GovCast: Recent Episodes
GovCIO Media & Research
GovCast, a production of GovCIO Media & Research, tells the personal stories of the government and industry leaders transforming the public sector, and the bits and pieces typically not covered by federal IT publications. Put on by GovCIO Media & Research, we share untold stories about how these influencers got to where they are, their passions in and outside of technology and the roadblocks they’ve conquered. 213656
Government software development pipelines are increasingly integrating AI coding assistants, but Air Force Sustainment Center Software Directorate CTO Kurt Jarvis said success depends on improving how developers use existing code, not just generating new code faster.
Speaking with GovCIO Media & Research at the Carahsoft DevSecOps Conference, Jarvis outlined an engineer-first approach that uses retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), vector databases and established DevSecOps pipelines to safely accelerate software development.
Jarvis said one of the biggest opportunities for AI is helping developers discover and reuse decades of trusted software already maintained by the Air Force. The goal, he said, is to make AI a code‑reuse engine, not a code‑generation machine.
He also emphasized that AI has not changed the Air Force's software engineering standards. Existing CI/CD pipelines are still the foundation for evaluating AI-generated code. AI can accelerate development, Jarvis said, but engineering discipline and human oversight remain essential to producing mission-ready software.
Army Acting CIO Gabe Chiulli discussed an upcoming DevSecOps initiative that aims to improve sharing and securing code with industry partners. In what Chiulli dubbed "Project Gatekeeper," the effort aims to streamline industry access, enable rapid code evaluation using AI and incentivize partners by offering quicker deployment authorizations.
Drawing from prior roles, most recently as CTO in the Army's Enterprise Cloud Management Agency, Chiulli highlighted the challenges the service is facing with increased vulnerabilities due to AI and the importance of streamlining collaboration with industry to better secure systems and remediate threats.
He shared how he sees partnership across the military branches and the importance of enabling code to be deployed across multiple platforms, including proper logging and security controls. He said his priority areas at the Army center around rapid modernization and improved contracting processes to optimize infrastructure and systems across operations.
Six months after War Secretary Pete Hegseth directed sweeping acquisition reforms across the department, the Defense Information Systems Agency is accelerating its transition from government-developed cybersecurity tools to commercial technologies.
On this episode of CyberCast, Brian Hermann, director of PAE Cyber at DISA, discussed how the agency is modernizing its cyber acquisition strategy by prioritizing commercial solutions, software-as-a-service offerings and more flexible contracting approaches. Hermann explained why DISA believes commercial technologies can deliver capabilities faster, reduce operational risk and better keep pace with evolving cyber threats.
The conversation also explored how DISA is breaking down budget silos and consolidating resources to give portfolio leaders greater flexibility to adopt new technologies and retire legacy systems more quickly. As the department's acquisition transformation takes shape, Hermann outlines DISA's evolving role as an integrator of commercial capabilities — ensuring interoperability and mission effectiveness across contested, coalition and edge environments.
As artificial intelligence continues to reshape government technology, National Endowment for the Arts CIO and Chief AI Officer Jim Tunnessen said the technology has significant potential to accelerate modernization, streamline software development and improve operational efficiency.
Tunnessen pointed to AI-assisted development as a fundamental shift in how agencies build applications, enabling smaller teams to deliver capabilities faster than through traditional development methods. He said agencies must balance those gains with strong governance, transparency and cybersecurity guardrails. At the NEA, Tunnessen views AI as a tool for enhancing back-office operations while ensuring human judgment remains central to evaluating artistic work.
The Department of Veterans Affairs' Office of the Inspector General serves as the agency's internal watchdog, and leaders are leveraging technology to improve oversight.
The office's CIO Lance Jenkinson discussed how the OIG is using AI to strengthen oversight, improve operational efficiency and ensure the agency's IT systems meet security and compliance requirements.
Jenkinson also discussed why strong governance, clear policies and thoughtful implementation are essential to maximizing AI's benefits while mitigating potential risks.
DODNet leaders say 90-day OTA cycles and flexible engineering models are helping DISA deliver capabilities at the speed of cyber threats. Guest: Kelli Garczynski, acting DODNet Deputy Program Manager, and Mike Butler, Chief Engineer, DODNet, DISA Description:
As cyber threats evolve and technology advances at an unprecedented pace, the Defense Information Systems Agency is rethinking how it acquires and delivers capabilities. Acting DODNet Deputy Program Manager Kelli Garczynski and DODNet Chief Engineer Mike Butler joined CyberCast to discuss how DISA is adopting agile acquisition strategies and accelerating procurement timelines to strengthen network defenses and deliver mission capabilities faster.
Butler said DISA must pair technical agility with contract agility to keep pace with rapidly changing threats across War Department networks. Traditional acquisition timelines, he noted, can leave critical engineering efforts lagging behind emerging mission requirements.
To address that challenge, Garczynski said DISA is increasingly using Other Transaction Authorities (OTAs) to rapidly identify, evaluate and deploy the best technologies for warfighters. By leveraging OTAs, DISA aims to move from industry engagement to contract award in as little as 90 days, dramatically reducing the time required to field new capabilities.
Garczynski added that modern architectures such as DODNet and DISA's zero-trust initiative, Thunderdome, cannot be developed through rigid, static requirements. Butler said continuous data collection and operational feedback allow DISA to adjust requirements in real time, enabling more responsive development and a stronger defense against active adversaries.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is using artificial intelligence to strengthen criminal investigations and improve workforce efficiency. Eric Shen, inspector in charge of the Criminal Investigations Group, explained how investigators use AI to analyze large volumes of data, identify patterns and generate insights that support complex investigations.
Shen also discussed how the agency is applying AI to streamline administrative workflows, giving personnel more time to focus on investigative work. While AI is not replacing investigators, it is helping teams uncover connections in sophisticated crimes, including financial fraud, that would be difficult or time-consuming to detect through manual analysis alone.
Cybersecurity leader and author Agatha Merle discussed her unconventional path into cybersecurity, why creating more inclusive workplaces is essential to strengthening the industry and how creativity has become one of the most important tools for cyber defenders.
Merle shared lessons from interviewing more than 100 women for her book, "Cyber Like a Girl", and offered practical advice for leaders on recruiting, mentoring and retaining diverse talent.
She also explained why networking, authentic mentorship and building a strong support system can help aspiring professionals thrive in the field.
The U.S. Army is expanding its use of artificial intelligence across the enterprise, from administrative operations to battlefield decision-making and logistics. As AI adoption accelerates, Army leaders are also navigating the cybersecurity and governance challenges that come with integrating the technology into mission systems.
Chief Warrant Officer 3 Jordan Duke, chief of the Cybersecurity Division at the Army Contracting Command, outlined his role overseeing cybersecurity and how AI is shaping the future of Army acquisition.
Army Contracting Command manages procurement across the service, supporting everything from everyday office supplies to advanced weapons systems. Duke discussed how the organization is addressing cybersecurity risks across its vast acquisition environment and how AI is being integrated into contracting workflows, including solicitations, cybersecurity and enterprise operations.
Labor Department CIO and Chief AI Officer Mangala Kuppa joined GovCIO Media & Research at the Federal IT Efficiency Summit to discuss how the agency is integrating artificial intelligence across its operations to improve efficiency, modernize legacy systems and enhance customer services.
As the department expands its use of AI, Kuppa said leaders are focused on ensuring new technologies support existing workflows while delivering measurable mission outcomes. AI is already supporting a range of use cases across the department, from helping employees refine documents and streamline workflows to assisting with software development and code generation.
Kuppa also discussed the department's efforts to build AI literacy across the workforce as AI tools become increasingly embedded throughout the agency's technology ecosystem. Looking ahead, the department is exploring emerging technologies, including quantum computing, while advancing ongoing modernization efforts such as data center consolidation and digital experience improvements.
Justin Cole, director of data transparency at the Treasury Department's Bureau of Fiscal Service, outlined a new initiative highlighting the nation's oldest continuously updated federal financial data ahead of the U.S. 250th anniversary.
He explained how Treasury is expanding access to trusted spending, revenue and debt data while embracing AI as another way for the public to discover authoritative information. Cole also shared how industry can build new tools that make government data more accessible and useful.
The administration's Genesis Mission aims to build an integrated ecosystem connecting supercomputers, AI systems and emerging quantum technologies to tackle complex challenges in scientific research.
Building that interconnected system requires overcoming both cultural and technical barriers, Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Gina Tourassi told GovCIO Media & Research at the SCSP AI+Expo 2026 in Washington, D.C. Tourassi, who is leading development of the American Science Cloud, discussed how researchers across the Energy Department are embracing a "One DOE" mindset to advance scientific discovery through shared infrastructure and collaboration.
Tourassi also explained how AI is transforming the scientific process by enabling real-time experimentation, adaptive modeling and interoperable data sharing across research environments. She further discussed Oak Ridge's partnerships with industry cloud providers to accelerate supercomputer development as part of the Genesis Mission.
Misunderstandings about the Authority to Operate (ATO) process are slowing federal technology modernization efforts and driving up costs, according to David Raley, chief digital business officer for Operation StormBreaker in the Marine Corps.
Speaking at GovCIO Media & Research's Federal IT Efficiency Summit, Raley argued that many delays stem from a fundamental misconception about what receives an authorization. Rather than granting ATOs to individual software applications, agencies authorize integrated systems operating within specific environments, taking into account mission context, infrastructure, users and data. Raley said this misunderstanding often leads to unnecessary delays for both government teams and industry partners.
To accelerate software delivery, Raley highlighted the Marine Corps' Operation StormBreaker initiative, which leverages modern DevSecOps practices and continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines. By building applications on preauthorized platforms, teams can inherit the majority of required security controls, reducing compliance burdens and enabling faster, more efficient delivery of mission capabilities.
The Smithsonian began its digital transformation journey in 2021 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, the Office of Digital Transformation has advanced the use of AI across the Smithsonian's research initiatives and online collections. As the institution prepares for America250 — the 250th anniversary of the United States commemorating the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776 — the Smithsonian is using AI to help share and better understand the nation's history.
At the SCSP AI+Expo 2026 in Washington, D.C, Smithsonian Chief Digital and Innovation Officer Becky Kobberod told GovCIO Media & Research about the AI-enabled work connecting historical information to provide deeper insights into the American Revolution.
Kobberod also highlighted the Smithsonian's efforts to improve customer experience. Through partnerships with industry, the institution is launching the MySmithsonian platform to create a more personalized visitor experience and help audiences engage with the Smithsonian beyond Washington, D.C.
Artificial intelligence is helping transform how the Energy Department approaches one of its most complex challenges: cleaning up nuclear waste.
At the 2026 SCSP AI+Expo, Savannah River National Laboratory Associate Laboratory Director for Environmental and Legacy Management Eric Pierce joined GovCIO Media & Research to discuss how the lab is applying AI to improve environmental monitoring, reduce costs and accelerate cleanup efforts across the Savannah River Site.
Pierce highlighted SRNL's Advanced Long-Term Environmental Monitoring Systems (ALTEMIS), which uses AI to predict contaminated groundwater plume movement. The technology has reduced monitoring requirements from quarterly sampling across 2,000 wells to a single annual verification sample, significantly lowering costs while maintaining confidence in environmental safety.
He also discussed the lab's AI Accelerated Strategies and Solutions in Environmental Technology (AI-ASSET) initiative, which builds on ALTEMIS by collecting real-time, AI-ready environmental data. Currently, roughly 30% to 40% of the site's data is prepared for AI applications. Pierce also explained how SRNL is working with industry and government partners to modernize the remaining data and expand the use of AI-driven environmental cleanup technologies.
The effort is part of a broader DOE initiative exploring how AI can advance scientific discovery, operational efficiency and innovation across the national laboratory system.
Avni Desai is a dedicated professional at CGI, where she brings a thoughtful blend of leadership, strategic insight and a people‑centered approach to her work.
Desai shared her journey from clinical practice to technology and discussed how she tackles challenges after work, such as the emotional impact of "mom guilt" and the importance of setting positive examples for children. As a mother to two young children, she discussed balancing her professional commitments with a nurturing, intentional approach to family life.
She also critiqued the lack of wellness and emotional regulation programs in school and advocated for teaching financial literacy and healthy habits early.
Astronomical data presents unique challenges for artificial intelligence, often requiring specialized AI models tailored to the needs of astrophysicists and large-scale scientific research.
Scientists at the Center for Astrophysics — a collaboration between the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and Harvard College Observatory — developed the AstroAI Institute to help researchers analyze massive datasets and accelerate scientific discovery through AI-driven analysis.
At the 2026 SCSP AI+Expo, the institute's Founder and Director Cecilia Garraffo told GovCIO Media & Research the center is using AI to search for unexpected patterns in large data sets and cluster data based on similarity without prior coding, enabling scientists to detect new phenomena and uncover previously unseen relationships.
Garraffo also discussed the growing need for AI education and workforce development across the scientific community. She explained how AstroAI is helping train researchers at all levels — from students to senior scientists — to use AI effectively in astrophysics research and discovery.
The General Services Administration is positioning itself as the federal government's central hub for technology acquisition (GSA to Extend OneGov Software Deals in Next Phases ), helping agencies operate as one government through shared services and enterprisewide procurement strategies.
At GovCIO Media & Research's 2026 Federal IT Efficiency Summit, Jonathan Plante, senior strategist for cloud hardware and software at GSA, discussed the key trends shaping federal cloud acquisition over the next six to 12 months. He outlined efforts to consolidate procurement vehicles under GSA, increase transparency into software and subscription spending, and leverage the federal government's collective buying power to drive greater efficiency and value.
Plante also highlighted the growing importance of cybersecurity, asset management and interoperability as agencies modernize their IT environments. Looking ahead, he encouraged agency leaders to align cloud investments with mission outcomes, advance zero trust security strategies and prepare for emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and post-quantum cryptography.
Climate surveys used by the War Department like the Defense Organizational Climate Survey (DEOCS) are annual check-ins to assess unit morale, cohesion and leadership trust. Traditionally, these surveys take a long time to gather and analyze by leadership. A pair of Marine Corps innovators told AI GovCast that they've created a new AI–enabled survey tool prototype that is designed to give commanders near‑real‑time insight the day‑to‑day stressors affecting Marines. The prototype, called PULSE Check, aims to close long‑standing feedback gaps that leaders say contribute to retention problems — particularly in the reserve component.
Col. Prescott Wilson, chief of staff for the 4th Marine Logistics Group, said the idea emerged after a commanders' conference where Marines explained why they were leaving drilling status for the Individual Ready Reserve.
"By the time we're talking to these Marines on stage, they've already made a decision … that's talent we can't get back," Wilson said.
Lt. Col. Samuel Sung, an innovation officer with the Logistics Innovation Office and a Marine reservist who co‑developed the prototype, said the team deliberately focused first on whether the idea was even useful before tackling the complex security and compliance requirements of deploying AI inside the department.
He added that AI-driven analysis enables more frequent surveys and faster feedback cycles, allowing commanders to test changes and measure results monthly instead of annually. That accelerated process, Sung said, can improve decision-making while also reinforcing to Marines that their feedback is being heard.
The United States Navy is taking steps to integrate artificial intelligence into Maritime Operations Centers — balancing the need for operational agility with the rigor required for warfighting, according to Rear Adm. Susan BryerJoyner, director of the Warfighting Integration Directorate in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations.
Speaking with AI GovCast, BryerJoyner said Navy leadership is focused on maximizing taxpayer return on investment through data-informed analysis to determine which AI capabilities are ready for operational use and which require further evaluation.
Mitigating AI hallucinations remains a top priority, BryerJoyner added, emphasizing that commanders will always remain part of the decision-making process. She said operational staff must understand how AI-generated recommendations are developed to ensure outputs align with mission requirements, planning assumptions and ethical standards.
BryerJoyner also discussed how the Chief of Naval Operations is working with the Naval Postgraduate School to expand AI education through the school's new master's degree program in AI.
The Air Force's Cyber Resiliency Office for Control Systems (CROCS) is translating high-level Pentagon cyber directives into operational steps to secure control systems across the department.
Technical Director Daryl Haegley said the office was created to close a long‑standing policy gap to secure operational technology (OT). The Department of the Air Force has spent more than a year assembling stakeholders from mission assurance, intelligence, operations and logistics to develop a 100‑point cyber plan. The office now tracks progress on each initiative and convenes more than 100 OT experts monthly to coordinate implementation.
Haegley emphasized that missions depend on their continuous availability. No base can operate without electricity, water and other critical services. CROCS plays a central role in aligning those priorities and helping assign appropriate levels of cyber risk.
The office is also pushing services to train for degraded conditions. Bases are conducting energy resilience exercises that simulate cyberattacks by disconnecting from commercial power and disrupting systems like HVAC.
"Operating in a contested environment — and training and rehearsing that — is what CROCS is trying to coordinate," Haegley said.
The Indian Health Service (IHS) is modernizing its electronic health record (EHR) systems while strengthening cybersecurity to protect sensitive patient data.
IHS CISO Benjamin Koshy joined GovCIO Media & Research at CyberScape: The Federal Cybersecurity Summit to discuss how his agency is building a culture of cyber awareness among clinicians and staff. Koshy also outlined the challenges of securing telehealth services in remote environments and how AI is helping cybersecurity teams more quickly identify and respond to threat actors.
The global supply chain supporting U.S. military operations faces persistent cyber threats from adversaries targeting both government systems and the broader industrial base. Speaking at the CyberScape Federal Cybersecurity Summit in April, Defense Logistics Agency CIO Adarryl Roberts said the agency is prioritizing efforts to secure small suppliers while protecting AI-driven decision pipelines.
Roberts said DLA's first line of defense in managing third-party risk remains contractual enforcement. The Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) enables the agency to require prime contractors to ensure subcontractors meet federal cybersecurity standards, he added.
As DLA expands its use of artificial intelligence for logistics planning and operational decision-making, securing the data pipelines that feed those models has become a top priority. Roberts pointed to multifactor authentication and the War Department's zero-trust architecture as foundational, enabling DLA to inherit cloud-native protections while layering on departmentwide cybersecurity policies.
JoJo D, The Chaos Guru, in conversation with Taylor Kelley, business development director at GDIT, discussed what it really takes to stay grounded in the high-pressure world of cybersecurity and tech.
Kelley shares her path as a young professional in a male-dominated field, opening up about imposter syndrome, earning credibility and learning to use her voice. The discussion goes beyond career growth, digging into the realities of balancing demanding roles with personal life, including her experience as a working parent.
The conversation offered practical advice for how to set boundaries without guilt, communicate transparently, build supportive relationships and know when to ask for help. She also shared how the role of therapy, community and small habits played in maintaining resilience when work feels overwhelming.
The Army is accelerating its push to operationalize artificial intelligence, moving beyond experimentation to deliver mission-ready capabilities at scale. The service's Project ARIA targets high-value use cases to reduce administrative friction and deploy AI tools directly to soldiers faster.
Enterprise Cloud Management Agency CTO Gabe Chiulli explained how the initiative is reshaping the service's approach to AI adoption, shifting from broad ambition to targeted, soldier-level impact. The project, launched in March, brings together global industry and academic experts to provide an outside perspective on the Army's most persistent operational challenges.
The effort examines everything from logistics to policy and day-to-day workflows to identify where AI can drive the greatest impact. Scaling AI across a force of nearly 2 million personnel requires more than technology. It demands new processes, faster acquisition pathways and a reassessment of risk. Chiulli said ARIA is intentionally designed to move at commercial speed, helping the Army rapidly translate innovation into operational advantage.
The Pentagon is accelerating efforts to deliver new capabilities to the battlefield. At Fort Bragg, the Army's XVIII Airborne Corps launched the Lt. Gen. James Gavin Joint Innovation Outpost (JIOP) to bridge the gap between frontline needs and the acquisition process.
Rob Braun, CTO of the XVIII Airborne Corps, told GovCast the JIOP is reshaping how the Army defines and delivers operational requirements for modern warfare. Historically, requirements development was led by the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology (ASA(ALT)), with limited warfighter input until later testing phases.
The JIOP shifts that model, directly connecting soldiers with engineers and industry partners to rapidly prototype solutions and iterate based on real-time feedback, Braun said. The outpost is also changing how the Army evaluates operational risk as innovation cycles accelerate in active conflict zones such as Ukraine and the Middle East.
To enable rapid experimentation, the JIOP uses off-post ranges and commercial-like environments to test emerging capabilities. This includes evaluating counter-UAS systems and exploring how artificial intelligence can connect sensors and effectors in a simulated commercial internet environment without the constraints of traditional military networks, Braun explained.
Tommy Gardner, CTO of HP Federal, joined us at CyberScape: The Federal Cybersecurity Summit to discuss the growing risks of adversarial AI as agencies accelerate adoption of the tech across mission-critical environments.
He outlined how how threat actors are exploiting vulnerabilities in AI systems, from manipulating training data to probing model weaknesses. He also shared how agencies and organizations can build resilient AI systems, protect algorithms and data, and embed security into the development lifecycle without stalling innovation as threats become increasingly complex.
The Administrative Office of the Courts is using GIS to integrate security systems, enhance safety and improve the visitor experience.
Kyle Yoder, threat management branch chief within the Judiciary Security Division, said GIS technology is helping the agency integrate applications that support incident management, public safety and physical security operations.
Speaking with GovCIO Media & Research at Esri's FedGIS Conference in Washington, D.C., Yoder said the office is replacing disparate systems with a more unified platform. The updated approach enables virtual walkthroughs of court facilities to enhance visitor experience while allowing employees to familiarize themselves with safety procedures and equipment in a virtual environment.
Hemorrhage is the leading cause of preventable death on the battlefield. More than 90% of service members who die from uncontrolled bleeding do so before reaching a medical facility.
At GovCIO Media & Research's Defense IT Summit, Jacques Reifman explained how APPRAISE, an AI-enabled decision support system, helps combat medics triage casualties near the point of injury and assess hemorrhage risk. By analyzing patterns in vital signs, including heart rate and blood pressure, APPRAISE can estimate the likelihood of hemorrhage, helping medics prioritize treatment and evacuation decisions in real time.
Reifman said training large AI models for military medicine can be challenging because available medical datasets are often small and limited to controlled laboratory studies. To overcome that constraint, researchers use mathematical models to generate synthetic data, creating simulated patients that allow AI systems to train on much larger datasets.
After a three-year pause of the Department of Veterans Affairs Electronic Health Record Modernization (EHRM) program, the VA resumed rollout this past weekend with a renewed focus on governance, user experience and measurable outcomes.
Deputy Secretary and Acting CIO Paul Lawrence joined HealthCast to discuss what the department learned during the pause and how those insights are shaping a more disciplined, forward-looking approach to modernization. Lawrence explained the role of newly added senior advisors in refining key areas like software development and field adoption, as well as the department's phased approach to upgrading critical components such as the pharmacy module.
Looking ahead, Lawrence outlined how the VA is incorporating user feedback, enhancing system functionality and building a repeatable framework to scale modernization across the enterprise. He also discussed early feedback following the program's resumption and how those lessons will shape the VA's long-term digital transformation strategy.
The CDC is taking a major step forward in its approach to artificial intelligence with the release of a new four-year AI strategy, aimed at strengthening public health capabilities and modernizing data use across the agency.
Outgoing acting Chief AI Officer Travis Hoppe discussed how years of foundational work have positioned the CDC to responsibly adopt and scale AI technologies. He underscored the importance of balancing innovation with federal compliance requirements, including FedRAMP authorization and rigorous cybersecurity standards, while maintaining strong partnerships with industry and state and local partners.
As AI capabilities evolve, Hoppe underscores the importance of agility across federal IT leadership — continuously reassessing tools, guidance and workforce readiness to keep pace with a rapidly changing landscape.
With defense technology constantly evolving, the military services are looking to accelerate the discovery, development and deployment of emerging technologies. The Army launched its FUZE innovation engine last fall to fund promising technologies and move cutting-edge capabilities from prototype to operational use faster.
Matthew Willis, FUZE director, said the program aligns with the Pentagon's broader push to accelerate technology adoption and modernize defense acquisition. Willis explained that FUZE consolidates several previously disconnected Army innovation efforts and overlays them with a venture-capital-style investment model.
FUZE, Willis said, operates more like a Silicon Valley firm, taking calculated risks early, making multiple small investments, scaling successful technologies and quickly divesting from those that do not deliver results. Willis added that the Army must embrace risk tolerance, make "big bets" on the most critical capabilities and avoid spreading resources too thin.
The Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory (MCWL) is accelerating efforts to define the future force through virtual wargaming, edge computing and autonomous systems.
Brig. Gen. Simon Doran, MCWL's commanding general, joined AI GovCast to discuss how the lab is identifying emerging threats and developing the concepts and capabilities Marines will need over the next decade. Doran said the lab analyzes recent conflicts, including those in Ukraine and the Middle East, to extract operational lessons and apply them to advanced modeling and simulation.
Doran also highlighted the development of the Neller Center for Wargaming and Analysis, a 100,000-square-foot facility in Quantico. The center will use physics-based models to test Marine Corps weapons and force design concepts against future threats in a virtual environment.
By running thousands of simulated scenarios, MCWL can identify capability gaps and help inform where the Marine Corps should invest to remain lethal and survivable.
The administration's Genesis Mission aims to build an integrated ecosystem that connects supercomputers, AI systems and emerging quantum capabilities, calling on the Energy Department and its 17 national laboratories.
