Digital Government
Cyberattacks Target Air Force Apps
Lt. Gen. William Lord, the Air Force chief information officer, said cyberattackers have shifted their tactics from trying to breach firewalls to penetrating applications and said the service has serious application vulnerabilities.
Digital Government
NIH kicks off $40 billion follow-on contract for IT services
The Chief Information Officer-Solutions and Partners 3 pact will provide information technology called for in the recently signed health care reform law.
Digital Government
Open VistA for AHLTA?
Last week the Military Health System <a href= http://whatsbrewin.nextgov.com/2010/08/the_end_of_ahlta.php>detailed plans</a> to replace its AHLTA electronic health record system -- loathed by its clinicians -- with a new system based on commercial products.
Digital Government
VA moves toward open source for electronic health record system
By asking industry to provide ideas for using free code to modernize its network, the Veterans Affairs Department could 'drive expansion' of digital medical files nationwide.
Digital Government
The End of AHLTA?
The Military Health System may have finally decided to get rid of its electronic health record system called <a href=http://whatsbrewin.nextgov.com/2009/03/ahlta_maybe_not_a_noun.php>AHLTA</a>, which military clinicians loath and what S. Ward Casscells, who served as the Defense Department top doc from 2007-2009, described as being <a href=http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0908/092908wb.htm>"hard to learn and use, slow and often down"</a>. Officials are looking to replace the system with some (hopefully) easier to use commercial software.
Digital Government
Air Force seeks new nuclear command-and-control terminals
After years of delays to launch a jam-proof communications satellite, the service rethinks how it will deploy multibillion-dollar equipment to receive messages on bombers and presidential aircraft.
Digital Government
Canada: Old Vets Die, So Shrink VA
That's the take of Jean-Pierre Blackburn, minister of Canada's Veterans Affairs Department, who <a href=http://www.canada.com/news/Veterans+Affairs+Department+smaller+merged+Blackburn/3363716/story.html>said last week</a> since Canada's large population of World War II and Korean War vets die at the rate of 1,700 a month, it's time to shrink the size of his department.
Digital Government
Lost VA BlackBerrys Redux
I think tracking lost Veterans Affairs Department BlackBerry gadgets may become a regular feature here, with <a href=http://whatsbrewin.nextgov.com/2010/08/va_data_breaches_go_live.php?oref=latest_posts>reports on Wednesday</a> and in <a href=http://whatsbrewin.nextgov.com/2010/06/wheres_your_blackberry.php>June</a> -- and, here now, Thursday's roundup of the number of the gizmos lost so far this year by VA employees.
Digital Government
With oil gusher capped, center to manage support flights closes
The Coast Guard, Customs and Border Protection and Air Force worked together to track tens of thousands of missions during the past three months, an effort second only to the response to Hurricane Katrina.
Digital Government
VA Data Breaches Go Live
Today the Veterans Affairs Department started posting online its <a href=http://www4.va.gov/about_va/va_notices.asp>monthly data breach reports</a> as part of its ongoing transparency thing, VA Chief Information Officer Roger Baker told a press briefing this morning. He said the latest report (for July) might not make it to the Web until Thursday.
Digital Government
VA adopts standard identifier for vets in health and benefits programs
Unique 10-digit ID will be assigned using a system for federal employees mandated by Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12.
Digital Government
Parsing the New DISA
A variety of speech transcripts and slides released by the Pentagon on Monday called for <a href=http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20100810_6184.php?oref=topstory>combining the Defense Department chief information officer ship with the Defense Information Systems Agency</a>, but various crystal ball folks I've talked to are still trying to figure out the end game.
Modernization
DISA could take on bigger IT role at Defense
In Secretary Gates' reform plans, the information agency will assume daily IT operations and the department's chief information officer, but federal IT experts disagree whether the move will strengthen the CIO as intended.
Digital Government
So Long NII
Defense Secretary Robert Gates made <a href=http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=60348>official</a> the <a href=http://whatsbrewin.nextgov.com/2010/07/bye_bye_nii.php>elimination</a> of the office of the Assistant Secretary for Networks and Information Integration - also known as the office of the chief information officer. At a Pentagon press briefing today he detailed cuts in the Pentagon budget to save $100 billion over the next five years.
Digital Government
Campbell out as MHS CIO, Gates to close Defense CIO's office
Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., also puts a hold on the nomination of Dr. Jonathan Woodson to be assistant secretary of Defense for health affairs.
Digital Government
What About Countering Insider Threats?
It's a rule of thumb that insiders pose the greatest threat to classified information systems -- a rule sadly reinforced by the public release of 91,000 classified, purloined Defense Department documents by Wikileaks.
Digital Government
VA Hypes Paperless Claims Progress
This is one of those, "Where's the Beef?" bits . . .
Digital Government
Review the Marines' EFV
My colleague Megan Scully from CongressDaily <a href=http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=45841&oref=todaysnew>reporter</a> on Wednesday that Navy Undersecretary Robert Work has kicked off a study on the post-Afghanistan future of the Marine Corps, with an emphasis on a return to the traditional "from the sea" mission.
Digital Government
Defense top doc nominee labels electronic health records a priority
Dr. Jonathan Woodson says the department should shift the focus of the e-health network from capturing administrative data to providing better service to clinicians.
Digital Government