Fed Gov Today

The debt limit debate on Capitol Hill could have some impact for operations at federal agencies. Those implications for agencies could be somewhat familiar and different at the same time. Janice Haith, industry strategic advisor at Oracle and former Deputy Chief Information Officer of the Navy, tells you why, and how to prepare for it.

Operators across the government are using the Team Awareness Kit for a variety of situational awareness uses. Its program center says TAK is the “core of a suite of georeferenced imagery and communications tools that allow for scaled operational planning, data sharing, visualized elevation data, and target management.” Ryan McLean, Director of the TAK Program Center, explains what TAK, how it works, and how it exists as a unique entity inside the DoD ecosystem.

ACT-IAC Health Innovation Summit 23, Reston VA, June 8, 2023

Photo: TAK logo, courtesy of TAK.gov

The Inspector General’s office at the General Services Administration has a new look at the Transactional Data Reporting pilot on the Multiple Award Schedule. That new look finds more problems on top of the problems the IG office found before. Larry Allen, President of Allen Federal Business Partners, doesn’t think the problems the IG found are problems, and he explains why.

U.S. Special Operations Command is running some innovative programs to get special operators the equipment they need. Those programs come from SOCOM’s Science and Technology Directorate. Lisa Sanders is Director of Science and Technology at SOCOM. At SOF Week 2023, she told me about her directorate’s mission.

Photo: Francis Rose and Lisa Sanders at SOF Week 2023

The Defense Logistics Agency says its supplier base shrunk 22% between 2016 and 2022. DLA leadership released supply chain data at the Supply Chain Alliance Conference and Exhibition in Richmond earlier this month. Tara Murphy Dougherty, Chief Executive Officer of Govini and former Chief of Staff for Global Strategic Affairs in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, describes how data can help the department shore up its supply chain.

The Air Force will follow the zero trust strategy the Defense Department released recently. That strategy is supposed to be fully operational by 2027. Wanda Jones-Heath is the Principal Cyber Advisor of the Air Force. In a highlight of my exclusive conversation with her on this week’s Fed Gov Today TV show, I asked her about the factors that drive the evolution of the threat landscape.

The Secretary of the Air Force says his service, and the rest of the military, needs timely appropriations to deliver effectively on its mission. Frank Kendall explained why on Fed Gov Today TV last week; you can watch that episode on demand at FedGovToday.com. Before the House Armed Services Committee, Secretary Kendall, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. C.Q. Brown, and Chief of Space Operations General Chance Saltzman answered a question from Committee Chairman Congressman Mike Rogers about the impact of a continuing resolution on the priorities the services laid out in the FY24 budget request.

Photo: Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. CQ Brown, Jr., Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall and Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman listen to opening comments while testifying before the House Armed Services Committee for the Department of the Air Force fiscal year 2024 budget request, Washington, D.C., April 27, 2023. (U.S. Air Force photo by Eric Dietrich)

Today is day three of Public Service Recognition Week. Part of the observation of that week each year is the release of the finalists for Service to America Medals. Max Stier, President and CEO of the Partnership for Public Service, outlines what goes into choosing the finalists each year, and some of the great stories of the work this year’s finalists do.

The Defense Information Systems Agency says its big cybersecurity project is ready for prime time. The Director of DISA, Lieutenant General Robert Skinner, says his agency will scale Thunderdome after a successful prototyping phase. In this highlight of my exclusive conversation with General Skinner on this week’s Fed Gov Today TV show, he gave me an overview of Thunderdome.

The Defense Innovation Unit is spreading the word about what it can do - and can’t do - for the Defense Department and industry. It was doing just that at Tech Net Cyber last week. Johnson Wu, Cyber Commercial Executive for the Cyber Portfolio at DIU, explains why even though DIU has been around since 2015, there are still a lot of misconceptions about it.

Photo: Defense Innovation Unit headquarters; DIU photo.

The Chief Information Officer of Space Systems Command, Col. Jennifer Krolikowski, says she’s “cautiously optimistic” about generative artificial intelligence. DefenseScoop reports military services are just one part of the government deciding how they want to use the technology. CDR Juliana Vida (USN ret.), chief strategy advisor at Splunk and former Deputy Chief Information Officer of the Navy, reviews how generative AI snuck up on people, and how tech leaders can stay ahead of the curve.

