The Air Force is placing more emphasis on capabilities relating to intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance in response to budget reductions, Federal Computer Week reported. At a briefing Feb. 6, Air Force officials said their main concerns include gathering intelligence from large amounts of data, securing cyberspace and training new airmen. Brig. Gen. Scott Bethel, vice commander [...]
President Obama has nominated Heidi Shyu assistant army secretary for acquisition, logistics and technology, the White House announced Friday. Shyu has served as acting assistant secretary since Malcolm O’Neill resigned in June 2011. The nomination is subject to Senate approval, after which she will become the Army’s top weapons buyer. Shyu previously held executive positions [...]
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Wednesday a primary focus of NATO‘s defense ministers conference this week will be how to fund Afghanistan’s police and army forces. Panetta said in a press conference the ministers will also discuss a timeline to withdraw NATO troops from Afghanistan, according to AFPS. The group previously agreed upon a strategy [...]
The Defense Department has awarded six teams $18 million in funds to develop and implement energy savings technologies, the Pentagon announced Tuesday. The Pentagon said the technologies are intended to reduce energy demand and the programs coincides with the military’s new strategy for a leaner, more agile combat force. In 2009, the Pentagon used 75 [...]
As promised, the White House is using its new Google Plus page to conduct hangouts that include President Obama and a group of Google Plus users. In one of the first hangouts Monday, President Obama admitted the U.S. has attacked Taliban and al-Qaida targets in Pakistan with unmanned drones. “For the most part, they’ve been [...]
President Obama nominated Marine Corps Lt. Gen. John F. Kelly as commander of the U.S. Southern Command, according to a Pentagon announcement Friday. If confirmed by the Senate, he would replace U.S. Air Force Gen. Douglas M. Fraser, who has held the position since June 2009. Fraser has not announced his future plans. If confirmed, [...]
The National Institute of Standards and Technologies is calling on agencies to take the lead in addressing security and privacy challenges relating to public cloud computing. NIST’s Guidelines on Security and Privacy in Public Cloud Computing do not suggest any specific service or deployment method for cloud computing, but lists several guidelines agencies should follow [...]
The Defense Department does not expect major cuts in the area of information technology, the Pentagon’s Deputy Chief Information Officer Robert Carey told Federal Times. The Pentagon currently operates with a $38.5 billion IT budget. The Pentagon is looking to trim around $40 billion from its overall budget in 2013 in order to reach its goal [...]
President Obama is nominating Frank Kendall to be the Pentagon’s top acquisition official, a position he is currently serving in an acting role, the White House announced Monday. Kendall became acting defense undersecretary for acquisition, technology and logistics after Ashton Carter was confirmed as deputy defense secretary in September. Obama announced three other nominations for [...]
Lt. Gen. William Lord will retire as the U.S. Air Force’s chief information officer at the end of July after three years of service, FedScoop reported Tuesday. Lt. Gen. Michael Balsa, who currently serves as vice commander of the Air Force Space Command, will succeed Lord, according to his official biography page. Balsa brings more than [...]