Digital Government

Army to outsource two major software centers; 500 jobs at risk

The Army has signed a waiver clearing the way for the privatization of two government software development centers without having to conduct a public/private competition for the work, putting up to 500 government jobs at risk, a spokesperson for the Army Materiel Command confirmed today.

Digital Government

In-transit visibility

SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. In 1899, Winston Churchill referred to victory as a 'beautiful, brightcolored flower' and transport as 'the stem without which it could never have blossomed.' One hundred years later, no other military maxim rings as true. As the principal agency responsible for transp

Digital Government

Hill moves to fill IT gaps at DOD

Shortfalls in critical Defense Department information technology systems and modernization programs have contributed to a 'state of emergency' in military readiness, requiring Congress to force the Clinton administration to bolster DOD's fiscal 2000 budget, according to a senior member of the House

Digital Government

Vendors await DOD BPA bonanza

The Air Force and the Marine Corps are gearing up for two rounds of blanket purchase agreements covering standard desktops, servers, portable systems and support services that must take into account the military services' global mission. The Air Force Standard Systems Group plans to award today BPA

Digital Government

U.S. Central Command battles for bandwidth

Faced with the challenge of protecting American interests in one of the most turbulent regions of the world, Central Command is building a new warfighting strategy for the 21st century

Digital Government

Study warns of a new cyberterrorism called 'netwar'

Terrorist groups of the future will rely increasingly on advanced communications and network technologies to carry out coordinated cyberattacks and to attract sympathizers to their cause, according to a report released last week by Rand Corp.

Digital Government

Net service shields Web users in Yugoslavia

Those fortunate enough to still have Internet access in Kosovo and other regions of Yugoslavia now have a way to send email and to access U.S. governmentsponsored radio broadcasts without the threat of being identified and prosecuted by Yugoslav security authorities. Anonymizer Inc., a provider o

Digital Government

DOD hands over PKI responsibility to NSA

The Defense Department this month officially transferred to the National Security Agency responsibility for the department's program overseeing the use of publickey encryption technology to secure internal and external DOD communications. DOD plans to release April 19 two documents that lay out th

Digital Government

DOD leaders mull Internet disconnect

Hammered by relentless hacker attacks against its unclassified network for years, the Defense Department may back away from using the Internet, which it invented, in favor of relying on intranet enclaves, according to a top Army official. Lt. Gen. William Campbell, Army director of information syst

Digital Government

IG questions DOD awards

Defense Department contracting officials have engaged in 'questionable' procurement practices, costing taxpayers millions of dollars in higher prices and denying some vendors a fair opportunity to be considered for DOD contracts, according to a report released this month. Between fiscal 1995 and fi

Digital Government

Radio shortage compromises crew safety

In the midst of doubling its air armada operating in Kosovo, the Defense Department is experiencing a 'critical shortage' of survival radios used by aircraft crews to call for help, according to internal DOD documents. This shortage, which resulted from design problems with the radio, including a s

Digital Government

SGI recasts market image

Silicon Graphics Inc., known for the last 17 years primarily for its highend 3D graphics computers, last week launched a new strategy aimed at educating customers on the full breadth of products it offers. Although the legal name of the company will remain Silicon Graphics Inc., the company plans

Digital Government

Investigation into Italian gondola accident concluded

No new information technology systems are needed to increase safety on U.S. fighter jets, according to a highlevel commission appointed last month in the aftermath of the deadly accident involving a Marine Corps jet and a gondola in Italy.

Digital Government

'Melissa' tests DOD procedures

When the fastspreading Melissa virus began wreaking havoc on computer systems across the country last month, the Defense Department relied on what may become the model for designing an integrated, enterprisewide approach to information security. To battle Melissa, DOD put into motion a clearly def

Digital Government

DFAS preps outsourcing pact

The Defense Finance and Accounting Service, which is responsible for managing up to $24 billion worth of financial transactions for the Defense Department, may put up for bid the information technology support services for four major payroll accounts. It is a move that could set the stage for anoth

Digital Government

DOD to launch secure Net transactions

In a major milestone of its paperless contracting initiative, the Defense Department in June will create one of the first largescale programs that uses publickey security technology to allow vendors to view contract data and to submit bids over the Internet. Publickey infrastructure, which is be

Digital Government

Kosovo crisis brings barrage of Web activity

(Agency) By Heavy World Wide Web traffic has become a fact of life for U.S. Air Force and NATO Webmasters since the March 24 launch of the U.S.led NATO bombing mission in Yugoslavia as thousands of people have turned to the Web as their primary source for information. The two sites dealing with th

Digital Government

DIA taps 8 for IT products, support

The Defense Intelligence Agency today awarded blanket purchase agreements worth a total of $200 million to eight vendors for information technology products and services.

Digital Government

Air Force outfits tankers with high-tech navigation systems

The Air Force plans to upgrade 550 of its tanker aircraft with cuttingedge commercial information technologies that will significantly improve flight safety by providing pilots with enhanced awareness of their surroundings and improved navigation capabilities.

Digital Government

Serbs launch cyberattack on NATO

Unidentified Serbian computer hackers last week successfully denied public access to the main World Wide Web server supporting the public affairs apparatus of the United Statesled NATO operation in Kosovo, rendering the server virtually inoperable for several days.