The Internal Revenue Service will get what it calls a “historic opportunity” to modernize its operations through the Inflation Reduction Act. The agency’s IRA Strategic Plan details what, and who, it will spend the money on. Danny Werfel, Commissioner of the IRS, tells you how many people he can hire, what they’ll do, and what technology the agency can transform with the IRA money.

Photo: IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel on Fed Gov Today TV, April 30, 2023

The Office of Personnel Management’s new data strategy includes four goals. OPM says those four goals will push the agency toward becoming “the nation’s premier employer and provider of human capital data.” Robert Shea, Chief Executive Officer of Gov Navigators and former Associate Director at the Office of Management Budget, tells you what to look for as OPM works to deliver on the strategy.

A deep transformation is coming for the Space Force, according to the Secretary of the Air Force. That transformation is necessary because of China’s priority in space. On Sunday’s episode of Fed Gov Today TV, the 26th Secretary of the Air Force, Frank Kendall, explained why he focused on space transformation at the recent Space Symposium. He also detailed his request to Congress to allow his service to start work on programs before funding is in place.

AFCEA International TechNet Cyber, May 2-4, 2023

Photo: Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall on Fed Gov Today TV, April 30, 2023

The National Cybersecurity Strategy is part of the Biden administration’s preparation for cyber attacks against the federal government and the private sector. Former Federal CIO Tony Scott, now CEO of Intrusion, calls them “cyber shocks” in a new presentation in collaboration with the IBM Center for the Business of Government and the National Academy of Public Administration. He joins me to talk about steps governments should take to prevent cyber shocks, and deal with them when they happen.

The Thrift Savings Plan has plans in place to analyze and treat potential risks to its operation and its participants. Kim Weaver, Director of External Affairs at the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board, discusses how the TSP formulates and executes those plans, and how it decides which risks need the most attention.

AFCEA International TechNet Cyber, May 2-4, 2023

Photo: Thrift Savings Plan logo, courtesy Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board

This edition of Fed Gov Today is sponsored by Interos and Carahsoft.

April is Supply Chain Integrity Month. The theme this year is “Supply Chain Risk Management: The Recipe for Resilience.” Devin Lynch, Director of Supply Chain and Technology Security in the Office of the National Cyber Director, wrote a blog post about the recipe, and joined me to dig deeper into it.

Federal agencies have a two-sided challenge with supply chain integrity. They’re working on internal-facing, and external-facing, supply chain issues. Jennifer Bisceglie, Chief Executive Officer of Interos, discussed how agencies can manage both at the same time.

Devin Lynch covered some of the ingredients in the “Recipe for Resilience” that forms the theme of Supply Chain Integrity Month. And he called out the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency as one of ONCD’s partners in the effort. Jack Cable, senior technical advisor at CISA, helped me understand his agency’s role.

You’ve heard my guests talk about the role of the intelligence community in the integrity of the supply chain. Jeanette McMillian, Assistant Director of the Supply Chain and Cyber Directorate at the National Counterintelligence and Security Center in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, reviewed what the IC has to offer the supply chain integrity effort.

Photo: Supply Chain Integrity Month graphic courtesy of CISA.

The House Oversight and Reform Committee will review the new edition of the Government Accountability Office’s High Risk List Wednesday. GAO publishes an updated list every two years; the newest list came out last Thursday. Michelle Sager, Managing Director for Strategic Issues at GAO, reviews what’s new about this year’s list.

The Coast Guard is expanding its cyber work, and the size of its cyber workforce. It’s growing its offensive cyber capabilities and building new paths for people to do that work. Rear Admiral Jay Vann, commander of Coast Guard Cyber Command, describes how his service is approaching that workforce challenge, and dealing with the unique cyber position the Guard occupies.

AFCEA International TechNet Cyber, May 2-4, 2023

Photo: Rear Admiral John “Jay” Vann, courtesy U.S. Coast Guard.

The Air Force is on the hunt for a new Chief Information Officer. Lauren Knausenberger will leave that job June 2nd. She’s been in that post since August 2020. Lauren is my guest for the entire show today, to discuss zero trust, the cloud, and her other priorities and achievements as she prepares to wind down her service as Air Force CIO.

Photo: Lauren Knausenberger, Department of the Air Force chief information officer, holds a communications and cyber all-call during a visit to Kadena Air Base, Japan, Oct. 3, 2022. Knausenberger toured the installations’ cyber infrastructure and spoke with personnel from the 18th Communications Squadron about their mission, equipment, innovation and capabilities in the region. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Savannah L. Waters)