Argonne National Laboratory's broad multidisciplinary research portfolio positions it to harness AI to accelerate scientific discovery, Associate Laboratory Director for the Computing, Environment and Life Sciences (CELS) Directorate Rick Stevens told GovCIO Media & Research.
Stevens compared the urgency of the Genesis Mission to the Manhattan Project, citing intensifying global competition and rapid advances in AI. He also highlighted Argonne initiatives such as Synapse, which uses AI to accelerate imaging analysis, and Quarks to Cosmos, an effort to integrate large physics datasets to enable new scientific insights.
NOAA is integrating GPS and new gravity data to improve accuracy of its National Spatial Reference System. Guest: Galen Scott, NGS Constituent Manager, NOAA Description:
As agencies increasingly rely on data to drive precise decision-making, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Geodetic Survey is modernizing the National Spatial Reference System to account for shifts in the Earth caused by tectonic plate movement. It hadn't been updated in 40 years.
Speaking at the Esri FedGIS Conference in Washington, D.C., NOAA National Geodetic Survey Constituent Manager Galen Scott said the updated system integrates GPS technology, enabling more efficient methods to locate survey markers and collect field data.
Scott said the modernized NSRS will also incorporate new gravity data through a geoid model, improving the accuracy of surface elevation measurements compared with legacy models. He added that NSRS data serves as foundational infrastructure for agencies supporting urban planning, infrastructure development and emergency response efforts.
Tiziana Barrow has built a career around cybersecurity and human risk, leading product marketing across some of the industry's most specialized domains like threat intelligence, OT/ICS security, risk quantification and supply chain risk. She's now channeling that experience into Safer Shift, a personal endeavor to build stories that bridge the physical and digital world with a bias toward changing behavior. She discussed why the most powerful tool for reducing human risk isn't technology, it's narrative — stories that make digital safety habits intuitive, accessible and human. In an AI-driven world, protecting people can't just be an enterprise priority. It has to be a personal one.
Col. Arlon Smith, director of Project Dynamis, discussed how the Marine Corps is working to rapidly deliver artificial intelligence capabilities to the tactical edge. He explained how Project Dynamis is leveraging cutting-edge commercial AI to help warfighters analyze and share data faster in increasingly complex battlefields filled with autonomous systems. Smith also highlighted the project's focus on joint interoperability and real-world testing with military partners. The effort aims to quickly turn emerging technologies into operational capabilities that give Marines a decisive advantage.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is modernizing its IT infrastructure to improve efficiency, security and access for patients and providers. Since taking the role in May, Wade Zarriello, director of infrastructure and user services, has led efforts to consolidate platforms, optimize shared services and cut costs — exceeding CMS's fiscal year 2025 savings goal by $750 million.
Zarriello also discussed how the agency is implementing a zero trust cybersecurity framework and leveraging AI tools to strengthen data protection and operational reliability. He highlighted CMS's use of GSA OneGov agreements with AWS, Oracle and Salesforce to drive cost savings, improve platform consolidation and support hybrid cloud initiatives.
The Zscaler Public Sector Summit, Robert Roser, CISO, CDO and director of cybersecurity at Idaho National Laboratory, discussed the rapidly evolving cyber threat landscape facing government and critical infrastructure. He joined GovCIO Media & Research at the event to explain how malicious actors are increasingly using AI to launch more sophisticated phishing campaigns and ransomware attacks while also lowering the barrier to entry for less-skilled hackers.
He also shared how his team is strengthening defenses through zero trust principles, stronger identity protections and new guardrails for AI use. As cyber threats grow more complex, Roser emphasized that cybersecurity is not just an IT issue — it is a responsibility shared across the entire organization.
The Office of Personnel Management launched its Federal Workforce Data website in January, replacing FedScope, the 20-year-old repository for federal employment data.
The new platform provides greater transparency into how the federal workforce operates, featuring monthly updates and interactive tables that offer deeper insight into workforce demographics.
OPM Director Scott Kupor told GovCIO Media & Resesarch how the revamped site improves user experience and expands visibility into civilian agency operations. Kupor also explained how FWD could serve as a foundation for future consolidation of the federal government's disparate human resources systems.
The Department of the Navy is using AI across a range of mission areas. In the intelligence domain, the service is moving AI beyond experimental phases and integrating trustworthy AI into all warfighting functions, Christopher Page, deputy director of OPNAV's Intelligence Division, said on AI GovCast.
Page said data quality depends on agreed-upon terms for modeling adversary and friendly forces. For AI implementation to be effective, he said, the Navy must adhere to a common taxonomy and lexicon, noting that "a cruiser needs to be a cruiser, a rowboat needs to be a rowboat."
He added that the ultimate goal of the Navy's digital transformation is a hybrid fleet. The future force will feature expanded AI use across the department, autonomous systems that require less bandwidth, and integrated operations between manned and unmanned platforms.
AI is at the center of the Marine Corps' digital transformation efforts, from edge communication to cybersecurity. Marine Corps AI Lead Maj. Christopher Clark said AI it must be adapted to the physical and technical constraints of vehicles and equipment used on the front lines.
To tackle these constraints, the Marine Corps is organizing an AI workshop this March to bring together fleet-level problem solvers and industry innovators to identify and experiment with high-value solutions. Using Corps-wide talent, Clark said, USMC can find the best solutions to pressing problems. He added that recent research from a Marine Corps AI fellowship demonstrated that generative AI can perform this task with a 50% increase in speed, allowing networks to be established much faster than through traditional methods.
Clark also discussed the ways USMC is using AI to augment Marines talent, enhance data readiness for mission and reduce the fatigue associated administrative and intelligence work.
The War Department is modernizing its acquisition ecosystem to meet the demands of modern warfare. Designed for speed, the updated approach redefines how the Pentagon manages risk, incorporates feedback and iterates on capability delivery.
Speaking at AFCEA/USNI WEST in San Diego, California, Louis Koplin, the Navy's acting program executive officer for PEO Digital, said the Department of the Navy is focused on delivering capabilities early and often, using technology investment horizons to guide innovation. Iterative development, he said, relies on direct warfighter feedback and embedding operators within development teams.
Koplin added that industry input is shaping lessons learned across the department to address current challenges. Commercial and dual-use technologies, he said, are transforming how the Navy acquires and deploys new capabilities.
As artificial intelligence reshapes military operations at breakneck speed, the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) is launching an accelerated master's degree aimed at pushing AI-literate officers into the fleet as early as 2027. Speaking at AFCEA/USNI West in San Diego, Capt.
Mike Owen, co-chair of the NPS AI Task Force, said the new program is designed to close a widening gap between the pace of technological change and the Department of the Navy's ability to train personnel to use emerging tools.
Owen said NPS teams are also traveling to major Navy and Marine Corps hubs to deliver AI 101 and prompt-engineering workshops. He added that the rollout of GenAI.mil and increased access to AI models are enabling NPS students to explore the technology more deeply and deliver new capabilities to the Navy.
The U.S. Navy is transitioning to a continuous cybersecurity model, leveraging AI to prevent or significantly mitigate cyberattacks as it shifts from traditional risk management frameworks to the Cybersecurity Risk Management Construct.
Shery Thomas, enterprise IT officer at Navy Installations Command (CNIC), discussed how the transition is unfolding at the command level.
Thomas outlined CNIC's cybersecurity initiatives, including adopting a continuous observability and readiness model. He also addressed cultural hurdles in elevating cybersecurity to a "live" operational status and the steps the command is taking to overcome them.
In addition, Thomas discussed supply chain security and how CNIC is leveraging AI to support autonomous deterrence capabilities. He emphasized the human dimension of technological change, including how new cybersecurity structures impact sailors and civilian personnel at Navy installations and the efforts underway to strengthen workforce awareness and accountability.
War Department components are pivoting away from "exquisite" hardware in favor of agile, low-cost manufacturing methodologies. Part of this shift includes prize challenges like the Naval Postgraduate School's Tactical Missile Innovation Challenge, a non-traditional challenge that emphasizes methodology.
Speaking at AFCEA/USNI WEST in San Diego, California, NPS Director of Research Innovation at the Naval Postgraduate School Kaitie Penry said that the Tactical Missile Innovation Challenge, unlike traditional military contracts that demand a hardware prototype, asks participants for a design methodology. The goal, she said, is to produce missiles at scale using 3D printing and commercial off-the-shelf parts for cost efficacy and scalability.
Penry also said that the challenge aims to replace million-dollar assets with $5,000 alternatives that can be mass-produced, allowing the fleet to maintain a "quantity has a quality of its own" advantage for munitions.
Guest Ty Hughes is a longtime cybersecurity and technology leader in the public sector that champions cyber wellness. He discussed the concept of "AI alchemy" and a "pause, breathe, summarize" framework to help leaders improving clarity under pressure.
He framed cybersecurity not as a technical challenge, but rather as a human system under constant cognitive and emotional load. He discussed how burnout, decision fatigue and constant urgency can degrade security performance long before technical failures might appear.
The Trump administration's July 2025 AI Action Plan calls on National Institute of Standards & Technology to revise its AI Risk Management Framework amid easing federal regulation of the tech.
Martin Stanley, principal researcher for AI and cybersecurity at NIST, joined us at the AI Summit on Jan. 9 to discuss new AI control overlays for the Special Publication 800-53 series and the risks they are designed to address. Stanley explained how these overlays build on existing security controls to help agencies better manage AI-specific threats while aligning with broader federal priorities outlined in the AI Action Plan.
Stanley also explored where agencies struggle to turn AI risk frameworks into operational reality, from governance structures to implementation at the system level. Looking ahead, he shared how NIST expects AI security guidance to evolve as agencies transition from pilot projects to enterprise deployments and what new or updated standards federal leaders should anticipate next.
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency CIO Bob Costello joined GovCIO Media & Research at its AI Summit earlier this year to discuss how the agency is deploying agentic AI and tackling cybersecurity workforce challenges.
Costello outlined how CISA is integrating AI into operations while prioritizing security, oversight and workforce readiness.
Costello also highlighted CISA's partnership with the Office of Personnel Management on the Scholarship for Service CyberCorps program, which aims to strengthen the federal cybersecurity talent pipeline. He said agencies need new approaches to help employees better understand AI's role and build confidence using the technology in day-to-day work. The conversation also touched on how CISA's agentic AI capabilities are accelerating approval timelines and autonomously taking action to mitigate cyber threats.
Federal government's accelerated use of AI is driving attention toward data infrastructure. Efforts to train models and secure data mean AI is increasing both the volume of data agencies generate and the expectations placed on the infrastructure.
Pure Storage Senior Director of Strategic Federal Programs Doyle Choi focused on what AI and cybersecurity mean for the growing data demands and how he's seeing agencies rethinking storage and infrastructure strategies.
The interview also looks at how agencies are prioritizing infrastructure investments to support AI responsibly to balance speed and innovation with data protection, compliance and sustainability.
Agencies are implementing AI in different ways, from developing internal tools to buying off-the-shelf solutions. At Space Force, Chief Data and Artificial Intelligence Officer Chandra Donelson and AI Innovation Lead Oliver Tannheiser told AI GovCast that they are using innovative strategies to bring AI to Guardians.
Flywheel Award winner Tannheiser said that Space Force is using GPT systems to give Guardians access to 33 different large language models, allowing them access to different ways to solve problems using AI. Donelson added that Space Force is shifting its AI adoption mindset to identify specific problems faced by Guardians and working backward to find the right tool.
Tannheiser also noted that the Space Force AI Challenge is bringing innovation to Guardians. One recent success is Polaris, an AI tool designed to help families navigate the stressors of Permanent Change of Station by finding childcare and base information.
Tune in for an interview with a cybersecurity and technology leader who will host an upcoming new podcast series created for the government technologist.
Meet the voice behind the show who discusses the importance of wellness and leadership in federal IT. Technically Zen explores the intersection of well-being and technology, with honest conversations about mental health, leadership, resilience and what it takes to build a sustainable career in tech.
The host of the series goes by JoJo D, also known as the Chaos Guru, a longtime technology and cybersecurity leader. She highlights what the show will dive into as shaped by her own experiences and conversations across the tech community.
Here's what listeners can expect when the show officially launches and why this topic is especially relevant for federal technologists today.
Artificial intelligence has become a critical enabler across NASA. Deputy CAIO Krista Kinnard discussed its impact on engineers using "text-to-structure" capabilities, the design for stronger spacecraft components, program managers optimizing complex schedules and HR teams streamlining operations.
NASA's approach to AI represents a cultural shift from the agency's historically siloed structure to one emphasizing cross-pollination and collaboration. Kinnard explained how the agency consolidating its AI infrastructure across all 10 NASA field centers nationwide.
She also discussed how NASA is forming partnerships with industry, academia and emerging AI startups to stay at the forefront of innovation.
A new presidential administration and changing priorities defined 2025 in government IT. In the new year, agency tech leaders are looking ahead to implement AI, executive electronic health records across systems and modernize services and software with emerging tech like AI.
IT leaders from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the departments of Veterans Affairs and War explored how the government is moving beyond pilot programs to integrate emerging capabilities directly into mission-critical workflows.
Featured conversations include:
- 1:07: Kyle Cobb, Acting Deputy Director for Technology and Product, OPHDST, CDC
- 1:55: Dr. Neil Evans, Acting Program Executive Officer, EHRM-IO, VA
- 3:30: Katie Arrington, CISO, Department of War
The critical watches and warnings issued by the National Weather Service (NWS) inform everything from a firefighter's deployment to wildfires to the public's beach plans. This information is powered by some of the most advanced computational infrastructure in the world. According to David Michaud, director of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction's Central Operations at the NWS, high-performance computing (HPC) is the indispensable foundation that turns raw atmospheric data into actionable public safety information.
Michaud joined GovCast to discuss HPC and the IT systems accelerating science at NWS, including the service's operational supercomputers capable of calculating up to 14 quadrillion calculations per second.
Michaud also talked about the burgeoning role of AI/ML in weather prediction. These new predictive models are not intended to replace the traditional NWP models, but to complement them.
The U.S. is facing a surge in advanced threats from nation-state actors like China and Russia, who are increasingly probing critical infrastructure vulnerabilities.
David Travers, director of the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Office of Water Emergency Response and Cybersecurity, noted how escalating risks to the nation's water sector has shifted over his 30-year career, how adversaries are leveraging emerging technologies like AI to improve attacks and how the agency is adapting.
He also detailed how partnerships with Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the FBI are improving incident reporting, plans for a new $9 million water system resilience grant and the top cybersecurity initiatives shaping 2026.
The Army needs innovative and efficient solutions to problems. At the Association of the United States Army's Annual Meeting and Exposition in Washington, D.C., Innovation Officer at the Army's 3rd Infantry Division's Marne Innovation Center (MIC) Capt. Brendan Shutt explained how the Army's grassroots innovation model is transforming problem-solving.
The center embeds innovation directly into training environments, sourcing problems from soldiers in real time and involves warfighters firsthand in innovation. He said its soldier-driven, agile approach offers a compelling blueprint for future battlefield innovation and efficiency.
Shutt described challenges with scaling solutions across the Army, but said partnerships with academia provide fresh perspectives, technical bandwidth and can support more complex projects involving AI and autonomous systems.
Mitchell Thornbrugh, CIO and director of the Office of Information Technology at the Indian Health Service (IHS), is leading a transformative effort to modernize health care delivery for Native American and Alaska Native communities.
Patients at the Heart Electronic Health Record (PATH EHR) is an enterprise-wide initiative uniting more than 200 staff from federal, tribal and urban health facilities. At the core of Thornbrugh's vision is an understanding that rural and underserved areas face distinct health care challenges, including limited resources and workforce shortages.
By approaching EHR modernization through the lens of community impact, IHS is positioning itself as a leader in redefining how digital health serves patients across vast and diverse regions. Thornbrugh emphasizes that the true breakthrough lies in data liberation — unlocking decades of health records to improve outcomes and guide smarter decision-making.
This patient-first, data-driven approach ensures PATH EHR is not only a milestone for Native health systems today but also a blueprint for health care transformation for generations to come.
Kyle Cobb, acting deputy director for technology and product at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Office of Public Health Data, Surveillance and Technology (OPHDST), shared how emerging technologies are transforming the way health care data is shared and managed. Cobb outlined how APIs are replacing outdated data connections with a hub-and-spoke model, creating more efficient and centralized data utilities.
Tools such as FHIR-based APIs and core Data Use Agreements (DUAs) are not only reducing administrative burdens but also helping providers and public health agencies exchange information more consistently. This standardization builds the foundation for a stronger, more responsive data infrastructure capable of supporting both routine health care operations and large-scale public health emergencies.
Artificial intelligence is becoming the next major accelerant in this transformation. Cobb described how AI tools can parse older data formats and convert them into modern FHIR bundles, unlocking access to legacy systems that were previously difficult to integrate.
Dr. Neil Evans, Acting Program Executive Officer for the Department of Veterans Affairs' Electronic Health Record Modernization Integration Office, provided an update on the rollout of the common electronic health record (EHR).
The VA paused the rollout in 2023 following optimization and reliability issues. Evans outlined plans to restart deployment in April 2026 at select sites in Michigan, with a target of full, enterprise-wide implementation by 2031. He described the VA's wave-based deployment schedule, which leverages user feedback and lessons learned from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the War Department, both of which have deployed the common EHR. Evans discussed the challenges and opportunities the EHR presents for veterans and active military personnel alike.
Robert Sholtis, CIO at Marine Corps Forces Pacific, discussed at AFCEA TechNet Indo-Pacific his modernization efforts for the service across the Indo-Pacific region. MARFORPAC operates one of the largest services across some of the most challenging environments in the world, facilitating the need to quickly adopt, acquire and scale emerging technologies as they develop.
Sholtis said that industry, warfighters and acquisition must work in concert to properly supply the force with the most up-to-date, scalable technology like AI to prepare against adversarial threats. He called on industry to provide innovative technologies to MARFORPAC when the force will find ways to make the technology scalable. Guest: Robert Sholtis, CIO, Marine Corps Forces Pacific
Marine Corps Forces Pacific is standing up a Digital Transformation Team (DXT) as part of the Marine Corps' AI Implementation Plan's Digital Transformation Pilot. C5ISRT Systems Integration Officer and Agentic Warfare Lead Capt. Mason Millsap joined us at AFCEA TechNet Indo-Pacific to explain how the pilot helps personnel digitize processes, expand secure data pipelines and accelerate AI adoption for real-world operations.
He discussed how DXT is advancing the service's Digital Transformation Pilot and optimizing digital data flows across tactical and operational systems to strengthen command and control, improve interoperability and enhance decision-making across the Indo-Pacific region.
He also highlighted how the service is integrating emerging technologies from the research, development, test and evaluation (RDT&E) enterprise to maximize the value of prototypes and demonstrations while preparing for the rise of agentic and autonomous systems.
Naval officers explain how the Adaptive Rapid Engagement Squadron (ARES), a Midshipmen-led research and development team at the U.S. Naval Academy, has participated in competitions like the Squad with Autonomous Teammates – Challenge to test and prove new techniques, tactics and procedures relating to the adoption of emerging technology like drones, AI and electronic warfare in simulated modern combat situations.
With generative AI introducing new challenges for digital security, Arun Vemury, director at the Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology Directorate, explains how biometric technologies are enabling the agency to stay ahead of AI-driven identity fraud.
The conversation explores how DHS verifies identities across complex environments — from border crossings to remote digital interactions. Vemury details the agency's collaborative approach, using cooperative research agreements and competitive evaluations to test and deploy cutting-edge biometric tools quickly.
He also discusses how DHS balances strong security with seamless user experiences through multi-layered verification methods like advanced facial recognition, liveness detection and emerging video call authentication techniques.
Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy Chief of Innovation and Strategic Partnerships Stephen Konya has been credited with launching groundbreaking initiatives like CancerX to accelerate innovation in health care. These efforts are largely borne out of partnerships with the private sector, including academia, entrepreneurs, investors, developers and more.
Konya shared how he's building innovation ecosystems that stay rooted in patient needs while advancing cutting-edge technologies. He highlighted how connecting innovation networks to resources can also expand patient access to care.
Drawing on his experience leading Federal Innovation Days and spearheading interagency collaborations, Konya offered lessons on translating federal innovation into real-world impact. He also explored the biggest barriers to access, strategies for sustaining innovation and the emerging technologies shaping the future of health care.
The Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) facilitates trades of exports of goods and services and, in doing so, deals with massive troves of data. From the Billington Cybersecurity Summit, EXIM CISO, Chief Privacy Officer, and Deputy Chief AI Officer Darren Death tells CyberCast that his agency is centralizing data about user access and behavior to detect potential cyber threats.
Death says that balancing cybersecurity with privacy remains a challenge, especially in complex IT ecosystems involving financial institutions. He stresses the need to "shift left" by embedding privacy and security requirements early in the development lifecycle and include business leaders in conversations about cybersecurity, privacy and usability.
He also says that the EXIM is using generative AI to simulate incident response scenarios, escalating threats to test team readiness. Death adds that EXIM is positioning AI as a force multiplier rather than a job threat.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is increasingly leveraging artificial intelligence for its mission. According USPIS Inspector in Charge Eric Shen, the agency is exploring AI's potential to identify suspects, monitor illicit websites and enhance public awareness about mail fraud.
At Identity Week America 2025, Shen speaks with GovCast about how USPIS is evolving as technology changes. He says that USPIS uses all the tools it can find – including social media, AI and others – to root out mail scams. Shen also says that USPIS is changing along with the broader evolution of documentation and the need for agencies to adapt to the changing nature of ID documents. Shen explains that government needs to stay ahead of technological trends by collaborating with private industry to future-proof operations.
Cybersecurity has been on the Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) high-risk list since 1997. Federal agencies struggle with issues like cyber hygiene, cyber workforce shortages and strategic execution. While agencies put strategies in place to secure their systems, the implementation and execution can be ineffective, according to GAO Managing Director of IT and Cybersecurity Nick Marinos.
Marinos says that evolving threats have reshaped the cybersecurity landscape over the years in government, making evolution a moving target. Agencies are adjusting their workforces accordingly, he says, but is is difficult to keep pace with emerging technology. He underscores the urgency of streamlining federal hiring processes to prevent losing top talent to faster-moving private sector opportunities.
The U.S. Marine Corps has launched its first AI fellowship program in partnership with the Naval Postgraduate School to accelerate artificial intelligence adoption across the force. Modeled after the Air Force’s Phantom program at MIT, the five-month pilot trains Marines to identify command-level problems and develop AI-driven solutions that support operational readiness.
Christopher Paul, the school’s Marine Corps Chair for Information, explained how projects from the fellowship, such as using large language models to streamline vehicle maintenance paperwork or automating cyber vulnerability testing, reduce tedious tasks and improve mission outcomes. He also discussed how this initiative fits into the Corps’ broader digital transformation strategy and what it could mean for future human-machine teaming on the battlefield.
The General Services Administration launched USAi.gov to provide a secure generative AI evaluation suite that enables federal agencies to experiment with and adopt AI more quickly and at no cost. Designed to support the White House’s AI Action Plan, USAi puts tools like chat-based AI, code generation and document summarization directly into the hands of government users.
Zach Whitman, the agency’s chief AI officer and chief data scientist, explained how USAi is helping agencies modernize operations, boost workforce efficiency and strengthen mission delivery. He also discussed how the platform provides a trusted space for experimentation, fosters responsible innovation and equips employees with the skills and insights needed to make informed AI adoption decisions.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is transforming how health data is shared and used, emphasizing transparency. Chief Data Officer Kristen Honey is spearheading an “open by default” strategy that moves away from top-down, siloed data management to a more collaborative model. HHS is pushing decision-making to local, state and regional experts on the front lines of public health.
Inspired by rapid response strategies used during the COVID-19 pandemic, the updated plan takes a modular, flexible format housed on open platforms like GitHub. This allows external partners to provide feedback and co-create solutions that accelerate innovation. At the same time, the refreshed HealthData.gov serves as a one-stop shop for navigating HHS’s massive data ecosystem, with AI-driven tools designed to improve usability and responsiveness.
HHS is fostering partnerships across government, industry and academia to drive external innovation while ensuring solutions meet authoritative federal standards.
The White House released a new executive order in July — Accelerating Federal Permitting of Data Center Infrastructure —calling on government to develop AI-ready data centers, streamline federal permitting and encourage private investment in critical infrastructure. Federal agencies are focusing on system resilience to withstand rising environmental and cybersecurity threats as data centers continue to grow.
A joint report from the Department of Energy and Lawrence Berkeley National Lab reveals that electricity usage by data centers tripled over the past decade and could double or triple again by 2028 — potentially consuming up to 12% of the nation’s electricity.
Federal researchers and cybersecurity experts are exploring underground thermal energy storage systems like Borehole Thermal Energy Storage (BTES) to regulate temperatures and reduce grid stress. Leaders from federal/critical infrastructure operational support and National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) are exploring how geothermal solutions can keep data centers operational during extreme weather events and power outages. As the U.S. races to expand its digital infrastructure, these innovations may be key to building a secure and sustainable future.
FedRAMP 20x is redefining how federal cloud services get authorized —making them faster, smarter and more secure. Earlier this year GSA released the 20x pilot in an effort to increase the efficiency of authorizations and enhance security.
Pete Waterman, FedRAMP director at the General Services Administration, unpacks how the program is streamlining approvals, enhancing continuous monitoring and leveraging automation to detect and resolve security risks in real time. Waterman explains how FedRAMP 20x is helping agencies and providers build services that make sense from the start, leading to stronger security and better mission outcomes.
