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When he is not selling software to federal agencies and major corporations, Curt Kolcun likes to unwind on his 26-acre “farm” near the historic town of Leesburg, Virginia, about 40 miles northwest of Washington, D.C. The capital commute sometimes can seem like capital punishment, but Kolcun doesn’t seem to mind.

The task seemed simple enough: The U.S. military services should use a technological edge to adapt forces to whatever type of fight came to pass. They were prodded by an impatient secretary of defense who saw information technology as the means to win conventional wars quickly with less force. But, U.S. armed forces also were instructed by the 2006 Quadrennial Defense Review to prepare for combat operations against new, elusive nonstate foes, with a focus on multiple irregular, asymmetric operations. They also had to give equal weight to combat and sustainability operations.

With the ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan amid the Global War on Terrorism, it is easy to become focused on the Persian Gulf and U.S. Central Command, on NATO and Europe, and on the domestic homeland security threat. However, outside of these areas lies half of the Earth’s surface, and it comprises many of the challenges present in other parts of the world.

Have you ever received notification from a government or industry office that your personal information may have been compromised or lost? I have—on both counts—and it is not a comforting feeling. It also makes you immediately question the care and practices of the organizations that solicited your trust in safeguarding your private information.

A soon-to-be published HQDA Execution Order will direct the Army to locate, identify and categorize its information technology (IT) assets as part of an overall strategy to optimize resources and increase force protection.

EDO Communications and Countermeasures Systems Incorporated is being awarded a $40.3 million

BAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems Incorporated is receiving a $28.3 million, firm-fixed-priced

VT Halter Marine Incorporated has been awarded a $393.7 million, firm-fixed-price, not-to-exceed

Lockheed Martin Maritime Systems and Sensors is being awarded a $117.1 million, cost-plus-award-fee, fixed-fee

TeleCommunication Systems Incorporated (TCS) has received $7.8 million from the U.S.