SIGNAL Online Exclusives

The U.S. Navy's rescheduling of the Next Generation Enterprise Network (NGEN) request for proposals (RFP) should not delay the program, according to a Navy official. After slating an RFP release for December 21, the Navy changed course and extended the RFP release date to sometime in late January 2012 at the earliest.

This holiday season, don’t fall prey to a criminal’s cyber scam. Protect yourself by following a few simple guidelines when shopping online and giving to charities. Actually, these rules are good all year round as well.

The small form factor of increasingly popular mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets is posing new challenges to those developing applications, or apps, for these items. Gwynne Kostin offers her advice for agencies considering the move to mobile.

When it comes to Internet content consumed on a mobile device, there may be an app for that … but there’s an important distinction that must be recognized. Mobile isn't just a "little Web," according to a GSA official.

NASA's final space shuttle mission did not mark the end of U.S. space travel. Instead, scientists and engineers now have their sights set on exploring deeper into the solar system with plans to enable trips to Mars and asteroids. A plethora of projects are testing how to supply the food, liquids and fuel necessary for such journeys.

The U.S. intelligence community faces the possibility of devastating budget cuts if the congressional Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction does not reach an agreement by November 23, 2011. The community is not ready for the massive reductions that would be imposed if that congressional committee fails to reach agreement, says a senior defense official.

Here’s an interesting look into the inner workings of international cyber criminals by virtue of covertly recorded conversation snippets. The characteristics of similar processes in Western governments, particularly here in the United States, are well known because they are described in detail in the media. Our processes exist to provide accountability, budget constraint, quality assurance and fair competition. The bad guys have a slightly different take on how to go about things.

The U.S. Coast Guard 1st District is making plans to extend its network of disparate yet connected radio frequencies down to its front lines. If all goes according to plan, the smaller, lighter technology could make its way into the vests of boarding-team leaders, giving them the ability to connect with higher headquarters via not only voice, but also full-motion video and videoteleconferencing.

U.S. Army officials are planning improvements to the Army’s mobile cloud computing platform commonly used in Afghanistan. The next version of the Battle Command Common Services (BCCS) system will mark the Army’s first attempt to align the cloud platform with the Common Operating Environment. It will improve interoperability between the operations and intelligence communities, ultimately improving situational awareness for warfighters.

The nation’s critical infrastructure may be in more peril than anticipated as its new technology capabilities increase network vulnerability. A similar threat may extend to longtime military networks that suddenly are not as certain to be available when needed.