The second Trump administration has spent 2025 accelerating its software modernization initiatives through the creation of agencies like the U.S. DOGE Service and other entities designed to digitize and modernize the American government. Modeling after DOD enterprise software container platforms, the Department of Veterans Affairs stood up its own Platform One application in 2021 to drive software modernization within the agency.
Matthew Fuqua, technical lead at VA’s Platform One, told GovCIO Media & Research Platform One is a sandbox environment where software developers can safely experiment and build applications using protected data. He said his team took inspiration from similar endeavors in federal government and built a platform where developers can focus their efforts solely on coding. Fuqua said that Platform One’s ethos centered around “speed, stability, scale and security,” and each tenet drives the mission of providing services through software that can benefit veterans.
Platform One supports the VA’s DevSecOps strategy to streamline its operations and shift away from the traditional waterfall approach to software development that hinders innovation at speed. In a DevSecOps environment, Fuqua’s team is able to monitor, update and secure troves of data rapidly, shortening processes that used to take days down to hours. Fuqua said that AI has opened the door to new potential applications but data security is paramount when considering building new software.
Cybersecurity is a critical component of organizational health no matter the federal agency. Yet, federal leaders across government are struggling to change culture, improve workflows and promote good cyber hygiene to prepare for the threats of tomorrow.
The Government Accountability Office’s Information Technology and Cybersecurity division assists Congress with assessing and improving the government’s critical IT investments and develops best practices that are used across the government to guide decision-making.
The division’s Director Jennifer Franks breaks down where agencies fall short in implementing cybersecurity recommendations and discusses ways that federal leaders can improve their cyber hygiene through better hiring processes, stronger cybersecurity requirements and promoting an inclusive and team-oriented culture.
Monitoring the world’s oceans and waterways is no simple task. 70% of the world is made up of water, and with millions of data points around the globe to sift through, human analysts cannot do the job alone.
NRL’s Alan Hope joins us to discuss how the agency is leveraging relationships with federal agencies and services like National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Navy to track the positions of millions of shipping vessels around the globe.
Hope says that the NRL tracks over 400 million unclassified data points around the world daily, and his team is using AI tools to better identify shipping vessels — no matter where they are — that might be operated by bad actors.
NASA Chief Data Officer and Chief AI Officer David Salvagnini joined GovCIO Media & Research live from the Federal IT Efficiency Summit in Tysons, Virginia, to share insights into his dual role leading AI and data initiatives at the agency, including the development of NASA’s AI strategy and how it's being integrated with responsible data governance.
He also highlighted exciting AI projects currently underway around space exploration and mission support, discussed how he envisions NASA furthering operational efficiency and shared how he’s balancing risk and transparency with cutting-edge tech innovation.
Darnita Trower, former deputy CIO for Operations at the Internal Revenue Service, discusses her tenure at the agency and the resilience the workforce has shown through budget cuts, administration changes and difficult tax seasons. She said the agency is built to weather storms and is on a continuing modernization path.
Trower is an accomplished executive and digital transformation leader with over 20 years of public and private sector experience. During her tenure at the IRS, she managed a $290 million Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) digitalization portfolio, the launch of Secure Access Digital Identity (SADI) and drove legacy modernization.
Now that she’s departed government, she joins GovCIO Media & Research to discuss her experience, the legacy she’s left behind and how she pushed the IRS to modernize itself, while facing budget and staff shortages and solving big problems.
In her first interview since becoming Principal Director of the Defense Department’s Cyber Academic Engagement Office (CAEO), Diba Hadi reflects on her role and vision for the office since stepping into the position in 2024 during the 2025 HammerCON conference in Laurel, Maryland.
Hadi shares insights into her day-to-day responsibilities and highlights efforts to strengthen the integration of universities into the Centers of Academic Excellence community. Her goal: to develop cyber talent aligned with the Defense Department’s evolving workforce needs.
She explores how improved data collection, interagency collaboration and smarter resource allocation can streamline reporting processes and support broader DOD hiring objectives. Hadi also discusses key initiatives, including scholarships, research partnerships and capacity-building grants, that bring together academia, industry and government to build cyber capabilities at their source.
Mark Gorak, the Defense Department’s Cyber Academic Engagement Office’s (CAEO) director and principal director for Resources and Analysis, shares how his office is shaping the future of cyber talent during the 2025 HammerCON conference in Laurel, Maryland.
Launched in 2024, CAEO has partnered with over 480 academic institutions nationwide to identify and develop the next generation of cyber professionals. The office is working to streamline academic partnerships, create equitable opportunities for smaller schools and better align education with national security needs.
Gorak also discusses the Pentagon’s shift toward skills-based hiring, beginning with a pilot program for cybersecurity roles, with plans to expand the approach across the future defense workforce.
Competitiveness in advanced telecommunications technologies is critical to American innovation and national security. The National Science Foundation (NSF) recently announced the new Verticals-enabling Intelligent NEtwork Systems (VINES) program to foster U.S. leadership in advanced telecommunications and foster innovative real-world applications.
NSF Acting Assistant Director of Computer and Information Science and Engineering Ellen Zegura says that VINES is focused on advanced technologies like artificial intelligence, which will bring significant advantages in cost reduction and improved network reliability and availability through automation of processes. AI-native networks, Zegura adds, create more "capable" networks, which open the door for new use of wireless networks.
Zegura also discusses the collaborative aspect of the program. VINES brings together industry leaders like Intel and Qualcomm with federal agencies, as well as partnerships with the governments of Finland, Japan, India and Sweden. This global collaboration leverages resources and strengthens network operation and interoperability across national boundaries, which are often vulnerable points, Zegura explained.
Edmon Begoli, Director of the Center for AI Security Research (CAISER) at the Energy Department’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, highlights how his team is ensuring safe and responsible AI deployment across government during the AI+ Expo in Washington, D.C., earlier this month.
The research team is developing cutting-edge tools and methodologies to assess AI vulnerabilities, test models under extreme conditions and create energy efficient solutions for complex technological challenges. Begoli's team is focusing on two key innovations: comprehensive AI security assessments and TinyML, a revolutionary approach to developing small, energy-efficient machine learning models. By creating AI systems that can operate effectively in limited environments — such as surveillance drones or long-term sensor networks — the team is addressing both security concerns and environmental sustainability challenges facing the technology sector.
The research goes beyond technical development, emphasizing education and public outreach to build AI literacy across diverse demographics. From high school students to senior citizens, the team is committed to demystifying AI technologies and demonstrating the potential to solve critical national security and infrastructure protection challenges. The team’s work represents a proactive approach to technological innovation, ensuring that AI can be trusted, secure and strategically advantageous for the nation.
The new administration has released several new directives to guide agencies' approach to AI since the beginning of the year. The tech is reshaping the U.S. Coast Guard’s core services and pushing its workforce to rethink the service’s approach to operations.
The Coast Guard has been on a journey to upskill its workforce to better utilize the technology in daily operations. Brian Campo, the service’s deputy CIO, discusses the latest AI developments and how the Coast Guard is driving innovation, pointing to the example of the service’s Ask Hamilton chatbot, which helps Coast Guard’s workforce answer frequently asked questions and find key instructions in their workflows.
As an agency with ties to DHS and DOD, the Coast Guard is uniquely positioned to leverage resources and connections between both agencies to drive innovation in monitoring the nation’s coastlines and naval boundaries.
Department of Labor’s Deputy Secretary Keith Sonderling outlines a comprehensive strategy to address the growing demand for AI skills in the American economy, during a live discussion at the AI+ Expo in Washington, D.C. earlier this month.
Sonderling explains the federal government's multi-pronged approach to AI literacy, focusing on early education initiatives that would integrate tech training from elementary through high school levels. He emphasizes the critical need to reimagine traditional career pathways, outlining how apprenticeship programs allow students to enter tech industries directly out of high school, bypassing conventional four-year degree routes.
Sonderling also discusses how public-private partnerships help create sustainable solutions for skill training and job placement. By addressing the current talent shortage and preparing a new generation of workers, DOL aims to position the nation as a global leader in AI innovation and technological advancement.
Shannon Ayers from Lawrence Livermore National Lab unveiled a groundbreaking generative AI tool to boost operational efficiency at the National Ignition Facility. The tool leverages 22 years of institutional data, analyzing over 98,000 problem logs, to provide instant troubleshooting guidance for operators.
By creating a decision-tree system, the lab addresses critical challenges of aging infrastructure and knowledge transfer between retiring and emerging scientific workforces. The AI-powered platform represents a strategic approach to accelerating scientific research, enabling operators to quickly resolve complex technical issues and maintain continuous data production. The tool aims to empower the next generation of scientists by providing rapid access to decades of accumulated institutional knowledge.
This approach not only improves immediate operational capabilities but also supports the broader national security and fusion energy research objectives of the laboratory.
By transforming how technical knowledge is captured, shared and applied, Lawrence Livermore National Lab is positioning itself at the forefront of technological innovation, demonstrating how AI can revolutionize scientific research and national technological capabilities.
The Idaho National Laboratory is working on a suite of artificial intelligence capabilities to enhance nuclear energy research. During an interview at AWS Summit in Washington, D.C., the lab’s Scientific Computing Division Director Chris Ritter discussed how the organization is using generative AI to address complex scientific challenges across domains like reactor design and operations.
The lab successfully created a digital twin of an aging reactor, streaming real-time data to the cloud and using multiple machine-learning models to predict operational parameters. Ritter emphasized the broader implications of AI integration in these areas, like how “AI jams” engage scientists and lab directors to explore it. The approach represents a comprehensive strategy to not only advance scientific research, but also prepare the workforce for an AI-driven future.
Technology and software development can take years to field capabilities that may no longer meet mission needs once they reach the finish line. Some department compliance practices can add 12-18 months for authorization.
At the AWS Summit in Washington, D.C., Marine Corps Community Services Digital Program Manager David Raley said that his office is accelerating the development and approval processes for mission capability. Raley highlighted solutions like AWS GovCloud and a certified DevSecOps platform that help reduce authorization times from a year to 15 minutes.
Raley also talked about the ways DOD is advancing zero trust implementation and security in cloud-native environments.
High-performance computing (HPC) systems provide fundamental computing infrastructure for government and industry. Security is critical for these systems that play a pivotal role in economic competitiveness and scientific discovery.
At the AWS Summit in Washington, D.C., National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Computer Scientist Yang Guo said that efficient encryption and zone-based reference architectures can enhance HPC security without impacting performance. Guo, who leads the NIST HPC Security Working Group, said that collaboration and knowledge sharing can help buttress HPC security, even in cloud environments.
Guo also discussed HPC focus areas like confidential computing, zero trust, supply chain security and integrating AI for early detection of anomalies.
The VA is set to resume its electronic health record modernization program in 2026, nearly three years since it was paused in 2023.
During the pause, the agency focused on developing a new strategy for deployment to improve success and boost patient safety. VA now plans to jumpstart the program with a focus on functionality and interoperability of the system, Dr. Neil Evans, VA’s acting program executive director of VA’s Electronic Health Record Modernization Integration Office explains.
Evans discusses how this shift in thinking is building the foundation of a stronger, more functional EHR program. He said the EHR rollout will be conducted in “waves,” where geographically connected medical centers will deploy at the same time so that patients who maneuver between them will have their record accessible no matter where they seek care.
Artificial intelligence powers many cybersecurity applications, and government agencies are increasingly using AI to augment systems in national security and intelligence capacities. The complexities of AI implementation require careful architectural considerations and robust governance frameworks to ensure safe execution. William MacMillan, former CISO at CISA and current chief product officer at Andesite AI, noted how AI holds tremendous potential to enhance efficiency and accuracy, particularly through "human in the loop" systems that manage vast amounts of data. MacMillan also talks about the critical role of leadership in establishing international AI standards and the necessity of user training and human-AI collaboration for effective implementation.
Government agencies collect vast amounts of data, but accessing and using that data effectively has long been a challenge. Ahu Yildirmaz and the team at the Coleridge Initiative are working to change that. By providing secure data-sharing platforms, advanced analytics training and tools for cross-agency collaboration, the organization is helping policymakers make more informed decisions.
The Coleridge Initiative is addressing common obstacles like data silos, privacy concerns and limited technical resources. Yildirmaz also discusses the broader implications of modernizing government data, how better access and analysis can shape policy, improve public service and create a more transparent and efficient government.
Defense Information Systems Agency networks are leveraging AI and sensors to boost real-time monitoring and synthetic traffic, as well as improve user experience and incident resolution.
At AFCEA TechNet 2025 in Baltimore, DISA J6 Global Services Directorate Vice Director Brig. Gen. Michael Cornell discussed the impact of emerging technology on data tagging, diagnostics and interoperability of DOD systems.
Ahead of his June retirement, Cornell also reflected on his proudest moments in of his decades-long career in uniform, particularly working alongside dedicated service members in operational environments.
Sean O’Lone, former senior assistant to the Department of Navy CIO and current CTO of SAIC’s Navy Business Group, joined us at Nutanix .NEXT to discuss federal modernization efforts and the future of defense IT. O’Lone served in various positions across the Navy and Joint Staff before joining industry. He shared insights into key pilot programs that modernized endpoint IT capabilities for Navy personnel, including supporting the Navy’s Flank Speed. He explored the persistent challenges of federal IT modernization, from navigating budget constraints to balancing security and innovation. O’Lone explained opportunities to reduce duplication in the software enterprise to drive cost and mission efficiency, and how industry can best support the Pentagon’s digital transformation.
Col. Ret. Michael Medgyessy, former CIO at Air Force Intelligence, joined us at Nutanix .NEXT to reflect on his career and share forward-thinking strategies for modernizing defense infrastructure. Medgyessy offered a behind-the-scenes look at how Air Force Intelligence deployed Nutanix solutions to support distributed services, increase resilience and streamline operations. He highlighted the power of hyperconverged infrastructure and software-defined storage to enable seamless failover and continuity across missions. He also explored how modern IT environments are helping services break away from legacy, monolithic systems and provided advice to federal CIOs as they continue on their modernization journeys. He emphasized the importance of an “invisible” infrastructure for end users and reducing administrative overhead across classification levels through scalable platforms.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Navy have partnered to secure the seas NOAA's establishment in 1807.
During Sea-Air-Space 2025, Rear Adm. Chad Cary, director of NOAA’s Commissioned Officer Corps and the NOAA Office of Marine and Aviation Operations, spoke to GovCIO Media & Research about NOAA’s work integrating AI integration and autonomous systems into its operations, which he says have increased efficiency by 20 to 40% in data collection for research.
Cary also says that NOAA is modernizing platforms and collaborating with academia and industry to leverage emerging technologies for better mission outcomes and marine domain awareness.
According to officials, the Defense Department’s Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) program is a national secutity imperative to protect intellectual property and maintain an American competitive advantage in defense technology.
At AFCEA TechNet 2025 in Baltimore, Katie Arrington, performing the duties of the DOD CIO, says CMMC needs to adapt dynamically to evolving cyber threats. With evolving tech like AI and quantum, acquisition rules need to adjust to evolving technologies while maintaining security standards. Arrington says that the Defense Department needs to continue to streamline cyber requirements through required standards, guidance and executive orders.
She also discusses the need for a cultural shift towards continuous cybersecurity, the new Software Fast Track Initiative and baking cybersecurity into all DOD functions.
AI is reshaping the federal landscape, offering agencies a way to boost operational and cost efficiency and augment the workforce. However, speedy adoption remains a challenge.
Lee Caswell, senior vice president of Product and Solutions Marketing at Nutanix, joined us at Nutanix .NEXT to explore how the latest policy directives are influencing innovation across government, the biggest barriers to tech adoption and what it takes to overcome them.
He also discussed strategies for migrating to modern infrastructure, the importance of strong public-private partnerships and some of the most exciting federal tech use cases on the horizon.
When COVID-19 hit, Mike Taylor, hospital ship joint task director at the Military Sealift Command and the U.S. Navy, didn't just respond; he and his team innovated.
At Nutanix .NEXT, Taylor joined us to discuss how he is leveraging telepresence technology and extending wireless networks to transform the way medical care is delivered, proving that technology isn't just a tool, it's a lifeline.
From hyper-converged infrastructure to zero trust, Taylor is leading the charge in modernizing maritime medical operations. His approach isn't just about upgrading systems; it's about creating resilient, secure platforms that can serve humanity in the most challenging conditions.
With an eye on emerging technologies like AI and a commitment to cautious implementation, he's showing how tech can be a powerful ally in humanitarian missions.
Young Bang, former principal deputy assistant secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology, joined us at Nutanix .NEXT in Washington, D.C., to discuss the challenges and opportunities for Army innovation as new directives from the new administration shape the future of defense IT.
From navigating outdated acquisition processes to transforming logistics with machine learning and integrating commercial AI into defense systems, Bang offered insights into how the Defense Department can modernize to keep pace with emerging technologies.
He also highlighted standout programs driving innovation across the Pentagon and discusses the critical role of public-private partnerships in optimizing performance and driving operational efficiency in the digital age.
The Naval Research Laboratory's PROTEUS program is a cutting-edge maritime domain awareness system designed to provide near-real-time global maritime situational awareness for agencies and partners. The program integrates multi-source data ingestion and fusion services to identify, query and filter maritime vessels based on user-defined criteria.
During Sea-Air-Space 2025, Alan Hope, head of the NRL’s mission development branch, spoke to GovCIO Media & Research about how Homeland Security Investigations, the Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration and other agencies are using PROTEUS to fulfill their mission.
Hope says that PROTEUS is crucial assist to human analysts at agencies, using AI to sift through vast datasets to highlight potential threats and anomalies, which allows experts to focus on validation and decision-making rather than raw data interpretation.
Hope also talks about the PROTEUS user experience, highlighting the cloud-based, easily accessible workbench that provides real-time updates and historical data for in-depth analysis, fostering collaboration among users across different agencies and locations.
A recently published study by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) discovers a link between physical activity and cancer risk after gathering data from wrist sensors, which could help lead to major advances in cancer research.
Alaina Shreves, predoctoral fellow at NCI’s Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics Metabolic Epidemiology Branch, said the findings come from accelerometer-measured physical activity, which associated low-intensity exercise with up to a 26 percent decreased risk of certain cancers.
Shreves highlighted the importance of wrist sensor data in cancer prevention. She also shared her excitement about a new project involving wearable technologies to determine how walking patterns impact cancer development.
Emerging tech policies focus on balancing technological advancement with governance, creating frameworks that encourage rapid innovation while maintaining critical safeguards for national security and public interest. President Donald Trump’s recent AI guidance prioritizes American leadership in technological development, particularly in response to global competition from countries like China.
Lisa Costa, former Space Force chief information and transformation officer, highlights the critical need for public-private partnerships in tech development. She discusses the pivotal role industry plays in helping government agencies adopt and implement AI technologies more effectively.
AI is increasingly being integrated across sectors — from health care to cybersecurity — with an emphasis on creating trusted, secure and adaptable technological solutions. Agencies and industry are working together to reduce regulation and establish broad guidelines that foster innovation, protect sensitive information and position the United States as a global leader in AI.
The Coast Guard is pursuing artificial intelligence via data analytics to enhance its diverse missions, Deputy CIO and Chief Data and AI Officer Brian Campo told GovCIO Media & Research during Sea-Air-Space in National Harbor, Maryland.
Campo said that the Coast Guard is learning lessons from other military branches and DHS components to adopt a "fast follower" approach to AI. Campo emphasized the synergy between his dual roles, allowing for a streamlined approach to implementing data-driven AI solutions.
Despite budgetary constraints, the Coast Guard is using AI and automation to improve efficiencies. He also said that the service is focusing on using AI to simplify and make marine regulations more accessible to mariners and other in the maritime domain.
The National Cancer Institute is exploring a new new tech-based treatment to help patients overcome a severe breathing disorder caused by the Human Papilloma Virus.
Leaders from the agency’s Center for Cancer Research — Dr. Clint Allen, a senior investigator, and Dr. Scott Norberg, an associate research physician — join us to discuss the findings from their recent study on the Recurrent Respiratory Papillomatosis, which can cause damage to the vocal cords and block airways, making it hard to breathe.
Allen and Norberg shared details about the therapy, which uses a gorilla adenovirus based-technology to target the infection.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's annual milestone updates in its public health data strategy include expanding TEFCA, enabling easier data access and analytics capabilities, and a new shared workspace with its partners.
Dr. Jennifer Layden, director at CDC’s Office of Public Health Data, Surveillance and Technology, detailed the latest in the agency's comprehensive data strategy and how advanced technologies are revolutionizing disease detection and community health protection.
From wastewater surveillance to AI-powered data processing, the strategy's mission is to create a more responsive, interconnected public health system. Layden explored the critical challenges of data integration, highlighting how the CDC is developing an enterprise platform that enables faster, more accurate tracking of health threats.
Layden also discussed the importance of interoperability between health care systems, the potential of AI in processing complex medical information and the practical ways these technological advances can help communities respond more effectively to emerging health challenges.
Editor’s Note: Jacob Glassman’s comments do not reflect the position of the Department of the Navy and are his own personal views.
The Navy’s Modular Open Systems Architecture (MOSA) philosophy is designed to enable the service to quickly integrate and prototype emerging technology.
As the services adopt MOSA and its service-specific variants, Glassman says the strategy will foster the interchange of systems, support emerging technologies adoption and spur modernization. MOSA 1.0 is the first iteration of the Navy’s strategy.
The Navy plans to solicit feedback from industry, academia and across the Defense Department as it updates its strategy on an annual basis, fully realizing its vision with its 3.0 plan, according to Glassman.
The latest iteration of the National Institutes of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) helps organizations strengthen their security posture and align their cybersecurity efforts with enterprise-wide risk management.
NIST's Steven Quinn, the project lead for the Cybersecurity Framework, provides a comprehensive overview of the key updates and transformative features in the 2.0 version. At the center of the new framework is the introduction of the "govern" function, which empowers executives and risk management professionals to seamlessly integrate cybersecurity risk into their existing enterprise-level decision-making processes.
By bridging the gap between technical security controls and business objectives, the framework enables organizations to make more informed, strategic investments in their cybersecurity programs. Additionally, the framework has been enhanced to address emerging technologies, such as quantum computing and artificial intelligence, ensuring an organization is prepared to navigate the evolving threat landscape.
Former Energy Department CIO Ann Dunkin managed a $5 billion IT budget and a $1 billion high-performance computing budget during her tenure. With a new administration taking shape, she offered insights into some of President Donald Trump’s new priorities and how they might impact the agency.
She discussed the new AI executive order, the growing influence of global AI competition and the federal government’s evolving strategies for cybersecurity and quantum advancements. She also highlighted ongoing challenges in recruiting top tech talent and streamlining acquisition processes.
Hear Dunkin’s take on the administration’s priorities, the risks and rewards of AI deregulation, and what’s next for federal IT modernization.
The newly established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is working to modernize government and combat waste, fraud and abuse. The Congressional DOGE Caucus co-chaired by Rep. Pete Sessions aims to bridge efforts between Congress and DOGE and examine the need for a comprehensive technology strategy to tackle inefficiencies within government.
Rep. Sessions discussed how his caucus is working with DOGE staffers to tackle the waste in government operations at agencies like IRS and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Sessions broke down how his caucus is using data, the budget process and working groups to make government more efficient for taxpayers.
Sessions also examined the fast-paced changes happening within the executive branch and how his caucus is keeping up.
Federal agencies and industry partners are increasingly exploring AI use to improve health care. As adoption rates increase, so do policies and regulations around the emerging tech.
In the first half of 2024 alone, state legislators introduced 745 AI-related bills and Congress held numerous hearings on the topic.
HIMSS EHR Association’s Tina Joros and Leigh Burchell, who also chair the AI Task Force and the Information Blocking Compliance Task Force respectively, discuss the evolving role of AI in electronic health records. They dive into the impact of federal legislation on AI development, the challenges of balancing innovation with compliance and how global regulatory approaches are shaping the future of AI in health care.
AI is transforming government health services by streamlining administrative processes, reducing wait times and improving patient outcomes through predictive analytics and automation. From enhancing disease detection with machine learning to optimizing resource allocation, AI enables agencies to deliver more efficient, data-driven and personalized health solutions.
Live from the HIMSS 2025 conference in Las Vegas, Nevada, Noel Hara, vice president and CTO for NTT Data’s Public Sector, explores how emerging technologies are shaping the future of efficiency, security and innovation.
From AI-driven automation to cloud adoption in government, Hara shares how agencies and organizations can optimize their IT strategies. He also unpacks the role of technology in improving health care outcomes and efficiency.
For over 30 years, Health Level Seven International (HL7) has set the standard for electronic health information worldwide.
Federal agencies also leverage HL7 standards to exchange and share electronic health information to ultimately improve patient outcomes and health system performance. HL7 provides a set of standards for exchanging clinical and administrative health data between applications.
At HIMSS, Diego Kaminker, deputy chief standards implementation officer at HL7 International, discusses HL7’s goals in the health care sector, the impact of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' Interoperability and Prior Authorization Final Rule on standards development, and the evolution of Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) for data sharing.
By leveraging emerging technologies and standardized data frameworks, federal health leaders can enhance real-time decision-making and deliver more efficient, patient-centered care.
Chris Nichols, program manager for the Enterprise Intelligence and Data Solutions (EIDS) program for the Program Executive Office at Defense Healthcare Management Systems (DHMS), joined us during HIMSS to discuss his vision of data-driven health care in the military.
