Amid fresh revelations that an estimated 2.2 million active duty and reserve military personnel are now at risk for identity theft, Veterans Affairs Secretary James Nicholson was called to testify Thursday before the House Government Reform Committee, where chairman Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.) pressed Nicholson on what has been done to secure sensitive data for the future. The answer he got is underwhelming. The VA’s preventive efforts, so far, include a weeklong security awareness standdown of all VA offices and removal of all unauthorized information from computers that are not secured. Later in the hearing, he noted that the VA is “conducting a survey to find who all has access and why they have access.” We guess it’s a start. (Read Nicholson’s written testimony here.)
The U.K. and the U.S. will continue to enjoy access to the ports, airfield, and workshops at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean for at least another century, under a deal inked between the U.K. and Mauritius May 22.