AF seeks procurement change
MONTGOMERY, Ala.--The goal of an 18-month procurement cycle continues to tantalize Defense Department brass. Lt. Gen. Ronald Kadish, commander of the Electronic Systems Center at Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass., said ESC will adopt the computer industry's 18-month buying cycle to develop its service-unique command and control systems. Kadish, who spoke at the annual Air Force Information Technology Conference, warned that the Air Force can no longer afford to operate under its current procurement practices
GCCS flunks 2000 test -
During a recent test, the Defense Department's Global Command and Control System failed when the date was rolled over to the year 2000. The system failure occurred Aug. 1 during the closing hours of this year's Joint Warrior Interoperability Demonstration, an exercise conducted annually to demonstrate emerging technologies that are designed to improve command, control, communications, computers and intelligence operations. DOD held JWID '97 from July 7 to Aug. 1 at 45 sites worldwide.
DOD integrates best sim tools -
The Defense Department is putting the final touches on specifications for a modeling and simulation system that will integrate Army, Navy and Air Force systems into a seamless battlefield training and analysis tool. The Joint Simulation System (JSIMS) will let units from different services hold joint simulated training exercises. The framework for a common systems architecture blends the service-unique features of different mission models into an interoperable whole.
DOD policy pushes buying power down into trenches
The IT acquisition policy replaces the interim plan, the Information Technology and National Security System IT Acquisition Oversight Policy, that the department issued in August 1996 just as ITMRA took effect. Although Defense has made progress implementing ITMRA, much work remains, according to Defense Secretary William Cohen, who helped author the law when he was still a member of the Senate.
System keeps tabs on trainees
The Corps manages the training for these weekend warriors, who train one weekend per month and up to 20 days per year, on a budget of $20 million. Last year, reserve units deployed to Haiti, Bosnia, Okinawa and Australia for joint training with the Army, Air Force, Navy, active-duty Marines and NATO forces.
DFAS improves disaster plan
Come hell or high water, the Defense Finance and Accounting Service has a disaster recovery plan to restore its mission-critical information systems to operational status. As the Defense Department's accounting agency, DFAS is responsible for ensuring that DOD's vital financial transactions are safeguarded against potential disasters--natural or man-made. At stake is nothing less than DFAS' ability to obtain and process data, without which the department would come to a standstill, DFAS officials said.
DOD blueprint details paperless contracting
The Defense Department has drafted a blueprint for achieving a paper-free contracting process by 2000. DOD has relied on labor-intensive paper methods to handle the writing, administration and finances for contracts. The department's buying process often involves the manual and repetitive input of data from multiple sources across DOD.
Joint Staff urges DMS team to drop X.400-only approach
The high-level review team recommended expanding DMS, which is built around the international X.400 message protocol, to a dual-protocol architecture that would include the Internet's Simple Message Transfer Protocol. The review called an inclusive architecture a more flexible implementation of DMS that would not restrict the potential 2 million DOD users of DMS to the X.400 infrastructure.
DOD combo fits one platform
"This demo is all about system integration," said Air Force Lt. Col. Tomasita Lahue, commander of the Pentagon's Combat Support Operations Center. "At last year's Joint Warrior Interoperability Demonstration, we were able to show some of the capabilities that we are showing today, except they were shown on separate platforms," she said. "Today, we're blending the operational command and control picture and the combat support picture on one platform."
Navy will spend $2.9b on its nets
The winners of the Voice, Video and Data (Vivid) contracts were AT&T Government Markets of Washington, Bell Atlantic Federal Integrated Systems of Washington, GTE Government Systems Corp. of Needham, Mass., and Lucent Technologies Inc. of McLeansville, N.C. After receiving news they had won contracts to provide only local telephone services, AT&T and Bell Atlantic withdrew. GTE won a contract to provide long-haul hardware, software and services. Only Lucent won a contract to supply all goods
Intranet links command staff
"Through the intranet, we provide the mechanism for the senior leadership to make decisions quickly by giving the right information to the right people at the right time," said Air Force Lt. Col. Richard Anderson, chief of the command's JX Unit. Via its intranet, users at USACOM can share information freely among the command's eight directorates, Anderson said. The intranet gives the staff improved access to timely and accurate information, he said.
Army examines telemedicine
Walter Reed officials said the system eliminates problems associated with sending and reviewing medical images and data via desktop computers. Previously, telemedicine systems offered limited clinical applications and had high transmission costs, said Col. Edward Gomez, chief of vascular surgery at the Washington Army hospital. Using commercial software, Walter Reed doctors can transmit X-rays and patient medical records during videoconferences that let doctors at different hospitals conduct cost-effective diagnostic consultations. Walter Reed is testing the
Defense initiates policy to protect Web privacy
The goal is to protect the privacy of DOD Web site visitors while sustaining the integrity of the department's online services, said Air Force Capt. Jim Knotts, webmaster of DOD's main public site, DefenseLink, and deputy for technology integration within the department's Public Affairs Office. "To the extent that there is someone sitting in a dark room of the Pentagon trying to figure out what this person or that is visiting and where they've been, that's
Personnel, payroll will merge
The Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps currently maintain their own service-unique pay and personnel data networks that are often slow, inaccurate and costly, service officials said. But the joint system is designed to efficiently manage the records of millions of active duty and reserve soldiers, sailors, pilots and Marines by providing one-stop personnel and pay transactions, according to a DOD mission statement.