He shares insights into recent milestones in health data interoperability, the next steps in seamless and secure information sharing, and how public-private partnerships can drive innovation while ensuring regulatory compliance. Nichols also dives into how emerging technologies can enhance patient care and improve health outcomes across the defense health care system.
The Department of Veterans Affairs aims to develop and apply innovative AI solutions, boost interoperability and transform the agency by facilitating a learning environment that supports the delivery of benefits and services to veterans.
At HIMSS in Las Vegas, Dr. Shane McNamee, senior advisor to the chief medical information officer for health solution architecture at the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), and Dr. Johnathan Nebeker, executive director of Clinical Informatics at VA, discuss how they’re improving data integrity and interoperability to unlock AI’s full potential, as well as how AI-driven personalization is enhancing patient care.
McNamee and Nebeker also highlight how the PACT Act has increased the need to leverage innovation to support the influx of claims and benefits delivery. They explain the department’s efforts with workflow automation, recent AI use cases and the game-changing technologies on the horizon.
Interoperability efforts are ensuring patients and providers can access and use health data seamlessly. The Sequoia Project has been at the forefront of Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ASTP/ONC)'s Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA) that removes barriers to sharing health information electronically.
At HIMSS in Las Vegas, The Sequoia Project CEO Mariann Yeager highlights why interoperability matters, how plain language and digital transformation can help patients understand their rights, and what it takes to break down the barriers preventing true data exchange.
After a strategic pause, the Department of Veterans Affairs is preparing to resume its federal electronic health record rollout in mid-2026 with a renewed focus on continuous improvement and system modernization.
The Federal Electronic Health Record Modernization (FEHRM) office’s goal is to unite capabilities across the VA, Defense Department, Coast Guard and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration — along with other federal partners — to deploy the same federal EHR.
Ahead of HIMSS, FEHRM Director Bill Tinston discussed the vital role FEHRM has played in gathering feedback, sharing lessons learned and driving program enhancements. He highlighted recent successes in the federal EHR initiative, how the program aligns with the new administration’s push for greater transparency and accountability, and what milestones are on the horizon as the rollout resumes.
He also dove into the broader health IT landscape, highlighting the innovations and emerging technologies that could be game-changers for federal health care.
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) is exploring how it can leverage artificial intelligence to enhance cancer screening techniques, ultimately improving patient outcomes across the nation.
Dr. Katrina Goddard, director of the Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences at NCI, explains how her division is leveraging AI, and other innovative solutions like the low-dose CT scan, to better detect lung cancer and enable better access to data.
Former Defense Department CIO John Sherman anticipates many shifts from President Donald Trump and his administration’s incoming leadership on tech development and defense priorities.
Sherman, who now serves as Dean of Texas A&M’s Bush School of Government and Public Service, has spent 30 years in national security and intelligence positions in the CIA, DOD and other agencies. As DOD CIO, he oversaw technology and cyber modernization for a 4 million-person enterprise with a $60 billion IT and cyber budget. He was also politically appointed as Intelligence Community CIO under Trump’s first administration.
Since taking office, Trump has released new guidance, shifting government’s approach to technology modernization and personnel management. Sherman explained how he sees the new administration’s priorities developing and provided insight on the Office of Personnel Management’s recently released guidance regarding redesignating SES CIO positions. Plus, he shared his perspective on the new AI executive order and the Defense Department’s push to develop an “Iron Dome.”
The new year began with a new White House executive order on strengthening and promoting innovation in cybersecurity, building on previous efforts, like the National Cybersecurity Strategy, to enhance the security of the nation’s digital infrastructure.
Looking into 2025, Deputy Assistant Director of FBI’s Cyber Division Cynthia Kaiser said her division plans to leverage emerging technology like artificial intelligence to thwart cyber adversaries and better detect threats around critical infrastructure, while aligning with federal policies and directives. Kaiser’s division is also advancing patch management and other AI-enabled technology to boost resiliency.
Kaiser highlighted some of the top exploited vulnerabilities FBI has seen over the recent years, the agency's special partnership with CISA as well as the importance of the “Secure by Design” model to counter cyber attacks.
The Department of Veterans Affairs is responsible for the nation’s largest internal help desk in government.
Robert Cunningham, executive director for Enterprise Command Operations at VA, explains his oversight of the agency’s internal help desk, which processes more than two million requests per year with the help of automation and AI. The tech also enables VA to better manage outages and bugs within the agency’s systems.
Cunningham also shares how he collaborates with VA employees, government agencies and industry to offer IT services unrivaled in scale to better serve veterans and those that serve them.
Maintaining legacy communications systems is expensive and can leave military services like the Navy and Marine Corps behind.
During AFCEA West in San Diego, Verizon Navy and Marine Corps Public Sector Director David Reaves explained how he’s seeing the Navy’s challenges in modernizing voice and data communications, focusing on the Defense Department’s mandate to transition from outdated systems to IP-based infrastructure.
Reaves said that the high cost and difficulty of maintaining legacy systems means that the Navy should modernize to an enterprise-wide deployment strategy to ensure consistency and cost-effectiveness across bases.
Reaves also discussed the importance of converging voice and data networks for operational efficiency and explained how the Navy can leverage existing contracts to streamline the acquisition of modern technologies like Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP).
The Naval Postgraduate School's recent partnership with the Defense Innovation Unit formalizes NPS' focus on fostering innovation in the school's student body.
NPS President Ann Rondeau said Thursday that the the school not only supports innovation, but lays the foundation for creative thinking, collaboration and finding real-world solutions to support the Defense Department.
During AFCEA West in San Diego, California, California, Rondeau described NPS as a hub for "warrior scholars" – experienced military, international, civilian government and industry professionals – who work together to address real challenges facing DOD. She added that the school's curriculum is also continuously updated based on feedback, ensuring relevance and responsiveness to evolving needs like AI, quantum and other emerging technology.
The Naval Information Warfare Systems Command supports technical authority and acquisition command for information warfare, which presents modernization challenges as the speed of technology evolution increases.
At AFCEA West in San Diego, NAVWAR CIO Ben Motten said his office is empowering the workforce by providing the necessary tools and capabilities, allowing warfighters to focus on the mission rather than the technology itself. Legacy infrastructure and software present hurdles, he said, but they also provide an opportunity to modernize by "leapfrogging" to newer technologies like low-code/no-code platforms and future spectrum connectivity technologies.
In 2024, the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) and the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) signed a memo of understanding to codify their joint effort to develop future leaders to manage innovative solutions.
During AFCEA West in San Diego, Kaitie Penry, director of emerging technology and innovation at the Naval Postgraduate School, discussed how that agreement is going. She highlighted the impact it has had on developing leadership skills in students, particularly in acquisition and innovation, and preparing them for senior-level positions in the Defense Department.
Penry also discussed how she is fostering an innovative mindset to meet DOD and student needs.
During AFCEA West in San Diego, California, Mark Gorak, Defense Department’s principal director for resources and analysis and director of the Cyber Academic Engagement Office, discussed his priorities for cyber talent and retention amid new federal leadership.
Gorak lauded his office’s efforts to lower the average days it takes to hire cyber talent and discussed his efforts to retain cyber talent. The Cyber Workforce Strategy, which has been deployed since 2023, has been implemented hand in hand with ongoing and emerging innovations within and outside of the department.
Gorak has overseen hiring thousands of employees. He noted that departures from the agency allow other agencies and industry to hire talented individuals from the DOD, creating an ecosystem of like-minded experts throughout government.
The Marine Corps is modernizing its systems to keep pace with rapidly evolving technology while centering warfighters.
During AFCEA West in San Diego, California, Marine Corps Systems Command Cyber Technology Officer Gaurang Dävé said that innovation requires speed in delivering capabilities to the warfighter. Dävé highlighted that Marines act as sensors in the battlespace, needing the best information in real-time for informed decision-making.
Dävé also discussed the Marine Corps' approach of containerized, modular applications and the service’s collaborative work with the Army's software factory in Austin, Texas, that allows Marines to code applications and receive hands-on training in innovative technology.
Security and agility are critical to balancing the Department of the Navy's zero-trust journey amid evolving cloud modernization priorities. At AFCEA West in San Diego, California, DON’s CIO Jane Rathbun discussed the service’s recent zero-trust achievements with its Flank Speed initiative to enable secure cloud deployment. Rathbun shared some of the lessons learned for other organizations throughout the journey. She also highlighted how collaboration between cyber operators, acquisition communities, resource sponsors and requirement owners enabled the service’s success and discussed how the role of operator feedback, especially from cyber operators, is shaping IT architecture and future modernization.
Countering adversaries in the cyber domain requires the Navy to harness information at the speed of technological innovation.
During AFCEA West in San Diego, California, Vice Adm. Craig Clapperton, commander of U.S. Fleet Cyber Command and Navy Space Command, discussed how he is approaching the evolving landscape of cyber threats and developing strategies to counter them in his dual-hat role.
From recent cyber incidents like SolarWinds and Volt Typhoon, to the role of emerging technologies like AI, Clapperton dives into the complexities of modern cyber warfare and explains how he’s eyeing collaboration with industry partners and allies, recruiting top cyber talent and staying ahead of adversaries in a rapidly changing digital environment.
Technology has made cyber threats more complex and difficult to discern for defense intelligence operations and combatant commands providing insights to decision-makers across the globe. The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and U.S. Northern Command (Northcom) work with industry, allies and other combatant commands to secure all domains for the U.S. and Canada.
Director of Intelligence and Information Brig. Gen. Maurizio Calabrese discussed the evolving role of defense intelligence, the importance of cyber warfare and the need for global threat awareness.
He also addressed the growing importance of the Arctic region, citing increased international interest and the need for advanced tech capabilities.
Office of Personnel Management Chief Data Officer and Acting Chief AI Officer Taka Ariga provided an inside look at the agency’s innovative use of artificial intelligence. OPM is navigating the potential for AI in use cases such as general productivity tools and bespoke solutions tailored for federal workforce needs. Ariga highlighted the importance of data integrity and trust, the careful alignment of people, processes and technology, and the pivotal role AI plays in modernizing government operations. The interview also highlighted OPM’s efforts to grow the federal cybersecurity workforce and showcased how AI is shaping recruitment and training strategies. Additionally, Ariga shared how storytelling is helping simplify complex concepts like data governance to build trust and understanding across the agency.
Data security and customer experience are top priorities for Jennifer Wendel, the newly confirmed permanent CIO at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Wendel emphasized the agency's commitment to implementing special cybersecurity measures and strengthening incident response processes to safeguard patient data from malicious actors.
Wendel highlighted some of her other key priorities from HHS’ 2022-2026 Strategic Plan. This includes improvements to grants.gov by introducing new tools designed to make accessing health services faster and more efficient.
Wendel is also driving initiatives to upskill the HHS workforce, equipping employees with essential expertise in cybersecurity, data management and cloud technologies to meet evolving challenges.
The first season of AI GovCast brought listeners the voices at the forefront of government's AI revolution.
We heard from State Dept. Chief AI Officer (CAIO) Matthew Graviss on how his agency is driving ethical and responsible use of AI in diplomacy, hiring AI professionals and integrating better data practices in AI implementation. Department of Labor CAIO Mangala Kuppa explained the principles around AI that the agency is adhering to while developing and adopting the emerging technology.
Coming Jan. 14, season two will dive deeper into AI governance, use cases and implementation.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Cyber Integration Center (CCIC) is the hub of cybersecurity strategy and response at the agency. The collaborative center focuses on internal assessments to protect sensitive patient data and improve threat detection.
Acting CISO Keith Busby explained how CCIC red, blue and purple security engagements teams are conducting Penetration Testing (PenTesting) to monitor the agency’s critical infrastructure and prevent malicious actors from causing devastating cyber attacks.
Busby shared details about the agency’s Risk Management Strategy, which uses secret scanning and other enterprise level technologies to mitigate risks. He also highlighted the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) cyber performance goals agencies should be prioritizing to boost their resiliency.
Federal agencies are making significant strides in revolutionizing data access and records management by adopting new technologies, improving processes and fostering greater transparency.
The Library of Congress and National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) are revolutionizing access to their vast amounts of historical records and born-digital content. The organizations are taking innovative approaches to digitization, metadata management and leveraging cutting-edge technologies like AI and machine learning to enhance discoverability and accessibility.
Natalie Buda Smith, director of digital strategy at the Library of Congress, and Jill Reilly, digital engagement director at NARA, dive into the challenges of preserving and providing access to digital-native materials, from obsolete formats to emulation strategies.
Department of Homeland Security AI Corps Director Michael Boyce runs the largest civilian AI hiring effort in the federal government. The new service is modeled after the White House’s U.S. Digital Service that embeds experts at agencies to tackle critical tech projects — in this case embedding AI across the agency’s critical mission areas.
On this AI GovCast miniseries, Boyce discusses his journey to the agency with his prior roles at the Office of Management and Budget. He breaks down how he envisions the growth of the AI Corps, how it ties into the department’s goal of serving as a model to the rest of government around AI development and some of the unique considerations he faces around upskilling the workforce and developing guardrails around responsible use of AI.
In the final episode of our Storytelling Miniseries, we discuss building meaningful relationships through storytelling. Department of House and Urban Development’s Director of Business Operations and Technology Sarah Moffatt, Program Manager at the Department of Energy’s Office of Sustainable Environmental Stewardship Cate Berard and IBM’s U.S. Federal Civilian Agency Business Development Leader Lauren Craig discussed why building connections is so crucial in storytelling and how the relationships you create can have a lasting impact on your career.
They also shared tips on how to ask better questions, practice active listening and pace the flow of information to avoid overwhelming your audience. The leaders discussed how these practical tools can help federal leaders grow their careers.
Customs and Border Protection CTO Sunil Madhugiri discussed how the agency is using artificial intelligence at the nation’s borders to sift through mountains of data more quickly.
Artificial intelligence and large language models are not new to CBP. The agency has been developing the technology for its use in its missions including detecting suspicious items and packages at border entries and ports.
Madhugiri discussed CBP’s infrastructure it created for this tech and how it plans to adopt it without further burdening employees and officers working at ports and borders nationwide.
The Department of the Navy is leading the charge in innovation, speeding up the federal acquisition process to improve tech adoption and remain competitive in the evolving tech landscape.
Acting CTO Justin Fanelli joined us at AWS re:Invent to highlight how the two new designated enterprise services in its COSMOS zero-trust computing platform and the Naval Enterprise Service Desk (NESD) are moving the Navy toward more shared services. He also discussed the newly launched Innovation Adoption Kit, a powerful new resource to help Program Executive Offices (PEOs) speed up procurement and collaborate with an ever-expanding vendor ecosystem.
Specifically, he walked through the 15 “plays” in the kit, including using outcome metrics and structured piloting, and explained how the Navy is tackling some of the toughest challenges in adopting cutting-edge technologies.
He also discussed the Navy’s Flank Speed initiative, a cloud-based collaboration tool, recently completed all 91 target zero trust activities three years ahead of the Defense Department’s deadline. He explained the strategies and innovations that made this milestone possible and how Flank Speed is setting the standard for scaling zero trust outcomes across the Navy — and potentially across the entire federal government.
Cutting-edge technology is transforming health care, with solutions like artificial intelligence helping agencies like the National Cancer Institute (NCI) improve screening, diagnosis and treatment.
During AWS re:Invent in Las Vegas, Nevada, NCI CIO Jeff Shilling discussed the critical role of data standardization backing AI initiatives and how he is thinking about ethical concerns like bias, data privacy and risk management to ensure AI is both effective and responsible.
He highlighted the importance of regulating AI in the medical field and how its future might require practices like data certification.
Tune in to learn how the agency is working to overcome challenges related to data management and security while staying aligned with organizational priorities.
The FDA is taking a proactive approach to its digital transformation efforts that its tech leaders highlighted in a new IT strategy.
FDA CIO Vid Desai and Office of Business and Customer Assurance Director Josh Lehman discussed the new strategic plan that includes a vision for emerging technologies like quantum computing and empowering its tech workforce.
The leaders also outlined their priorities in cybersecurity to navigate the technological shifts ahead in federal government.
The third episode in this Storytelling Miniseries for federal leaders discusses bridging gaps across generations in the workplace. Whether you're a rising star or a experienced leader, finding common ground is essential for success.
NASA’s Brittany Chappell, Department of Veterans Affairs' Laura Manning and Verizon’s Rose Mata dive into key topics including work-life balance, the power of an authentic elevator pitch and how to tailor your story to different professional settings.
They also provide practical tips for pacing your career, embracing self-care and creating executive presence — all areas these leaders think are critical to elevating careers in federal technology.
Artificial Intelligence is empowering the Small Business Innovation Research Development Center at the National Cancer Institute to save the lives of women who have been diagnosed with common cancers.
Brittany Connors, SBIR director of investor relations at NCI, discussed how she is working with startups to develop the technology that better detects breast cancer and cervical cancer in their early stages.
Connors also highlighted NCI's partnerships with biotech companies and the progress that is being made with the world's first AI-driven platform that uses an automated ultrasound to screen for breast cancer without radiation.
CBP Acting Executive Assistant Commissioner Diane Sabatino discussed her vision for emerging technologies the agency is adopting at the nation’s ports, entries and borders to streamline how it monitors movement of people and goods into the country.
She broke down how the agency is leveraging data it collects at the border and using artificial intelligence and biometrics to alleviate administrative burdens, sift through and siphon data, and better equip CBP officers with tools to identify and respond to threats.
Department of Labor Chief AI Officer Mangala Kuppa outlined how her role is shaping the agency’s artificial intelligence strategy. She discussed the principles around AI that the agency is adhering to while developing and adopting the emerging technology.
Kuppa also discussed DOL’s nine AI workstreams, how she rose to the position of CAIO, and the department’s priorities around AI education and workforce training. She also broke down how she has fostered collaboration between the agency, shareholders and industry to better develop an AI ecosystem.
In this special Bonus Episode 2.5 of the "Storytelling Miniseries," we’re thrilled to welcome the captivating Elizabeth Barry as our guest speaker. Elizabeth brings a wealth of expertise in communication and leadership, known for her dynamic storytelling and ability to use powerful analogies to connect with audiences. With a speaking style that not only entertains but educates and inspires, she will provide insights on how to harness the storyteller within and become a more effective, mindful communicator.
Join us as Elizabeth shares her unique approach to communication, offering tips and strategies for personal growth and leadership through storytelling. Whether you're looking to improve how you present your ideas or want to make a lasting impact in your professional or personal life, this episode will give you the tools you need to transform how you tell your story. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from one of the most sought-after speakers in transformative leadership.
The Department of Veterans Affairs' prior pilot shuttling veterans to appointments is now a live program. The Uber-Health Connect Initiative addresses one of the biggest barriers to access for veterans across the country: transportation.
Though they might be eligible for care, veterans getting to and from appointments often encounter difficulty or roadblocks because of lack of ability to drive or they just don’t have reliable infrastructure in remote and rural areas.
Veterans Health Administration Chief of Innovation Indra Sandal and Veterans Transportation Program Director Benjamin Williams discuss the program’s journey from pilot to live program. They share updates and lessons learned, discuss the technical undertaking around its dashboards and APIs, and highlight the future of the program.
The growing need for timely, accurate and detailed data about the American people and economy poses new demands on the U.S. Census Bureau. To adapt to modern data requirements and sourcing, the bureau is transforming the way it leverages emerging technologies.
While the agency continues traditional surveys, it is increasingly leveraging administrative data, business data and other innovations to create a better statistical snapshot of American life.
Census Deputy Director and Chief Operating Officer Ron Jarmin outlines how the bureau is expanding its data collection, using AI to make Census staff more efficient and spearheading modernization efforts to better meet 21st century data needs.
The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) processes petabytes of data in its operations, and that amount of data is only expected to grow. At DoDIIS in Omaha, NGA CIO Mark Chatelain told GovCIO Media & Research that artificial intelligence and machine learning are improving data processing so humans can focus on analyzing it for targeting, warning and support.
Chatelain also discussed the latest developments in NGA’s zero trust journey, the agency’s partnership with the private sector and the future of geospatial intelligence.
Protecting the critical data that enables the Defense Intelligence Agency’s (DIA) to maintain its information advantage is at the core of the agency’s mission.
At DoDIIS in Omaha, DIA CISO Tim Sydnor and Senior Technical Advisor Stephen Kensinger told GovCIO Media & Research that the agency needs data to have integrity and accuracy for it to be actionable to DIA’s mission.
Sydnor and Kensinger also discussed how DIA works with other intelligence community and Defense Department elements, how artificial intelligence is being used at DIA and how the agency is hiring, training and retaining a cybersecurity workforce.
In this episode, we’re diving into the power of authentic storytelling. Join us as we speak with our guests: Jothi Dugar, CISO at NIH Center for IT, and Andrea Fletcher, chief digital strategy officer at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
They explore how sharing your true story — including the good, the bad and the ugly — can help you build stronger connections, empower others and create lasting impact in your career.
They also discuss the importance of owning your experiences and how storytelling can be a tool for personal and professional growth. Following along to learn how authenticity can be a key to unlocking your leadership potential.
The National Cancer Institute’s new Artificial Intelligence Resource (AIR) program is helping clinicians better diagnose and treat cancer patients. AIR enables researchers to build AI models that help to better detect cancer through imaging and determine the best treatment options.
Dr. Baris Turkbey, senior clinician and radiologist with the Molecular Imaging Branch at NCI, explained the role AI algorithms play in classifying bone lesions in metastatic prostate cancer as well as how AI impacts the radiation dose in CT scans.
Turkbey also shares details about a new concept NCI is researching called multimodal AI, which processes data from multiple modalities and sources to create more robust outputs.
Data is integral to the intelligence community’s operations. IC Chief Data Officer Lori Wade is working to shift from system-centric to data-centric operations to meet evolving national security needs.
At DoDIIS in Omaha, Wade spoke to GovCIO Media & Research about implementing a data-centric architecture with common data standards and services. She also discussed how the IC is using AI responsibly, including training AI models with trusted and properly labeled data, building guardrails and human oversight into models and scaling AI solutions.
Technology is transforming the way the Navy collects, analyzes and distributes intelligence, as well as helping get information to the warfighter as quickly as possible.
At DoDIIS in Omaha, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations Intelligence Division CIO Christopher Page Deputy Director said that AI gives the Navy an advantage by increasing the volume, variety, velocity and veracity of collected data. The Navy’s Information Superiority Vision is bolstering this mission.
Page unpacks the latest developments across the data sharing initiative and how the Navy is moving intelligence safely through networks to support the national security mission.
Indopacom Cyberspace Operations – Integrated Planning Element (CO-IPE) Director Capt. Ron Arellano also serves as a liaison naval officer for U.S. Cyber Command. His role carries a lot of insight into cybersecurity posture and translating policy to ensure an integrated partner environment.
Arellano discussed at AFCEA TechNet Indo-Pacific in Honolulu some of his key priorities and challenges in cybersecurity operations within the Indo-Pacific theater. He emphasized the importance of building strong relationships with allies, partners and local government agencies to enhance the security of shared systems and infrastructure. He also cited the need to integrate cyberspace operations across all Indopacom activities, moving away from the traditional siloed approach.
He discusses how leveraging emerging technologies like machine learning and artificial intelligence will help the command keep pace with the rapidly evolving cyber threat landscape.
NAVWAR Chief Engineer Robert Wolborsky said the Navy is using emerging technology like 5G and proliferated low-Earth orbit (PLEO) satellites to deliver data and information to the warfighter anywhere on the sea.
Wolborsky, who sat down with us at AFCEA TechNet Indo-Pacific in Honolulu this week, said the lessons learned from the service’s 4G experience have driven the Navy’s approach to 5G. He spoke on his desire to stay ahead of the power curve with the capability.
The Navy is fielding 5G pilots called tranches to find ways to deliver connectivity and capability in any environment and over long distances.
DISA has been seeing a lot of excitement across Defense Department partners around its Joint Operational Edge (JOE) commercial cloud capability. Its Product Owner Matt Quinn from J9 Hosting and Compute joined us at AFCEA TechNet Indo-Pacific in Honolulu to discuss JOE’s progress in the year since it went live.
Quinn discussed lessons learned as DISA extends the cloud beyond the continental United States to the operational edge. He also outlined what considerations the agency will make moving into the next year amid other cloud computing capabilities it is providing to the military services.
Department of the Navy Deputy Principal Cyber Advisor Josh Reiter unpacked the Navy’s cyber strategy at AFCEA TechNet Indo-Pacific in Honolulu this week. He highlighted its seven lines of effort that contribute to maintaining the Navy’s operational efficiency across people, critical infrastructure and data.
The Navy is shifting from a compliance mindset to one of cyber readiness, and expanding its view of cybersecurity as less of a traditional IT problem to more of a operational technology issue. He said this approach is incorporating more visibility into critical infrastructure, as Navy ships are like small cities with infrastructure that needs maintenance.
He also shared how the department is attracting and retaining cyber talent, calling the people “our most important asset.”
Defense Innovation Unit is on a mission to bring in innovative technology to the military services and combatant commands quickly. Cyber Senior Project Manager Dwayne Florenzie brings a wealth of experience from the private sector to DIU’s cyber and telecom portfolio that is prioritizing bringing 5G connectivity to the military globally.
