Cybersecurity update fails with “don’t ask, don’t tell” vote

Senate Republicans on Thursday shot down an attempt to repeal the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy that bars gays from serving openly, likely the death knell to a bill that also would have brought major changes to the way the federal government handles information security. A U.S. Senate procedural vote on Thursday to continue debating the National Defense Authorization Act of 2011 failed to garner the 60 votes necessarily to move forward. The bill, passed by the House of Representatives in May, contains provisions to update to the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) and establish a cybersecurity office within  the Executive Office of the President. — AM