This week on Federal Security Spotlight host Tom Temin talks to Riley Repko, the senior advisor for cybersecurity to the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and Requirements at the Air Force. November 18, 2010
The Air Force is warning its troops to be careful when using Facebook and other popular networking sites because some new features could show the enemy exactly where U.S. forces are located in war zones.
The Army and the U.S. Transportation Command are investigating whether updated airships can be revived for both combat and humanitarian troop movement.
The Wounded Warrior Project is a new collaboration among Raytheon, Cisco - it offers wounded veterans a chance to learn computer and cybersecurity skills. Bob Connors, project director, talks with Federal News Radio about the details.
In theory, plants could be the ultimate \"green\" factories, engineered to pump out the kinds of raw materials we now obtain from petroleum-based chemicals. In reality, its been an elusive goal. Now, in a first step toward achieving industrial-scale green production, scientists from the Department of Energy\'s Brookhaven National Lab and their collaborators report engineering a plant that does produce the levels of compounds that could potentially be used to make plastics. The raw materials for most precursors currently come from petroleum or coal-derived synthetic gas. Additional technology is needed, but researchers say they\'ve now engineered a new metabolic pathway in plants for producing a kind of fatty acid that can be used as a source of precursors to chemical building blocks for making plastics such as polyethylene.
The Department of Commerce and National Telecommunications and Information Administration have released a report called \"Digital Nation II,\" that analyzes broadband Internet access across the United States. The study is the the most comprehensive of its kind. It finds that even after accounting for socioeconomic differences, large gaps persist along racial, ethnic, and geographic lines. The report analyzes data collected through a survey of 54,000 households conducted by the Census Bureau. It shows that while virtually all demographic groups have experienced increases of broadband Internet use at home, and 64 percent of households overall have the service, there are still historic disparities among demographic groups. Officials worry that Americans who lack broadband Internet access are cut off from educational and employment opportunities.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has just completed a major update of the agency\'s primary education resource portal; the website Education.noaa.gov. The aim is to better connect educators and students interested in NOAA\'s education and science resources. The website serves as a portal to lesson plans, educational multi-media, data sources, career profiles, and other education content from across the agency. The content contains five themes. Teachers can find information about hurricanes, tides, climate change, the water-cycle or other earth science topics on the site. The site also provides information on professional development, academic scholarships, career exploration, and education grants. NOAA\'s mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth\'s environment, and to conserve and manage coastal and marine resources.
Raytheon and Cisco are joining up to expand the Wounded Warrior Project. The programs they are sponsoring make it easier for wounded servicemen and women to re-enter the workplace with the skills they need to become cybersecurity professionals.
The service issued a memo detailing a common operating environment architecture as part of a broader software transition strategy. The strategy builds on the experiences of the Apps for the Army program. The service is developing plans for Apps for the Army 2 next summer focusing on industry-created software.
Wired reports that the Navy wants businesses to produce an app that stimulates sailors\' minds.
Representatives from DC corporations come together to celebrate Inspiring Women in history and raise money for a good cause. We get details from CGI Federal\'s Sally Turner.
The service is giving careful thought to the human side of the cybersecurity equation. The top commander of the Air Force\'s Space Command said it\'s no longer a matter of information assurance, and it\'s all about mission assurance.
Colonel Steve Strobridge of MOAA said the budget decisions by DoD cannot undermine key military incentives.
There\'s a new, FREE smart phone mobile application that makes it easier for servicemembers and veterans to track their emotional health after deployments. e got the story from the Army\'s Dr. Robert Ciulla.
Troubled weapons programs will fall victim to the budgetary ax as the service tries to spend its money more wisely.