At AFCEA TechNet Indo-Pacific in Honolulu this week, Florenzie shares how the increased funding DIU has received over the past year is setting the organization up to accelerate partnerships across the services within various portfolios. He shares how collaboration is starting to increase between the portfolios especially as artificial intelligence takes hold across different capabilities.
Florenzie also shares the growth that is left in the 5G industry and the potential it has to revolutionize communications and support military operations.
Defense Innovation Unit AI Technical Director Chris Murphy has a dual-hatted role also serving as the organization’s embed at Indo-Pacific Command. DIU’s embed program pairs technologists with combatant commands to field technology more quickly.
Murphy at AFCEA TechNet Indo-Pacific highlights this commercial integration role and how he’s focused on leveraging modeling and simulation capabilities from the commercial AI space to enable decision superiority.
He discusses how he sees these efforts enabling rapid delivery of solutions and helping to scale technology innovation across the mission partner environment.
Coast Guard Deputy CIO and Chief Data and AI Officer Brian Campo joins us at AFCEA TechNet Indo-Pacific in Honolulu to share lessons learned for the service after completing a four-year “Tech Revolution” digital modernization plan.
This four-year plan looked across the Coast Guard to see where investments could be made in connectivity, technology and improving the mission.
Campo said even though the “revolution” is completed, the Coast Guard is still looking for opportunities to modernize and transform its IT portfolio away from simple IT solutions to larger contributions to its mission and the Defense Department’s CJADC2 strategy.
Indopacom J2 CTO Ben Needles discusses the challenges and priorities of integrating various capabilities in the mission partner environment across the Indo-Pacific region.
Needles described at AFCEA TechNet Indo-Pacific in Honolulu how his directorate is standardizing knowledge and data to prepare for leveraging emerging technologies like AI to enhance intelligence analysis and decision-making in the field. This, he said, would help the command avoid high costs associated with using other available large language models.
Finally, he highlights the importance of testing and experimenting not only with technology, but also policies and other guidance.
Data security and information exchange are critical components that ensure collaboration with military allies globally. U.S. European Command (EUCOM) J-6 Cyber and C4 Director Maj. Gen. John Phillips spoke to GovCIO Media & Research at DoDIIS in Omaha this week about the complexities of defending U.S. cyberspace while in Europe in the digital age, including the importance of data interoperability across allies and partners.
Phillips also said that Eucom and its partners are facing workforce concerns like training and retention, as well as the tiered training model for NATO and partner nations to enhance collective cyber defenses in Europe.
NASA has been undergoing an enterprise-wide digital transformation plan that leaders hope will change how the agency collaborates and innovates. One of these leaders co-founded NASA’s digital service and is currently working on the testing platform for the agency’s Artemis mission.
Shawn Chittle discusses his extensive background at private sector software companies and how he uses this experience to drive key user-centric design principles that ultimately powers the technology behind NASA’s space exploration mission. He discusses what it was like co-founding a digital service for such a large agency, his vision for the Artemis program and how he sees IT and data management evolving around legacy modernization.
The State Department employs thousands of civilian employees, including more than 15,000 foreign service officers and other diplomats across the globe. State Chief Data and Artificial Intelligence Officer Matthew Graviss sees artificial intelligence helping them do their job more effectively.
Graviss highlighted the agency’s new research assistant for translation and other tasks for employees to create annual reports on religious freedom, climate and more.
Graviss also discussed how State is driving ethical and responsible use of AI in diplomacy, hiring AI professionals and integrating better data practices in AI implementation.
The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) has launched a new program providing health care organizations a rapid and secure cyber solution that will protect their infrastructure from threats and prevent disruptions in patient care.
ARPA-H Resilient Systems Program Manager Andrew Carney discusses the Universal Patching Intermediation for Autonomous Defense (UPGRADE) program and how it offers medical facilities protection from ransomware attacks by automatically providing proactive and scalable updates to their IT systems.
Carney highlighted another ARPA-H program called the Digital Health Security Initiative (DIGIHEALS) that's addressing vulnerabilities in data security. He also shared details about the agency's collaborative efforts with its defense counterpart, DARPA.
The Department of Veterans Affairs’ Innovation Unit brings novel solutions in health care to help save veterans and the VA time and money through low- to no-cost pilots.
This includes pilots like Care Centra, an AI personalized health coach, that uses machine learning to track behaviors and nudge veterans to follow better health outcomes and reduce the number of in-person visits.
The unit’s Deputy Director Sarah MacDawutey discusses these pilots, how the unit works across the enterprise to test solutions in emerging technology like AI before they are deployed at scale and how she sees them benefitting veterans.
Leaders in federal technology point to storytelling as a key trait that has helped them excel in their careers. This first episode of our GovCast Storytelling Miniseries features a conversation exploring why storytelling is an essential tool to upskill women and to help them advance into leadership roles in the public sector.
Guests include two members of the Women Tech Leaders Working Group: Transportation Department Association CIO for Resource Management/CFO Lucinda Wade and NIH Center for IT Chief of Enterprise Platform Services Mahua Mitra.
Wade and Mitra discuss the art of crafting compelling narratives, the impact of authentic storytelling on your professional journey and how to use the technique to connect with and inspire others.
Explore how CISA and CMS are tackling open source software (OSS) security in government. CISA Technical Advisor Jack Cable shares insights on CISA’s roadmap, best practices and efforts to secure OSS and promote open source program offices.
CMS Digital Service Open Source Lead Remy DeCausemaker also discusses the strategic approach to creating an open-source program office, focusing on stakeholder engagement, security measures and regulatory guidance. Hear how these strategies are shaping the future of open source security and fostering collaboration.
Travelers around the world are seeing more opportunities to use digital documents to verify their identities at airports and other travel hubs. The Transportation Security Agency (TSA) is honing in on technologies that rely on biometrics and artificial intelligence to develop and create seamless solutions that cater to all travelers at these checkpoints.
At Identity Week in Washington, D.C., TSA Capability Manager for Identity Management Jason Lim discussed how advancements in AI and machine learning are helping the industry innovate around facial recognition technology. He also highlighted some of the latest interoperability standards government should know about when implementing digital identity solutions.
Biometric technology has seen remarkable advancements in recent years, especially in areas like facial recognition.
Arun Vemury, senior advisor for biometric and identity technologies at the Department of Homeland Security, shared how error rates in facial recognition have dropped tenfold over the past decade thanks to machine learning. He also highlighted the growing use of digital credentials such as mobile driver's licenses and emphasized the importance of rigorous testing to ensure these technologies' reliability.
Vemury discussed the Remote Identity Validation Technology Demonstration (RIVTD) project, which evaluated technologies for credential validation, selfie-to-document matching and presentation attack detection, with some results available with Maryland Test Facility at https://mdtf.org/.
In August, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) released a new draft of its Digital Identity Guidelines for the identity-proofing process. This covers technologies like digital wallets, passkeys and physical identification documents like REAL ID-compliant passports and drivers licenses.
The draft outlines ways to boost privacy, accessibility and security during the identity-proofing process for those accessing government services and benefits. Ryan Galluzzo is the digital identity program lead at NIST. At Identity Week in Washington, D.C., he spoke about the guidelines, the interoperability work that powers these technologies, and the importance of balancing security and accessibility when implementing digital identity programs.
General Service Administration Executive Director of Cloud Strategy Eric Mill briefed updates for the newly focused FedRAMP program and associated advisories for cloud service providers.
FedRAMP’s Agile Delivery Pilot will help prepare the program for continuous assessments, a key part of FedRAMP 2.0’s evolution. He also previews FedRAMP’s Emerging Technology Prioritization Framework that will soon enable agencies to use generative AI.
Mill discusses the agency’s new automation hub, automation.gsa.gov, supporting cloud service providers creating and managing digital authorization packages. He also shares his priorities around real-time data sharing, APIs and secure software development.
The White House has made government cybersecurity hiring a priority, releasing a strategy in 2023 to address gaps. Agencies and their partners have stressed the need to build foundational cyber skills in Americans long-term.
ISC2 is a professional association for cybersecurity pros, with more than 650,000 members. ISC2 Executive Vice President of Advocacy, Global Markets and Member Engagement Tara Wisniewski spoke about skills-based hiring in cybersecurity, how the regulatory process affects the workforce and how agencies can hire cyber pros easier.
The future of cybersecurity is changing as threats evolve. NIST’s Cybersecurity Center of Excellence works with partners in the public and private sectors to address securing IT systems and critical infrastructure.
Cherilyn Pascoe, director of NCCoE, at Billington Cyber Summit in Washington, D.C., discussed the center’s collaboration with industry and government agencies, NIST’s Cybersecurity Framework 2.0 and migrating to post-quantum cryptography standards to protect against quantum computer threats.
The Defense Information Systems Agency is harnessing artificial intelligence to secure multi-cloud environments. Effective monitoring capabilities for the cloud are critical to avoid bad actors from breaching vulnerabilities and to further secure the edge.
DISA CTO and Emerging Technology Director Steve Wallace at Billington Cyber Summit in Washington, D.C., discussed how emerging technology is helping the Defense Department manage its multi-cloud environment, the value of AI amid legacy system modernization and the importance of embracing new technology to improve skill sets and tackle larger tech challenges.
National Science Foundation CDO and Chief AI Officer Dorothy Aronson is establishing a new organization that will unify departments within the agency. While the agency is standing up some critical efforts under the White House executive order such as the National AI Research Resource pilot, Aronson highlights some of her initial priorities for the role that include merging the CAIO, CDO and CISO under the Office of the CIO.
Aronson also discusses the importance of preparing data for advanced analytics and AI as well as the significance of providing researchers with access to clean data layers.
A special initiative and data registry at the National Cancer Institute is helping researchers understand and treat rare childhood cancers.
Dr. Mary Frances Wedekind, a pediatric oncologist and assistant research physician with the Pediatric Oncology Branch at NCI, explains how the Childhood Cancer Data Initiative follows children, teens and young adults for many years to collect key information about their cancer diagnosis, imaging and treatments.
She added that the initiative along with the Rare Cancer Data Registry are critical to helping researchers access and analyze the clinical and genomic data that could potentially lead to more effective targeted therapies and new drug developments that could improve the standards of care for young patients.
Government’s recent efforts to coordinate cybersecurity regulations have evolved as the threats have. A recent Government Accountability Office report examines the work that remains to support a longer-term strategy for juggling these policies across agencies.
Dave Hinchman, director in GAO’s IT and cybersecurity team, oversees the IT and cybersecurity workforce, cloud computing and IT modernization efforts. He discusses the recent report on cybersecurity, current cyber regulatory policies and how he’s seen IT policy evolve.
Federal agencies are undergoing largescale transformation to meet White House directives on artificial intelligence development. This includes establishing chief AI officers to build implementation plans and programs.
The AI GovCast monthly miniseries connects with these leaders across government to discuss how they are shaping their roles and where they see the promise for AI in their agencies.
In this episode, catch up on what is happening with AI and CAIOs in the federal government.
As the nation’s largest integrated health care provider, the Veterans Health Administration prioritizes how technology can address challenges in how it is delivering patient care and securing its infrastructure.
Indra Sandal, chief of innovation at VHA in Tampa, Florida, breaks down how more than 300 participants collaborated and addressed challenges in a three-day hackathon. She highlights the takeaways from that hackathon and what it means for veterans.
David Rhew, global chief medical officer at Microsoft, also discusses how the organization supported the hackathon and what lessons learned the public-private partnership has for the future of VA health care.
A recent National Cancer Institute study shows that a new targeted therapy can help prolong the time cancer patients are in remission. Called the ViPOR regimen, the non-chemotherapy treatment shrinks tumors of those who suffer from B-cell lymphoma.
Dr. Christopher Melani, associate research physician with the Lymphoid Malignancies Branch in the Center for Cancer Research at NCI, highlights the importance of combining five therapies and administering them during a fixed cycle to maximize drug synergy and make tumors disappear.
He also shares details about the second phase of the study that is expected to take place later this year as well as how precision medicine could potentially lead to a cure for all types of cancer.
The Department of Veterans Affairs has many public-facing apps that rely on application programming interfaces (APIs) for third-party developers creating software and services to veterans. Managing this ecosystem is VA’s Lighthouse, where Deputy Director Andrew Fichter is constantly looking at innovating how to share and manage the data that fuels these apps.
Fichter discusses how Lighthouse is serving veterans and why it is necessary for modernization of veterans services. Plus, he shares the future of these tools and how the program will evolve around emerging technology.
Climate change has a major impact on public health, especially for vulnerable communities. Rising temperatures, severe storms and other severe events can negatively affect health outcomes. Agencies are increasingly using data and technology for programs and tools to boost health equity.
Dr. John Balbus, director of the Office of Climate Change and Health Equity at the Department of Health and Human Services, speaks about the ways that technology can be used to build resilience against climate-related negative health outcomes. He discusses his career, his role in shaping policies and his agency’s Health Climate Outlook tool for predicting climate-related health risks.
Protecting sensitive information is critical to cybersecurity, but agencies need to learn to operate with fewer secrets in the aftermath of cybersecurity incidents. Sharing information about attacks within the community can help protect against future ones, according to Suzanne Spaulding, who formerly led the National Protection and Programs Directorate at the Department of Homeland Security.
Spaulding discussed how a focus on transparency will be advantageous for national defense. She explained why this approach is necessary by highlighting the risks associated with keeping secrets. Spaulding also discussed the impact of CISA’s Secure by Design Pledge on the global cybersecurity environment, noting how recent commitments from companies further contribute to the idea of transparency.
Emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, telehealth and telemedicine have dramatically improved and widened the ability for the Department of Veterans Affairs to deliver health care to veterans. These technologies are revolutionary, but they also come with a higher risk of being compromised.
VA Executive Director of Information Security Policy and Strategy Amber Pearson discusses the growing attack surface and how the agency is taking bolder steps to ensure patient data remains secure from threat actors.
Zero Trust is becoming a critical pillar of the department of Defense’s cybersecurity strategy. The strategy, embodied by the motto of “never trust, always verify,” demands a new outlook on cybersecurity.
Randy Resnick discusses why Zero Trust is so important, how his office is working to reshape the way DOD employees view zero trust, and how clear standards can help the DOD and other agencies adopt zero trust in their operations.
From the battlefield to headquarters, the potential of 5G networks opens the door for new partnerships, strategies and emerging technologies.
At TechNet Cyber, Defense Department 5G Cross Functional Team Director Juan Ramirez discusses how 5G unites the department under multiple interoperability efforts, prepares the warfighter for the fight of the future and enhances the cybersecurity of the DOD apparatus.
The military services are prioritizing developing technology in warfighting scenarios and fielding it quickly. At the Department of the Navy, officials are thinking about how to bring forward a set capabilities that can be interoperable throughout different scenarios while maintaining security.
At AFCEA TechNet Cyber, Navy CIO Jane Rathbun discussed interoperability in the defense industry and platform standardization and cybersecurity.
The Defense Department’s Fulcrum: DoD Information Technology (IT) Advancement Strategy unites many of DOD’s cybersecurity strategies under one umbrella. It also provides a roadmap through 2029 for the DOD CIO’s essential support of the National Defense Strategy.
Robert Franzen, Deputy Customer Experience Officer at the DOD CIO’s office, breaks down the department’s recently unveiled Fulcrum and how it will support warfighters and the entirety of the Defense Department.
In an interview at the AWS Summit, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) Chief Scientist for AI Court Corley and Director of the Center for Cloud Computing Scott Godwin discussed their efforts to enhance research through AI and cloud computing. They emphasized providing foundational compute capabilities and access to cloud services for Energy Department researchers addressing critical issues like sustainable energy and national security.
They also highlighted the rapid evolution of AI tools and the importance of data management across different domains. Both stressed the need for cultural adaptation within the scientific community to embrace new technologies while also ensuring they enable reliable and validated results.
At AWS Summit in Washington DC, Nutanix Senior Director of US Federal Greg O’Connell discussed how agencies can ensure seamless data migration and app mobility, leverage generative AI and incorporate security.
He equated today’s rapid growth in modern applications to the impact of the browser, as the “killer app” of the internet era of the 1990s. With projections of 750 million new apps by 2026, he said agencies face challenges to incorporate more cloud and edge computing that would handle increased data processing and to develop more sophisticated security measures.
Additionally, he addressed the impact of industry acquisitions on vendor dependency, stressing the importance of flexibility and freedom of choice in IT infrastructure to adapt to changing needs and avoid lock-in with a single provider.
The Air Force Sustainment Center is modernizing supply chain and logistics operations with cloud. Having an efficiently running supply chain and manufacturing operations for supplies and weapons systems is critical to national security.
Leaders from the center, John York and Josh Thompson, highlight at AWS Summit some of their priorities around cloud and hybrid cloud. They also detail how developments in the Technology Hosting Environment for NextGen Automation (ATHENA) program is driving cost savings and improving insight into disparate sensors and data hubs for the service.
Challenges can be opportunities when it comes to software modernization at the Defense Department. The agency is meeting these opportunities with the release of its new Fulcrum strategy and ongoing zero trust efforts, according to DOD Director of Cloud & Software Modernization George Lamb.
At AFCEA TechNet Cyber, Lamb discussed progress made on the Pentagon’s 2022 software modernization strategy, how the new Fulcrum strategy ties into software modernization goals and the necessity of zero trust being baked into all DOD operations.
The Food and Drug Administration recently released a new acquisition strategy that aims to transform how the agency buys technology to impact multiple mission areas. In an interview with FDA Office of Enterprise Portfolio Management Director Joseph Montgomery at AWS Summit, he highlights the importance of this strategy to create a “one FDA” ecosystem that prioritizes advanced technology and keeping pace with IT innovation.
Montgomery also highlights how he’s thinking about artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and cloud to impact financial operations (FinOps) and ultimately support FDA’s modernization goals.
Automation is unlocking new levels of security for federal agencies facing a wide range of new threats and challenges. Red Hat Chief Architect for Law Enforcement & Justice Mike Hardee joined us to outline how federal IT leaders can harness these new automation solutions to provide higher levels of security.
Hardee explained how automation can help federal agencies utilize automation to overcome everything from HR challenges to new law enforcement threats. He also said automation and observability arm IT teams with a unique ability to diagnose and solve problems fast.
In an interview at the AWS Summit, Department of Health and Human Services Chief Medical Officer Dr. Leith States discussed the significant impact of AI on health care. He also highlighted the critical priorities of ensuring continuity through the upcoming election cycle and managing resources effectively amid unpredictable funding scenarios. Plus, he shared his vision for health equity by design.
States stressed the importance of ethical data practices, including patient empowerment, transparency and interoperability, facilitated by generative AI and machine learning. For technology providers, he advised engaging with and understanding the communities they serve to create effective solutions.
The U.S. Army is prioritizing digital transformation and new software development policies when it historically took the service months, even years, to deploy new technology.
At AWS Summit, Army Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology Young Bang highlights the Army’s efforts to modernize its acquisition and technology processes to field new tech more quickly. He also discusses the cybersecurity implications of new technology for a priority he said is to reduce the U.S.’s electronic footprint in the battlefield.
He also emphasizes how partnerships with industry are key to this plan and the importance of data management and cybersecurity. This includes its data mesh to help it manage data more efficiently across tactical and enterprise environments.
Officials at Joint Force Headquarters – Department of Defense Information Network (JFHQ-DODIN) need to protect the DOD’s thousands of employees when they use the network. To secure the system, JFHQ-DODIN uses a multi-faceted approach to cybersecurity, including adaptive intelligence, identity management and partnerships.
At AFCEA TechNet Cyber, JFHQ-DODIN Director of Operations Col. Michael Reeder discussed data security, the importance of collaboration within the cybersecurity community and DOD’s unified force approach to network operations.
Every day, thousands of attacks are directed at U.S. military, government and defense industrial base systems. Protecting those systems is increasingly a key part of the national defense mission and keeping pace with adversaries is critical.
Gen. Timothy Haugh leads Cyber Command and the National Security Agency in a dual-hat role. According to him, the ability to adapt and build resiliency is key to building cybersecurity. At AFCEA TechNet Cyber, Haugh broke down how threats are evolving, his plans for combatting them and how cybersecurity impacts national security.
Connectivity is integral to the warfighting force, but connecting the dispersed military and civilian workforce around the world is challenging. It requires a balance of speed and security while also prioritizing the user experience and modernizing infrastructure.
At AFCEA TechNet Cyber, Defense Information Systems Agency J6 Global Services Directorate Vice Director Brig. Gen. Michael Cornell discusses cybersecurity efforts and how the department is embracing best practices and innovation while deploying new technology.
One year since the publication of the Defense Department’s Cyber Workforce Implementation Plan, the department has made progress on filling 30,000 open cybersecurity roles.
At AFCEA TechNet Cyber, DOD Principal Director for Resources & Analysis Mark Gorak discusses the plan and how it’s enabled the department to fill about 3,000 jobs so far. He also breaks down the next steps ahead in achieving full department efficiency and the plans to identify, upskill, train and retrain a mission-focused cyber workforce.
As the third largest network in the world behind the U.S. and China, Joint Force Headquarters – Department of Defense Information (DODIN) has many vulnerabilities it must secure. A key part of this mission is recruiting the talent to fill its numerous open cyber roles.
DODIN Network Deputy Commander Brig. Gen. Heather Blackwell said key to building strong cybersecurity is having an engaged and innovative workforce. At AFCEA TechNet Cyber, Blackwell discussed how culture, the workforce and technology work together to secure DODIN.
Artificial Intelligence is impacting two main areas of cancer research: image analysis and managing massive amounts of clinical data. The National Cancer Institute sees AI as a key capability in precision oncology.
Dr. Eytan Ruppin, chief of NCI’s Cancer Data Science Lab, recently published a study about a new AI tool researchers are implementing to foresee how a patient will respond to immunotherapy by providing an in-depth look at the clinical characteristics of the patient as well as the Tumor Mutational Burden (TMB).
Ruppin discusses the NCI/CCR Synthesis Clinical Trial expected to start this fall and shares details about how the research will impact the treatment of aggressive breast cancer.
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT has its sights set on advancing health equity through “Health Equity By Design” and U.S. Core Data Interoperability standards to ensure that everyone has fair and equal access to the highest quality of health care regardless of race, gender, disability, location and a host of other factors.
Artificial intelligence is also playing a pivotal role in helping agencies achieve national health goals. Recently appointed acting chief AI officer of the Department of Health and Human Services, Tripathi said AI is helping to close health equity gaps when it comes to analytics, determining patient demographics and informing decision-making for treating patients.
Tripathi also highlighted ONC's collaborative efforts with the Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention (CDC) and other agencies that are improving interoperability and the integration of public health data.
The Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR), both a bureau in the State Department and a member of the Intelligence Community, is the only U.S. intelligence organization with the primary responsibility of providing intelligence to inform diplomacy and support U.S. diplomats.
The bureau, like many government agencies, has focused on modernizing the enterprise by upskilling the workforce and modernizing IT. CIO Jimmy Hall, also director of the Technology, and Innovation Office (TIO), spoke about this progress, what makes some of his technology challenges unique and what it all means for ongoing diplomacy priorities.
Following its “Secure by Design” initiative and pledge, America’s cyber defense agency, CISA, is supporting the movement for software manufacturers to build security into their products at the start. The movement is part of a White House priority to shift responsibility for cybersecurity away from end users and toward manufacturers.
CISA Senior Technical Advisor Jack Cable and Senior Policy Advisor Lauren Zabierek examine the impact the strategy and pledge will have on federal and industry leaders in the pursuit of creating a more secure world.
Featured audio: https://youtu.be/R6RW-DemWbQ?si=_zLigtIZ-OZGd46a
The Forest Service’s mission as lead federal agency in natural resource conservation includes oversight of 193 million acres of public lands and 600 million acres of forests across the U.S.
A big mission for the service is wildfire management, which requires modern technology to monitor millions of acres and share information between the departments of Agriculture and Interior and also the public.
The 100-year-old agency is transforming its technology and data operations to make more data available by closing tech gaps, removing legacy systems and improving interoperability for even the most remote and rural environments. Assistant CDO for the Natural Resources and Environment Mission Ramona Carey discusses the data landscape, where emerging technology fits in to her priorities and how data modernization is underpinning critical conversation efforts.
The National Cancer Institute’s partnership with St. Jude is helping researchers to better understand how cancer accelerates the aging process of survivors who were diagnosed as children. The team is also developing therapies that can decrease risks of frailty and dying at an early age.
NCI’s Jennifer Guida and St. Jude’s Kirsten Ness say the Behavioral Research Program as well as the Human Performance Laboratory have been instrumental in helping determine which survivors are more likely to experience physical and cognitive decline. These programs have also assisted researchers with identifying interventions that can possibly prevent premature death and other complications caused by cancer and cancer treatments.
Guida and Ness discuss how technology like artificial intelligence is playing a critical role in improving care for childhood cancer especially in conducting screenings, tracking a person's risk for heart failure as well as creating a patient's survivorship plan.
NIST’s new Cybersecurity Framework published earlier this year gives organizations a new set of harmonized cybersecurity guidelines and best practices. It’s the first major update in 10 years and broadens its scope beyond critical infrastructure entities.
Cherilyn Pascoe, director of NIST’s Cybersecurity Center of Excellence, had a large role in developing the new framework. She said the plan emphasizes the importance of cybersecurity in an evolving technological environment and discusses how others can tailor it to their organizations across missions.
Pascoe also highlights a growing focus in broader cybersecurity priorities around post-quantum cryptography and AI, and explains how NIST’s Center of Excellence is developing additional guidance for the community.
