Government Matters

NIST’s robots used for emergency response

Adam Jacoff, robotics research engineer at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, discusses his work as the leader of the Emergency Response Robotics team, which develops standard test methods for robots used by bomb squads, military organizations and urban search and rescue teams

NIST advancements in 3D printing revolutionizing manufacturing

Callie Higgins, materials research engineer at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, describes a technique she pioneered to correct flaws in 3D-printed materials and her team’s work with industry on developments in printing human tissue, automotive parts and medical supplies

Government Accountability Office’s role as federal watchdog

Gene Dodaro, Comptroller General of the United States, head of the Government Accountability Office, discusses oversight of the federal government’s Covid-19 vaccine distribution, testing strategy and spending and his institution’s history as it passes the 100-year mark

Role of Defense Production Act during Covid-19 pandemic

William Russell, director of contracting and national security acquisitions at the Government Accountability Office, discusses federal agencies’ unprecedented use of the Defense Production Act to help obtain medical supplies during Covid-19 and challenges involved

Combating gender-based violence in the U.S. military

Kyleanne Hunter, adjunct senior fellow for the Military, Veterans, and Society Program at the Center for a New American Security, discusses the Defense Department’s progress on implementing the Women, Peace, and Security Act of 2017 and explains how the legislation helps address sexual harassment and assault in the military

Latest on military situation with Russia at Ukraine border

Steven Pifer, nonresident senior fellow in the Center on the United States and Europe at the Brookings Institution, discusses conversations between Biden and Putin and potential sanctions the U.S. would impose on Russia in the event of further military action towards Ukraine

Developments in nuclear stockpiles for U.S., allies, adversaries

Daryl Kimball, executive director at the Arms Control Association, discusses the possibility of a U.S. shift to a No First Use nuclear policy and considerations Biden will make in the Nuclear Posture Review

DoD OIG details management challenges for FY 2022

Courtney Fones, audit program director for readiness and global operations at the Defense Department Office of Inspector General, describes some of the topics on her office’s list of top 10 management challenges for the Defense Department and explains the process of putting together the list

GSA implementing customer experience executive order

Martha Dorris, former deputy associate administrator for the Office of Citizen Services at GSA, talks about the White House’s new executive order aimed at improving customer experience and rebuilding Americans’ trust in the federal government

Addressing Sino-American competition

Joseph Nye, former assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs, discusses soft power, the “three-dimensional chess game” between the United States and China and the importance of collaboration on global issues

NASA launches mission targeting near-Earth asteroid

Lindley Johnson, planetary defense officer and program executive for the Planetary Defense Coordination Office at NASA, discusses the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) that will test a capability to deflect potentially dangerous asteroids from Earth in the future

Delivering space-based capabilities to joint warfighter

Derek Tournear, director of the Space Development Agency at DoD, discusses using the spiral development model for acquisition and joining the U.S. Space Force in 2022

Bill aims to boost recruitment, retention of younger workers

Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA), chairman of the House Subcommittee on Government Operations, discusses the goals of the Building the Next Generation of Federal Employees Act (NextGenFeds Act)

Driving stability in U.S. relationships with Russia, China

Michael Mazarr, senior political scientist at the RAND Corporation, defines strategic rivalry and discusses the current level of stability in the United States’ relationships with Russia and China

Confronting growing space threats from Russia and China

Gen. Kevin Chilton (USAF, ret.), explorer chair for space warfighting studies at the Mitchell Institute Spacepower Advantage Research Center, discusses Russia’s recent anti-satellite weapon test and the current state of U.S. deterrence capabilities

Updating U.S. policy with Space Priorities Framework

Kaitlyn Johnson, deputy director of the Aerospace Security Project at CSIS, discusses the White House’s new Space Priorities Framework, space investments and acquisition

Top military space stories of 2021

Sandra Erwin, senior staff writer at SpaceNews, discusses threats to the space domain, the government’s use of synthetic aperture radar and the Defense Department’s Trusted Capital Program

Priorities for the Department of Veterans Affairs

Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough discusses addressing toxic exposures from burn pits, improving mental health care for veterans and responding to Covid-19

FEMA, DHS responding to tornado aftermath in Kentucky

Marcus Coleman, director for the Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships at DHS, discusses working with partners to respond to the recent tornadoes impacting the central and southern United States

Cybersecurity recommendations following Log4j vulnerability

Gordon Bitko, senior vice president of policy for public sector at ITI, discusses the Log4j security vulnerability and CISA’s directive for agencies to employ a patch to mitigate it

Implementing $65 billion broadband investment

John Bailey, nonresident senior fellow at AEI, discusses managing infrastructure bill funding programs to increase broadband access to U.S. communities

Establishing role of U.S. military in space

Lt. Gen. Nina Armagno, director of staff at the U.S. Space Force, discusses the mission of the Space Force, staffing challenges, acquisition process improvement and the possibility of conflicts in this domain

Combating authoritarian use of digital surveillance tech

Jennifer Hillman, senior fellow for trade and international political economy at the Council on Foreign Relations, discusses the rise of digital authoritarianism and the recent Summit for Democracy with the United States and allies