Defense

  • New acquisition initiatives are out from the Air Force. The search for innovation in acquisition takes many IT leaders in government to Silicon Valley. August Cole is Director of the Art of Future War program in the Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security at the Atlantic Council. He's also a writer-in-residence at Avascent. On In Depth with Francis Rose, he said the defense industrial base should engage Silicon Valley.

    January 16, 2015
  • When someone dies, those left behind each grieve in their own way. Now for the first time a large-scale study is underway to understand the impact that the death of a service member has on his or her family. Dr. Stephen Cozza is Professor of Psychiatry and the Associate Director of the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress at the Uniformed Services University. He joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive to talk about the National Military Bereavement Study.

    January 16, 2015
  • Transportation and DISA CTOs say cloud computing may not deliver the savings many expected. Instead, the value of moving to the cloud is the ability to modernize apps, scaling up and down on demand and taking advantage of the agility and speed to get services to market.

    January 16, 2015
  • A new series of acquisition changes called "Bending the Cost Curve" aims to make the overall Air Force acquisition process more responsive to technological advances, and reduce the time it takes to buy major weapons systems. The Air Force Research Lab will host a technology challenge program with the largest award in military history.

    January 16, 2015
  • New security guide places more trust in governmentwide FedRAMP program to secure unclassified data in commercial clouds, but retains tougher restrictions for more sensitive information.

    January 15, 2015
  • You might only know it from "Jeopardy!" but IBM's famous Watson technology has found a new use. Veterans Affairs plans to use it as part of a pilot program to quickly search electronic medical records. If it works as planned, it'll allow VA doctors to spend more time with their patients. Jim Demetriades is the director of emerging health technologies at the Veterans Health Administration. He joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive with more on the program.

    January 15, 2015
  • With the challenges that chief information officers face today, it is worth asking whether becoming a CIO is worth the work and jeopardy it seems to entail, says former FAA IT leader Bob Woods in a new commentary.

    January 15, 2015
  • The Littoral Combat Ship U.S.S. Fort Worth is in the Java Sea, helping with the effort to recover the remains of the Air Asia flight. The ship's work in that effort is generating a discussion about the future of the LCS program. Sydney Freedberg in Breaking Defense writes the mission "shows why the Navy needs something like LCS at all." Retired U.S. Navy Capt. Jerry Hendrix is senior fellow and director of the Defense Strategies and Assessments Program for the Center for a New American Security. On In Depth with Francis Rose, he explained if he thinks the LCS program has turned the corner and is headed toward respectability in Congress.

    January 14, 2015
  • Maj. Gen. Vincent Stewart will take over as director of the Defense Intelligence Agency on Jan. 23, replacing interim director David Shedd, a former CIA official.

    January 14, 2015
  • Kevin Lynch, president and chief executive officer of the National Industries for the Blind will give us an update on the organization and its current strategic challenges and market opportunities. January 13, 2015

    January 13, 2015
  • CENTCOM's Twitter and YouTube accounts are back up and running after Islamic State sympathizers hacked the sites yesterday. The Defense Department says the attack lasted for about 30 minutes. The sites posted threatening messages about American troops and showed pro-Islamic State images. Retired Navy Rear Adm. Jamie Barnett is a partner for the cybersecurity practice at Venable. On In Depth with Francis Rose, he explained what the cybervandalism means for CENTCOM and national security.

    January 13, 2015
  • The Defense Information Systems Agency launches reorganization, including the new Joint Task Force-DoD Information Networks. The new cyber organization will reach initial operating capability on Jan. 15, taking over 14-to-19 tasks from U.S. Cyber Command.

    January 13, 2015
  • The Defense Information Systems Agency launches a new cyber defense organization. The Joint Task Force DoD Information Networks will official launch Thursday. The new cyber organization is part of the broader DISA reorganization that goes into effect Monday. Federal News Radio Executive Editor Jason Miller tells In Depth with Francis Rose about some of the changes.

    January 12, 2015
  • If oil prices stay at their current level, the Defense Department stands to save about $2 billion this year. Defense News reports the Pentagon has already saved about $500 million. Sharon Burke is senior advisor of the New America Foundation, and former assistant secretary of defense for operational energy plans and programs. On In Depth with Francis Rose, she explained how today's oil prices will affect future defense policy.

    January 12, 2015