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FedWire: NARA research fellows, NASA’s Galaxy Evolution Explorer, and veteran-help PSA

2013_04_fedwire2001FedWire is FedScoop’s afternoon roundup of news and notes from the federal IT community. Send your links and videos to tips@fedscoop.com.

NASA and Deloitte collaborate on risk management.

DOD needs to work on assessing the performance of the regional centers for security studies.

NIST calls for suggestions to speed computer incident teams responses.

NARA announces research fellows.

Energy Department goes to New York Energy Week.

NASA decommissions Galaxy Evolution Explorer.

National Science Board calls for nominations for new members.

Gary Sinise: What will you do to help veterans?

Ship-It Day: Lawrence Livermore’s 24-hour hackathon.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0RrbTPM3h4&feature=youtube_gdata

FedScoop asks: Who are the government’s cybersecurity leaders and innovators?

The rapid growth of cyberattacks has necessitated unique and nimble cybersecurity solutions. With its 2013 Cyber Awards, software security manufacturer Symantec is looking to recognize some of the individuals behind those solutions.

Symantec has opened up nominations for the awards, which will be announced at its upcoming 11th annual Symantec Government Symposium. The Cyber Awards will recognize those who exemplify excellence in government cybersecurity through individual contributions to cybersecurity programs protecting data and systems.

The awards will also honor thought leaders who have developed and operationalized innovative strategies or programs to address government cybersecurity challenges.

Leaders in five areas of government will receive awards: civilian employees, defense employees, state and local employees, members of Congress and educators. U.S. and international government employees are invited to nominate colleagues, and industry individuals are encouraged to nominate government employees as well. Government employees can also nominate themselves.

Once all nominations are received — by Aug. 1 at the latest — a group of technology leaders from the public and private sectors will review and make the final decisions.

To nominate an individual or get more information, click here.

OPM, agencies fall short on telework tracking

Tracking and measuring success of government telework programs is proving to be a difficult task for the Office of Personnel Management

The Government Accountability Office’s newly released report analyzed OPM’s 2012 status of telework in the federal government, examining the progress of federal agencies’ telework programs and OPM’s ability collect that data. The conclusion: Both agencies and OPM still have much room for improvement.

GAO’s analysis is based on OPM’s 2012 report to Congress and OPM’s reporting requirements in the 2010 Telework Enhancement Act. The analysis found OPM partially reported on two of the seven reporting requirements instituted by the act. Furthermore, less than half of federal agencies (47 percent) had established numeric participation goals for telework progress; 22 percent gave descriptive participation goals, and 31 percent did not give participation goals at all.

Yvonne Jones, GAO’s director of strategic issues, said until OPM demonstrates it has developed a reliable tracking method for telework data, “OPM cannot be confident that it will be in a position to report reliable data in 2015 as it intends.”

According to OPM’s report, several agency officials reported the cost of implementing information technology solutions to increase telework was a challenge, particularly the cost of software licensing. One official said during Hurricane Sandy, the agency didn’t have enough software licenses for all teleworking employees, and obtaining the licenses was very costly to the agency.

The report said the “requirements of the act put in place the elements of a new system of accountability that will enable improved oversight of agency implementation of telework programs.” However, it also noted it “remains uncertain when full compliance with the act’s reporting requirements will be achieved.”

OPM’s report found many agencies don’t have the ability within their systems to collect the participation and frequency data the act requires. They also lack guidance on a timeline for completion, as one has not yet been established.

“Without a timetable for completion and agreement of stakeholders affected by this strategy, there is no assurance OPM’s efforts will achieve the telework data collection system it needs or that an alternative collection and reporting strategy will be developed,” the report stated.

For its next report, GAO recommended OPM provide goal-setting assistance for agencies unable to track their goal progress themselves. It also recommended the 2014 report to Congress should include the amount of cost savings resulting from telework, and also how they came to those results.