Gauss to leave DISA after 3-year duty tour
Air Force Brig. Gen. Gary Salisbury will replace Gauss. Salisbury last worked at the U.S. Transportation Command at Scott Air Force Base, Ill., as director of the Joint Transportation Corporate Information Management Center. Before that, Salisbury was commander of the 38th Engineering Installation Wing at Tinker Air Force Base, Okla. "I feel very good about my successor, and I'm not saying that because it's the politically correct thing to say," Gauss said.
DOD swaps shopping advice
The Defense Department measures the success of its Standard Procurement System program in increments. DOD's Major Automated Information Systems Review Committee has approved the first of three incremental SPS software enhancements for use at 137 contracting sites throughout the department. The software from American Management Systems Inc. of Fairfax, Va., will let DOD contracting offices within the Army, Navy, Air Force and Defense agencies swap data with other organizations in the department.
Army is set to kick off $1b networks upgrade
"DSSMP will replace older electronic switches that were put in in the last 10 to 15 years that aren't ISDN-capable. It will provide a vehicle to put in metropolitan area networks, ATM and LAN emulation technology at installations worldwide," said center director Thomas Michelli. "It includes the most mundane telecommunications up through the latest ATM Synchronous Optical Network capability," Michelli said.
Computer spending doesn't pay off for DOD
Congressional critics charge that despite spending billions of dollars on new computers, the Defense Department has not benefited from its Corporate Information Management program. DOD launched the CIM campaign in 1989 as a way to yield better results from its systems investments. CIM had two chief goals: streamline business operations and implement standard administrative systems DOD-wide.
GAO finding: Defense needs financial remedy
The problem: DOD does not have accurate information for managing its $250 billion annual budget and more than $1 trillion in assets, GAO auditors said. Making matters worse, DOD investments in modern computer systems and networks have neither reduced operating costs nor improved performance, said the report, Financial Management: Improved Reporting Needed for DOD Problem Disbursements.
QDR sidesteps request for more cyber warfare funds
Contrary to the recommendations of a November Defense Science Board report and a March intra-agency assessment done specifically for the QDR, the final version of the QDR did not address what the earlier reports called a multibillion-dollar budget shortfall in battlefield comm and information warfare. The Office of the Secretary of Defense conducts the QDR once every four years to assess the department's long-term requirements and near-term strategies. Its recommendations serve as a blueprint for DOD
Do Not Sell My Personal Information
When you visit our website, we store cookies on your browser to collect information. The information collected might relate to you, your preferences or your device, and is mostly used to make the site work as you expect it to and to provide a more personalized web experience. However, you can choose not to allow certain types of cookies, which may impact your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer. Click on the different category headings to find out more and change our default settings according to your preference. You cannot opt-out of our First Party Strictly Necessary Cookies as they are deployed in order to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting the cookie banner and remembering your settings, to log into your account, to redirect you when you log out, etc.). For more information about the First and Third Party Cookies used please follow this link.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies - Always Active
We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.
Sale of Personal Data, Targeting & Social Media Cookies
Under the California Consumer Privacy Act, you have the right to opt-out of the sale of your personal information to third parties. These cookies collect information for analytics and to personalize your experience with targeted ads. You may exercise your right to opt out of the sale of personal information by using this toggle switch. If you opt out we will not be able to offer you personalised ads and will not hand over your personal information to any third parties. Additionally, you may contact our legal department for further clarification about your rights as a California consumer by using this Exercise My Rights link
If you have enabled privacy controls on your browser (such as a plugin), we have to take that as a valid request to opt-out. Therefore we would not be able to track your activity through the web. This may affect our ability to personalize ads according to your preferences.
Targeting cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Social media cookies are set by a range of social media services that we have added to the site to enable you to share our content with your friends and networks. They are capable of tracking your browser across other sites and building up a profile of your interests. This may impact the content and messages you see on other websites you visit. If you do not allow these cookies you may not be able to use or see these sharing tools.
If you want to opt out of all of our lead reports and lists, please submit a privacy request at our Do Not Sell page.
Cookie List
A cookie is a small piece of data (text file) that a website – when visited by a user – asks your browser to store on your device in order to remember information about you, such as your language preference or login information. Those cookies are set by us and called first-party cookies. We also use third-party cookies – which are cookies from a domain different than the domain of the website you are visiting – for our advertising and marketing efforts. More specifically, we use cookies and other tracking technologies for the following purposes:
Strictly Necessary Cookies
We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.
Functional Cookies
We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.
Performance Cookies
We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.
Sale of Personal Data
We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.
Social Media Cookies
We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.
Targeting Cookies
We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.
Help us tailor content specifically for you: