President Barack Obama did not just win reelection Tuesday night. His victory signaled the irreversible triumph of a new, 21st-century America: multiracial, multi-ethnic, global in outlook and moving beyond centuries of racial, sexual, marital and religious tradition.
Howard Fineman is editorial director of the Huffington Post Media Group, where this article originally appeared. Keep reading →
No matter who wins the presidency Tuesday, the United States will have a new Treasury Secretary.
Tim Geithner, the last holdover from President Obama’s original economic team, has indicated he’s ready to go. If Obama wins, Geithner is expected to resign soon after, but Treasury officials are mum on the details. Keep reading →
During this time of budget constraints, the federal government is seeking low-priced, technically acceptable (LPTA) solutions to keep projects and innovation alive. In other words, agencies need to find ways to keep technological innovation moving forward, albeit with tighter purse strings.
As Lisa Mascolo, CEO of Optimos Inc., pointed out in her recent Washington Technology Op-Ed article on the topic of LPTA contracts, “When I hear ‘acceptable,’ I think adequate, good enough, not great but okay.” Keep reading →
The tab for the 2012 election is breaking records, with $4.2 billion raised through Sunday on the races for the White House and Congress.
Never before has so much money flowed into federal races. Much of it comes from the unlimited fundraising power of so-called independent groups, including super PACs. Keep reading →
This is the first in a series of profiles featuring 2012 U.S. Government Information Security Leadership Award (GISLA) winners. The winners received the awards in October from (ISC)2 a nonprofit serving certified information security professionals and administrators.
During a time of significant demand for — and an equally significant shortage of — skilled cyber security professionals, Commander of the Army Reserve Information Operations Command (ARIOC), Col. John Diaz assembled and led a 10-person cadre that set a training strategy into motion that systematically transforms ARIOC’s workforce into elite combat-ready cyber warriors. Keep reading →
Intelligence about the tragedy in Benghazi continues to dribble out very slowly, almost one document at a time. Some of the electronic cables, messages and reproductions of other physical documents have come into view over the past several weeks. Some of these documents were classified, but still found their way to members of Congress and openly reported in the media.
However, one piece of electronic information about security concerns on that fateful day has not received the attention it deserves. Keep reading →
The DHS Task Force on Cyber Skills released a much-anticipated report last month on the state of the cyber workforce within the Department of Homeland Security.
Commissioned in June 2012 by Secretary Janet Napolitano, a group of government and industry leaders was tasked with “identifying the best ways DHS can foster the development of a national security workforce capable of meeting current and future cybersecurity challenges.” The group was also charged with “outlining how DHS can improve its capability to recruit and retain that sophisticated cybersecurity talent.” Keep reading →
Hey, you want Special Forces? The Army’s got your back. Want air defense? Missile defense? Communications? Intelligence? Logistical support? Joint Task Force headquarters? Go Army!
Just – just please, don’t cut our budget any more, okay? Keep reading →
Using analytics to make better decisions is taking root in agencies across the government, notes a new report, which explores how a dozen pioneers did it. The report, by the Partnership for Public Service and the IBM Center, also offers advice from leaders of some of those organizations that shows how others can make better decisions using analytics as well.
Investing in, and using, program evaluation has been a hard sell in many agencies for years. While evaluation is important for long-term program assessments, it can be expensive and take years to complete. But with new technology and greater availability of data, many agencies are beginning to take advantage of the value of existing real-time administrative data. This movement is called “data analytics.” And the immediacy of results is appealing to many executives. Keep reading →
Government agencies and departments are learning to live with travel restrictions and discovering innovative alternatives amid an anti-conference trend brought on by budget restrictions and well-publicized abuses.
But some managers fear the trend will inhibit federal workers’ ability to stay current with new technology field advancements or to consult with experts in the private sector via site visits, professional seminars and annual conferences. Keep reading →