Defending secrecy, building the nation’s cyberdefense

Last week, two of the nation’s top military officials gave a full-throated defense of the government’s data collection programs and the importance of robust cyberdefense capabilities.

In separate speeches, National Security Agency Director Keith Alexander and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Martin Dempsey argued controversial phone and Internet-monitoring programs were part of a necessary expansive plan to defend the country from the new cyberlandscape.

“One thing is clear: Cyber has escalated from an issue of moderate concern to one of the most serious threats to our national security,” Dempsey said Wednesday during a speech at a Brookings Institution forum.

The next day, Alexander echoed Dempsey. “If you look at the statistics and what’s going on, we’re seeing an increase in the disruptive and destructive attacks,” he said at the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association International Cyber Symposium in Baltimore. “And I am concerned that those will continue. As a nation, we must be ready.”

Alexander — whose agency has been under scrutiny in the weeks since Edward Snowden released information about secret data collection and surveillance programs — said the public outing of NSA’s clandestine programs has damaged their effectiveness. Using two separate programs, NSA has been collecting telephone metadata — anonymous records of phone logs — and Internet activity — emails, browsing history, etc. — for several years.

“The damage is real,” he said. “I believe the irresponsible release of classified information about these programs will have a long-term detrimental impact on the intelligence community’s ability to detect future attacks. These leaks have inflamed and sensationalized for ignoble purposes the work that the intelligence community does lawfully under strict oversight and compliance.”

Alexander provided Congress with 54 examples of terrorist plots foiled using information from these programs. If these potential assailants had known of the government’s communications monitoring programs, Alexander said, these might not be foiled plots.

“Those who wish us harm now know how we counter their actions,” he said. “These leaks have caused significant and irreversible damage to our nation’s security.

Which is why the U.S. must invest in cyberdefense across all federal agencies, Alexander said. Dempsey, in his speech, detailed what this investment will look like. In four years, he said, the government will pour $23 billion into U.S. Cyber Command. That’s 4,000 additional cyberoperators and three 24-hour teams: a national mission team to counter cyberattacks on the U.S., a global team supporting combatant commanders and a network defense team to protect the networks supporting military operations worldwide.

And then there’s the NSA’s mysterious $1.5 billion NSA data storage facility being built in Utah. According to the Denver Post on Monday, recent leaks showed the facility will house “among the most sophisticated supercomputers and largest reserves of data storage on the planet,” with the capability to process roughly one thousand trillion calculations per second. It will make the data collection programs even more powerful.

“We’re being attacked,” Alexander said. “And we’ve got to figure out how to fix that.”

Twitter abuzz on Independence Day

2013_07_julyfourth July 4 fireworks display and concert on the National Mall. (Photo: Architect of the Capitol Flickr)

The Fourth of July is a time for hotdogs, red-and-white checkered tablecloths, grilling, and of course, fireworks. A holiday that knows no political party, where Republicans and Democrats can reach across the aisle not to talk politics, but to simply pass the ketchup.

Feds took to Twitter and Flickr to express their patriotism and American spirit, posting photos of fireworks and Independence Day activities in Washington. In what has been a busy time in the nation’s capital these past few weeks, July 4 was a time for Washingtonians to relax and enjoy a tall glass of sweet tea.

Former President Bill Clinton even got a little nostalgic over Twitter, and posted a throwback picture of Nelson Mandela and himself on Independence Day 20 years ago.

FedWire: GSA gets A+, Capitol Fourth and retired satellite

2013_04_fedwire2001FedWire is FedScoop’s afternoon roundup of news and notes from the federal IT community. Send your links and videos to tips@fedscoop.com.

GSA receives an A+ from the Small Business Administration.

Hagel notes 40th anniversary of all-volunteer force.

NASA/CNES retires ocean satellite, Jason-1.

Spy on your own email to see what NSA has on you.

Watchdog group to Obama: Get rid of DHS acting IG.

