Communications Networking

FirstNet should be reauthorized before it sunsets, GAO says

Any significant changes to the public safety broadband network would be complex, expensive and may disrupt services delivery if the contract with AT&T is interrupted or changed before 2042, GAO warned.

  • By Susan Miller

Grady talks spectrum, cyber concerns in nomination hearing

Adm. Christopher Grady told senators that Defense Department moves to free up swaths of spectrum would have consequences when it comes to operations, training, and readiness.

  • By Lauren C. Williams

Could faster buying undermine electronic warfare prep?

Some measures that protect weapons systems against electronic vulnerabilities can be “pushed aside” during rapid acquisitions, according to David Tremper, the electronic warfare director for the Defense Department.

  • By Lauren C. Williams

SATCOM shift to Space Force stalled under CR

The U.S. Space Force’s plans to absorb all of the military’s satellite communications, including nearly 700 uniformed personnel from the Army, Navy and Marine Corps, is delayed along with the rest of the military’s appropriation as Congress preps for a second continuing resolution in fiscal year 2022.

  • By Lauren C. Williams

DOD awards $32.6 million in spectrum OTAs

The awards were made via an other transaction agreement through the National Spectrum Consortium. DOD has increasingly used OTAs to rapidly buy and fund prototype development as well as fielding new technologies.

  • By Lauren C. Williams

Breaking down the Army's new network plan

The Army wants to be able to freely send data back and forth from its legacy and business systems to the tactical edge. Key to doing that is its strategy to unify tactical and enterprise networks and creating a common "data fabric." But will it work?

  • By Lauren C. Williams

Keeping up with software cadence at the Air Force Test Center

Maj. Gen. Evan Dertien, commander of the Air Force Test Center, said the organization wants rapid software update capabilities for the USAF fleet, but that approach won't work in every use case.

  • By Lauren C. Williams

HUD makes nearly $100M in EIS task orders

The Department of Housing and Urban Development issued three substantial task orders on the governmentwide Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions contract.

  • By Adam Mazmanian

How the Air Force is tackling electronic warfare challenges

The Air Force is on high alert when it comes to electromagnetic spectrum threats. But extensive system updates pose a risk.

  • By Lauren C. Williams

Post-pandemic IT leadership

The rush to maximum telework did more than showcase the importance of IT -- it also forced them to rethink their own operations.

  • By Troy K. Schneider

Hurricane Ida knocked out key NARA system

The system is back up and running, but the sustained outage could lead to delays in the approval of annual records transfer requests.

  • By Adam Mazmanian

How COVID has changed citizen services

Record demand for services and pandemic precautions have prompted some fundamental reassessments about delivery.

  • By Troy K. Schneider

What 9/11 looked like inside the federal IT community

Mark Forman, the former administrator of the Office of E-Government and widely considered the first federal CIO, shares his recollections of the attacks of September 11, 2001.

  • By Adam Mazmanian

Strategic Command to lead EMS training effort

The Defense Department is standing up a new office to improve expertise in electromagnetic spectrum operations under U.S. Strategic Command as part of a new implementation plan.

  • By Lauren C. Williams
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Coast Guard updates cyber strategy with focus on 'mission platform'

The updated document aims to provide a clearer map for the Coast Guard's cyber priorities, including mitigating vulnerabilities in the maritime supply chain.

  • By Lauren C. Williams

Navy aims to tackle cross-domain data sharing in Project Overmatch

The Navy is hoping to clear network and data hurdles at the tactical edge with its answer to Joint All Domain Command and Control.

  • By Lauren C. Williams

House panel advances slate of cybersecurity bills

Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said eight new bills will bring the United States "one step closer to a safer and more secure wireless future."

  • By Chris Riotta

Can JADC2 fly without budget reform?

Tim Grayson, the director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's Strategic Technology Office, said there's a risk that "monolithic platforms get replaced with monolithic architectures."

  • By Lauren C. Williams

'Democratizing data' and the promise of JADC2

Lt. Gen. S. Clinton Hinote, the deputy chief of staff for strategy, integration and requirements for the Air Force, said the global shift to make data readily available could have a profound impact on military operations.

  • By Lauren C. Williams

Army tests network security, cyber tools in war games

Army officials said the Joint Warfighting Assessment exercise demonstrated that while the Army was able to create and share data across a multi-partner environment in a multi-partner network, the constructed virtual environment had its limitations.

  • By Lauren C. Williams

Can DISA's CBII make DOD telework more secure?

Cloud-Based Internet Isolation is a seamless solution for protecting DOD networks.

  • By Lauren C. Williams