Digital Government

OMB asks agencies to focus on science and technology in 2011

New guidance seen as a way to support the White House policy to increase funding in research and reverse the Bush administration's cuts in spending on science.

Cybersecurity

Cyber leadership takes shape at Homeland Security

Experts hope DHS will improve coordination of cybersecurity initiatives.

Digital Government

Head of Joint Chiefs bucks social media ban in a Tweet

Adm. Mike Mullen says the right balance between security and transparency needs to be found because Defense cannot ignore social networking tools.

Digital Government

The seven deadly sins of insourcing: A request for comments

What are the pitfalls of insourcing and how might they be avoided? We will publish a selection of the best comments in an upcoming issue of Federal Computer Week.

Ideas

This is Your Budget on Stimulus

To learn just how the nearly $800 billion in stimulus spending is affecting agencies, consider this graph below. This is one slide from a presentation that Christine Shafik, director of the Office of Internal Review at the Energy Department, gave back in June at a conference for top federal executives. It shows just how much the budgets for certain offices within the Energy Department grew this year due to the stimulus bill -- money that federal employees must give out in grants and contracts.

Digital Government

A Social Network Happy Medium

Maj. Gen. Hank Morrow, commander of Air Force North, which is responsible for defending U.S. airspace, thinks a common sense approach to using social network sites such as Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and YouTube can assure security that will allow service members to continue relying on the communications tools.

Cybersecurity

Biometrics said vital for combat success

Biometrics said to give combat troops critical capabilities to carry out their missions.

Digital Government

NASA's Ambassadors

NASA has announced the selection of the first participants for its first Innovation Ambassadors program, which will enable some of NASA's most talented scientists and engineers to work at several of America's leading innovative external research and development organizations. During assignments of up to one year, the four ambassadors will share their own expertise while learning about innovative products, processes and business models, and upon returning to NASA, can share new ideas with co-workers and implement innovations within their own organizations.

People

Health IT exec Todd Park chosen HHS' CTO

The White House has named Todd Park of Athenahealth as CTO of the Health and Human Services Department.

Modernization

Marines: Facebook is not for the few good men

The Marine Corps has banned using social-networking Web sites on the service’s networks because of security concerns.

Cybersecurity

Agencies play by different rules on contractor award fees, says GAO

Federal agencies are not being consistent in how they distribute contractor award fees, according to a senior GAO official.

Modernization

FCC wants help on universal broadband

The FCC asks officials and the public to help develop a plan for providing universal broadband Internet access.