Government Matters

Making a business case for technology modernization

Mark Forman, former E-Gov Administrator at the Office of Management and Budget, discusses what needs to change for agencies to develop better business cases and improve the success rate of government IT projects

Making the case for a U.S. Cyber Force

Nora Bensahel and Lt. Gen. David Barno, USA (Ret.), Contributing Editors for War on the Rocks, explain why it makes sense to create a new branch of the military entirely focused on cyberspace

Creating a National Technology Strategy

Ainikki Riikonen, Research Assistant for the Technology and National Security Program at the Center for a New American Security, explains why a national strategy coordinating technology and innovation is overdue

Confirmation hearings for top defense posts

Bob Hale, Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Center for a New American Security, talks about the recent hearing for Ronald Moultrie and Mike McCord for major Defense Department positions

Modernizing legacy systems in the Air Force

Gen. Larry Spencer (Ret.), USAF, 37th Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force, discusses the challenge of explaining the Air Force’s broad portfolio of different programs to Congress

Staffing Navy shipyards to build a bigger fleet

Bryan Clark, Senior Fellow and Director at the Hudson Institute, discusses the SHIPYARD Act and its intent to address low shipyard capacity

Updates on the Internal Revenue Service workforce

John Koskinen, former Commissioner of the IRS, discusses the importance of adequately funding the Internal Revenue Service and areas where money should go within the agency

Improving reform efforts at the Pentagon

Elizabeth Field, Director of Defense Capabilities and Management Issues at GAO, details some of the major points from her testimony on improving the Defense Department’s management reform efforts

Recruiting and retaining finance talent in government

Mallory Barg Bulman, Research Director of Finance Process Excellence at Gartner, discusses the cohort of private sector employees who want to move to jobs in government

Prioritizing digital transformation at agencies

Danelle Barrett, former Deputy Chief Information Officer of the U.S. Navy, discusses technology acquisition and post-pandemic digital modernization at government agencies

Understanding the acquisitions backlog in government

Jim Williams, Partner at Schambach & Williams Consulting, discusses the importance of prioritizing quality and value in federal procurement

The push for functional collaboration in acquisition

Greg Giddens, Partner at Potomac Ridge Consulting, defines functional collaboration in acquisition and discusses how well agencies have adopted this method so far

Working to make the tax system more fair

Charles Rossotti, Senior Advisor at The Carlyle Group, and Fred Goldberg, Of Counsel for Tax at Skadden, discuss the need for funding at the Internal Revenue Service and the proposal for more resources for the agency

Defense takeaways from this week’s budget and appropriations hearings

Dov Zakheim, former Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) at the Department of Defense, discusses impacts of the delay in the National Defense Authorization Act markup

Updates on the Technology Modernization Fund

Renee Wynn, former Chief Information Officer at NASA, and Matthew Cornelius, Executive Director of the Alliance for Digital Innovation, discuss the new guidance on loan repayment for the Technology Modernization Fund

New rules for repaying loans from the TMF

Alan Thomas, Chief Operating Officer at IntelliBridge, discusses the new repayment rules for the Technology Modernization Fund with three options agencies have

NDAA markups to be pushed back to July

Roger Zakheim, Director of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library Foundation and Institute, discusses reasons and implications for the delayed timeline for the Senate Armed Services Committee to mark up the National Defense Authorization Act

Using a human-centered design approach at the VA

Lauren Alexanderson, Deputy Chief Technology Officer of Health Delivery at the VA OIT, talks about the Department of Veteran Affairs’ approach to improving services by continuously incorporating user feedback

Frank Kendall nominated as Air Force Secretary

Deborah Lee James, Former Secretary of the Air Force, discusses Frank Kendall’s nomination for Air Force Secretary, his background and priorities he will need to focus on if confirmed

New GAO report on F-35 affordability

Diana Maurer, Director of Defense Capabilities and Management at the Government Accountability Office, goes over concerns about F-35 sustainment costs and recommendations for the Defense Department and Congress

Understanding the ODNI Threat Assessment for 2021

Barry Pavel, Senior Vice President and Founding Director of the Scowcroft Center at the Atlantic Council, discusses expanding upon the threat assessment from the Director of National Intelligence to take into account unpredictable events

Improving on the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey results

Emily Murphy, former Administrator of the General Services Administration, reacts to the latest Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey results and discusses federal workspaces of the future

The affordability of the F-35 program

Richard Aboulafia, Vice President of Analysis at The Teal Group, discusses F-35 program costs and provides updates on the government contracting landscape

Updates on the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey

Max Stier, President and CEO of the Partnership for Public Service, analyzes what the latest Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey results show about telework

New executive order raises federal contractor minimum wage

Eric Crusius, Partner at Holland & Knight, discusses President Biden’s new executive order and its implications for contractors and government employees

Updates from the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board

Kim Weaver, Director of External Affairs at the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board, discusses increased participation in Thrift Savings Plan Roth contributions and other updates

New funding for the IRS to crack down on tax evasions

Danny Werfel, Managing Director and Partner at Boston Consulting Group, discusses the president’s proposal to provide billions of dollars to the Internal Revenue Service to better enforce tax laws

Steps Navy is taking to improve financial progress and processes

Alaleh Jenkins, PTDO Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Financial Management and Comptroller) at the Department of the Navy, discusses the status of the audits of the three reporting entities within the Navy and lessons learned

Interagency partnership works to end homelessness for veterans

Richard Cho, Senior Advisor for Housing and Services at the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and Keith Harris, National Director of Clinical Operations for VA Homeless Programs, discuss working towards their agencies’ goal of ending veteran homelessness

Understanding the latest Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey

Terry Gerton, President and CEO of the National Academy of Public Administration, and Jeffrey Neal, Author of ChiefHRO.com, go over their takeaways from the latest FEVS results on telework, employee engagement, customer service and other areas