After years of falling short of recruitment goals, the armed services did manage to eke out a win in 2024 and meet them. The story of how the services turned things around largely boils down to having a path for previously disqualified recruits to join the military. Federal News Network's Anastasia Obis joins me for the year in review here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hospitals treat the sick and injured. But they can be dangerous places. A unit of the Health and Human Services Department aims to reduce patient and healthcare workforce harm by 50%. So it's set up a dashboard that aggregates safety information. Joining me with the details, the director of the Center for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Craig Unsheid. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A seemingly ordinary award protest has blown up. For only the fifth time in the last 25 years, all of the judges of the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit will hear the case. That's known as an en banque hearing. To explain how a subcontracting dispute got to this level, Haynes Boone procurement attorney Dan Ramish. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The carrier USS Abraham Lincoln returned to its home port in San Diego on Friday after a multi month tour at sea, including an unusually long stint of 107 days without a port call. But the Nimitz class aircraft carrier had something that's been unheard of until now, ubiquitous, high speed internet connectivity, even when it was 1000s of miles from shore. The connectivity experiment is part of a navy project called Sailor Edge Afloat and Ashore for how they tested it and the difference it made. Federal News Network's Jared Serbu spoke with the Lincoln's Combat Systems officer, Captain Kevin White. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Department of Veterans Affairs has a plan to get its stalled electronic health record back on track. The VA will start laying the groundwork for more go live sites in the coming weeks, and expects the new EHR to be in more VA facilities by mid 2026 that is. The project has been on a year and a half pause. The VA and its contractors have spent that time fixing problems at sites already using the new EHR. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman has the latest.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The government won't shut down. But it doesn't get 2025 appropriations either. That will have to wait until March under the continuing resolution hammered out at the 11 hour Friday night. An update now from Bloomberg Government deputy news director Loren Duggan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A long-time federal career procurement executive has a new job. She's the CEO of a contractor. But not just any contractor but a non-profit with a purpose. Soraya Correa was chief procurement officer at the Homeland Security Department, among other things, and retired as a member of the Senior Executive Service. This year she became president and CEO of the National Industries for the Blind. Ms. Correa joins me now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

At 50 years in business, SourceAmerica looks a lot different than when it was founded. It's one of the largest contractors under the AbilityOne program, and it offers a lot more than its very first product a creeper to let mechanics slide under cars. As part of a series on the AbilityOne program, we welcome the president and CEO of SourceAmerica, Richard Belden. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin Things are changing at AbilityOne contractors After a career in procurement, she's selling to the government No shutdown, but no 2025 appropriations either Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Over the last four years, the Office of Management and Budget issued 20 memos focused on federal technology. The goal, of course, is not to just issue memos and claim victory. OMB memos usually are the first step of a long process to change the way agencies deliver services, protect data and train the workforce. Clare Montana sat down with Federal News Network executive editor Jason Miller in her office at OMB to reflect on her tenure as the Federal Chief Information Officer and the impact of her office's efforts over the last four years. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices