Is Secretary Gates planning for big defense cuts?

Gates planning on big Defense cuts?

That’s what has been reported by Boston.com. According to the article, two defense officials claim that there will be an announcement of as many as six planned cuts. Although not authorized to share details on the topics, the sources claimed that among the potential major weapon cancellation possibilities were the Air Force’s F-22 fighter jet and Army ground-combat vehicles and a new Navy destroyer read more.

 Mickey Mantle, the famous NY Yankee, said “If I knew I was going to live this long, I’d have taken better care of myself”. Perhaps Secretary Gates is feeling the same way about his life as a Secretary of Defense.  The Boston.com article goes on to say Gates had warned that his successor would have to make these types of tough decisions. He probably didn’t count on being in this spot.

So for those that might be affected by this, I’ll offer another Mickey Mantle Quote “Whoever has the fastest golf cart, never has a bad lie”.

Cyber-Security Government Work Requires an Edge

As mentioned in Wednesday's Wall Street Journal, large government contracting firms are adding high level ex-government Cyber-Security experts to provide an edge in their pursuit of the $15-$30 Billion dollar anticipated and expanded budget over the next 5 years.

Should the huge new budget be fair game for all contractors? The argument here is simply “no“. GovCon firms will be required to understand how to best protect the government's informational technology assests. This understanding of the Government’s technology can also be used to compromise the government's IT asset. This vulernability, some suggest, makes the argument that competition for government Cyber-Security business should be limited to a select group of experienced firms. The obvious advantage companies should pursue, in order to get access to the anticipated surge of Cyber-dollars, would be to combine their firm’s key competence with the right contact and inside perspective.

Well, here is a partial list of the key companies and some players mentioned in the article, along with other notables.

Booz Allen, Mike McConnell / Northrop Grumman / SAIC / Boeing, Barbara Fast /Lockheed Martin, Charlie Croom / Raytheon /BAE Systems – Marie O'Neill Sciarrone /Deloitte