Senior Air Force leaders remember fallen heroes on America’s birthday.

VA buys more than 247 acres to continue memorial benefits for veterans.

Capitol Fourth concert dress rehearsal tonight.

Help FedScoop find D.C.’s most eligible bachelors — and it’s not just techies!

July 4th celebration at the National Archives:

Behind the scenes with the president and first lady at Robben Island:

With DISA’s mobile security contract, joint information environment a little closer

The Defense Department on Friday took a big step toward its goal of a joint information environment, awarding Digital Management Inc. a contract to securely manage departmentwide mobile devices.

The Defense Information Systems Agency put out a request for proposals last October for a mobile device management software. The software should act as “traffic cop” for mobile devices, be able to remotely wipe software from any mobile device and allow users to personally download and update applications from an app store.

Friday, the awarding of the 3-year, $16 million contract brought those capabilities closer to reality.

“As part of this new Joint Information Environment, we are building a secure 4G wireless network that will get iPads, iPhones and Android devices online by mid-2014,” said Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Martin Dempsey during a speech at the Brookings Institute on Thursday. In fact, I have a secure mobile phone with me here today. This phone would make both Batman and James Bond jealous.”

Dempsey sees the secure mobile environment as the next generation of the military.

“The smartphone generation joining our military will help us pioneer a new era of mobile command and control,” he said. “This revolution will empower our greatest resource — the ingenuity of our people — and the philosophy of mission command we embrace.”

DOMA’s gone: How will that affect federal employees?

Cory Bennett and Colby Hochmuth co-authored this story.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday struck down Defense of Marriage Act, in what could be an exciting, but challenging, opportunity for the federal government to embrace fair employment.

Before Wednesday, federal employees in same-sex marriages or civil unions weren’t extended the same rights as those in “traditional” marriages; they couldn’t be on health insurance plans, file taxes jointly or receive survivor and other benefits.

That all changed Wednesday.

According a 2004 Congressional Budget Office report, there are 1,138 statutory provisions in which marital status of the individual is a factor in determining eligibility for “benefits, rights and privileges.”

John Palguta, vice president of policy and research at the Partnership for Public Service, says this ruling will likely have a positive impact on employee productivity.

“As an employer, it’s all about employee engagement,” he said. “We know from our analysis, one of the things that promotes more employee engagement is when they feel they’re being treated equally.”

The 2004 CBO report also points out the slight positive effect the ruling could have on the economy. Recognizing same-sex marriages would boost total federal tax revenues by roughly $500 million per year; less than 0.1 percent of total U.S. revenue. The CBO report did, however, assume gay marriage was both recognized by the federal government and legalized in all 50 states. In addition to the possible minimal economic boost, the ruling will lessen the tax burden on same-sex couples, while making same-sex spouses eligible for more benefits.

The military offers some of the more generous spousal benefits packages. Less than two years after first allowing gay individuals to serve openly in the military, the Defense Department was quick to say it would be following procedures to expand these spousal benefits to same-sex military partners.

“The Department of Defense welcomes the Supreme Court’s decision today on the Defense of Marriage Act,” Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel said in a statement. “The Department of Defense intends to make the same benefits available to all military spouses — regardless of sexual orientation — as soon as possible. That is now the law, and it is the right thing to do.”

Logistically, this means allowing same-sex military spouses to apply for military identification cards, which are needed to enroll for benefits. DOD estimates the process will take six to 12 weeks and likely come with a price tag, although there has been no official cost estimate.

“The law of the land has just changed, and we will now, as quickly as possible, assess what that means,” said Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey at a Wednesday press briefing. “I’m sure there will be some cost, but we’ll figure it out, because we’ll follow the law of the land.”

But the 12-week delay could leave some military same-sex couples in limbo. It’s unclear whether benefits will be granted retroactively to the date of the Supreme Court’s ruling, or to the date the program is finally implemented. And it’s unclear whether the Pentagon will extend any benefits to same-sex domestic partnerships.

