People

Army wants FCS tech now

Soldiers should get Future Combat Systems capabilities as soon as possible instead of waiting for the formal FCS deadline of 2010, a general said.

Digital Government

Dems criticize small-business cuts

House Democrats criticize Bush's proposal to cut funding for the Small Business Innovation Research grant program.

Acquisition

Performance contracts need culture change

For performance-based contracts to work, the relationship between the government and industry must be defined, a panel of experts said.

People

OMB hopes to improve investment oversight

Officials want to incorporate better IT investment management into agency practices, said Karen Evans, OMB's administrator for e-government and IT.

People

Gimme Shelter

Personnel at 1,400 military recruiting centers sometimes live far from the nearest Army, Navy or Air Force base. “It lets our recruiters be a part of the community where they are working,” said John Curry, leased housing program manager for the Navy Recruiting Command. But living off-base can make housing difficult to find.

People

USDA supports conservation planning software

The Agriculture Department has partnered with Deere & Co., of Moline, Ill., to provide agriculture management software.

People

Tax filers jumping on the e-train

Electronic filing of tax returns is running 9 percent ahead of last year, with more than 33.5 million returns e-filed through Feb. 27, the IRS said today. <@SM>

Modernization

Another View: Good decision-making needs good IT

The purported intelligence failures regarding Iraqi weapons of mass destruction are stark reminders of the role IT has—or should have—in fixing longstanding government problems.

People

Pushing for cybersecurity, e-gov

Sen. Susan Collins was born into a political family. Her mother and father each served at separate times as the mayor of Caribou, Maine. So it came as no surprise when her first job out of college in 1975 was working on the Washington staff of Maine Sen. William Cohen, an author of the Clinger-Cohen Act. After 12 years of working for the Republican lawmaker, Collins served as a cabinet secretary for Gov. John McKernan for five years and as head of the New England regional office of the Small Business Administration for a year.

People

OMB: Agencies improve IT security, but many are short of goals

Agency IT security has shown marked improvement over the last three years, but too many departments still fall short of Federal Information Security Management Act goals, OMB reported today.

Modernization

Arizona capitol goes wireless

The capitol building in Phoenix now has an 802.11 network.

People

Borland joins Telos board

The former deputy CIO of the Army will be a director for Telos, an info security firm.

People

Air Force buys secure data units

Northrop Grumman will provide the aircraft devices for $73 million.

People

More planned for Oregon wireless system

The public/private partnership building an eastern Oregon broadband wireless network may begin voice-over-IP service this summer.

Modernization

Review: SyncMaster 213T impresses

Samsung's 21.3-inch flat-panel display maximizes the picture and minimizes the rest.

Digital Government

OMB: Security improvements needed

Twenty-four federal departments and agencies missed security requirements in 2003, according to the Office of Management and Budget.

Digital Government

PKI vendors wanted

The General Services Administration says it is ready to get suppliers for smart cards based on public-key infrastructure standards that include a new authentication specification.

People

Army winter conference begins

The annual gathering could highlight several Army IT and communications initiatives.

People

Army awards contract for IED jammer

EDO will get almost $7 million to build electronic countermeasure devices to jam signals used to detonate roadside bombs.

People

Ideas, tech sought for Joint Forces

Companies can submit proposals for engineering, R&D and tech services for the Joint Experimentation Program and Joint Futures Lab.