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) aims to recruit a more diverse pool of candidates to work in public health care.
ONC Deputy National Coordinator for Operations and Chief Operating Officer Lisa Lewis Person helped create the Diversity Equity Inclusion and Accessibility Council back in 2020. An employee-led committee, the council develops policies and programs that ensure all Americans are represented in ONC's workforce.
Person also sponsors the Public Health Informatics and Technology (PHIT) Workforce Program, which gives minority serving institutions the ability to provide certifications as well as degrees in public health. She discusses why diversity in health care matters and how it impacts health IT.
The U.S. Postal Service is in the middle of a three-year modernization plan to update its massive infrastructure, data centers and expansive telecom network. The service wants to prioritize technology innovation and leverage partnerships to transform its operations and business model for evolving mail and deliver services, relying on no taxpayer dollars to do so.
CIO Pritha Mehra is focused on maintaining a highly resilient telecom network, securing data transfer and embracing new technology.
Mehra shares how the agency is using emerging technology like generative AI in its operations, the service’s plan for integrating zero trust architecture amid new policy directives, and also how the service is evolving upskilling and recruiting initiatives to attract and retain its workforce.
Cybercrime spans borders and agencies, so governments across the world have to work together to foment cybersecurity. Spain’s INCIBE is the Spanish National Institute of Cybersecurity and its version of what the U.S. knows to be CISA.
Plus, NATO wants to work more closely with private and academic sectors in cybersecurity matters. The alliance recently chose INCIBE to be the only accelerator of cybersecurity startups of the Atlantic Alliance in Spain through the Defense Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) project to boost transatlantic cooperation in critical technologies.
INCIBE Secretary General Carla Redondo Galbarriatu discusses cybersecurity collaboration across borders, women in the technology sector and Spain’s emergence as a cybersecurity global leader.
The White House’s National Cybersecurity Strategy tasks government agencies, industry and other organizations with guarding against cyber crime across the online environment. For the FBI, the strategy amplified and clarified the Bureau’s role across law enforcement efforts.
FBI Cyber Deputy Assistant Director Cynthia Kaiser discussed at the RSA Conference in San Francisco how the strategy’s agile approach to cybersecurity and how it strengthens defenses. She also discusses how the good guys stay ahead of the bad guys and how partnerships help law enforcement find malicious cyber actors.
In 2023, Operation Cookie Monster disrupted the Genesis Market, which trafficked in selling digital fingerprints and credentials to the cyber underground. According to FBI agents, Genesis Market was a superstore for cybercriminals, spanning small crimes and massive theft.
Led by the FBI, the operation brought together private industry, U.S. law enforcement and international partners. FBI Intelligence Analyst Thomas Gathman and Supervisory Special Agent Amanda Knutson discussed at the RSA Conference in San Francisco the lessons learned from Operation Cookie Monster and how federal law enforcement efforts are disrupting these illicit markets.
The Department of Veterans Affairs' new digital tool monitors hundreds of agency applications for glitches and other technical issues and sends alerts to remediate any detected problem in a matter of hours. This program, called Watchtower, shrinks the time that critical services are out of commission and ultimately prevents major disruptions to services for veterans.
In some cases, Watchtower was able to preemptively identify issues before they became apparent. Overseeing the program is Bill Chapman, director of engineering in VA’s Office of the CTO. He discusses more of these details about the program and how the agency is assessing its performance.
Proteomics is an emerging field in cancer care and research. The National Cancer Institute’s Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium (CPTAC) aims to get to the heart of cancer by studying its molecular basis across different cancers. The group believes expanding open-source resources and other data can lead to new treatments in cancer and expand precision medicine.
Dr. Henry Rodriguez, the founding director of the Office of Cancer Clinical Proteomics Research at NCI, discusses the program and how the related International Cancer Proteogenome Consortium (ICPC) is helping researchers pull together resources necessary to innovate cancer care.
In light of the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s new second iteration of its cybersecurity framework, Rubrik Public Sector CTO Travis Rosiek breaks down the framework’s importance across public and private sector organizations.
Rosiek discusses the framework’s backup durability provisions, how artificial intelligence is helping protect data integrity and some of the evolving cybersecurity threats for federal agencies to be aware of.
The framework is a critical component that ensures organizations can mobilize their data while also keeping it secure, but also recoverable, in the event of an attack or breach.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)'s current iteration of its strategic priorities features a new goal for environmental justice alongside civil rights and climate change.
EPA Chief Financial Officer Faisal Amin shares new details about how the agency is developing new technology standards that will decrease greenhouse gas emissions and improve overall air quality. Amin also discusses where EPA sees potential for AI and other emerging technologies.
The Food and Drug Administration produces and processes a lot of data. As FDA’s inaugural chief data officer, Ram Iyer discusses the office’s plans for data modernization and how it is using technology to create interdependency across the agency.
Iyer also highlights where he sees emerging technology making the most impacts, how data governance is evolving and how partnerships are improving communication and collaboration. Plus, he highlights how his past experiences in industry are influencing his current priorities to bring modernization into the agency.
The White House's port cybersecurity executive order tasks the Coast Guard with monitoring the cybersecurity of vessels, facilities and harbors. Threats could target the global supply chain, national security interests and other vital systems.
Rear Adm. Wayne Arguin, the Coast Guard's assistant commandant for prevention policy, discusses how the executive order will affect the service and why cybersecurity matters to the Marine Transportation System. He explains his shifting priorities as the Coast Guard assesses risks and provides cybersecurity services to ports, vessels and partners.
The Marine Innovation Unit works to accelerate the adoption of advanced capabilities in the Marine Corps. Made up of reservists, MIU comprises personnel with diverse functional backgrounds in areas like logistics, cybersecurity and consulting to tackle some of the largest technological challenges at the service.
MIU Commanding Officer Col. Brooks Braden discusses at Sea-Air-Space in National Harbor, Maryland, how MIU advises the Marine Corps on emerging technology, what public-private partnerships for the service looks like and the nuances between chasing the technology of today while building the technology of tomorrow.
Check out our full conference coverage.
The Navy center responsible for managing IT supporting intelligence operations has a critical responsibility to keep communications and data-sharing capabilities both reliable and secure.
Commanding Officer Capt. Matt Cegelske for the center, called the Hopper Global Communications Center situated in the Office of Naval Intelligence, discusses at the Sea-Air-Space conference some of the unique cybersecurity challenges the center faces in the current threat environment and his plans for collaborating with industry to integrate modern tools to keep sensitive information safe.
Follow more of our Sea-Air-Space coverage.
The Coast Guard is increasingly relying on modern technology to propel its mission. At Sea-Air-Space in National Harbor, Maryland, Commandant Adm. Linda Fagan said the changing pace of technology requires creative thinking and partnerships.
She cites how the service is expanding artificial intelligence, machine learning and data analytics to bring its legacy computing ecosystem into one focused on modernization efforts for capabilities like autonomous vehicles and whatever the future brings.
Fagan discusses her vision of the Coast Guard of the future, the impact of partnerships on the mission and how technology is changing Coast Guard operations.
Check out our full coverage of the conference.
The Marine Corps needs to balance security and accessibility challenges that come with having many devices and systems working together.
At Sea-Air-Space in National Harbor, Maryland, Marines Cyber Technology Officer Shery Thomas briefs implementation plans for zero trust as part of the Defense Department’s broader plan to adopt zero trust architectures by 2027.
Thomas also discusses how end user safety and artificial intelligence fits into this plan.
Follow more of our Sea-Air-Space coverage.
Cyber threats are constantly evolving, so the Department of the Navy needs to be agile to thwart attacks.
Assistant Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Information Warfare Jennifer Edgin at Sea-Air-Space in National Harbor, Maryland, discusses the challenges of securing Navy’s networks and how she sees technology like AI supporting threat monitoring in the cyber domain.
She also discusses some of the acquisition considerations and breaking through the outdated tech model of break, buy, replace.
The White House’s executive order on port cybersecurity tasks the Coast Guard with leading cyber defenses for the expansive American Maritime Transportation System (MTS). The size and complexity of this network of waterways and ports can make it a prime target for cyber adversaries since breaching these avenues can disrupt global economic movement and security.
Coast Guard Cyber Commander Rear Adm. Jay Vann at Sea-Air-Space in National Harbor, Maryland, puts these threats into perspective. He discusses the Coast Guard’s scalable response framework as threats evolve and how the order empowers his office as it takes on an expanded role to support this mission in cyberspace.
Check out our full coverage of the conference.
National security challenges for the Defense Department require innovative technology and solutions from the defense and commercial sectors. Often times, these solutions that might begin development in one military service can apply to another.
At Sea-Air-Space in National Harbor, Maryland, we spoke with Kedar Pavgi, national capital regional director at the National Security Innovation Network (NSIN). He discusses how the office, part of the Defense Innovation Unit, is working to bridge technology divides by forging partnerships between academia, the commercial sector and DOD to bring in innovative technologies through programs like focused grand challenges and other investment opportunities.
Pavgi also briefs how these efforts are involving amid the “DIU 3.0” plan to scale defense innovation more rapidly.
Check out our full coverage of the conference.
Defense Department leaders are looking at artificial intelligence to augment or automate core functions and processes. For the Navy, this technology can impact critical maritime missions.
Dr. Glen Henshaw, senior scientist for autonomous and robotics systems at Naval Research Laboratory, discusses at Sea-Air-Space in National Harbor, Maryland, how the Navy is examining potential use cases for artificial intelligence within robots and other autonomous systems.
The current Navy and Marine Corps voice communications technology is a conglomeration of different systems, vendors and structures from the past several decades. This has brought a need for enhanced base modernization and centralization of VoIP communications.
David Rouse, senior director, Defense and National Security Verizon, joined us at Sea-Air-Space 2024 to discuss the future in which there is an infrastructure flexible enough to work with current technologies (inside plant and outside) while providing a roadmap for the Navy to move to a new, modernized platform without a lot of constraints.
Check out our full coverage of the conference.
Nearly 40% of the ocean has not been mapped using the latest resources and tools. Exploring the ocean is critical to maritime power for the U.S. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Office of Marine and Aviation Operations is at the forefront of mapping the ocean via its fleet of research ships and specialized data-collecting aircraft.
At Sea-Air-Space in National Harbor, Maryland, Rear Adm. Chad Cary, the office’s deputy director for operations, discusses how his office is using technology like uncrewed systems for environmental intelligence and how cooperation with other agencies help support the maritime mission across the world.
Check out our full coverage of the conference.
Following the passage of the PACT Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs is hiring more staff, serving more veterans and offering expanded access to benefits. After a record-breaking 2023, the agency says, it anticipates an even bigger 2024.
VA CIO Kurt DelBene discusses the tech priorities for the agency headed into 2024, from EHR modernization to artificial intelligence, user experience to hiring and more.
The Participant Engagement and Cancer Genome Sequencing Network (PECGS) part of the Cancer Moonshot Initiative is a collaboration between the National Cancer Institute and research institutions to engage cancer patients directly and ultimately better understand cancer genomics.
One of six funded projects is with Washington University, which is focusing on rare and understudied cancer populations with health disparities. Dr. Bettina Drake, professor at the university’s School of Medicine, discusses how her team is studying molecular changes in tumors for cancers like cholangiocarcinoma, multiple myeloma in African Americans and colorectal cancer under age 50 in African Americans. NCI Program Director Dr. Leah Mechanic also discusses how the PECGS Network overall is advancing health equity and precision medicine efforts around cancer care and treatment.
This is an in-depth peek into one of many programs within a broader collaborative effort to better understand cancer and accelerate the White House’s Cancer Moonshot’s mission to end cancer as we know it.
Indian Health Service CIO Mitchell Thornbrugh joins HealthCast to talk about ways that IHS is progressing in its modernization program and the need for a patient-centered, human-centered approach to care. He notes that IHS is working with across levels of government to provide better health care, ultimately, to Native Americans and Alaska Natives living in diverse communities nationwide.
Modernizing a health care system is a big task, with organizations having to prioritize customer experience and leverage technology to move toward modern, patient-centered care. At the Indian Health Service (IHS), replacing the existing Resource and Patient Management System (RPMS) means replacing the oldest legacy system in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Veterans have the ability to manage their health and benefits information largely through the use of application programming interfaces (APIs) developed through the Department of Veterans Affairs' Lighthouse program.
Director of the program’s developer experience, David Mazik, sits down with us at HIMSS in Orlando, Florida, to discuss how the program is helping veterans and clinicians share data both within and outside of VA.
Mazik discusses how APIs are helping organizations that are serving the veteran health care ecosystem to make social determinants of health interoperable to address health concerns such as suicide risk.
Health-focused organizations look at technology to prevent and help curb the effects of cybersecurity threats to better protect patients, and federal agencies might serve as a model to others in the private sector for program governance.
At HIMSS in Orlando, Florida, HIMSS Cybersecurity and Privacy Senior Principal Lee Kim puts these threats into context for the health care community and government partners. She highlights how many in the private sector can learn from government agencies in how they are built organizationally for resilience.
She highlights some of the external threats the industry overall faces and what patients, providers and government together can do to prepare for a secure future.
The CDC’s new Office of Public Health Data, Surveillance, and Technology executing the Public Health Data Strategy met nearly 15 milestones over the past year.
Looking ahead into its second year of the plan and after seeing through the first flu season, office director Dr. Jennifer Layden highlights some of those accomplishments around electronic case reporting and establishing core data sources.
She discusses what she envisions is on the horizon for more automation, monitoring additional health conditions and expanding partnerships in the community.
The Veterans Health Administration recently expanded health care benefits to all veterans who served in the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, Iraq, Afghanistan or any other combat zone after 9/11. Behind the scenes, the agency is spearheading many initiatives to further enhance interoperability around its health care ecosystem to better serve veteran patients.
Under Secretary for Health Dr. Shereef Elnahal discusses with us at HIMSS in Orlando, Florida, some of the updates around the PACT Act, open APIs and artificial intelligence, plus what programs like Mission Daybreak and innovations like ambient technology have on the transforming health care experience.
Department of Health and Human Services CISO and Acting Deputy CIO La Monte Yarborough highlights during HIMSS in Orlando, Florida, how his office is prioritizing cybersecurity in the broader health care community in the age of AI.
Cybersecurity resilience in the health sector demands public policies to keep data and systems secure as the threat landscape evolves. He highlights the HHS 405(d) program that can help the public health sector bolster cyber defenses.
He also provides perspective on where AI fits into cybersecurity at the agency and how regulatory frameworks are evolving around emerging technology.
The health sector faces many challenges that technology has the potential to alleviate including workforce burden, staffing shortages, cybersecurity challenges and data management struggles. Much of that can see improvements with smart uses of artificial intelligence and virtual care, according to NTT DATA Chief Health Informatics Officer Heather Hudnall at the HIMSS conference in Orlando, Florida.
A former nurse herself, Hudnall describes how government can think about harnessing data to transform public health missions and ultimately deliver the best care to patients through public-private partnerships.
The Department of Veterans Affairs is setting in motion new artificial intelligence strategies in light of the White House’s executive order to prioritize ethical AI development.
At HIMSS in Orlando, Florida, VA Deputy CTO for AI Kimberly McManus highlights the four areas the agency is taking a closer look at: governance, prior use cases, infrastructure and workforce.
McManus cites the Veterans Health Administration’s framework for trustworthy AI she sees guiding much of the work around ensuring the backbone for safe AI development is there as she sees the technology impacting “the entire enterprise.”
Deputy National Coordinator for Health IT Steven Posnack discusses a few updates to data sharing and interoperability rules for the health IT community, including HTI-1, HTI-2, United States Core Data for Interoperability (USCDI) and Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA).
As organizations work to adopt new interoperability standards and policies, artificial intelligence is showing promise for its impact in health IT processes. Posnack highlights how ONC is starting to think about AI and associated ethical concerns.
Artificial intelligence is a key focus at the HIMSS conference in Orlando, Florida, where Department of Health and Human Services Chief AI Officer Greg Singleton discusses his vision for the technology at the agency.
Singleton gives us a glimpse at the key parts that make up the CAIO role as agencies are putting in place their strategies to meet the White House’s 2023 AI executive order directing agencies on various aspects for the technology.
Looking ahead, Singleton discusses where he sees AI making the most impacts at the agency and some of his more near-term goals to impact clinical outcomes.
Taking big-picture technology concepts and integrating them into practice is a key focus for Dr. Paul Tibbits, executive director of technical integration at the Department of Veterans Affairs.
At the HIMSS conference in Orlando, Florida, Tibbits discusses how he sees technology like digital twins and artificial intelligence impacting the health care experience. Tibbits gives a glimpse into what’s ahead with potential for “patient digitial twins” and the opportunities that IT and data modernization can have on integrating new capabilities and services.
Open-source data and artificial intelligence are poised to transform the health care landscape.
Andrea Fletcher, chief digital strategy officer at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), aims to leverage and inject human-centered design into these concepts as the agency explores their potential for improving the quality of health care services and keep data secure in heightened threat environments.
At HIMSS in Orlando, Florida, Fletcher provides a glimpse into some of the pilots her team has launched and where she sees opportunities for partnerships across the department to thrive.
Mitigating cross sector risks and recognizing vulnerabilities in the supply chain remain top priorities for the National Risk Management Center (NRMC) at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
NRMC Assistant Director Mona Harrington said the team of experts is responsible for creating realistic and actionable recommendations to manage risk to the global information and communications technology supply chain. Harrington said NRMC also utilizes the Secure Tomorrow Toolkit to help stakeholders get a better understanding of the future threat landscape across the information domain.
She also highlighted the agency's use of artificial intelligence as well as the Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative’s work to reduce the nation's cybersecurity risk.
This episode is sponsored by Zscaler.
The Pentagon is undergoing a robust plan to create a foundation for its AI-enabled capabilities that include data infrastructure and management, platforms, processes and, of course, people. Leading this charge is the Chief Digital and AI Office (CDAO), which is working toward a number of deliverables this year around many of these aspects.
CDAO Digital Talent Management Office Chief Angela Cough discusses the ways in which she works across departments and the broader Defense Industrial Base to create the AI workforce of the future. She highlights some of the tools and skills employees will need now to be successful in the age of AI.
The National Cancer Institute is utilizing a host of new technologies to diagnose and detect cancer thanks to its Innovative Molecular Analysis Technologies (IMAT) and Informatics Technology for Cancer Research (ITCR) programs. These programs are developing methods that are enhancing cancer research, including artificial intelligence.
Dr. Kelly Crotty, program director for NCI’s Center for Strategic Scientific Initiatives, said not only have the programs helped researchers better identify and screen for cancer, but also they’ve been instrumental in driving progress in clinical care. Crotty also shares updates about NCI’s Liquid Biopsy Consortium and discusses the benefits and challenges she’s seeing with AI.
Partnerships play a critical part of the innovation work across the Defense Department. The complex global threat landscape, in both the kinetic and cybersecurity domains, requires partnerships to solve some of the most pressing national security challenges.
Assistant Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Information Warfare Jennifer Edgin discussed at AFCEA West the ways her office is leveraging partnerships, using emerging technology and modernizing its systems.
The U.S. Marine Corps is in the middle of modernizing its networks into a single enterprise network to improve identity management and services. The team is upgrading software and hardware to improve latency and cybersecurity, and is leveraging artificial intelligence as part of these modernization plans.
At AFCEA West, Shery Thomas, cyber technology officer at the Marine Corps Forces Cyberspace Command, discusses the state of the Marines' network modernization and the ways his teams are ensuring the network is accessible and secure against future threats.
Metrics are critical to assessing a contract's or program's success in IT procurement at the Navy. Measuring success can be difficult without these clear parameters.
Justin Fanelli, acting CTO at the Department of the Navy and technical director at Navy PEO Digital and Enterprise Services, discussed with us at AFCEA West the ways in which the Navy is measuring program success. He said when a program does not work, inertia needs to be fought. "When something moves, we take it down," he said.
He also highlights how the Navy is encouraging more entrants into the acquisition process and how the Navy partners with industry to scale innovation.
Leveraging the next generation’s digital skill sets, comfort with technology and innovation is key to the Marine Corps' vision for its future software-savvy workforce. Lt. Col. Charlie Bahk, director of the Marine Corps Software Factory launched last year, tells GovCIO Media and research at AFCEA West that “all you have to do is just kind of get out of the way a little bit.”
Bahk also discusses the evolution of the Marine Corps Software Factory as it nears its one-year anniversary, challenges he foresees in developing software capabilities for warfighters and the value of collaboration and resourcefulness in software development.
The Navy’s systems and data operations exist in a challenging environment that requires strong identity management to secure threats, partnerships across the Defense Department and technology innovation.
At AFCEA West, Navy CIO Jane Rathbun discusses how the service is avoiding common pain points in modernization and introducing more structure, data and flexibility. She also highlights how the service is thinking about innovation and mixing traditional with new approaches to stay ahead of the curve in the ever-evolving technology landscape.
The Defense Department is undergoing largescale modernization efforts that require close attention to building the infrastructure that delivers information quickly, but also securely. Digital transformation in government requires a mindset that considers all aspects of the organization, partners and stakeholders.
While at AFCEA West in San Diego, Equinix Senior Director of Segment Marketing for the Americas D.R. Carlson sat down with us to discuss the common pain points organizations experience in digital transformation journeys, how AI can aid modernization and the ways to bridge legacy and new systems — plus what this all means for defense organizations.
Cyber threats from China have been the subject of recent high-profile Congressional hearings lately. Analyst Jack Corrigan from Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET) spoke to the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission Feb. 1 about the risks that Chinese information and communications technology and services (ICTS) have on U.S. national security and critical infrastructure.
Corrigan joins CyberCast to break down these threats and what they mean for government agencies, what CIOs can do about them and the role of procurement regulations in strengthening those defenses.
Last month the National Science Foundation (NSF) launched the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (NAIRR) pilot to encourage AI cooperation and innovation as part of the White House’s executive order to advance AI. The pilot comprises a partnership with 10 federal agencies and 19 industry organizations.
Tess deBlanc-Knowles, NSF’s special assistant to the director for AI, joins GovCast to discuss how partnerships strengthen the NAIRR pilot, how it is democratizing access to AI research and how shepherding AI leadership can open more doors for the federal government, industry and academic community more broadly.
The White House’s Better Contracting Initiative aims to ensure the federal government is getting the best prices on services through acquisition.
The government spent more than $77 billion dollars on federal IT contracting last year, so saving money for government and ultimately taxpayers is among one of the initiative’s top priorities.
Laura Stanton, assistant commissioner for the Office of Information Technology Category at the General Service Administration's Federal Acquisition Service, discusses the next phase of the initiative and how it will impact the IT contracting landscape in the long run.
President Joe Biden’s executive order on artificial intelligence requires agencies to name chief artificial intelligence officers (CAIO). Some agencies with longstanding AI experience have named CAIOs, while others are still in the process of naming their officials.
Managing Editor Ross Gianfortune and Staff Writer/Researcher Jordan McDonald analyze the state of CAIOs and the future of AI officials.
The U.S. Digital Corps started out as an idea to help strengthen the federal tech workforce and was borne in August 2021 out of a collaboration between the White House, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and General Services Administration's Technology Transformation Services to transform hiring tech talent.
Since then, it has placed more than 80 early-career tech and cybersecurity professionals at dozens of agencies through a two-year fellowship program.
U.S. Digital Corps Founder and Director Caitlin Gandhi speaks about its history and successes, how IT hiring is changing in government and the impact fellows are having at agencies writ large.
The Department of Homeland Security is developing a new workforce plan to bring in technical talent through initiatives like a new IT Academy.
Executive Director of IT Operations Chris Granger discusses how these efforts and more are part of a broader plan at DHS to improve its services make them more equitable and accessible.
Granger dives into the agency’s strategic plan for the next four years and how technologies like artificial intelligence will support initiatives to improve the supply chain and even support missions to locate and rescue victims of online child sexual exploitation.
CISA’s “secure by design” framework is helping software manufacturers bake cybersecurity into products as part of an effort to implement the National Cyber Strategy that the White House released earlier this year. Cybersecurity has traditionally been treated as an afterthought in technology. CISA wants to change that.
CISA Senior Advisor Lauren Zabierek discusses what it means to be secure by design, what the new framework outlines and what it means for vendors and the development community. You’ll hear more about the framework’s three principles:
- Take ownership of customer security outcomes.
- Embrace radical transparency and accountability.
- Lead from the top.
For more secure by design resources:
- CISA’s Secure By Design: https://www.cisa.gov/securebydesign
- Secure by Design white paper: https://www.cisa.gov/resources-tools/resources/secure-by-design
- CISA’s Case for Memory Safe Roadmaps: https://www.cisa.gov/case-memory-safe-roadmaps
GovCast had a banner year in 2023, featuring dozens of interviews with federal IT leaders, officials and experts. We take a look back at the year’s work around AI, zero-trust implementation and many other issues and topics facing all IT staffs throughout government.
On this year-end episode of GovCast, Managing Editor Ross Gianfortune, and Staff Writers Jayla Whitfield and Jordan McDonald as they reflect on the most memorable episodes and themes of 2023.
Featured conversations include:
1:00: Brian Mazanec, Deputy Director, Office of Preparedness in the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response
5:15: Will Cahoe, 10x Program Communications Lead, GSA
9:00: Wayne Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge, Criminal and Cyber Division, FBI Washington Field Office
13:00: Francis O’Hearn, CIO, U.S. Mint
14:45: Melvin Brown II, Deputy CIO, Office of Personnel Management
Former Federal Deputy CTO Jennifer Pahlka who helped found the U.S. Digital Service and other major technology programs like the Presidential Innovation Fellows has ideas for how government can leverage the opportunities in technology to advance critical services for the public.