Former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta wrote a memo just before leaving his position in February the overturn of DOMA would cause the Pentagon to consider “whether unmarried same-sex domestic partnerships should be a basis for eligibility for benefits in the future.”

And further down the road, the patchwork of state laws on same-sex marriage could cause issues for veterans’ surviving spouses benefits. Veterans’ benefits are determined based on the laws in the state where the couple lived when married or when the right to benefit accrues.

In general, federal agencies use different standards to determine a marriage’s eligibility for benefits. While that will pose convoluted legal and accounting questions, the influx and same-sex couples into the federal databases won’t present a significant challenge.

“The mechanics of adding the spouses into the system will be minor,” Palguta said. “People get married and divorced every day; it’s only a matter of going into the system and changing it.”

But states are legalizing gay marriage at a quickening page. By Aug. 1 of this year, roughly 59 million people will live in states that have legalized gay marriage, meaning the availability of same-sex marriage as a percentage of population will have more than doubled in just one year. Which means more marriages and more decisions the government must make about spousal benefits. And for Palguta, that means more analysis will be needed.

“The Office of Personnel Management has acknowledged they will need to do an analysis,” he said. “It is unclear what will happen to couples married in a state that acknowledges same-sex marriages and move to a state that doesn’t. And I think that’ll be something that we’ll figure out over time as this starts to take effect.”

Whistle-blower protections reach ‘uncharted territory’

2013_06_8554005117_fd16f795f9_z President Barack Obama talks with Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. (Photo: Pete Souza/White House)

On Monday, the march toward increased whistle-blower protection moves forward, albeit without protection for intelligence community contractors such as Edward Snowden.

Protection will expand to include all defense subcontractors — not just contractors — as well as employees who report fraud internally, instead of to the government. The burden on employers is also rising. They must now disseminate whistle-blower rights in myriad manners and defend any retaliatory actions against whistle-blowers to a higher standard.

But contractors with government intelligence agencies, such as National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden, remain uncovered. In fact, federal intelligence employees only received whistle-blower protection after President Barack Obama’s executive order last November.

The amendments, signed into law by Obama as part of the current National Defense Authorization Act, take effect July 1. Existing defense contracts will only become subject to the new regulations if they are modified on or after that date.

To whistle-blower advocates, it’s a positive step, but not perfect.

“We’re happy and very pleased with the legislation,” said Joe Newman, director of communications for Project on Government Oversight. But “there are still areas to be improved. There’s a big gaping hole when it comes to contractors in the intelligence field. … There’s also a culture in the government that has to change.”

That’s the exact culture the Defense Department says it’s trying to change by playing up these changes and educating contractors. To Nilgun Tolek, director of whistle-blower reprisal investigations, it’s a continuation of the natural progression since Congress first instituted whistleblower protections in 1989.

“Congress has been going in this direction for a long time,” Tolek said during an interview at the DOD inspector general’s office. She said the office has had to turn away numerous complaints over the years, not because the complaints weren’t potentially valid, but because they simply weren’t covered by whistle-blower protection.

“Once we determined that in the early stages of an investigation before, we couldn’t go forward,” she said. “We had to stop because they weren’t covered by the statute.”

Which is why, despite a rise in whistle-blower reprisal cases — from 16 in 2006 to 85 in 2012 — the office has only substantiated one, back in 2006.

“Our stats look sort of negative, largely because of these gaps that existed in coverage,” Tolek said.

But she expects that to change. The increased coverage and awareness expected from the shift will likely mean both more complaints and more fully realized investigations. Whistle-blower reprisal complaints previously dismissed because the whistle-blower initially reported the abuse — overbilling, disposing functioning equipment, switching in less qualified personnel — to a supervisor or company hotline, will no longer be dismissed.

Marguerite Garrison, deputy inspector general for administrative investigations, believes the office can handle the increase. “My whistle-blower reprisal investigations directorate has grown by about 30 to 40 percent in the last two years,” she said.

