I honestly never thought I’d use the phrase “continuing series” about a military CIO’s totally stagnant website. You jab ‘em in a column, they get off their duffs, then you move on … yet here I sit, writing once more about visible stagnation in the office of the Air Force Chief Information Officer.

Lt Gen William Shelton, the outgoing CIO, has nailed a promotion if you can believe it — in part for failing to get anyone in his office to do anything with his official “bully pulpit 2.0″ website. Is this guy ROAD or what?

If, as a child, you ever found a mosquito nursery in an old tire, then you know how I feel right now. “Grandma, where do you keep the chlorine bottle? I found some stagnant waterweb pages…”

Seriously, folks: how can one top cyber-warrior after another ignore such a vital marketing tool? I quote myself from my previous column in this continuing series:

“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…”

“C’mon, Rob, it’s just a website. Is it really such a big deal?” Yes. It goes all the way up to the office of the Secretary of the Air Force, who warned that “just as Billy Mitchell endeavored to prove the potential of air power to a skeptical nation, we must now prove the critical importance of cyberspace as a war fighting domain.” He clearly wants a CIO with enough drive to to use the bully pulpit for its intended purpose— oops! The cited URL used Billy Mitchell’s name in vain re: a new email policy. Hmph. It pains me when USAF insinuates Mitchell spoke legalese with a bureaucratic accent. If you’ll let me start over, I promise to cite a much better URL…

Is this guy ROAD or what?

“C’mon, Rob, it’s just a website. Is it really such a big deal?” Yes. It goes all the way up to the office of the director of the National Security Agency, who lamented that “there is no modern Billy Mitchell.” The last two generals to hold the title of “Air Force CIO” certainly embody this lament — ironically at a time when USAF needed them to pound their fists on the digital lectern.

Memo to the Secretary of the Air Force: you really need to pick a CIO with at least enough drive & vision to use a “bully pulpit 2.0″ for its intended purpose. Capisce?

Okay. So. Michael Peterson never did anything as CIO if we’re to believe the official website. Nor did William Shelton. Up next for the job: William T. Lord, who will pin on a third star after his own aborted effort to launch “AFCYBER.”

“Rob, do you think Lord will leave the CIO website in stagnation like his predecessors did?” No. If my sourcehunch proves right, Lord will finally turn the CIO website into a bully pulpit. He seems to enjoy the limelight, you know. (I’ll bet he got seriously miffed when General Kevin Chilton discussed cyberspace on the Charlie Rose show.)

Memo to General Lord: Let’s make this the last column in my “continuing series” about a stagnant USAF CIO website. Deal?

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:

• “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…

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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…

Each U.S. military service offers its CIO a website. Navy CIO Mr. Robert Carey does the best job with his website, even offering a personal blog so you can better understand what makes him tick.

And then you’ve got the U.S. Air Force CIO, Lt. General Michael Peterson. He last updated the “news and events” portion of his website in early April.

“You don’t always update your own website in a timely fashion, Rob.” True enough — but the Navy CIO does, and I don’t wear three stars on my shoulderboards, and my deputy doesn’t hold a position in the Senior Executive Service, and I don’t have an office in the Pentagon with a dedicated support staff…