Fed Gov Today

Accenture Federal Services sponsors this edition of the Fed Gov Today podcast.The Defense Department says its Cyber Workforce Framework will be a key tool in developing the team that will implement the department’s cyber strategy. That framework comes out of a directive called 8140.01. Matthew Isnor is Program Lead for Cyberspace Workforce Development in the office of the Chief Information Officer at the Department of Defense. At West 2024 recently, he says the goal is to make the Defense Department an employer of choice, and he tells me how the department will do it.Human centered design is one of the key principles of the customer experience pillar of the President’s Management Agenda. A new principle, though, might take that concept one step further. Michael Gavin is Managing Director, and Lauren Oliver is Principal Director, for the experience practice at Accenture Federal Services. Together they explain how the concept of “human by design” works.The Defense Innovation Unit calls its next iteration “DIU 3.0.” That new iteration has eight lines of effort, according to DIU leadership. Capt. Alex Campbell (US Navy) is director of the maritime portfolio at DIU. At West 2024 recently, I ask him where DIU has come from, and what’s behind DIU 3.0.

The Navy League sponsors this edition of the Fed Gov Today podcast.The Office of Naval Intelligence is delivering three new cloud-based capabilities that it says will “revolutionize the delivery of critical ONI intelligence, data and development tools to the fleet.” Zeke Maldonado is Chief Information Officer and Director of Technology and Innovation at the Office of Naval Intelligence. At West 2024 recently, I ask him what the duties are that come with his extra title, and his role in delivering new capabilities.The Chief of Naval Operations, ADM Lisa Franchetti, lists warfighting, warfighters, and foundation as her three priorities in a document she calls “America’s Warfighting Navy.” She talked about each of those recently on Fed Gov Today TV. Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Mike Stevens (USN ret.) is the Chief Executive Officer of the Navy League of the United States. He’s the 13th Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy. I ask him what message the fleet should take from having warfighters listed as one of CNO’s highest priorities.Sea Air Space detailsThe Navy’s Carrier Strike Group 12 is in its home port of Naval Station Norfolk now, after it returned from a deployment in January. During that deployment, the strike group welcomed a new Information Warfare Commander. Capt. Christi Montgomery (USN) moved to that job last summer from her post as Commander of the Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center. At West 2024 in San Diego recently… she tells me about her new areas of responsibility.Fed Gov Today Zero Trust In Depth webinar detailsACT-IAC Shared Services Summit details

The Transportation Security Administration is testing touchless ID at several airports across the country. The goal is to make clearing security easier and faster for travelers. Kristin Ruiz is Deputy Chief Information Officer at TSA. At the ACT-IAC Digital Transformation Summit recently, she tells me why the project is a good example of TSA’s approach to digital transformation.The Office of Personnel Management says its Workforce of the Future initiative “lays the foundation for the Federal government to be recognized as a model employer.” The newest element of that initiative is the Workforce of the Future Playbook. Kim Holden is Principal Deputy Associate Director for Workforce Policy and Innovation at OPM. On the newest edition of Fed Gov Today TV, I ask her why OPM chose the playbook format.The Agriculture Department is launching its first Digital Service Fellows program. The department says the program will “operate on a tour-of-service model where fellows are appointed for a two-year minimum term on a full-time basis, with the potential option to serve a total of four years.” Fatima Terry is Acting Executive Director and Deputy Director of Digital Services at the Department of Agriculture. At the ACT-IAC Digital Transformation Summit recently, she told me how the program will work.BAH DE24 detailsFed Gov Today Zero Trust In Depth webinar detailsACT-IAC Shared Services Summit details

Agency leaders tell me the digital transformation efforts they’re undertaking are focused on mission and not just better technology. One mission outcome that’s becoming - or already is - important to agencies is customer experience. Beth Martin is a digital services expert at the Office of Personnel Management. At the ACT-IAC Digital Transformation Summit recently, she tells me how OPM is merging customer experience and digital transformation, both tactically and strategically.The Commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. Eric Smith, has a three-pronged priority strategy for his service. The Marine Corps Deputy Commandant for Information, Lt. Gen. Matthew Glavy, says each of the three priorities intersects with his areas of responsibility. At West 2024 in San Diego recently, he tells me how.The Thrift Savings Plan lists twelve risks on the latest edition of its Enterprise Risk Management framework. The Thrift Board has plotted those dozen risks on an Enterprise Risk Profile Dashboard. Kim Weaver, Director of External Affairs at the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board, explains how the TSP analyzes and chooses risks to track, and what the data on the dashboard mean.BAH DE24 detailsFed Gov Today Zero Trust In Depth webinar detailsACT-IAC Shared Services Summit details

