White House officials today announced new online features to accompany the live stream of President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address. The features promise to be interactive, informative and experience-enhancing and hope to answer any questions the viewers may have during the president’s address to Congress. “As President Obama addresses the nation, WhiteHouse.gov will [...]

The Army nominated  Maj. Gen. Susan Lawrence to the service’s top IT post last week, filling a key position vacated in November. Lawrence’s nomination to the top IT spot came on a day full of career accolades. She was nominated by President Barack Obama to the CIO position on the same day she was also [...]

The new chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Buck McKeon (R-Calif.) isn’t wasting any time in exerting his oversight responsibilities. Following a number of housekeeping procedures last week, the committee will begin oversight hearings this week on the Defense Department efficiencies championed by Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, Federal News Radio reports. Observers [...]

In a high-profile move recently, the Department of Homeland Security canceled SBInet, a $1 billion border program, long under a microscope for underperforming. But don’t count high-tech border surveillance programs out just yet. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection last week issued a request for information from industry about “insight” into market conditions and scientific [...]

Writing on the White House blog, General Services Administrator Martha Johnson said 2010 was a “historic” year for the agency and its efforts to “go green,” and she provided a glimpse of what to look for in 2011. GSA took the lead in developing sustainable buildings, Johnson said, to spearhead federal efforts to reduce government [...]

Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke and the National Institute of Standards and Technology have announced a public roundtable for next week on the federal government’s efforts to engage industry. The Jan. 25 forum will feature federal Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra and White House economic and technology advisers, who will sit down at the table [...]

The Defense Department is now using online virtual reality as an alternative method of treatment for soldiers experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder. According to DoD, soldiers interacting in the virtual world, Second Life, are educated about dealing with PTSD and with others. Defense officials said it appeals to warfighters who may be hesitant to seek help from a therapist and [...]

Following the release earlier this week of President Barack Obama’s Executive Order aiming to cut back on out-of-date and onerous federal agency regulations, the reviews from across the political sphere are coming in. Inside the Beltway, there was a rare hint of bipartisanship for the proposal. Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) who is seen by many [...]

The White House’s cybersecurity coordinator said the administration will provide universities and private companies with information about cyber threats from the nation’s law enforcement and intelligence agencies. “I think we all recognize that the government has unique access to information,” said White House cyber guru Howard Schmidt at a Washington conference, Nextgov reports. “We need [...]

The National Geo-spatial Intelligence Agency’s massive new digs at Fort Belvoir opened its doors earlier this week, marking what NGA called a “milestone” moment for the agency. The 2.4 million square foot campus in Springfield, Va., cost about $1.7 billion and is 85 percent complete, according to a report on Signal Scape. “With this milestone [...]