Today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton

• A new congressional caucus is stepping up to defend the federal workforce at a critical moment
• Fiscal uncertainty and payment delays are putting new pressure on contractors working across DHS and State
• The DHS partial shutdown is stretching on, and this week’s negotiations are taking place with Congress out of town

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• It's President's Day, and today on the 'Best of' The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton we look back at some of our discussions highlighting important research on federal management issues.

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The Naval Information Warfare Systems Command stood up a new cyber directorate last August to take a more comprehensive approach to cybersecurity across the enterprise. The office is zeroing in on three priorities: speeding up zero‑trust adoption, strengthening secure software practices and bringing cutting‑edge defensive technologies into the fight. For more on why Navwar created the directorate and where it’s headed, Federal News Network’s Jason Miller spoke with Rachel Bondi, the deputy director for the cyber innovation unit and CTO for mission systems afloat, at the West Conference in San Diego.

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The full impact of continuing resolutions is hard to pin down for the Defense Department, but a government watchdog says the funding lapses consistently lead to delays, higher costs, added administrative work and operational disruptions — including a facilities sustainment contract at Joint Base San Antonio that more than doubled after CR‑related delays. They also disrupted training and exercises and forced financial staff to rework budgets to navigate CR limits instead of supporting the mission. For more, Federal News Network’s Anastasia Obis spoke with Rashmi Agarwal, a director on the Government Accountability Office’s defense capabilities and management team.

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Today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton

• A renovation job at Fort Meade turned into a dispute over delays, badges, background checks, and ultimately, whether the government can be held responsible for acting like… well, the government
• In 2026, law‑enforcement hiring isn’t a staffing challenge. It’s a risk‑management challenge hiding inside a staffing challenge

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The Armed Services Board rejected Meltech’s multimillion‑dollar claim, ruling that Fort Meade’s updated security rules were sovereign acts, the kind the government issues for everyone, not targeted at a single contract. And even if they weren’t, the record showed plenty of unforced errors by the contractor. Today, we walk through the case, the doctrine at its core, and the practical lessons for contractors working behind the gate with Partner at Haynes Boone, Zach Prince.

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As law enforcement agencies at every level scale up recruiting, legacy background tools can’t track officer movement or surface red flags early enough to matter. Joining me to explain why those gaps show up first in hiring, and what a modern, shared digital platform would let agencies see that they can’t see today is the Founder of Guardian Alliance Technologies, Justin Biedinger.

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The Central Intelligence Agency is lifting the veil on some acquisition reform priorities. Earlier this week, the CIA announced a new acquisition framework that focuses on speed and innovation. The agency says it wants to better harness cutting edge commercial technologies. For more, Federal News Network’s Justin Doubleday joins me.

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The Department of the Navy is putting the finishing touches on a new AI strategy. Officials say it’s a direct response to lessons learned from recent conflicts and the increasing speed at which adversaries are able to adapt their tactics and technologies. The strategy has undergone two rounds of review, and it’s expected to be signed soon by the Secretary of the Navy. As Federal News Network’s Jared Serbu reports, officials say they’re trying to build on the Navy’s own operational experience, and on and best practices from industry.

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Accessing the right tax forms, tracking changes to 2026 pay and TSP contribution limits, and navigating the retirement backlog are all hitting federal employees at once. We’ll walk through what’s new, what’s changing, and what to expect as the year unfolds. Joining me is federal benefits expert Tammy Flanagan.

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