Navy reversing course on outsourcing.

• Author: Erwin, Sandra I.
• Position: WASHINGTON PULSE: NEWS FROM INSIDE THE BELTWAY

* Outsourcing the operations and maintenance of military information networks was a no-brainer in the '90s. Why not let industry do it better and cheaper? The Navy pioneered the concept with its $10 billion Navy-Marine Corps Intranet. The NMCI contract with EDS Corp. expires in 2010, and the Navy has decided to reverse course and take back ownership of the major components of the network on grounds that information operations are too sensitive to be in the hands of the private sector. But critics are saying that the Navy is setting itself up for...