Government Matters

Labor Department, EEOC launch initiative to advance equity in hiring

Jenny R. Yang, director of the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs at the Labor Department, discusses a new effort with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to expand access to jobs to underrepresented communities

Identity theft involving government documents and benefits

Kelle Slaughter, identity theft program manager at the Federal Trade Commission, discusses the major spike in government benefits fraud in 2020 and ways people can protect themselves from identity theft

Countering domestic extremism in the U.S. military

Marek Posard, military sociologist at RAND Corporation, discusses extremism among service members, the importance of supporting commanders in spotting early signs and the current opportunity to assess effectiveness of interventions

Importance of cyber operations during military crises

Michael Fischerkeller, research staff member at the Institute for Defense Analyses, explains why cyber operations may be more dangerous than other tools when used as part of an escalation management strategy in a militarized crisis

Reviewing possible changes to defense budget process

Ron Marks, president of ZPN Cyber and National Security Strategies, discusses the current defense budgeting process and a congressional commission that will examine it this year

Combating cyber threats to U.S. water supply

Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery (USN, ret.), senior director of the Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, discusses the uptick in cyber attacks on municipal water systems and measures the government must take to address this threat

OMB requesting feedback on PMA Learning Agenda draft

Robert Shea, national managing principal for public policy at Grant Thornton, discusses the goal of the Office of Management and Budget’s President’s Management Agenda Draft Learning Agenda and the process to submit feedback

Addressing homelessness in America

Adrianne Todman, deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, discusses HUD’s role in addressing homelessness, housing discrimination and environmental justice, its coordination with government and nonprofit organizations and the impact of the pandemic and natural disasters on the homeless population

Enhancing cyber resiliency across federal agencies

Ron Ross, fellow at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, discusses progress the government and NIST have made over the years in cybersecurity and recommendations for agencies to better defend against cyber attacks

Deterring Russia from invading Ukraine

Gen. Philip Breedlove (USAF, ret.), distinguished chair for the Frontier Europe Initiative at the Middle East Institute and professor at Georgia Tech, discusses Russia’s recent actions at the Ukrainian border and the many tools the U.S. government has available for successful deterrence

Latest initiatives from the U.S. Coast Guard

Adm. Karl Schultz, commandant of the Coast Guard, details his service’s missions, pandemic-related challenges and efforts to modernize ships and strengthen recruitment and retention

Conversations from Surface Navy Association’s 34th National Symposium

Lt. Skye Pawlik from the Naval Integrated Fires Element in the U.S. Navy, Thomas Van Leunen, director of congressional and public affairs for the Navy’s Military Sealift Command, and Stefanie Lamay, public affairs specialist for the Naval History and Heritage Command, share what their organizations do for the Navy

Hypersonics developments in the U.S. military

Lt. Gen. Neil Thurgood, director of hypersonics, directed energy, space and rapid acquisition for the U.S. Army, and Vice Adm. Johnny Wolfe, director for Strategic Systems Programs for the U.S. Navy, detail their services’ progress and partnership on hypersonic weapon systems development along with goals and challenges

Cascading effects of critical infrastructure vulnerabilities

Bob Kolasky, director of the National Risk Management Center at CISA, discusses how his organization works with industry and government partners to determine and address the most significant risks facing the country

Combating Chinese influence on college campuses

Craig Singleton, adjunct fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, explains how China uses partnerships between Chinese and American universities to obtain cutting-edge technology as it works towards military dominance

Pentagon’s cyber deterrence and resilience strategy

Jacquelyn Schneider, Hoover Fellow at the Hoover Institution, discusses whether resilience or deterrence is the best approach for cyberspace and how the U.S. can incorporate cybersecurity into the National Defense Strategy

Reassessing US military role in the Middle East

Becca Wasser, fellow in the Defense Program at the Center for a New American Security, discusses matching the country’s military strategy to its interests and determining the ideal force structure

Threat of small, armed drones to US military

Lt. Gen. David Deptula (USAF, ret.), dean of The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, discusses how big of a threat small drones actually pose to U.S. military operations

Investing in 6G technology development

Martijn Rasser, senior fellow and director of the Technology and National Security Program at the Center for a New American Security, discusses how the U.S. can get ahead in preparing for the advent of 6G technology in coming years and prevent the security risks it poses

Challenges at DHS Office of Intelligence and Analysis

Ellen Gilmer, senior reporter at Bloomberg Government, discusses what went wrong before the Jan. 6 attack last year and how the Office of I&A is working to rebuild its reputation and pave a path forward

Customer experience trends for federal services

Rick Parrish, vice president and principal analyst at Forrester Research, goes over his organization’s new report looking at customer experience quality in major federal agencies and programs