Readers will recall I critiqued USAF CIO Lt. General Michael Peterson in August for letting his website grow stagnant at a time when USAF desperately wanted to codify a DoD-centric cyberspace mission. This CIO, more than anyone else, should have used his website to hawk his agency’s cyberspace prowess. And yet the other military CIOs put him to shame with their updated content.

Why did USAF’s CIO finally update his stag­nant web­site with five civilian news­paper stories?

Peterson let his official website rot on the vine for a half-year. Go figure.

Well! His subordinates finally got around to updating the website in early October. What, pray tell, did the USAF CIO choose to highlight? Answer: five civilian newspaper articles. They were:

USAF's CIO finally updated his stagnant website ... with reprints of civilian newspaper articles

• “Future security: keeping TSAT on track is essential” (archived here), written by Loren B. Thompson of the Lexington Institute and originally published here.
• “Air Force pursues Cyber Command again” (archived here), written by Bob Brewin of NextGov and originally published here.
• “Cyber, nuclear missions shift in Air Force” (archived here), written by John Andrew Prime of the Shreveport Times (with Michael Hoffman of Air Force Times) and originally published here.
• “Air Force scraps plans for Cyber Command in favor of new nuclear organization” (archived here), written by Marina Malenic of Defense Daily and originally published here.
• “Officials want to add 13,000 airmen by 2010” (archived here), written by Erik Holmes of Air Force Times and originally published here.

Did USAF’s CIO obtain the reprint rights? Or is this a blatant copy­right violation?

Peterson’s update left me scratching my head. “Why,” I wondered, “did USAF’s CIO choose to reprint five civilian news items?” You’ll find “public affairs officers” assigned at every air base around the globe who routinely issue press releases on Air Force information technology. Peterson could have chosen to highlight any or all of these recent organic stories:

• Gen. Carlson stresses importance of information technology
• Air Force leaders work to develop cyberspace roadmap
• Secretary Donley visits the CAOC
• Upgrade makes electronic forms more user friendly
• Air Force senior leaders take up key decisions
• Deployed Airman witnesses daughter’s birth via Internet
• Cyber Airman credited with rescuing survivors of a downed Army helicopter from the comfort of her cubicle
• Airmen share information via new blog
• Air Force IT Conference highlights education

The long stagnation of Peterson’s website leads me to wonder if he actually bothered to obtain the rights to reprint all those stories. I guess I’ll have to write a letter asking him to confirm or deny my suspicions. Stay tuned for an update to this column…

Update 8 Dec 08: Peterson spoke at an AFCEA conference last week where he announced his intention to retire. “That may have something to do with his focus, or lack of, on the web site,” a SecurityCritics.org reader noted…