Critical Update

The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency’s mission is no small feat: The agency maps and models activity on Earth from the sea to space to support combat missions and disaster response. NGA Director Vice Adm. Robert Sharp discusses the agency’s recently unveiled 2025 priorities, where technology and partnerships fit in, and how the coronavirus helped the agency rethink its operations.

“What do you need help with today?” That’s how the Veterans Affairs Department’s first chatbot starts a conversation with a user. The department launched the bot to help vets navigate health care and benefits during a surge of coronavirus-related inquiries. CTO Charles Worthington and Presidential Innovation Fellow Dr. Kaeli Yuen discuss creating the bot with vet input and under an intense time crunch.

As the coronavirus interrupted the daily lives of millions of Americans and shuttered the offices of most federal agencies, the Veterans Affairs Department relied on technology to help meet the moment. Deputy Chief Veterans Experience Officer Barbara Morton explains how her office is using data, customer experience tools, technology and engagement to help VA—and the veterans the agency services—meet new challenges.

As governments of all sizes respond to the novel coronavirus pandemic, scientists and researchers at U.S. national laboratories are harnessing advanced technologies—and creating new networks of collaboration—in the global fight against COVID-19. In addition to their own work with gene-editing and advanced modeling, the labs are opening up their cutting-edge systems and supercomputers to other scientists through the COVID-19 High Performance Computing Consortium. Nextgov’s Brandi Vincent talks with the Energy Department’s Undersecretary for Science Paul Dabbar, Director of IBM Research Dario Gil, Argonne National Laboratory’s Rick Stevens, and Sandia National Laboratories’ Joe Schoeniger and Oscar Negrete. 

Before the end of the year, the Defense Department intends to finalize a rule change that will require any contractor it engages with to have obtained a certification of its cybersecurity practices from an approved external auditor. The program—known as Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification—looks to eventually cover 300,000 contractors and subcontractors, many of which are anxiously waiting for the costs and details. Nextgov’s Mariam Baksh dives into the issue with DOD’s Katie Arrington, CEO of the Professional Services Council David Berteau, senior vice president of policy for the Information Technology Industry Council Gordon Bitko and principal director of strategic programs at the National Defense Industrial Association Corbin Evans.

Critical Update contributors Heather Kuldell and Brandi Vincent recently appeared on the GovExec Daily podcast and we’re sharing the full episode with you. Listen to hear about how CISA advice to federal employees for safer teleworking, NSA’s input on how to choose a video conferencing platform and other ways tech may smooth the way for workers to return to offices.

One year into managing IT for the entire State Department—his first government job—the agency’s chief information officer, Stuart McGuigan, is starting to see his early initiatives pay off. For example, a shift to the cloud paid off during the current COVID-19 crisis, as his staff and bureaus are well-suited to remote, distributed working. McGuigan shares his plans for the department, as well as which IT and budget management principles from the private sector he’s found still apply in government and the parts of his management style he’s had to adjust.

Federal agencies can’t just connect their systems to the internet; they need to follow a policy called Trusted Internet Connection to ensure a certain level of security. The policy was recently updated and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency was tasked with providing use cases for guidance and a reference architecture explaining key concepts. The draft documents for the latter include a concept called “trust zones,” which caused confusion about whether it was related to a popular cybersecurity concept called “zero trust.” Nextgov Senior Editor Aaron Boyd talks to the people shaping the program—and a critic—to set the record straight.

With the coronavirus pandemic gripping the nation—and the world—federal employees and contractors are dealing with unprecedented times while trying to work from home. To kick off Critical Update Season 5, Nextgov reporters came together for a roundtable discussion of our latest reporting on how the federal IT workforce is dealing with COVID-19 and leading the charge in response to a global crisis. GovExec Senior Correspondent Eric Katz also breaks down how the stimulus bill affects the federal workforce.

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