Often there is a gap between policy and implementation, especially in digital government, which can slow down modernization. But agencies can reevaluate how they provide benefits and services to the public online and strategize the evolution of digital services.
Pahlka, who also wrote the book “Recoding America: Why Government Is Failing in the Digital Age and How We Can Do Better,” discusses these strategies as well as where culture and innovation fits in the future digital age for government.
This episode we're diving into some defense technology perspectives, specifically for the Indo-Pacific region.
We recently had the opportunity to connect with leaders at the AFCEA TechNet Indo-Pacific conference in Honolulu where they shared how they're thinking about the quickly changing landscape and what it means for defense programs, software factories, cloud modernization and data centricity.
Featured interviews include:
Rob Vietmeyer, Chief Software Officer at DOD. https://governmentciomedia.com/dod-software-chief-breaks-down-tech-shifts-pacific-region
Sharon Woods, Director of DISA's Hosting and Compute Center. https://governmentciomedia.com/disa-hac-director-shares-commercial-cloud-capability-progress-indo-pacific
Andrew Hong, Deputy Director of Cyber Portfolio, Defense Innovation Unit. https://governmentciomedia.com/diu-brings-new-mindset-defense-technology
Indopacom CIO Gen. Mark Miles. https://governmentciomedia.com/indopacom-cio-looks-data-centricity-assured-command-and-control
Part of tackling defense and national security challenges requires engaging academia, developing the workforce, and bringing in the next commercial technical capability or process. That’s the aim of the Technology Advancement Center, a nonprofit innovating around some of the Pentagon’s toughest cybersecurity and technology challenges.
CEO Gregg Smith, a longstanding technology leader, discusses how the organization fits into some of the Defense Department’s newest strategies such as those around artificial intelligence and zero trust. He also discusses his goals for TAC as it works with smaller organizations working at every angle of innovation to teach them how to do business with the government and bring new solutions into agencies like the U.S. Cyber Command, National Security Agency, DISA and more.
Every agency and every office is in a different place in their modernization journey. At the Office of Personnel Management, this path has been full of challenges that Deputy CIO Melvin Brown has worked to solve through a four pillar approach in people, process, technology and learning.
Around its workforce challenges, Brown has reinvigorated an intern program to get more early-career technologists into the office and also deployed hybrid-work environment to widen the hiring net.
Brown discusses the ways the agency is modernizing with its people, tech and leadership.
President Joe Biden’s executive order on artificial intelligence tasks agencies with driving the safe, secure and trustworthy development of AI. The order notes that the technology, if harnessed properly, has the potential to transform privacy, cybersecurity and health care. Biden said that the order is "the most significant action any government anywhere in the world has ever taken on AI safety, security and trust."
GovCIO Media & Research Managing Editor Ross Gianfortune, Staff Writer/Researcher Jayla Whitfield and Staff Writer/Researcher Anastasia Obis break down the executive order's pillars, how agencies are going to follow the White House guidance and how AI regulatory policy has evolved.
Good ideas can come from anywhere, including the millions of public servants in the federal workforce.
The General Services Administration's 10x program invests in ideas from civil servants to improve government technology and better serve the public. Sites and projects like code.gov, login.gov and the U.S. Web Design System started from ideas funded through 10x.
Unique to 10x is its venture capitalist-style funding model to steward these ideas, including applying lean development principles and funneling projects as the process moves forward.
As funding for 2024 opens up, 10x Program Communications Lead Will Cahoe discusses the ways such a funding model can spur innovative change needed in government right now, the successes of the program and what other agencies can learn from it.
Behind large agencies like NASA is a backbone of technologists and shared services that enable the organization to seamlessly conduct its numerous missions that include those such as the high-profile Artemis and Moon to Mars.
Shenandoah Speers, associate CIO of applications at NASA, has been on a mission of his own over the past five years to bring in scaled Agile frameworks that speed up its software development cycles and bridge the data among NASA’s systems.
We caught up with Speers at the recent Gartner IT Symposium in Orlando, Florida, to discuss the progress and lessons learned behind this effort, which led to efficiencies like speeding up the delivery cycle from 170 to 90 days. He also discusses the opportunities for innovative technology like artificial intelligence and automation and how they can enable NASA to create efficiencies and reduce costs.
The Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) at the Department of Health and Human Services leads the nation’s medical and public health preparedness for all disasters and public health emergencies.
After spending more than a decade at the Government Accountability Office, Brian Mazanec is taking on a new challenge as the Deputy Assistant Secretary and Director, Office of Security, Intelligence, and Information Management at ASPR.
In the newly-appointed position, Brian will use his expertise in cybersecurity and conflict to ensure the healthcare ecosystem has critical infrastructure protection to combat cyber threats.
Last month, the Office of Management and Budget released a guidance on digital customer experience. The policy guidance sets policy recommendations for agencies to make digital government services "easy to use, trustworthy and accessible." The White House's corresponding fact sheet lays out successes, challenges and the future of digital government as it evolves.
GovCIO Media & Research Managing Editor Ross Gianfortune, Staff Writer/Researcher Jayla Whitfield and Staff Writer/Researcher Anastasia Obis discuss the ways agencies can adopt digital government principles laid out by the White House.
The Defense Department recently released an unclassified summary of its 2023 cybersecurity strategy. The previously classified document was submitted to Congress in May. The document outlines updates to the department’s plan to “operationalize the priorities” in cyberspace.
GovCIO Media & Research Managing Editor Ross Gianfortune and Staff Writer/Researcher Anastasia Obis discuss what is inside the plan and what it means for the future of DOD’s cyber posture.
The Air Force Research Laboratory, the hub of innovation for the Department of the Air Force, has created a new directorate that will improve business processes to enable faster research and better decision-making.
Leading this Digital Capabilities Directorate is the newly-appointed Alexis Bonnell, who concurrently serves as AFRL’s first CIO. She is now charged with making the digital dominance the service is working to achieve a reality.
A longstanding federal and industry technology leader from Google, Bonnell discusses the impetus for the new directorate and how she is planning to adopt technology and best practices to speed up innovation and get the capabilities into the hands of military servicemembers more quickly.
The U.S Mint is the primary manufacturer of coinage in America. In 2019, the Mint produced more than 12 billion coins. As the sole producer of coinage, the Mint also creates additional markets to improve profitability. Chief Information Officer Francis O’Hearn overseas an IT budget of nearly $60 million and breaks down how his previous leadership roles have prepared him to succeed at the Mint. While O’Hearn understands the importance of emerging technology like artificial intelligence, he says keeping a human in the loop is critical.
The U.S. Navy has a keen interest on the space domain. This is where key technologies like spacecraft and ground-and-control stations play an integral part in passing on intelligence and other information about the world to U.S. military services globally.
The Naval Research Laboratory’s Naval Center for Space Technology is one of four research directorates, and the focal point and integrator for the lab’s technology development used in space systems. Director Steven Meier breaks down some of the history in spacecraft development and how the center is prioritizing emerging areas like artificial intelligence and hypersonics that will advance the defense mission across all domains.
The leader behind Defense Department programs like “Hacking for Defense” returns to GovCast to break down the principles behind how large organizations can innovate at speed. This speed is often cited as being the critical pace needed at the Pentagon to stay ahead of the adversary across key issues in cybersecurity, IT modernization, data sharing and more.
Steve Blank co-founded the Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation at Stanford University, which teaches the next generation of national security innovators. He also consults on innovation methods, processes, policies and doctrine across the national security sector.
Blank discusses the ways government can learn from key partners in the private and academic sectors, and highlights the ways that a whole-of-government approach can help the Pentagon adapt to an ever-changing world.
GovCast turns 5! The first episode published Aug. 29, 2018, featured a wide-ranging discussion with Jose Arrieta, who at the time served as the Department of Health and Human Services assistant deputy secretary.
In the five years since, GovCast has hosted many leaders across the federal government, academia and industry to discuss everything from modernization to health IT to artificial intelligence in government.
To mark the podcast’s five-year anniversary, GovCIO Media & Research’s Alexander Bulova, Anastasia Obis, Jayla Whitfield, Ross Gianfortune and Amy Kluber discussed their favorite episodes of the podcast over the years. Featured interviews include IRS, GSA, NASA, FBI, Navy and more!
Government IT has so many specific words and phrases that it can seem like its own language. In a special GovCast, Production Lead Alexander Bulova acts as a quiz show host to test Staff Writer/Researcher Anastasia Obis and Managing Editor Ross Gianfortune on government IT jargon on the different phrases and words everyone needs to know to keep current on government IT news.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Assistant Commissioner and CIO Sonny Bhagowalia is a longstanding leader in federal government and industry. By trade, his roots are in engineering — which has largely shaped how he views technology’s and especially artificial intelligence’s impact across various government missions.
With technology being pervasive in “everything we do,” Bhagowalia breaks down where he sees AI helping the agency counter cyber threats, tag video and image data automatically, detect patterns and even reduce human exposure to dangerous situations.
He describes how his office’s “cloud first” and “mobile first” mentality is driving initiatives like digitalization, streamlining public-facing services and processing the 172 petabytes of data it handles every day. Plus, he discusses where industry partnerships are going to make a difference. In the future, he’s excited about the potential for quantum safe and quantum processing, as well as a number of cybersecurity tools he’s exploring to keep ahead of the changing tech landscape.
The latest reorganization of the Defense Innovation Unit is bringing together innovation arms under one umbrella at the Defense Department. Among these efforts includes a shift at the National Security Innovation Network (NSIN) led by Cheryl Ingstad — a longstanding leader who led initiatives in artificial intelligence innovation in the public and private sectors.
In her new role as deputy director of digital platforms and developer ecosystem at DIU, Ingstad is focused on bridging the “valley of death” in defense technology programs by opening up more opportunities for startups and academia around the country to engage and do business with DOD.
Ingstad discusses her military career and background that has led her to the now-growing efforts at the department to get technology innovation not only in the door, but also into operation for the defense mission.
There’s been quite a bit of development around AI in the federal government over the past year. We take a look back at how various federal leaders from different agencies are grappling with its challenges and benefits to agency missions. Tune in for more insights featuring:
- Taka Ariga, Chief Data Scientist, GAO
- Frank Indiviglio, CTO, NOAA
- Keith Sonderling, Commissioner, EEOC
- Elham Tabassi, Chief of Staff, Information Technology Laboratory, NIST
- Dan Folliard, CDO, SOCOM
Vice Adm. Jeffrey Trussler is wrapping up his last months as deputy chief of naval operations for information warfare and director of Naval intelligence. He joins us to talk about the challenges that lie ahead of the Navy and the Defense Department at large in the cyber domain, as well as the importance of radio frequency spectrum to maintaining the Navy's information and intelligence dominance. Plus he reflects on the lessons learned from his current position and what’s next for him.
Artificial intelligence is making big waves at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration when it comes to providing forecasters with more accurate weather data and climate modeling. NOAA CTO Frank Indiviglio said in addition to AI, the agency has been modernizing its edge-computing capabilities by sending devices equipped with sensors into the ocean to collect critical hurricane data. Indiviglio also highlighted NOAA's Open Data Dissemination Program, which is making it easier for the public to access weather forecasts.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)'s Criminal and Cyber Division in its Washington Field Office is putting itself in a position to better tackle the new cyber attack landscape that is growing evermore sophisticated with the widespread use of things like wearables and social media that threat actors are exploiting. This includes emerging threats like “cybercrime as a service.” The office’s Special Agent in Charge Wayne Jacobs, whose career as a law enforcement agent includes tackling violent crime and gangs, highlights these new emerging threats, how he’s prioritizing the evolving threat landscape, and how he sees technology supporting field agents to identify and track targets as well as communicate instantaneously.
The Department of the Air Force recently released its zero trust and ICAM implementation roadmap, and now it is laser-focused on implementing different pillars of zero trust. While the technology is there, the amount of execution and coordination is enormous as the service works toward fully implementing zero trust by 2027. Air Force CTO Jay Bonci briefs how the service is planning to get to that goal, the relationship between zero trust and initiatives such as JWCC and JADC2, as well as his priorities for the year.
With artificial intelligence growing in popularity, there also is a growing interest in regulating AI to both protect American rights and ensure the technology is used and deployed fairly. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has an inherent interest in shaping policies and enforcing laws to ensure the American workplace remains fair for all. Commissioner Keith Sonderling, a lawyer by trade, discusses the legal and federal interests behind how the agency is focused on AI, including what policies are ahead and what is already out there for employers who might be employing AI in workforce and hiring decisions.
As Don Yeske is wrapping up his last days as the Navy’s acting chief technology officer, he joins us to talk about how the Navy is working to transform its legacy global network systems to be able to move information securely anywhere in the world. Plus, he reflects on the lessons learned from his current position as he is preparing to step into a new position at the Department of Homeland Security.
NASA's Acquisition Innovation Launchpad (NAIL) is helping the agency make major progress in its procurement process by amplifying innovation and creating agile acquisition practices to get technology in more quickly. Technology at the agency means potential to support major space exploration programs like Artemis and Juno. Karla Smith Jackson, NASA’s senior procurement executive and deputy chief acquisition officer, said NAIL, which was modeled after the Procurement Innovation Lab (PIL) at the Department of Homeland Security, gives the agency an opportunity to look at sole-source procurement as well competitive procurement and procurement strategy. As one of three authorities who can execute procurement policy on behalf of the government, Jackson details the importance of modernized acquisition practices to both manage risk and improve the customer experience.
As the Air Force bids goodbye to CIO Lauren Knausenberger, she joined us for a live podcast recording to discuss her perspectives on how she built an agile team that is primed to tackle the service’s most pressing priorities around cybersecurity, software development, data sharing and more. Plus, she provides tips and tricks for succeeding in the defense industry, the highs and lows of her time at the Air Force, and how she’s positioned the Air Force tech shop to continue its momentum.
Customer service continues to be a key focus for the Department of Education. As part of its Strategic Plan, the agency has fully executed the 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act to provide millions of customers with ease of access to digital services. Tune in to this special update from Education CIO Luis Lopez about the progress made on digital services and other IT and cybersecurity priorities, including the implementation of zero trust architecture.
Cloud Smart is one of several initiatives underway to boost IT modernization at the Department of Homeland Security. This approach is not only helping DHS better manage and access data, it's also empowering the workforce to make decisions in their environments at a faster pace. DHS CTO David Larrimore has created a Chief Technology Officer Council that will restructure the CTO role to be more grounded in federal IT management. DHS has also leveraged the Cyber Talent Management System to hire a more diverse and high-tech workforce ahead of anticipated shortages.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science & Technology Directorate (S&T) welcomed a new head of information security in 2023. With over 25 years of experience in enterprise-level digital transformation across federal government, CISO Michele Thomas highlights some of the lessons learned throughout her career, what led her to the agency and how she plans to better secure critical information and systems, as well as advance her unit’s security strategy.
Women tech leaders across government and industry gathered at GovCIO Media & Research’s annual Women Tech Leaders Summit to discuss how to recruit more women for government tech jobs, market the government mission and government job perks more effectively, and inspire the next generation of women tech leaders through mentorship. This special episode dives into speaker insights from the Defense Department, VA, HHS, FBI and more.
A State Department-supported effort is bringing together powerful geospatial and satellite data visualization tools to document and assess the impacts of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
At the heart of the data behind this effort is Susan Wolfinbarger, team lead for State’s Location-based Observations for Conflict Analysis, Trends, and Evidence (LOCATE) in the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations. Wolfinbarger details how her interests in geography led to her researching human rights and now supporting the evidence-making process at State as part of the Conflict Observatory. The public-private partnership, which includes entities like Yale Humanitarian Research Lab and Esri, aims to collect the evidence and data necessary for holding Russia accountable on the international stage for war crimes like torture, gender-based violence and starvation, as well as efforts to adopt and indoctrinate Ukrainian children.
Wolfinbarger discusses the data layers behind some of the observations, and how these analyses and assessments inform future investigations following international documentation standards.
Check out some of the data reports here: https://hub.conflictobservatory.org/
At the beginning of the year, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) released its AI Risk Management Framework (AI RMF) along with an AI RMF Playbook and an AI RMF Roadmap to guide the future of artificial intelligence development. Chief of Staff of the agency’s Information Technology Laboratory Elham Tabassi explains the framework’s collaborative development and how it incorporates trustworthiness considerations into the design, development, use and evaluation of AI products, services and systems.
Data touches every aspect of IT, which makes the chief data officer a jack-of-all-trades. SOCOM CDO Dan Folliard is laser-focused on getting SOCOM data-ready for advanced data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI). He also discusses how data readiness improves an organization’s overall cybersecurity posture.
In part two of this interview, National Energy Technology Laboratory’s (NETL) Science-based AI/ML Institute (SAMI) Technical Director Kelly Rose discusses the foundational resources and workflows she’s creating to enable access and partnerships for tech and AI tools. She details how open-source principles and security protocols will be key enablers to responsible AI for environmental missions in the research community.
The National Energy Technology Laboratory’s (NETL) Science-based Ai/ML Institute (SAMI) is accelerating applied technology development for clean, efficient and affordable energy production. SAMI Technical Director Kelly Rose breaks down how the institute is using responsible AI in support of the Department of Energy’s (DOE) environmental and social justice strategic objectives. Rose explains how NETL is democratizing access to data through the FAIR data principles and the Energy Data eXchange (EDX) platform.
The Marine Corps is undertaking largescale modernization of its technical capabilities. As Deputy Commandant for Information Lt. Gen. Matthew Glavy puts it, all capabilities cannot be executed without tech especially in an ever-changing environment. Glavy discusses the efforts around computing at the edge, the foundational standpoint of information ahead of the upcoming Marine Corps Warfighting Publication-8 and what all this means for cyberspace operations.
DISA’s Hosting and Compute Center (HaCC) is addressing challenges to various cloud capabilities across the Defense Department. Part of this means enhancing the overall customer experience of acquisition and breaking down silos across teams. HaCC Customer Experience Lead Kayne Kreitzer talks everything CX, including the tools that are helping the community navigate the challenging environment of cloud computing and acquisition such as the Account Tracking and Automation Tool (ATAT) and the DISA Acquisition Package Preparation System (DAPPS).
The age of information superiority is more than cybersecurity. For Department of the Navy CIO Aaron Weis, it’s the “golden requirement” to securely move any data from anywhere to anywhere, paving the way for programs like Project Overmatch in the Defense Department’s JADC2 concept. Weis discusses the potential game-changing impacts to data as we know it with technologies like Starlink and emerging foundational AI, as well as how he’s viewing these in the context of the Navy’s approach to tech and “Cyber Ready” strategy.
As the Department of the Air Force prepares to release its own zero trust plan just three months after the Pentagon released a department-wide five-year zero trust strategy, Air Force CIO Lauren Knausenberger is focused on reducing technical debt and elevating software factories to bring the Air Force into the future. Software factories can play a role in the implementation of the Defense Department’s Joint All-Domain Command-and-Control (JADC2) concept and integration of the recently awarded Joint Warfighting Cloud Capability (JWCC) contract. Knausenberger also discusses her career journey and advice for those interested in working in national security.
NIST and the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource Task Force recently released new AI frameworks, which dovetail with the White House’s Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights and the Defense Department’s Responsible AI Strategy. These AI guidance documents outline how to approach AI innovation in an ethical, responsible manner, but also how to develop AI algorithms effectively to meet mission needs. Join our editorial team to learn about how these frameworks and initiatives are impacting government services across civilian, defense and health agencies.
2023 will be a major year for the Department of Energy (DOE), which is in the process of implementing new investments from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. DOE is standing up 60 new programs, and aims to direct 40% of federal investments to underserved communities under President Biden's Justice40 Initiative. From her time as CIO for the EPA to her current role as Energy CIO, Ann Dunkin has been dedicated to sustainability missions. Dunkin breaks down what the future of clean energy will look like and discusses how the IT industry has an important role to play in catalyzing climate resilience.
Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) cloud leader Sharon Woods kicks off the new year with an in-depth conversation about the role Joint Warfighting Cloud Capability (JWCC) will play in various concurrent cloud modernization efforts across DOD. She also dives into her journey from law school to defense IT, and offers advice for young women pursuing tech and national security careers.
The National Science Foundation has a powerful mission to engage and promote innovation within the scientific community. Key to that is enabling a culture that centers around people, not just technology. A longstanding public service leader, CIO Dorothy Aronson says staying up-to-date with the latest technologies is critical to an agency’s success. But getting there means having a flexible IT governance process while also prioritizing people’s happiness. Aronson also highlights HOPPER, an innovation management group that she established to bring innovators together to share their ideas and offer support for one another.
Connectivity is an essential component to everything in our daily lives. 5G and Wi-Fi are key enablers for all missions including data access and sharing, data analytics, communication, file transfer, logistics and more. Both 5G and Wi-Fi have separate applications, but both are necessary to ensure seamless operations. ID Technologies and Dell Technologies are tackling this convergence opportunity in the federal government. Jim Rousseau and Chris "CT" Thomas join us to break down the differences between the two and what agencies need to know to integrate them both in an enterprise.
This episode is sponsored by ID Technologies and Dell Technologies.
As the year comes to an end, we bid adieu to our beloved Flywheel Fridays. Join our co-hosts Deputy Editor Kate Macri and Staff Writer/Researcher Sarah Sybert as they reflect on the most memorable moments and headlines of the year, such as the passage of the PACT Act for veterans, the Defense Department's new zero trust strategy and more. We also discuss leveraging lessons learned from the show for new and improved episodes coming your way across GovCast, CyberCast and HealthCast in 2023.
The Department of Veterans Affairs is placing the veteran at the center of every digital service. With the expansion of benefits following the passage of the PACT Act and new tools like VA's Health and Benefits mobile application, customer experience plays a critical role in how veterans access their services. VA's Chief Experience Officer John Boerstler joins us to explain how his agency is listening to the veteran to develop successful digital services and build trust across the community VA serves.
It’s been a busy year for the federal family as agencies accelerate IT modernization efforts. Join Staff Writers Sarah Sybert and Katherine MacPhail at the Thanksgiving dinner table for reflections on the outcomes of those efforts and what they’re thankful for this year. They’ll unpack major initiatives like automation, DEI&A in the workforce, cybersecurity, CX and climate resilience.
The Department of Veterans Affairs’ first permanent Chief Data Officer Kshemendra Paul announced last month that he would be leaving VA to become the Department of Energy's new assistant inspector general for cybersecurity assessments and data analysis. Paul reflects on his time as VA CDO, including developing VA's Data Strategy and Roadmap, and left a few words of advice for his successor.
GovCIO Media & Research has been hard at work covering key events and conferences to keep you informed. Join Deputy Editor Kate Macri and Staff Writer/Researcher Sarah Sybert for our top federal tech takeaways on CyberSatGov, VHA's Innovation Experience (iEX) and FedHealthIT's Women in Leadership Awards. They'll dive into the latest trends around cybersecurity, satellites, encryption, health care innovation and the federal workforce.
GovCIO Media & Research has been hard at work covering key events and conferences to keep you informed. Join Deputy Editor Kate Macri and Staff Writer/Researcher Sarah Sybert for our top federal tech takeaways on CyberSatGov, VHA's Innovation Experience (iEX) and FedHealthIT's Women in Leadership Awards. They'll dive into the latest trends around cybersecurity, satellites, encryption, health care innovation and the federal workforce.
The Department of Veterans Affairs recently launched its Vision 2022 strategy, which outlines how the agency will approach its widespread IT modernization and digital transformation. Longstanding leader in software and tech development who was behind salvaging HealthCare.gov, CIO Kurt DelBene discusses the agency's continued focus on transparency, the user experience and breaking down silos across the enterprise.
The Department of Veterans Affairs recently launched its Vision 2022 strategy, which outlines how the agency will approach its widespread IT modernization and digital transformation. Longstanding leader in software and tech development who was behind salvaging HealthCare.gov, CIO Kurt DelBene discusses the agency's continued focus on transparency, the user experience and breaking down silos across the enterprise.
From 2012 to 2021, data center closures and optimization brought government an estimated 6.6 billion in cost savings and avoidances. Data center and energy management also play a key role in sustainability targets and the Biden administration’s goal to hit net-zero emissions by 2050. General Services Administration (GSA) Director for the Data Center Optimization Initiative (DCOI) Thomas Santucci discusses the significant strides made by this program, which sunset from the Federal IT Acquisition Reform Act (FITARA) scorecard this past January after all agencies made an "A" grade.
From 2012 to 2021, data center closures and optimization brought government an estimated 6.6 billion in cost savings and avoidances. Data center and energy management also play a key role in sustainability targets and the Biden administration’s goal to hit net-zero emissions by 2050. General Services Administration (GSA) Director for the Data Center Optimization Initiative (DCOI) Thomas Santucci discusses the significant strides made by this program, which sunset from the Federal IT Acquisition Reform Act (FITARA) scorecard this past January after all agencies made an "A" grade.
A lot happened in federal IT over summer 2022. Join senior researcher Kate Macri and staff writer/ researcher Sarah Sybert for a recap of some of the top headlines you may have missed on vacation, including updates on the PACT Act, green IT acquisition, JADC2, federal leadership changes and more.
