Oversight
From Nextgov.com: Appropriators worry VA isn't capitalizing on IT centralization
The central office responsible for overseeing the department's technology lacks a clear organizational structure, Senate panel reports .
Oversight
From Nextgov.com: Military Health System plans to ‘evolve’ electronic record system
Agency will work on converged evolution of VA and Defense systems.
Managing Technology
Rough and Tumble
Rugged computers would be more popular if makers would update them.
Defense
Army overhauls modernization program
Initial components of Future Combat Systems will go to lighter infantry brigades, not heavy armored units.
Oversight
From Nextgov: NOAA awards contract to manage huge stores of environmental data
Goal is to make it easier for researchers to search the petabytes of weather information the agency collects.
Defense
From Nextgov.com: Military plans to implement patient-controlled electronic health records
System could be in place by the end of the year.
Defense
From Nextgov.com: Defense withdraws Hight's nomination to head DISA
Department declines to identify other candidates for head of its top information and telecommunications agency.
Defense
From Nextgov.com: Senate derails Hight's nomination as DISA director
Marriage to executive in charge of business development at Northrop Grumman raises conflict-of-interest concerns.
Oversight
From Nextgov.com: Health IT office awards contract to fight medical identity theft
National coordinator for health IT asks Booz Allen to analyze prevalence of medical records theft and how to prevent and detect it.
Oversight
From Nextgov.com: FDA asks for $65 million to better track food contamination
Increase in fiscal 2009 IT budget also would help trace adverse effects from medical devices.
Defense
Bush: Troops could miss paychecks, civilians could be laid off
Congress must pass war supplemental funding measure to keep Defense operations going, White House says.
Defense
Army honors internal inventors
Developers of top technology solutions to be recognized for their work at June 12 ceremony.
Features
Speeding Security
The TSA operation in Albuquerque finds that a focus on customer service leads to happier travelers—and improved security.
Defense
From Nextgov.com: Bandwidth shortage threatens Army’s FCS plans
Congress concerned about Future Combat Systems and other programs that could overwhelm network capacity .
Defense
From Nextgov.com: Defense boosts bandwidth of global network to meet battlefield needs
Rising demand attributed mostly to satellite and video images from Iraq and Afghanistan.
Defense
House chairman blasts VA move to set up panel on soldier suicides
Rep. Bob Filner, D-Calif., instead calls for “immediate action” to provide mental health evaluations for discharged service members.
Defense
Senate gives FDA $265 million in Defense supplemental ’08 funding
Funds would expand agency’s inspections of foreign drug plants and food products, but faces Bush veto.
Defense
From Nextgov.com: Committee pulls purse strings to nudge services toward unified command-and-control systems
House Armed Services report also targets Future Combat Systems delays and IT staff shortage.
Defense
From Nextgov.com: Cost of cybersecurity initiative is triple its first estimate, panel reports
The development of the National Cybersecurity Initiative also is too secretive, removing a deterrence to attack U.S. networks, Senate committee charges.
Oversight