Intercepts

WWMCCS hammered. DISA shut down the aging mainframe-based command and control system on Aug. 30 and the agency's GCCS team headed by Rear Adm. John Gauss received a Hammer Award from Vice President Al Gore last week. No word on what DISA plans to do with the mainframes but the Interceptor figures Rep. Bob Livingston would like to move them to his district in Louisiana - the bone yard for federal computer iron.

* SMC II snooze? I'm picking up medium-strength signals that Telos has yet to move a lot of server iron on the Army SMC II contract - specifically fewer than 1 000 boxes. This could change with the addition of Dell servers to a line that already includes boxes from Zenith Data Systems. My Fort Monmouth N.J. antenna site has picked up signals that the Army Small Computer shop headed by Lt. Col. Mary Fuller may use SMC II to acquire Windows NT-based World Wide Web servers which could give new life to the vehicle. I've also heard that the Dell federal operation headed by Theresa Garza would love to help with SMC II marketing efforts.

* JIEO revolving door. My stealth remote unit at Fort Huachuca Ariz. continues to pick up strong signals that some top JIEO brass may soon leave for top positions with Validity Corp. which recently won the JIEO support contact.

* Bad SCAMPI. MCI and the U.S. Special Operations Command love to tout the advanced technology and worldwide reach of the USSOC SCAMPI network operated by MCI. But my mobile Interceptor unit picked up signals on a recent visit to Fort Bragg N.C. that some Army special operators are less than pleased with SCAMPI which they described as a "stovepiped" system incapable of exchanging even a simple phone call outside the closed network. Also I hear the Green Berets like more garlic than USSOC uses.

* Dueling strike Web sites. The Air Force and the Navy public affairs operations used their Web sites to showcase their respective roles in last week's Operation Desert Strike cruise missile attacks on Iraq. Air Force Webmaster Capt. Terry Bowman narrowly wins this one with an Air Force Link special edition packed with news photos and links to related Web sites (www.dtic.mil/airforcelink/current/dstrike/). Navy Webmaster Alan Goldstein also put up a special page (www.navy.mil/navpalib/intl/iraq/iraq01.html) but Bowman outglitzed Goldstein on this one. The result of this friendly rivalry is that the public - presumably including Iraqi president Saddam Hussein - is better informed than when the Pentagon put out its news only to ink-stained wretches such as myself.

* On the road again. The Interceptor will be at the Air Force Information Technology Conference in Montgomery Ala. this week scooping up the latest on Desktop V as well as fulfilling my primary assignment of following DISA director Lt. Gen. Al Edmonds wherever he goes. Standard System Group tech director Ken Heitkamp promises the weather in Montgomery all this week will be "pleasant." From experience that means the temperature might fall below 100.