The Defense Department Inspector General has cast a wary eye on the Air Force’s Network-Centric Solutions contract—with a potential ceiling of up to $9 billion—because the IG found it had incomplete information assurance requirements. A recent IG report says that task orders written under this contract may (1) not support vital systems during a contingency; (2) allow classified information to fall into the hands of foreign government entities; and (3) not ensure the physical security of either information or federal facilities. According to the IG, the Air Force “concurred and took action to correct the contracting omissions and inconsistencies.” Stand by because this is just the first IG report on this mammoth contract that’s expected to provide not only the Air Force but other DOD and federal agencies a “primary source” of information technology networking equipment and system engineering, installation, integration, operations, and maintenance.
An important U.S. Air Force E-3 Sentry AWACS command and control plane was among the aircraft damaged in a March 27 Iranian missile and drone attack on Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, people familiar with the matter told Air & Space Forces Magazine.