Digital Government
Piling on iPhone, Android Military Apps
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency said on Monday it wants individuals and industry to develop military iPhone and Android applications "that can be used today with little or no additional research and development expenses."
Digital Government
VA kicks off huge multimillion-dollar buy for up to 600,000 PCs
New contact will replace a three-year pact with Dell to lease hundreds of thousands of PCs.
Digital Government
Army Wants You to Develop Apps
The Army launched its "Apps for the Army" contest on Monday, which is open to active-duty, Reserve and National Guard personnel, and civilian employees. The service seeks some good Web and mobile software applications that can be used throughout the Army.
Digital Government
Army, Navy and Air Force continue to ban flash media
After U.S. Strategic Command approves limited use of USB devices, the services work on policies and procedures for the use of the media on computers and networks.
Digital Government
Army plans to test iPhone-like applications for the battlefield
Officer believes smart phones can deliver information to soldiers in a way that fundamentally changes how troops use data to fight wars.
Digital Government
Air Force Blue for Cyber Command
In the most startling act of generosity of the year, the Air Force plans to pony up $104 million for the new headquarters of the U.S. Cyber Command at Fort Meade, Md., in its fiscal 2011 budget.
Digital Government
Military chiefs tell Congress they need money for network modernization
Army, Navy and Air Force chiefs say upgrades to departmentwide systems that cost billions of dollars are needed to improve communications and update decades-old technology.
Digital Government
Vets' One-Stop Shop
The Defense, Labor and Veterans Affairs departments launched a <a href=http://www.nationalresourcedirectory.gov/>Web site</a> on Thursday that offers a comprehensive guide to benefits, employment, health care and family support information.
Digital Government
Will Defense Play Nice?
On Feb. 19, Peter Orszag, director of the Office of Management Budget, and Kathleen Sebelius, secretary of the Health and Human Services Department, sent a <a href=http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/assets/memoranda_2010/m10-10.pdf>memo</a> to Defense Department Secretary Robert Gates; Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki; Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack; Commerce Secretary Gary Locke; Michael Astrue, commissioner of the Social Security Administration; and John Berry, director of the Office of Personnel Management, detailing the formation of a high-level task force to coordinate all federal health information technology.
Digital Government
White House announces plan for review of all government IT projects
Federal Chief Information Officer Vivek Kundra says administration will crack down on programs that do not work and focus on the ones that perform.
Digital Government
What's in a Thumb Drive Kit?
The U.S. Strategic Command says that military units in Afghanistan soon will start receiving thumb drive kits that meet its ><a href=http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20100219_2666.php>new flash media policy</a> for Defense Department networks and computers.
Digital Government
VA expands plan for troubled IT projects to all system development efforts
Many of the department's 282 technology programs show at least one characteristic of failure, prompting officials to apply the management and accountability system to all projects.
Digital Government
Two Mil So Congress Can Watch TV?
This <a href=https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=69b3b8d881494e6e4d9f519d806c69f7&tab=core&_cview=0>contract award notice</a> was posted on FedBizOpps on Feb. 19, detailing the cost of the gear needed to receive DirectTV on three DC-9 jets operated by the 932nd Aircraft Wing at Scott Air Force Base, Ill., for "Distinguished Visitor" (that would be congressional folks and other pooh-bahs).
Digital Government
Army studying use of virtual reality to treat post-traumatic stress
With more than a third of veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars suffering from PTSD, the service wants to compare the new therapy with traditional methods.
Digital Government
Let's Deal With Facts
I woke up today with what can only be described as a bombardment of e-mails from PR folks who had clients panting to give me their views on the U.S. Strategic Command lifting its ban on thumb drives and other flash media, a notion they picked up from stories in <a href=http://defense.iwpnewsstand.com/newsstand_search.asp?ACTION=SEARCHENGINE&search=inside+defense+flash+media&ORIGINATOR=Google>Inside Defense</a>, <a href=http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2010/02/hackers-troops-rejoice-pentagon-lifts-thumb-drive-ban/>Wired</a> and <a href=http://gcn.com/articles/2010/02/18/dod-lifts-usb-drive-ban.aspx>Government Computer News</a>, which based its story on the Wired and Inside Defense reports.
Digital Government
Defense allows flash media on systems only as a 'last resort'
A new order issued by the command in charge of the military's cyber defense is a return to a policy of using removable devices under specific circumstances and guidelines.
Digital Government
VA to Tweet
The Veterans Affairs Department plans to push the use of Twitter and Facebook to all of its 148 medical centers, according to an insightful <a href=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/richard-allen-smith/vet-bloggers-storm-americ_b_467186.html>account</a> on the department's use of social media on The Huffington Post by Richard Allen Smith, who writes the <a href=http://www.vetvoice.com/>VetVoice blog</a>.
Modernization
GSA's $5 billion satellite services contract targets bandwidth costs
Deal with Defense to form Future Commercial Satcom Acquisitions combines purchases for military and civilian agencies.
Digital Government
VA Wants to Hear from You
The Veterans Affairs Department has opened up a new <a href=http://www.openva.ideascale.com/>Web portal</a> to solicit ideas from the public and from department employees on how it can become more transparent, collaborative and all those other open government buzzwords.
Digital Government