Wrap-up of Gen. Alexanderâs Cybercom Hearings
Cyber news and analysis website (and ExecutiveGov sister site) The New New Internet has an interesting wrap-up of NSA Director and U.S. Cyber Command head Gen. Keith Alexanderâs testimony on Capitol Hill this week. Alexandersâ was a grim message, per TNNI.
âTo put it bluntly, we are very thin, and a crisis would quickly stress our cyber forces,â the general told Congress.
OMB Deputyâs Nomination Approved by Senate Subcommittee
Government Executive reports the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee by a 6-4 vote approved the nomination of Heather Higginbottom as deputy director Office of Management and Budget.
Higginbottomâs nomination will now go the full senate.
Defense Secretary Gates Eyeing Retirement and Loosening Tongue
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates is telling âem how he really feels, POLITICO reports today.
âLawmakers, commentators and factions inside the military-industrial complex are grumbling, quietly and openly, that Gatesâs new candor is hurting U.S. interests,â POLITICO reports. âEither it sends the wrong message to allies and enemies, they say, or it endangers big-ticket defense programs.â
Click here for the full story.
Teleworking Tips
The passage of the Telework Improvement Act and the gradual adoption of telework policies was only the first step in making successful teleworking a reality across the government.
Government Computer Newsâ suite of telework coverage today is anchored by this piece giving agencies some advice: Take it one step at at time.
DoD âPleasedâ with BRAC Progress
DoD officials are âgenerally pleasedâ with the Base Realignment and Closure planâs progress, American Forces Press Service reports today.
Thatâs likely because the most recent iteration, the 2005 BRAC plan, was different than previous efforts, officials said.
âThe 2005 [process] was more about restructuring than it was about trimming excess capacity,â said the director of the Pentagonâs basing directorate.
Click here for the full story.
New Cyber Legislation
GovInfoSecurity reports on a new piece of cybersecurity legislation.
Rep. James Langevin (D-R.I.), a co-founder of the House Cybersecurity Caucus, is sponsoring the bipartisan legislation, which would create a National Office for Cyberspace in the White House to be headed by a Senate-confirmed director and would implement continuous monitoring, GovInfoSecurity reports.
Click here for the full story.
DHS, HUD Talk Cloud Strategies
FierceGovernmentIT has the goods on cloud strategies for the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Creating such strategies has been âa bit of an arduous process” said DHS CIO Richard Spires at an IRMO conference this week.
DHS has plans to close eight of its data centers this year, while HUD has focused on improving transparency in its procurement methods, FierceGovernmentIT reports.