But contractors have often been resistant to heightened regulations, Newman said. There was some pushback in 2008 when defense federal acquisition regulations, known as DFAR, were altered to mandate contractors put up posters detailing the whistle-blowing process. Since then, contractors have also been required to post whistle-blowing information on internal company websites. The new regulations will require posters be written in the predominant native language of the contractor’s workforce.

“It’s not something that industry necessarily wants,” Newman said. “Bottom line: The company wants to be able to control information. Sometimes, we’ve seen them try to cover info up. This isn’t something that is necessarily business friendly. It can lead to sanctions, it can lead to fines, and they’re not necessarily in the business of being transparent.”

The amendments also raise the employer’s legal burden of proof in a whistle-blower reprisal investigation, Tolek said. Previously, employers had to prove a “preponderance of the evidence” showed they would have taken the same action against an employee (demoted, fired, etc.) regardless of the original whistle-blower action. Now, they’ll have to show “clear and convincing evidence,” only one step below the highest level of proof — “beyond a reasonable doubt” — which normally only applies in criminal cases.

“It’s a long-term implementation that plays out over time because of not applying to existing contracts,” Tolek said.

Garrison summed it up: “It’s uncharted territory. Are we going to get it right 100 percent of the time? I don’t think so.”

But to DOD officials, it’s another step in the right direction.

Mobile medical apps wow lawmakers

The mobile medical app  — also known as MMA — industry is one of the most rapidly expanding fields in the industry. There are currently 27,000 unique MMAs on the market, with 5,000 new ones launched every month.

“These apps can help reduce hospital readmissions and reduce the cost of chronic diseases,” said Rep. Chris Collins, R-NY, chairman of the House small business committee’s Subcommittee on Health and Technology. “This will be the next stage of patients taking control.”

The subcommittee held a hearing June 27, titled “Mobile Medical App Entrepreneurs: Changing the Face of Health Care.” The hearing highlighted entrepreneurs who are working toward creating and bettering existing health apps that will improve health care and data accessibility.

According to ranking member Rep. Janice Hahn, D-Calif., these MMA advances stand to dramatically improve medicine.

“It will reduce inefficiencies, confusion and disorganization that cost money and lives,” she said. “For doctors, it will put more patient data in their hands to make informed decisions more efficiently, from wherever they are.”

The subcommittee heard testimony and saw live demonstrations from four individuals; Alan Portela, CEO at Airstrip; Keith Brophy, CEO at Ideomed; Dr. Christopher Burrow, executive vice president of medical affairs at Humetrix; and Sabrina Casucci, Ph.D candidate of industrial and systems engineering at the University at Buffalo.

At Ideomed, Brophy and his team have developed a digital health management platform, which will help families treat and manage their children with asthma. Using the app on a mobile device, children can enter when they took their asthma medication and the app then alerts the parents and insurance provider.

This app has led to a distinct decline in emergency room visits for users. Ideomed held a clinical trial for this app using 26 individuals, and in the six months before the trial, the testers had 12 collective emergency room visits. During the six-month trial, that number dropped to zero.

The Blue Button app is another impressive MMA, which provides patients and caregivers with fast and reliable access to their private health records. Several federal agencies including the department of Defense, Veterans Affairs, and Health and Human Services have enabled their beneficiaries to use Blue Button so they can access their own personal health records.

“A comprehensive list of medicines taken, health history, previous procedures and much more can be accessed right on your mobile device,”Burrow said. “In improving the quality of health care, patient education is key and provider education is key.”

Medical errors kill 98,000 people every year, 7,000 of which are caused by medication errors. According to Hahn, these new MMA technologies are not just cool new technologies, but can save lives.

“These medical mobile apps can cut through the fog of overlapping medical instructions and prescription medication schedules,” Hahn said. “Providing reminders and helping people to stay on track with their health.”