Defense
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The Pentagon is buying a new computerized health records system to be able to better share and merge its data with the Department of Veterans Affairs. But the Associated Press is reporting, "officials cautioned that it was part of a "long-term modernization" effort and would not help ease the current backlog in VA disability claims." Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is ordering DoD to seek bids for development of the new system.
May 23, 2013 -
Frank Kendall says many different factors played into the Pentagon's decision to go with a competitive bidding process to develop its integrated electronic health record system, instead of adopting VA's VistA program. He said DoD wants to ensure its system is interoperable not just with VA hospitals but with civilian health facilities as well. In addition, Kendall cited cultural differences between the two large agencies.
May 23, 2013 -
Brig. Gen. Bryan T. Roberts, Commanding General, U.S. Army Training Center and Fort Jackson, in Fort Jackson, S.C. has been suspended. The Pentagon says the suspension is due to allegations that include adultery and a physical altercation. Military authorities say the charges are being thoroughly investigated. While the investigation is ongoing, Brig. Gen. Peggy C. Combs, Commandant of the U.S. Army Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear School, Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., will serve as the interim commander until the investigation is complete and the issue resolved.
May 22, 2013 -
Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel has decided to turn to the commercial marketplace for an integrated electronic health records solution rather than adopting VA' Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture. He cited market research that showed turning to the competitive process would generate reduced cost and technical risk for DoD.
May 22, 2013 -
The Obama administration is denouncing Russia's decision to equip the Syrian government military with anti-ship missiles, saying the weapons would only worsen a war that Washington and Moscow have been promising to work together on stopping. Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, criticized what he called an "unfortunate decision that will embolden the regime and prolong the suffering."
May 20, 2013 -
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said he's taken several steps to improve the military's response to and prevention of sexual assaults, but that the problem can't be solved by policy directives alone. On the matter of sexual assaults, he said he believes the military's chain of command has suffered an accountability breakdown.
May 20, 2013 -
Derrick Dortch will host a roundtable discussion of new programs and initiatives designed to help veterans find jobs or start their own businesses. May 17, 2013
May 17, 2013 -
The Defense Information Security Agency has approved a security guide for iOS 6 making it the third mobile operating system to meet the requirements this month. The agency said it will award a mobile device management system in a few months.
May 17, 2013 -
The Army says hard-won lessons on the battlefield have taught it that stovepiped IT systems have no place in the business of intelligence collection and sharing. It also acknowledges that enforcing a single set of common standards comes with some tradeoffs.
May 17, 2013 -
Another decade or two, that at least how long Senior Pentagon officials say the U.S. war against Al Qaida and its affiliates will last. Acting General Counsel Robert Taylor and Michael Sheehan, an assistant secretary of defense for special operations, made the point before the Senate Armed Services Committee, while arguing to prevent changes to a law that allows for the broad use of military force in the war against terrorism.
May 17, 2013 -
Reuters is reporting, "the U.S. government believes a Chinese missile launch this week was the first test of a new interceptor that could be used to destroy a satellite in orbit." They launched a missile on Monday that reached 6,000 miles above the earth, making it the highest suborbital launch seen worldwide since 1976.
May 17, 2013 -
David Vollman, staff ophthalmologist at the Veterans Health Administration in St. Louis, Mo., is a finalist for the 2013 Call to Service Medal.
May 17, 2013 -
Scott Gould's last day as the deputy secretary of the Veterans Affairs Department is today. In four years, Gould said he believes VA is a better place and does more to help veterans. He said the claims backlog is unacceptable, but the agency is making progress.
May 17, 2013 -
In the past, DoD's security review process took so long that devices were off the market by the time the Pentagon allowed them on government networks. This week, DoD approved a secure, commercial version of Android before its manufacturer even released it.
May 16, 2013 -
When you're on a vacation trip or long drive, do your kids keep asking "Are we there yet?!" Now, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says, suppose you are Uncle Sam and you've told your 1.8 million kids they are going on a sequestration vacation. If they keep asking are we there yet, what do you tell them?
May 16, 2013