Fedwire

GTN competition heats up

The Air Force, seeking a $150 million upgrade to the Global Transportation Network, has narrowed the field of bidders to four companies: Computer Sciences Corp., Harris Corp., Northrop Grumman Corp. and TRW Inc.

GTN integrates information from various databases to allow Defense Department personnel to track the progress of supplies in transit, whether by air, land or sea. GTN 2010 will update the system architecture for the Web and improve its flexibility and reliability.

Lockheed Martin Corp., the incumbent contractor, did not make the cut.

Air Force Web admin pinged

The Air Force had 140 publicly accessible Web sites that contained potentially inappropriate information, according to a Defense Department inspector general's report released last month. These sites contained warnings such as "For Official Use Only" and "Secret" but were accessible by the general public.

The IG suggested, among other recommendations, that the Air Force conduct annual reviews of its Web sites and report the results to the service's chief information officer. In written response to the report, Air Force CIO John Gilligan agreed with the recommendations and said that a review process would be in place by August.

Wireless deal close

The government is one step closer to having a priority wireless access system for use during emergencies. Government officials have been pushing for such a system since the communications breakdown during the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. According to Reuters, VoiceStream Wireless may provide that service, starting with a pilot program in New York City and Washington, D.C., scheduled to begin in May.