There were two main pillars laying the foundation for insourcing – canceling government-contractor positions in favor of an increased federal workforce. One was that it would help reduce ballooning costs at the Pentagon. The other was that it would repurpose jobs that should belong in the federal sector, the so-called “inherently governmental” positions. But insourcing [...]

Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki defended an expansion of benefits under the 1991 Agent Orange law against a Senate panel with its eye on trimming the budget in congressional testimony Sept. 23. VA recently added heart disease, B-cell leukemia and Parkinson’s disease to a list of “presumptions” under the Agent Orange law. The legislation, passed [...]

Calling cyber policy and preparation, “one of the most critical problems our country faces,” head of the U.S. Cyber Command Gen. Keith Alexander offered a nuanced position yesterday in congressional testimony on what do in the event of a crippling attack on the nation’s computer networks. On the one hand, Alexander, who is also the [...]

Director of the National Counterterrorism Center Michael Leiter yesterday submitted an official report to the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee,  reporting that al-Qaeda is likely plotting more frequent smaller-scale attacks in the United States. The report also mentioned the increased threat of homegrown terrorism. The report concludes that the terrorist network is determined [...]

Northrop Grumman Security Systems was among the first eight contract winners for a Health and Human Services grant to develop effective countermeasures – or preventive steps – against both man-made and natural biological threats. The HHS BARDA grant (short for Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority) awarded an initial total amount of $55 million, and [...]

Army Gen. and Director of the National Security Agency Keith B. Alexander takes the witness stand at the House Armed Services Committees hearings this morning. And if comments to reporters last night are any indication, he will likely voice support for a secure network or “dotsecure” for both federal computer systems, as well as “critical [...]

Head of the Small Business Administration Karen Mills announced support for a pilot program that recognizes 10 regional economies or “clusters” and that will enhance the role SBA plays in these regional areas. The communities and economies chosen reflect collaborations between small businesses, the public sector, economic development and other organizations. More than 170 communities [...]

They’ve dodged bullets and bombs in some of the most dangerous corners of the globe, but now the Defense Department says U.S. service members should be on the lookout for a different type of threat: identity theft. DoD is partnering with the Federal Trade Commission on its “Deter, Detect and Defend” campaign, which aims to [...]

Will SBINet get a second chance? Some say “yes,” but its brand may change. Last week, Alan Bersin, commissioner of Customs & Border Protection (CBP) at DHS, promoted Mark Borkowski, SBINet’s project manager, to run a new office tasked with managing complex acquisition processes for CBP.  The move is part of a broader effort at [...]

Before taking over as executive director of the Department of Homeland Security’s Secure Border Initiative, Mark Borkowski had been serving as a program manager for the U.S. Border Patrol. All told he has a combined 25 years of experience in systems acquisitions as well as program management in agencies and departments such as NASA and [...]