obama’s fiscal 2014 budget proposal transfers control of USAspending.gov, the spending transparency website, from the General Services Administration to the Treasury Department. The administration plans to give Treasury $5.5 million to manage the site, previously bankrolled by the congressionally mandated e-government fund, which is devoted to using ...

The Integrated Electronic Health Record Mess

May 22, 2013 Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel’s decision to modernize the Defense Department’s electronic health record through the purchase of commercial software looks like a setback for development of an integrated electronic health record with the Veterans Affairs Department, according to folks I have talked with. First, except for a passing reference, ...

VA Halves the Number of Claims Backlogged More Than Two Years

May 22, 2013 The Veterans Affairs Department has processed 22,000 out of the 42,000 disability claims that have languished for two years or longer, Allison A. Hickey, VA’s undersecretary for benefits, told a House VA Committee hearing today. The 51 percent reduction occurred after VA kicked off a project on April 19 to ...

Pentagon Says 20 Vendors Can Meet its Electronic Health Record Needs

May 22, 2013 The Defense Department has found 20 commercial software vendors capable of modernizing its electronic health record system, Frank Kendall, undersecretary of Defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, told reporters at the Pentagon today. Yesterday, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel backed the use of commercial software in a memo to Kendall. Hagel ...

Hagel Opts for Commercial Electronic Health Record Software

May 21, 2013 Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel opted to run procurements for commercial electronic health record software, which will “likely” include software based on the system used by the Veterans Affairs Department. The move is considered a blow to VA and a boon to the healthcare information technology industry, multiple sources said. In ...

DISA Cancels $45 Million Award to Store Exabytes of Drone and Satellite Images

May 21, 2013 The Defense Information Systems Agency has abruptly canceled a $45 million sole source contract awarded in April to Alliance Technology Group to store of hundreds of billions of satellite and drone imagery files, each packing terabytes of data. DISA said in documents posted Monday that after it announced its decision ...

Jon Stewart on the Delayed Defense-VA Health Record Decision

May 21, 2013 Comedian Jon Stewart, like me, can count to 30. Last night on his “Daily Show,” he skewered Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel for not making a decision on the integrated electronic health record system last week as promised. Stewart, in a truly whacky bit, illustrated this point with a Chuck Hagel ...

What About That iEHR Decision?

May 20, 2013 Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is a real busy guy, and you really don’t want to impose a deadline on him. But, he did tell a hearing of the House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee on April 16 that he would make a decision within 30 days on the plan for the integrated ...

Navy Readies Full Production Buy of Shipboard Network Systems

May 20, 2013 The Navy expects to kick off by the end of May procurement for full production sets of standard network computing equipment for ships and submarines. It anticipates awards to up to three vendors. The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command said it expects to release a request for proposals for ...