The White House has issued an executive order today aimed at improving the security of classified networks and preventing the release of documents to organizations such as WikiLeaks that have compromised classified and delicate intelligence information.
The so-called “WikiLeaks Order“ issued by President Obama on Friday emphasizes the need for structural reforms by making agencies primarily responsible for the information they obtain and share. Keep reading →
COMMENTARY: Nearly three million men and women have volunteered to serve in our armed forces since the attacks of September 11, 2001. These soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, and coast guardsmen left their families and risked their lives to fight for our freedoms overseas. They should not have to fight for a job when they come home.
That is why the president has championed the American Jobs Act, and why the Congress should pass his plan with urgent speed. It will help our veterans, who are just back from war, find a job. And it will give strength and stability to American families and communities. Keep reading →
The latest annual survey of federal employees, conducted by the Office of Personnel Management, finds that there are at least a dozen federal agencies where half or more of employees now telework to some extent.
(Click the image above to see the full Breaking Gov infographic.) Keep reading →
India revealed Wednesday a new, low-cost computer tablet, the Aakash, which is rumored to be sold for only $35 and aimed at Indian students. The government is hoping to use the Web as a way to spread and encourage education in India. Keep reading →
A group of 12 Republican lawmakers issued a detailed set of recommendations Wednesday on how the federal government should work with private sector owners and operators of the nation’s critical infrastructures to enhance cybersecurity.
The long-awaited 20-page report by the House Republican Cybersecurity Task Force, led by Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX, pictured center above), strikes a similar chord to plans currently being worked on by Senate Democrats and the Obama administration but takes a significantly different philosophical approach, calling for limits on federal regulations, tax credits for companies that improve cybersecurity and a third-party, private-sector run “clearing house” of real-time information on cyber threats. Keep reading →
COMMENTARY:
Once, back when such events were in vogue, I helped lead a troupe of 100 executives on a journey of self-discovery in the rain forests of Central America. It was a very cool trip-and very costly. The logistics alone must have run into the millions, given the planes, jeeps, boats and more planes used to ferry the participants half way around the world, deep into the jungle, and back out again.
Was it worth it? Well, there were thoughtful meetings around the campfire. There were some frank discussions with the CEO. The group bonded – sort of. And one executive had either an epiphany or cardiac arrest when he accidentally bumped into me moments after someone flipped the switch on the generator and plunged the campsite into the inkiest nothingness most of us had ever experienced. Keep reading →
In testimony to the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection, and Security Technology, Spires outlined for Chairman Daniel Lungren (R- CA), ranking Member Yvette Clarke (D-NY) and other members how how federal agencies in general are moving forward with the administration’s “Cloud First” strategy and how those efforts are expected to improve DHS’s performance and IT efficiency. Keep reading →
Department of Homeland Security CIO Richard Spires told a House subcommittee today how DHS was moving forward on nine initiatives to move DHS information services into a private cloud computing environment.
When the last space shuttle landed back on Earth in July, it appeared as though NASA’s manned space exploration may be grounded for good. Actually, 60 American astronauts are deep in training for future missions.
“We’re very much alive,” said Dr. Michael Barratt, 52, a physician and space medicine specialist who’s flown two missions and hopes to go up in space again. Keep reading →
A program begun on a shoe string a year ago to help federal agencies tap a broader universe of creative ideas to solve some of the government’s toughest challenges has spawned a surprising, if not revolutionary, wave of innovation in government – and at a fraction of the cost most agencies would traditionally spend to achieve similar results. Keep reading →