Former PIDB Member Steven Garfinkel passes

Former PIDB member and ISOO Director Steven Garfinkel (1945-2018), died on September 24, 2018, aged 73. Garfinkel entered government service with a distinguished academic record, after attending both George Washington University and its Law School as a Trustee Scholar. In 1970, he received his J.D. (with honors, Law Review), three years after receiving his B.A. … Continue reading Former PIDB Member Steven Garfinkel passes

Tet Offensive Declassification Project Aligns with PIDB Recommendations

Earlier this summer, the Intelligence Community (IC) published newly declassified records about the 1968 Tet offensive on www.intelligence.gov.   Commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Communist-backed military attacks against American forces and American allies in the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam), the declassified records posted are the first in three planned public releases scheduled for this … Continue reading Tet Offensive Declassification Project Aligns with PIDB Recommendations

IARPA Director, Leading Program Scientists Tout “Human Machine Team”

On September 18, 2018, a new Defense One Breakfast Series opened with a high-level panel discussion on “the critical mission imperative of artificial intelligence.”  In a lively exchange, IARPA Director Stacey Dixon, former IBM Watson Director Rob High, ODNI Senior Scientist David Honey, and Senior Scientist Michael Wolmetz of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics … Continue reading IARPA Director, Leading Program Scientists Tout “Human Machine Team”

NARA’s Annual Records Management Report Indicates Agency Progress toward Fully Electronic Environment

NARA’s Federal Agency Records Management Annual Report for 2017 indicates that federal agencies continue their efforts to transition to a fully electronic environment as required by the President’s reform plan, Delivering Government Solutions in the 21st Century, and NARA’s 2018-2022 Strategic Plan. The report indicates that ninety-eight percent of executive-branch agencies believe they can meet … Continue reading NARA’s Annual Records Management Report Indicates Agency Progress toward Fully Electronic Environment

The National Archives Hosts Industry Day Focused on Electronic Messages: The Next Phase of the Federal Electronic Records Modernization Initiative (FERMI)

ABOUT:  FERMI is the National Archives and Records Administration’s (NARA) effort to provide a government-wide, modern, cost-effective, standardized, and interoperable set of records management solutions and services to Federal agencies. NARA has identified the common, core requirements all agencies need to support their records management programs. VANTAGE: Federal agencies have different missions, structures, and resources, … Continue reading The National Archives Hosts Industry Day Focused on Electronic Messages: The Next Phase of the Federal Electronic Records Modernization Initiative (FERMI)

White House Reform Plan Incorporates NARA Recommendations

On June 21, the White House published “Delivering Government Solutions in the 21st Century,” endorsing goals in the 2018-2022 Strategic Plan of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) to stop accepting paper records by the end of 2022, and to achieve fully electronic records management and public access across the federal government. David Ferriero, Archivist … Continue reading White House Reform Plan Incorporates NARA Recommendations

ISOO Report Recommends Government-wide Technology Strategy to Address Inefficiencies in Information Security

Today, the Information Security Oversight Office (ISOO) released its 2017 Annual Report to the President on security classification and implementation of the Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) program.  ISOO’s report highlights the high cost and inefficiency of using outmoded systems to protect America’s classified information, and recommends that the President implement a Government-wide technology strategy for … Continue reading ISOO Report Recommends Government-wide Technology Strategy to Address Inefficiencies in Information Security

The PIDB Welcomes New Member Alissa Starzak

The PIDB welcomes a new member, Alissa M. Starzak.  U. S. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) has appointed Ms. Starzak to  a three-year term on the PIDB.  The PIDB looks forward to Ms. Starzak’s participation in continuing  work on transforming and modernizing the security classification system.   Ms. Starzak joins PIDB from her current position … Continue reading The PIDB Welcomes New Member Alissa Starzak