People

DOD officials concerned about awarding earmarked money

Defense procurement officials missed procurement fundamentals of competition and pricing when awarding earmarks, auditors find.

Digital Government

Gates' budget-cutting plan leaves Defense CIO role in limbo

Defense Secretary Robert Gates plans to close the Networks and Information Integration office -- home of the Defense chief information officer -- and shift that role, as well as as other responsibilities, to the Defense Information Systems Agency.

Digital Government

Baker: VA making progress on lifetime electronic record system

Veterans Affairs Department CIO Roger Baker said the VA is moving on the VLER project and expects a decision by year's end on the VistA modernization project.

People

Insourcing failed, DOD's Gates says. Now what?

Insourcing didn't bring in the savings that DOD officials had planned or hoped for, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said.

Digital Government

National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency gets first female director

Letitia Long becomes the first woman to lead a major U.S. intelligence agency.

Digital Government

Gates details plans to slash DOD budget

In his aggressive efforts to save money, Defense Secretary Gates is targeting a number of DOD offices and organizations, including one major command, IT infrastructure and several senior positions.

People

Senators concerned about counterfeit parts

Recent reports on counterfeit electronics and IT products show increases in the number of incidents and inadequate policies to deal with the problem.

People

Secrecy bested by point, click

Before the Internet, no one could imagine how easy it would become to steal and publish classified documents.

People

Defense CIO confirmation on ice for now

Plans are on hold to confirm a new DOD CIO as Defense Secretary Robert Gates reconsiders the organizational structure to save money.

Digital Government

Calling all weary warriors

Wellness company looks to show appreciation for the troops with the giveaway of a high-end massage chair to one lucky service member with a story to tell.

Digital Government

U.S. understanding of cyber war still immature, says former NSA director

Retired General Michael Hayden, former head of the CIA and NSA, said today at the Black Hat Briefings that the U.S. lacks an effective military and political doctrine for conducting and defending itself against cyber war.

Digital Government

DISA takes lead in Defense enterprise infrastructure

Army Lt. Gen. Carroll F. Pollett outlines the Defense Information Systems Agency's top priorities for information sharing and agency collaboration.

Cybersecurity

WikiLeaks upends digital security assumptions

Case demonstrates that classified documents are difficult to protect from determined data miners.

Digital Government

Afghanistan documents leak stirs debate, apathy in public opinion on war

With the release of 92,000 classified files on the Afghanistan theater, the public is responding with renewed bitterness toward the ongoing conflict while Washington worries about the effects.

Cybersecurity

Will Congress clamp down on spies gone wild?

An investigative report sheds light on the massive and massively outsourced federal intelligence apparatus, but prospects for reform are questionable.

Cybersecurity

Military wrestles with cyber war battle planning

The military's new consolidated Cyber Command faces unprecedented challenges as it forges the nation's policies and capabilities for cyber defense and war.

Cybersecurity

Global cyber arms race may be brewing

The United States isn't alone in developing offensive cyberwar capabilities. Russia, China, Israel and France are also developing advanced offensive cyber capabilities and, although there hasn't been an active cyber war, a cyber cold war might have already started.

Cybersecurity

Cyber risks place new demands on public/private partnership

Industry and government expect the new Cyber Command to set the agenda for needed improvements in public/private cybersecurity collaboration.

Cybersecurity

Military readies its cyber forces

Each of the military services will have its own cyber group, coordinated at a higher level by the recently launched U.S. Cyber Command.

Modernization

'Jointness': The new battlefield watchword in data sharing

Several information-sharing programs, particularly those under DISA, are breaking down silos that have long impeded battlefield coordination.