The Air Force Research Lab digital transformation strategy has four key components: faster research, streamlined transitions, better decisions, and low-friction business and operations. The leader of that transformation at AFRL says she sees five deadly sins for digital transformation. Alexis Bonnell is CIO and Director of the Digital Capabilities Directorate at AFRL. At the ACT IAC Digital Transformation Summit recently, she tells me what those five deadly sins are.The Department of Homeland Security will bring more than 50 artificial intelligence experts into its new AI Corps this year. DHS says it will model the corps after the US Digital Service. On the newest Fed Gov Today TV, DHS CIO Eric Hysen tells me how the Corps will work, and his goals for it.The Labor Department is working with the General Services Administration and the US Postal Service on a new digital system that will give citizens options to verify their identification when they apply for unemployment benefits. It’s one example of the digital efforts the department is making. Akanksha Sharma is Director of Digital Transformation at the Department of Labor. At the ACT-IAC Digital Transformation Summit recently, she tells me there are some important ingredients for digital transformation.AFCEA TechNet Emergence detailsFed Gov Today Zero Trust In Depth webinar detailsACT-IAC Shared Services Summit details

“Government Can Deliver” is a rallying cry of technologists and program leaders all across government. It’s also the title of the new book from the former Chief Information Officer at the IRS and DHS, Richard Spires. My thanks to Richard for the invitation to MC a book signing event at the headquarters of the Partnership For Public Service yesterday. At that event, I ask Richard what prompted him to put the book together and what he wants people to learn from it.The new Chief of Naval Operations lists three items on her agenda of priorities. Admiral Lisa Franchetti calls that agenda “America’s Warfighting Navy”. On Fed Gov Today TV from West 2024 in San Diego last week, she tells me her goal for the document.The Chief Information Officer of the Defense Intelligence Agency, Doug Cossa, has five priorities for 2024. He told you about them on Fed Gov Today TV; you can watch that conversation on demand at FedGovToday.com. Tops on his list is modernizing the Joint Worldwide Intelligence Communications System. EP Mathew, Deputy CIO at DIA, tells me his role in modernizing JWICS, and the other four priorities of the DIA OCIO.AFCEA TechNet Emergence details

The General Services Administration is rolling out several artificial intelligence projects to make the jobs of its contracting officers easier. Several of those projects revolve around automating tasks. Jeff Koses is Senior Procurement Executive at GSA. At ACT IAC’s AI Procurement Forum at Carahsoft headquarters in Reston, he says his agency has a lot going on in the acquisition AI space.The kinds of AI acquisition projects Jeff talked about are  happening all over government. The Office of Federal Procurement Policy keeps tabs on all of those programs. Joanie Newhart is Associate Administrator of Acquisition Workforce Programs OFPP, at the Office of Management and Budget. At ACT IAC’s AI Procurement Forum at Carahsoft headquarters in Reston, she says OFPP is the connective tissue for agencies across government.AFCEA TechNet Emergence detailsRichard Spires book event registration

The artificial intelligence executive order the White House released in October calls for agencies to “improve A-I procurement.” Agencies may soon actually start to use AI to do that. Polly Hall is Senior Advisor to the Chief Procurement Officer at the Department of Homeland Security. At ACT IAC’s AI Procurement Forum recently at Carahsoft headquarters in Reston, she says the use cases for AI in acquisition are exploding.The questions at hand for AI in acquisition include both sides of the procurement coin. One side is how agencies will buy AI technology; the other is how agencies will add AI to their acquisition processes to buy everything. Karla Smith Jackson is Senior Procurement Executive, Deputy Chief Acquisition Officer, and Assistant Administrator for Procurement at NASA. At ACT IAC’s AI Procurement Forum recently at Carahsoft headquarters in Reston, she tells me what’s ahead for AI in acquisition at her agency.AFCEA TechNet Emergence detailsRichard Spires book event registration

The Department of Veterans Affairs lists three items among its highlights for 2023. The Chief Technology Officer, Charles Worthington, and CIO Kurt DelBene named VA’s Health and Benefits mobile app; improvements to VA.gov; and expanding the online Veterans Legacy Memorial program as those three items on the latest episode of the Office of Information and Technology’s monthly LinkedIn Live series, #TalkingTech. After the episode finished, I asked them both about several of the projects they talked about on the show.

The newest “Data, Analytics, and Artificial Intelligence Adoption Strategy” from the Chief Digital and AI office at the Pentagon focuses on the convergence of those three elements. Experts believe the impact on warfighting will be profound. Lt. Gen. Jack Shanahan (USAF ret.) is former director of the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center. He’s writing about AI and geopolitics, and we discuss what he sees now, and in the future.CIOs across government are tracking a lot of different initiatives and priorities: zero trust, AI governance, cloud migration, digital modernization, and more. Energy CIO Ann Dunkin recently called those items the “ever expanding agenda.” On the latest Fed Gov Today TV, I ask her what she means by that.The fifth edition of the President’s Cup Cyber Competition is under way at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. Michael Harpin is Competitions Section Chief at the Cyber Defense Education and Training Branch at CISA. He tells me who’s eligible, how they can practice, how they can participate, and what’s in it for CISA - and the contestants.ACT-IAC event: Making AI Work For Us