Digital Government
Hughes, ZDS detail portable wares
Hughes Data Systems Inc. and Zenith Data Systems unveiled their portable computer offerings on the Air Force Desktop V contract, as industry analysts and other vendors predicted a booming federal market for the goanywhere machines. Both companies kept the identity and configurations of their porta
Digital Government
High tech aids search for answers
When TWA Flight 800 plunged into the ocean just 15 minutes out of John F. Kennedy International Airport, the USCGC Juniper, the first of a new generation of hightech Coast Guard cutters, took up a position at the crash site and coordinated the early stages of the searchandrecovery effort. Since
Digital Government
GSI lobs suit against $3B DISN contract
Government Systems Inc. took its challenge of a $3 billion Defense Department communications integration and support contract to a federal court in Illinois last week, a month after filing a similar protest with the General Accounting Office. GSI filed suit in federal district court in East St. Lou
Digital Government
Intercepts
Pax DISN. AT&T has pulled off the platoons of guerrillastyle lobbyists who have fought a rearguard action on Capitol Hill for months against DISA's planned DISN architecture. The Interceptor is picking up strong signals from his K Street antenna site that Harry Goodall, the new AT&T defense veep,
Digital Government
Navy, NOAA use high tech in search
The Navy and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration wasted little time in responding to the crash of TWA Flight 800 this month, dispatching personnel, vessels and hightechnology equipment to the crash scene off the eastern shore of Long Island, N.Y. Capt. Raymond Scott McCord, t
Digital Government
INTERCEPTS
DMS dates. DISA's doing the DMS rollout as fast as possible, but Tom Clarke, the agency's DMS honcho, no longer will give specific dates for the initial operating capability, originally slated for this month. Clarke told the Interceptor that while DISA and Lockheed Martin are "moving ahead to put
Digital Government
Force XXI, satellite comm big winners
The Senate strongly backed key Defense Department information technology programs, including the Army's Force XXI and Warfighter Information Network (WIN) as well as Air Force and Navy satellite communications projects, with increased funding when it passed its version of the 1997 DOD authorization
Digital Government
JWID '96 will spotlight switching, transmission
The Defense Department plans to use this year's Joint Warrior Interoperability Demonstration (JWID '96) to harvest information technology "golden nuggets" that it can insert quickly into the battlefield, with advanced, highspeed switch and transmission technology topping the list. This is not a
Digital Government
Satellite comm offers VTC at sea
Although viewers probably did not even question the technology that brought them a live TV interview with Defense Secretary William Perry from the aircraft carrier USS George Washington afloat in the Mediterranean earlier this month, Navy public affairs (PA) officials considered the broadcast a sym
Digital Government
JWID leader digs for 'gold nugget' technologies
Col. Rock Schmidt, director of the Joint Warrior Interoperability Demonstration (JWID) '96, promises this year's premier Defense Department demonstration of advanced communications and computer technologies will more than live up to a bit of superlative Army Airborne and Ranger slang "hooah," me
Digital Government
INTERCEPTS
Messaging wars. Microsoft has targeted the federal messaging market and plans to push its Exchange software heavily this year in an attempt to wrest IBM's Lotus Development Corp. from its 65 percent share of the market. Bruce Weber, Microsoft Federal's Exchange marketing manager, said the company p
Digital Government
GSI faults cost evaluation on DSSG
Government Systems Inc. said the Defense Information Systems Agency ignored its own evaluation criteria, which gave the most weight to price, in awarding a $2 billion network support contract last month to Boeing Information Services. GSI's charge is contained in a protest the company filed with th
Digital Government
DIA cools on Java; DISA keeps perking
Two key Defense agencies last week took opposite stands on the security threat posed by the use of the Java operating system developed by Sun Microsystems Inc. The Defense Intelligence Agency called for a temporary halt to its use while the Defense Information Systems Agency plans for Java to play
Digital Government
Microsoft Exchange stumbles on Army's tactical networks
The Army has experienced serious problems sending Microsoft Exchange messages over its Mobile Subscriber Equipment (MSE) Tactical Packet Network (TPN) during recent exercises in Europe. Lt. Col. John Ylinen, chief of automation for V Corps before his transfer to the Pentagon last month, complained
Digital Government
DISA moves NIPRNET to Sprint
The Defense Information Systems Agency later this year plans to move a substantial portion of its key nonclassified data network to a new system that uses advanced switching technology capable of data rates of up to 622 megabit/sec. The action sparked immediate industry reaction in the highly compe
Digital Government
Hughes, Zenith detail DTV wares
With the $1 billion Air Force Desktop V program about to open for business contractors Hughes Data Systems Inc. and Zenith Data Systems last week announced pricing and configurations for their major product offerings. Vendors expect their Desktop V lineups which feature 133 MHz and 166 MHz deskto
Digital Government
INTERCEPTS
DISA rumor du jour. The crystalball gazers now have DISA director Lt. Gen. Al Edmonds retiring this fall to take over as ASD/C3I from Emmett Paige Jr., who has made very clear his intention to retire after the elections. Hard to figure this one out because the last time the Interceptor encountered
Digital Government
EIA: 1997 budget forecast for information technology near $50B
Total federal spending for information technology in 1997 will be around $50 billion, or double the $25 billion in IT spending the civil agencies and Defense Department formally report in filings to the Office of Management and Budget, according to the Electronics Industries Association. EIA, in it
Digital Government
INTERCEPTS
Ready for some DISAwear. Those wonderful DISA enlisted folks who brought the world the muchprized DISA Christmas ornament have now come out with a clothing line, with sales dollars going to help families. Act now, and you could be the first on your block with a DISA Tshirt ($16.75), polo shirt
Digital Government