Defense
Coast Guard reaches milestone in massive equipment modernization project
Commandant Thad Allen talks about the troubled "Deepwater" program now that the service has received its first new long-range cutter in 36 years.
Oversight
From Nextgov.com: IRS reports slight increase in e-filing rate
Agency has four years to hike the percentage of electronically filed tax returns it receives to meet a congressional requirement.
Defense
From Nextgov.com: Bandwidth shortage threatens Army’s FCS plans
Congress concerned about Future Combat Systems and other programs that could overwhelm network capacity .
Oversight
OPM suspends portion of contract for electronic retirement system
Agency orders contractor to stop work on electronic retirement calculator.
Defense
From Nextgov.com: Defense boosts bandwidth of global network to meet battlefield needs
Rising demand attributed mostly to satellite and video images from Iraq and Afghanistan.
Oversight
Mars lander communications successfully linked
NASA uses system of more than 100,000 lines of software code to direct Phoenix spacecraft and explore the Red Planet .
Defense
From Nextgov.com: Hill: Regulatory groups fail to protect power grid from cyberattacks
Federal regulatory commission says it needs more authority to force plants to tighten security for computer networks.
Defense
From Nextgov.com: Committee pulls purse strings to nudge services toward unified command-and-control systems
House Armed Services report also targets Future Combat Systems delays and IT staff shortage.
Oversight
From Nextgov.com: Interior allowed to reconnect to Internet
Judge rules six-year disconnect order not valid, but still worries that the department’s computer security practices are inadequate.
Oversight
From Nextgov.com: Government's computer security grade improves slightly for 2007
But some say the report card’s finding means little in light of its shortcomings.
Oversight
Cisco grilled for allegedly helping Chinese censor, spy on dissidents
Company official downplays allegations, says the only equipment sold to country's public security bureau were routing and switching products.
Defense
From Nextgov.com: Cost of cybersecurity initiative is triple its first estimate, panel reports
The development of the National Cybersecurity Initiative also is too secretive, removing a deterrence to attack U.S. networks, Senate committee charges.
Oversight
Independent estimate cuts cost of Census contract almost in half
MITRE projects price tag of $681 million for handheld data collection computers.
Oversight
Bill would give National Archives greater reach in electronic records management
Archivists however worry about becoming pariahs if presidents see them as internal-affairs investigators.
Oversight
From Nextgov.com: Cyber criminals overseas steal U.S electronic health records
Identity theft crime wave could imperil patient safety and cost Medicare millions of dollars .
Defense
From Nextgov.com: Air Force looking to build cyber weapons
Requests industry to help it hide in enemy’s networks and take down systems, but some believe the service isn’t ready to deal with cyber warfare .
Oversight
Hewlett-Packard vaults into ranks of top federal contractors with EDS deal
Company gets a leg up in the federal IT services market.
Tech
From Nextgov.com: DHS awards networking contract, worth up to $1 billion
Verizon and AT&T beat out Qwest for OneNet initiative .
Oversight
From Nextgov.com: FBI partially blames procurement rules for fake IT products
Pursuit of lowest price and multiple subcontractors makes it easier for counterfeit hardware to end up on agency systems, increasing security threats.
Defense