SAIC to support federal biosurveillance program
Science Applications International Corp. won two contracts with a total value of $68.4 million to help implement and support the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's BioSense national syndromic surveillance program..
DHS taps Kroll for background investigation work
The Transportation Security Administration has awarded a $17.2 million, five-year contract to Kroll Government Services Inc. to perform preliminary background investigations of TSA screeners and other employees.
9/11 commissioners fail DHS on security initiatives
Members of the former 9/11 Commission today handed out failing grades for several IT initiatives in a report card that highlights shortcomings of the Homeland Security Department.
Cybersecurity czar concept meets resistance in Britain
Calls from a Member of Parliament to appoint a British cybersecurity czar are being greeted with skepticism from the U.K. information technology industry.
IG: Identity verification flawed without biometrics
Homeland Security Department procedures for verifying identities of people applying for U.S. residency and citizenship are still vulnerable to fraud and are overly reliant on paper documents, according to a new report from the department's Inspector General Richard Skinner.
Prosecutors scrutinize others in Cunningham probe
Following yesterday's confession by Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham (R-Calif.) of taking bribes and evading taxes, attention also is being focused on Cunningham's relationship with former Washington defense contractor MZM Inc. and its president, Mitchell Wade.
Three U.S. firms and Saab to chase Army simulation and training contracts
Three major systems integrators?Anteon International Corp., Lockheed Martin Corp. and Northrop Grumman Corp.?have teamed with a unit of Swedish aerospace giant Saab AB, to jointly offer solutions to meet future U.S. Army simulation and training requirements.
Leger urges halt of European passenger data transfer to DHS
Phillipe Leger, advocate general of the European Court of Justice, urged annulment of a May 2004 trans-Atlantic agreement permitting the European passenger data to be shared with the U.S. Bureau of Customs and Border Protection as an anti-terrorism measure.
IG: Tight controls on FBI's Sentinel project paying off
The FBI experienced a major setback in its failure to deploy the long-awaited Virtual Case File IT system, but it is performing better in its management of Sentinel, which is the successor system, according to a new report from the Justice Department's Inspector General.
Group: Comment period for protection plan too short
The Homeland Security Department is not giving enough time for the public and for industry members to comment on its draft National Infrastructure Protection Plan, according to OMB Watch, a Washington-based government watchdog group.
Homeland watch
The National Cyber Security Partnership, formed by four trade associations in 2003, is expected to announce soon that it has expanded to include many more trade associations.
DHS moves on infrastructure plan
IT industry leaders see improvements in the National Infrastructure Protection Plan released earlier this month, but they remain worried that they may be left out of the loop in the Homeland Security Department's policies and actions for IT sector security.
Market for informatics reaches $1B per year
Connecting the dots against terrorism became a major industry after Sept. 11, 2001. The market for intelligence and security informatics IT is now $1 billion a year, according to a new report.
House committee drafts border security bill
The House Homeland Security Committee today passed a broad-ranging border security bill (H.R. 4312)that would strengthen surveillance IT at the U.S. borders and increase usage of Defense Department technology in border surveillance, among other goals.
Homeland Security certifies tech products for Safety Act
The Homeland Security Department has certified several IT-related products and services under the Support for Anti-Terrorism by Fostering Effective Technologies Act, or Safety Act, in recent weeks.
Contractors stand at the ready
Following months of uncertainty, government IT contractors are feeling optimistic about Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff's plans, announced Nov. 2, to launch the multibillion-dollar Secure Border Initiative next spring.
Skinner: DHS needs to improve data sharing of key units
Existing IT systems are inadequate for sharing intelligence information between the Customs and Border Protection and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement units in the Homeland Security Department, according to DHS Inspector General Richard Skinner.
New council to coordinate global approach to biometrics
The new International Biometric Advisory Council has been established to foster development of common standards for privacy and interoperability among European, U.S. and global biometrics programs.
IT infrastructure protection group takes shape
A newly formed Information Technology Sector Coordinating Council is expected to debut today to assist the Homeland Security Department to safeguard the IT sector from terrorist attack.
Federal Information Sharing Environment gains momentum
The government's Information-Sharing Environment is advancing with additional staff, consulting with a new Information Sharing Council and organizing pilot projects, according to the environment's program manager.
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