In testimony before the House Armed Services Committee Wednesday, the Defense Department’s acquisitions chief Ashton Carter sketched out the details of his plan to restructure acquisitions, including increasing competition on contract bids. “Competition is the single, most powerful tool to drive productivity,” said Carter, who serves as undersecretary of defense for acquisitions, technology and logistics. [...]

At a House Armed Services Committee hearing yesterday, not only did representatives come out swinging against the proposed closing of the Joint Forces Command — one of the topics up for discussion — but they also expressed doubts about cutting the Pentagon’s budget at all. “I think I speak for the overwhelming majority on this [...]

Chairman of the House Commerce Committee Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) announced Wednesday he will not push a net neutrality bill, which had leaked earlier this week, because it failed to garner enough Republican support. “This legislative initiative was predicated on going forward only if we had full bipartisan support in our committee,” Waxman said. “We included [...]

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency announced the launch of a new $10 million initiative aimed at providing high-tech equipment to high schools. The MENTOR program, short for Manufacturing Experimentation and Outreach, will be a partnership between the defense agency and private contractors and will also encourage cyber-electro-mechanical innovation through high-school teams and competition. The [...]

Who says the federal government can’t do anything right? Not The Wall Street Journal, which recently named Health and Human Services software CONNECT a winner in its annual technology innovation awards. The CONNECT software, developed by HHS with additional assistance by 20 federal agencies, was selected in the Health IT field for its advancements in [...]

The Senate Armed Services Committee yesterday heard testimony from three top Pentagon planners on the proposed closing of Joint Forces Command. And, as expected, there were fireworks. Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) led an irritated delegation of Virginia lawmakers, complaining about the lack of inclusion as the Pentagon made plans to shutter the command center in [...]

The Department of Health and Human Services announced the finishing touches on a national system of doctors, clinics and hospitals aimed at adopting electronic medical records. Yesterday HHS’ David Blumenthal, national coordinator for health information technology, announced the selection of the final two regional extension centers (RECs) in Florida and New Hampshire, bringing the total [...]

A leaked version of House Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman’s (D-Calif.) net neutrality bill strikes a compromise between the regulatory power of Federal Communications Commission and the power of telecom giants. But like many compromises, it might anger both sides. CNet lays out some of the key provisions of the bill: The FCC will have [...]

Department of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano announced the beginning of Cyber Storm III, a conference of experts and other cyber-incident responders to evaluate the nation’s readiness to deal with a web-based assault. “Exercises like Cyber Storm III allow us build upon the significant progress we’ve made in responding to evolving cyber threats,” Napolitano said, emphasizing [...]

The recent showdown over Senate approval of defense appropriations highlights the reliance on continuing resolutions to keep government agencies, as well as the companies they do business with afloat. But it’s often a bumpy ride, experts say. A continuing resolution is the legal authority approved by Congress if an appropriations bill has failed to pass [...]