Government Matters

The future of Army research for pandemic preparedness

Dr. Kayvon Modjarrad, director of the Emerging Infectious Diseases Branch at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, discusses anticipating emerging viruses and developing vaccines and treatments for broad groups of viruses in advance

Improving platforms and capabilities for the Pentagon

Bryan Clark, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, discusses the necessity for the Defense Department to focus on China as a relatively near-term threat

The importance of civic education to national security

Suzanne Spaulding, senior advisor for homeland security in the International Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, explains how knowledge of civics from a historical perspective strengthens the national security community

Updates on service member pay raises in the NDAA

Jessica Klement, staff vice president of policy and programs at NARFE, discusses actions in the House and Senate and steps involved in confirming the federal employee pay raise

Updates on federal contractor minimum wage

Eric Crusius, partner at Holland & Knight, discusses positives and potential complications associated with implementation of the federal contractor minimum wage increase

Countering homegrown violent extremism

Triana McNeil, director of homeland security and justice issues at the Government Accountability Office, goes over her office’s findings about the Department of Homeland Security’s strategy to fight violent extremism

Reviewing readiness versus procurement in the Navy

Adm. Michael Gilday, Chief of Naval Operations at the Defense Department, details the arguments he made to Congress about the Navy budget and strategic plans

Reviewing the Navy’s budget and shipbuilding plan

Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT), chairman of the House Armed Services Seapower Subcommittee, and Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA), ranking member of the committee, explain why they are hesitant about the Navy’s 30-year shipbuilding plan

Anticipating cyber threats at federal agencies

Ari Schwartz, managing director of cybersecurity services at Venable, discusses implications of a federal government plan to offer rewards for identifying ransomware perpetrators

The future of the CHCO Council under OPM control

Terry Gerton, president and chief executive officer of the National Academy of Public Administration, provides her take on OPM’s new control of the Chief Human Capital Officers Council

The latest on AI reliability and robustness

Paul Scharre, vice president and director of studies at the Center for a New American Security, discusses the false conception that there is an artifical intelligence arms race

Recommendations for maintaining space superiority

Matthew Donovan, director of the Spacepower Advantage Research Center at the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, discusses the lack of military space capability consolidation in the Space Force

Responding to China’s interest in Indo-Pacific bases

Craig Singleton, adjunct fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, discusses strategies for undermining China’s intentions in building military installations in multiple countries

Maintaining strategic competition in space

Kaitlyn Johnson, deputy director of the Aerospace Security Project at CSIS, provides updates on Russia’s developments in space and its relationship with China in the new space race

Executing the new IT spending plan for the VA

Jim Gfrerer, principal at Fidelis Technology, discusses how the Department of Veterans Affairs will use money from its transformation fund to improve IT

Building the defense industrial base with allies and partners

Jerry McGinn, executive director of the Center for Government Contracting at George Mason University, discusses how working with trusted allies and partners helps increase the resilience of the defense supply chain

The future of the Navy’s ships and fleet structure

Harlan Ullman, chair at the Killowen Group and senior advisor at the Atlantic Council, goes over major concerns he has with the readiness of both the Surface Navy and the military services at large

The future of funding for the Air Force

Lt. Gen. David Deptula (USAF, ret.), dean of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, discusses the importance of accurately representing the funding available for the Air Force

Maintaining and growing the DHS cyber workforce

Richard Spires, principal at Richard A. Spires Consulting, discusses how the federal government can successfully retain cybersecurity employees once hired

The role of AI in national security

Andrei Iancu, senior adviser (non-resident) for the Renewing American Innovation Project at CSIS, discusses the need to update intellectual property laws in order for the U.S. to get ahead in artifical intelligence

Authorizing C3PAOs at the CMMC Accreditation Body

Matt Travis, chief executive officer of the CMMC Accreditation Body at the Defense Department, discusses progress on certifying Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification assessment organizations

Preparing for upcoming DHS workforce initiatives

Angela Bailey, chief human capital officer at the Department of Homeland Security, discusses her department’s major cyber workforce hiring initiative and the idea of a distributed workforce

Managing IT investment risks in federal agencies

Gordon Bitko, senior vice president of policy at the Information Technology Industry Council, and David Powner, executive director of the Center for Data-Driven Policy and director of strategic engagement and partnerships at MITRE, discuss the importance of elevating the role of chief information officers in government agencies

Recommendations for the new head of CISA

Chris Cummiskey, chief executive officer at Cummiskey Strategic Solutions, discusses the mosaic of cyber leadership in government and the coordination between the different positions

Implementing the contractor minimum wage increase

Stan Soloway, president and chief executive officer of Celero Strategies, LLC, points out potential challenges in the implementation of an executive order for minimum wage

Shaping the budget process with evidence-based requests

Robert Shea, national managing principal for public policy at Grant Thornton, discusses the four-year strategic plans agencies must develop for using data in annual budget requests

Streamlining innovation processes in the Navy

Maj. Gen. John Ferrari (U.S. Army ret.), visiting fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, discusses the concept of innovating now to enhance the capabilities of the Navy

The future of the Navy’s fleet capabilities

Chris Dougherty, senior fellow in the Defense Program at the Center for a New American Security, discusses the need for additional resources in the Navy and its “strategic bankruptcy”