A lot happened in federal IT over summer 2022. Join senior researcher Kate Macri and staff writer/ researcher Sarah Sybert for a recap of some of the top headlines you may have missed on vacation, including updates on the PACT Act, green IT acquisition, JADC2, federal leadership changes and more.
From streamlining digital services to incorporating plain language, the Education Department’s Federal Student Aid (FSA) Office has been working to modernize processes and improve user experience for the 10 million students it serves every year. Margaret Glick, FSA CIO, dives into how her office is working with schools to enhance the aid process and strengthen cybersecurity practices.
To sign up and receive FSA’s new cybersecurity newsletter, listeners can email FSASchoolCyberSafety@ed.gov
Public service employees who work for a local, state, or federal government or work for certain non-profits, may qualify for special loan repayment waivers. For a limited time, student loan borrowers may be able to get credit for past payments that don’t qualify under the normal PSLF rules. These temporary changes expire on Oct. 31. For more information, visit StudentAid.gov/PSLFwaiver.
From streamlining digital services to incorporating plain language, the Education Department’s Federal Student Aid (FSA) Office has been working to modernize processes and improve user experience for the 10 million students it serves every year. Margaret Glick, FSA CIO, dives into how her office is working with schools to enhance the aid process and strengthen cybersecurity practices.
To sign up and receive FSA’s new cybersecurity newsletter, listeners can email FSASchoolCyberSafety@ed.gov
Public service employees who work for a local, state, or federal government or work for certain non-profits, may qualify for special loan repayment waivers. For a limited time, student loan borrowers may be able to get credit for past payments that don’t qualify under the normal PSLF rules. These temporary changes expire on Oct. 31. For more information, visit StudentAid.gov/PSLFwaiver.
Leaders from across government are turning to strong DevSecOps strategies to shake up the status quo and increase the speed of software development. Our Digital Services: Disruptive DevSecOps virtual event brought together many of these innovators to talk agile methodology, infrastructure support and security, and more. Staff writers Sarah Sybert and Nikki Henderson join Flywheel Fridays to break down the highlights and key takeaways from the virtual event.
DAV's 2022 National Convention in Orlando featured an all-star lineup of speakers from the Department of Veterans Affairs, including all three undersecretaries from the agency's benefits, memorial and health arms, as well as Secretary Denis McDonough. The event also happened just days before President Joe Biden signed the PACT Act into law. Senior Researcher Melissa Harris and Staff Writer Sarah Sybert discuss the top takeaways from the convention and report how these leaders will prepare for and implement the new legislation. Hint: New workforce strategies and automation will be key to VA's success.
President Biden's recent executive order on diversity, equity, inclusion and access calls on federal agencies "to cultivate a workforce that draws from the full diversity of the nation." Department of Veterans Affairs Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Dewaine Beard, as VA's No. 2 tech chief, discusses how his agency is implementing new workforce initiatives to drive a diverse, innovative culture. He also unpacks VA OIT's tech modernization and "vision-first" priorities ahead.
Federal IT modernization is a continuous process, and agencies are focusing on the different avenues and strategies they need to pursue to seek improved IT capabilities. Senior Researchers Kate Macri and Melissa Harris break down the top takeaways of the July 28 Blueprints of Tomorrow event featuring civilian and defense federal agencies and their work around data management, foundational tactics, workforce development and more.
The Census Bureau ramped up capabilities to enable the first digital decennial census in 2020. In the midst of that, the COVID-19 pandemic pushed the bureau to a telework environment. Now Census Bureau Deputy CIO Gregg Bailey highlights the data science modernization underway in analyzing 2020 data and gearing up for the next census to prepare the bureau for its important role it plays in federal funds allocation and economic projections.
GovCIO Media & Research's second annual Women Tech Leaders event came back in-person this year. During the event, speakers explored the strides women are making in cybersecurity, data, customer experience, workforce issues and more. Senior researchers Kate Macri and Melissa Harris discuss highlights from the event and key takeaways.
With the 2022 Special Operations Forces Industry Conference in the books, Special Operations Command CIO Peter Tragakis discusses his tech priorities. This includes a look at how the command is moving to a hybrid-cloud environment securely and balancing legacy IT with new technologies amid a highly disparate and mobile ecosystem.
The AI landscape is quickly moving as a collaborative effort across government. Staff Writer Katherine MacPhail joins Senior Researcher Kate Macri to unpack top takeaways from the AI Gov: Data virtual event. Topics include how to make AI research and infrastructure equitable and accessible while balancing privacy rights and civil liberties, as well as testing strategies for ensuring AI model accuracy and effectiveness. Featured perspectives include leadership from the White House, National Science Foundation and the departments of Veterans Affairs and Defense.
From hardware access to public health networks and responsible AI principles, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is working to shape effective programming that empowers its partners and breaks down digital divides. With over 25 years of international development experience primarily in sub-Saharan Africa, Chief Digital Development Officer Christopher Burns spearheaded the agency's first-ever digital strategy in 2020. Burns discusses USAID’s two mutually reinforcing objectives that guide digital development, as well as his personal collection of African art and wooden stools.
On the heels of SOFIC, our researchers brief us on some major developments in the federal IT space. Most notably, there is the formation of the Biden-backed ARPA-H at NIH to improve government's ability to speed biomedical and health research, and also the rollout of the Defense Department's new Chief Digital and AI Office. Senior Researcher Melissa Harris and Staff Writer Nikki Henderson break down what these updates mean.
USSOCOM S&T Director Lisa Sanders discusses her funding and program priorities and why she thinks she has one of the top five jobs in the entire Defense Department.
USSOCOM S&T Director Lisa Sanders discusses her funding and program priorities and why she thinks she has one of the top five jobs in the entire Defense Department.
Director Ryan McLean discusses his modernization strategy for the Tactical Assault Kit, a map-based software application connecting USSOCOM, other U.S. military services and allied partners. TAK is critical for effective, efficient communication in warfighting scenarios. McLean's plan could launch the product center to software factory status under the Defense Department's new software modernization strategy.
The State Department is at the forefront of many international affairs, supporting American interests and values abroad. Behind the scenes, however, is a team that provides the IT infrastructure, cybersecurity and solutions that support those diplomatic activities. We talk with State CIO Keith Jones to dive deeper into what those IT activities and modernization priorities are, as well as how State is looking to meet its IT goals through bold contracting opportunities.
With the fiscal year 2022 budget finalized last month, why not look ahead? Our senior researchers break down key components of the Biden administration's proposed FY 2023 budget, including increases in spending for DOD, VA, IRS, DOJ and more. We'll talk cybersecurity, customer experience and infrastructure.
Federal agencies typically pursue contracts and engagement with industry vendors to produce solutions for different mission areas, but what if the barrier to entry to helping agencies overcome challenges was lowered? Today, we dive into the General Services Administration Technology Transformation Service's Challenge.gov and CitizenScience.gov initiatives to learn how the platforms are allowing agencies to engage with the public at large to present their problem areas and receive crowdsourced solutions. TTS Director of Open Innovation Jarah Meador, who runs the platforms, shares how they have made a difference across all of government.
Social Security Administration maintains and administers the benefits and records of tens of millions of Americans nationwide for retirement payments, as well as benefits for disability and survivors. With the growing eligibility pool over the next decade, IT modernization is imperative. Agency veteran Sean Brune discusses the agency's immense changes he's seen over his career and how he sees emerging technologies and directives impacting what’s to come around digital services.
The 2022 HIMSS Conference in Orlando offered many exciting insights into the future of health IT. Senior Researcher Melissa Harris and Staff Writer Sarah Sybert were on the ground and now provide their top five takeaways from the conference. Topics include change management, APIs, interoperability, synthetic data, and expanded telehealth to combat future health crises.
Live from HIMSS, Former Department of Veterans Affairs CIO James Gfrerer discusses the importance of bridging business perspectives with tech-minded federal leadership. He reflects on his time in the role, some surprises he uncovered along the way and the importance of partnerships in technology modernization.
Measuring how new technologies are succeeding in health care require a more purposeful approach. Ryan Vega, chief officer of the Office of Healthcare Innovation and Learning at Veterans Health Administration, discusses a new framework that is helping health-focused developers create personalized tools incorporating more automation and streamlined workflows.
One of the most promising capabilities set to impact health care is the application of artificial intelligence in all areas of the health care ecosystem. Lead coordinator of the Department of Veterans Affairs AI Tech Sprints, Rafael Fricks, joins us from HIMSS to talk how his tech sprints are improving data collection and predictive heath care for vets.
Our senior researchers are on the virtual red carpet for the first annual Flycademy Awards! Celebrate the year in federal IT with categories like Zero Trust Advocate of the Year, the FITARA Award, Cloud Thought Leader of the Year, and more.
It’s an exciting time for electronic health records, especially for the Department of Veterans Affairs. Its notable EHR program went through a reorganization over the past year. Joining us from the new EHR Modernization Integration Office is Acting Deputy CIO Laura Prietula who will be instrumental in communicating with on-site staff about the system. But before this role, she’s had a longstanding career at VA. She briefs us about the organization's new priorities and how she is approaching her leadership vision.
It's tax season, and senior researchers Melissa Harris and Kate Macri are here to guide you through the latest developments at the IRS. Topics include IRS Free File, cybersecure procurement, and our favorite winter Olympic sports.
Welcome to Flywheel Fridays, the latest podcast from GovCIO Media & Research. Join our senior researchers every other Friday on our GovCast feed to keep up with the latest in federal IT. We’ll be covering news, events, articles, and everything in between. Keep the conversation turning with Flywheel Fridays!
In this inaugural episode of Flywheel Friday, senior researchers Kate Macri and Melissa Harris react to GovCIO Media & Research's AI Gov: Future Workforce event. Topics include telework and recruiting, misconceptions around automation and AI, and the true meaning of DevSecOps. Featured perspectives include Veterans Affairs’ Todd Simpson and Gil Alterovitz, CISA’s Martin Stanley, Defense Digital Service’s Scarlet Swerdlow and Red Hat.
When Air Force veteran Vaughn Noga started as CIO at the Environmental Protection Agency in 2018, he set out six "wildly important" goals. From building a cybersecurity-aware culture to going paperless, Noga breaks down each of those and explains how they are now more important than ever for EPA's environmental protection mission.
Army CIO Raj Iyer discusses his goals for 2022 IT transformation and why he believes data will be a critical asset to multi-domain operations. Iyer's plan is to democratize data for the next generation of soldiers. Part of that effort includes integrating artificial intelligence and associated talent, a challenge facing the Defense Department overall.
With a massive IT transformation effort, the longest tax filing season in history and a series of pandemic relief payments, IRS CIO Nancy Sieger talks how the current tech climate is leading to the agency bringing improvements to the taxpayer experience. Sieger's role at the agency has evolved immensely, but she has an intricate understanding of the customer service experience roadmap that the agency's tech push is aiming to navigate. Nancy discusses how she came into the role, how she’s seen technology evolve and how upskilling is going to enable the workforce to push forth its modernization effort.
Federal employees have until Nov. 16 to apply for funding on new tech ideas as part of a new investment round with GSA's 10x. Administrator Robin Carnahan has had a prominent career in public service, one that has honed in on modernized technology and digital services to improve how government delivers. Early in her legal career, Carnahan worked to automate manual processes and overhaul citizen-facing services online. The former secretary of state of Missouri and GSA alumna discusses equitable and efficient technology efforts and how public servants can have skin in the game to get there.
The Department of Veterans Affairs' Deputy Secretary Donald Remy discusses his path in the military and to the agency, one he cherishes because of the role it has had in his own family. With the agency's key role in serving veterans after service through benefits and support, Remy updates GovCast on the achievements VA has made in electronic health records, vaccinations, pandemic support, overall tech modernization, claims processing and more.
Federal Communications Commission CIO Francisco Salguero reflects on his time in office as he departs for industry. Many of the initiatives he oversaw during his career included cloud migration, data center consolidation and even telehealth, as FCC had a hand in standing up telehealth grants during the COVID-19 pandemic. Salguero discusses the impact of technology on various regulatory and modernization programs for things like improving broadband access to underserved communities and improving digital services.
The IRS is amid a huge technological modernization push, and leading its Office of Online Services is Executive Director Karen Howard. She brings a customer-centric approach to her leadership of various initiatives that are impacting the overall taxpayer experience. This includes the business transformation around technologies like digital chat, easy access to data and, of course, security of that data.
The IRS is undergoing large tech transformation efforts, and one office key to that is the now year-old Enterprise Digitalization and Case Management Office co-directed by Justin Abold-LaBreche. He shares his journey to the agency from the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. military, and why he made these career pivots to technology. He also discusses efforts the office is tackling to improve the overall taxpayer experience with case management, automation tools in scanning files, and improved business processes.
With the onset of the pandemic came the urgent need to modernize government toward an increasingly digital future and build off past tech initiatives around cloud computing, artificial intelligence and digital services. Accenture Federal Service's Kyle Michl and Chris Copeland discuss the key areas to enable this vision using concepts like digital twins, virtual environments and data management. This episode is sponsored by Accenture Federal Services.
The Government Accountability Office's first chief data scientist stepped into the role with a mindset of helping agencies tackle their biggest challenges with technology. Taka Ariga discusses the recent AI Accountability Framework and how it can enable agencies to make their artificial intelligence efforts standardized and ready for the next audit.
Chief Procurement Officer Shanna Webbers is taking IRS’ “One Team, One IRS” motto to heart — leading a team of contracting professionals to introduce innovative solutions like robotic process automation and AI to streamline workflows. Webbers discusses the importance not just modern tools, but also an inspired workforce has in bringing the agency to the next generation of tech.
International Trade Administration CIO Rona Bunn discusses standing up a new customer portal, virtual services and other support tools for businesses conducting international trade and exports. Bunn sees the power of technology and a modern workforce for ensuring the U.S. maintains fair trade through research and compliance of international law.
Despite the disruptions of the pandemic, processing claims and delivering benefits to veterans increased over the past year. Acting Under Secretary Thomas Murphy discusses the progress still ahead, including improvements to the GI Bill, digitization, automation technologies and more. Thanks to a career in the private sector, Murphy sees the importance of delivering services faster and sees great potential technology has in making that happen.
The National Cemetery Administration has been undergoing large modernization and expansion over the years. Largely influential to that has been current Acting Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs Ron Walters. He discusses two key programs ahead of this Memorial Day allowing the public to learn about a veteran's life and leave tributes whether in person at cemeteries or digitally via the Veterans Legacy Memorial. Walters discusses the impact of technology on memorialization programs like these and how VA and NCA are positioned to continue to modernize toward a digital future.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services' mission touches many facets of our lives. As Chief Data Officer Beth Puchek puts it, USCIS really is a data agency. With a background in mechanical and architectural engineering, Puchek discusses her fundamental approach to the agency's data strategy and how she is working to grow the concept of citizen development to make data more accessible, interoperable across other Department of Homeland Security agencies, and innovative to keep up with technology and manage risks.
Coming from an established career in the private cybersecurity sector across various startups, Rob Wood felt a calling to public service last year when he joined the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid as CISO. He is working to make security more accessible for all end users, who include more than just the security professional — lawyers and clinicians, too. One way CMS is doing this is by testing the "Batcave" to take a more unified approach to software development and cybersecurity.
Digital services veteran Dave Zvenyach, new Director of GSA's Technology Transformation Services — also a lawyer by trade — wants to make digital modernization easier for government. That means modern acquisition and evangelizing great tech practices. Zvenyach discusses the legal history that led to his public service, and how coding and lawyers coming together can bring meaningful change in IT.
The Department of Veterans Affairs has been undergoing an agency-wide modernization journey, with IT and data being supporting stars. Among the leaders behind these initiatives is Infrastructure Operations Executive Director Reginald Cummings, a veteran himself who came to the agency from the private sector. Cummings has a personal mission to drive change at VA, and he takes lessons learned in DevOps and innovative technology solutions to ensure veterans ultimately have timely and efficient access to benefits, services and communications with the agency.
The new Enterprise Digitalization and Case Management Office at the Internal Revenue Service, once just a procurement pilot, is incorporating innovative acquisition methods for technology and embracing customer experience principles to ramp up IT modernization efforts and reduce administrative burdens. Senior Advisor Mitch Winans, who helped stand up this office, discusses the progress made over the past nine months plus the partnership opportunities on the horizon.
The Food and Drug Administration has played a large role in the COVID-19 response and is also amid widespread digital transformation. Chief Technology Officer Vid Desai joined the agency two years ago and brings private-sector experience from the health technology industry. Desai observes the similarities of FDA’s tech focus with those in his private industry experiences, discusses how he's driving change from a business perspective to meet the mission, and shares examples of how innovation in data can unlock efficiencies and opportunities for medical devices and the public.
An attorney by trade who saw opportunity to improve the lives of veterans nationwide, Veterans Experience Office's Barbara Morton applies human touches to all aspects of a veteran's journey with the Department of Veterans Affairs. Morton discusses the digital technologies and user-centered research her office applies toward the development and measurement of tools that support benefits, health care and internal processes at the agency.
In celebration of Black History Month, our HBCU Spotlight Miniseries aims to profile the impacts that historically Black colleges and universities have on health IT and the opportunities to bring that innovation to the federal government. John Rosenthall and Jen Johnson from the Tougaloo College Research and Development Foundation discuss the ways they are helping these institutions with the resources they need to bring technology innovation to the public sector.
A government acquisition leader, Florence Kasule is the U.S. Digital Service's new director of procurement. She returns to the agency after spending time at the Defense Digital Service and contracting at the Defense Department. Kasule candidly describes the state of government procurement and how relationships are key for federal agencies to bring smartly designed products and services to the American people.
Taking successes from the private industry to support government tech efforts is a widespread trend. With data, that's no different. Acxiom wants to take its experience in data practices in the commercial world to support government agencies in being able to make smart and actionable decisions for the public good. Vice President of Government and Public Sector Asya Smith and Chief Data Ethics Officer Jordan Abbott discuss the opportunities and ethical considerations for strategic data use.
This episode is sponsored by Acxiom.
Indian Health Service CIO Mitchell Thornbrugh describes the opportunities that technology brings to Native Americans and Alaska Natives, who reside in geographically dispersed locations and are susceptible to ongoing health disparities. With a unique funding challenge at the agency, Thornbrugh advocates for improved digital support and awareness of health challenges.
With a strong attention to agency mission, Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs Randy Reeves and Veterans Affairs CIO Jim Gfrerer discuss the initiatives behind the agency's digital endeavors that led to the creation of a digital memorialization platform, the pivot during the pandemic, a new financial system and more. The leaders look ahead at what this means for future technical developments for the National Cemetery Administration and beyond.
The Department of Education is undergoing a modernization journey that ramped up when CIO Jason Gray joined in 2016. Gray discusses the progress since then, which resulted in FITARA score improvements, cloud development, pivots during the pandemic and an increasing focus on data security to protect student and financial aid information.
Joe Stenaka's background in cryptology helps him strategize modern-day cybersecurity issues that Veterans Affairs continues to face. Data privacy, securing electronic health record efforts and integrating emerging technology for safeguarding information continue to be top priorities at the agency. Stenaka discusses how the workforce places a crucial role in security toward serving the nation's veterans.
With a NASA career that began with an interest in robotics and prior role as CIO at Langley Research Center, Acting CIO Jeff Seaton has a deep understanding of what it means to support the agency's numerous research and mission programs. Seaton discusses the importance the cloud has as the agency faces exponential increases in data collection and how the agency impacts daily life aside from space exploration.
Rep. Michael Burgess, chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce's Subcommittee on Health, discusses the pandemic's impact on various health technology initiatives like the 21st Century Cures Act and more. With telehealth likely to be a pivotal technology for American health care, Burgess explores the promise of health technologies on mental health, the economy and more.
As a microbiologist, Dr. Lloyd Hough from the Hazard Awareness & Characterization Technology Center at the Department of Homeland Security is leading research efforts during the pandemic to assist, inform and prepare the agency and public at large to best respond to the virus.
BARDA DRIVe Director Sandeep Patel brings health entrepreneurship to the agency, which is working to bring together leading experts to solve some of the nation's most pressing health and health security challenges. We discuss many of these efforts including having co-founded KidneyX and how ventures are helping tackle the COVID-19 pandemic.
CIO Lytwaive Hutchinson discusses how she took the values from her 21-year military career and applied it to her roles in public service. As FEMA maintains an important position for the nation's disaster response efforts, Hutchinson is ensuring its IT capabilities are supporting the agency's data analytics, supply chain, infrastructure and security services during the pandemic and beyond.
In an ever-connected world, quick access to information is always expected. For the U.S. military, this means ensuring personnel are able to upload and analyze aircraft data, order parts, communicate with each other, among other functions, within maintenance hangars and airports even in the most remote and austere environments. ID Technologies' Jeff Panebiano and Commscope's John McDonald discuss the technology behind connecting the nation's defense services. This episode is sponsored by ID Technologies and Commscope.
A U.S. Navy veteran, USDA Chief Data Officer Ted Kaouk was recently appointed chair of the newly created Chief Data Officer Council. He got his start at the agency working loans and grants for rural housing, broadband, utilities, and community facilities. Today he leads USDA's overall vision for using data as a strategic asset. Kaouk explains data's important role in government and how he sees the council tackling crucial priorities.
Karen Evans was newly appointed CIO at Department of Homeland Security. Her prior leadership stems from a start at the National Park Service and spans across many cybersecurity areas at Department of Energy and beyond. She discusses how she will tackle the initiatives ahead at the agency, including its data center consolidation, workforce upskilling and modernizing its network.
A U.S. Army veteran with a previous interest in the medical field and having a few successful various initiatives throughout his career at DOD at large, Defense Health Agency CIO Pat Flanders has a personal approach to the systems he manages for the agency. Flanders provides a close look at how he's approaching IT oversight of the health care delivery systems that serve the 9.5 million beneficiaries around the world under the Military Health System. This episode is sponsored by Dell Technologies and CDW-Government.
USDA CIO Gary Washington's career began in the Air Force. He then served in IT roles at various agencies including the Department of the Treasury, HHS and FDA. Washington discusses USDA being the "lighthouse agency" for GSA's Centers of Excellence and how it's influencing government at large in data management modernization and in using emerging technologies across its oversight in rural areas. This episode is sponsored by Dell Technologies and Iron Bow Technologies.
Wanda Jones-Heath calls herself a "unicorn" at the Defense Department. That's because she sees her stature as chief information security officer at the Air Force, among her 30-year career in government, as rare for women. She discusses progress the agency is making with bug bounties and how the current pandemic has presented opportunities for further modernization. She discusses why thinking about the branch on an enterprise level will spur efficiency and innovation in cybersecurity across DOD, especially with organizations like Kessel Run.
Serving at the Department of Homeland Security since its inception (and even before), Chief Procurement Officer Soraya Correa is innovating how the department buys solutions to enable its national security mission. Correa's contracting background at the department plus elsewhere led to initiatives like the Procurement Innovation Lab to innovate government's purchasing processes.
With a career that began with intelligence in the U.S. military, Rich Haley discusses the business and financial considerations of IT modernization and technology implications of the national security mission at the FBI. The Bureau has an important mission to collect, manage and analyze vast amounts of data to serve its workforce of investigators and technologists. Haley describes technology as being a "thread through that fabric" that allows the agency to collaborate and connect different threats proactively.
The Department of Veterans Affairs activated its "Fourth Mission" in response to the national emergency brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. The department mobilized to support health care systems around the country and continued to support its veterans through increased technological capabilities including telehealth. Gfrerer discusses how the agency quickly pivoted its information and technology operations to respond to the crisis and how he sees recent advancements continuing to make impacts.
The importance of cloud-based solutions in human capital management functions like payroll and leave across government is an area many don't think about during times of crisis. Infor's Bragstad discusses one offering in use in government, GSA in particular, and how the solution enables government to streamline their digital modernization journeys especially during mass telework.
This episode is sponsored by Infor.
The Centers of Excellence at General Services Administration aims to accelerate IT modernization by centralizing best practices across a number of focus areas. COE Director of Acquisitions Omid Ghaffari-Tabrizi and Director of Artificial Intelligence Krista Kinnard came to the agency with a mission to accelerate how government adopts AI. With backgrounds in both law and data analytics, the COE leaders are innovating around the technology and hoping other agencies harness its true potential.
Leveraging managed mobility services allows government agencies to implement technologies that help its workforce stay connected. For DMI, this function has landed them the top spot on a recent Gartner Magic Quadrant report. DMI Senior Vice President & Chief Digital Officer Michael Deittrick and President of Commercial Managed Mobility Services D.J. Oreb discuss this technology's importance in government to transform enterprises.
This episode is sponsored by DMI.
With mass telework comes the need for better collaboration with teams. There has been an increased prevalence of collaboration and conferencing tools as a result. One tool from the private sector gaining momentum in government is Slack. Its head of customer trust and FedRAMP, Nick Hardy, explains how Slack is helping to bring government teams together and be more productive during this time.
Stuart McGuigan discusses the promises technologies like AI and machine learning bring to the State Department, whose tough job is to manage disparate systems around the world. Interest in such technologies are what shaped McGuigan's career in the private sector at various health companies. Plus, he discusses modernization efforts that started earlier and allowed the agency to easily transition to telework during the coronavirus pandemic.
This episode is presented by Dell Technologies and Carahsoft.
Michelle Holko had made it a lifelong passion to explore innovations in health data analytics and bioinformatics. Currently detailed as a Presidential Innovation Fellow at the National Institutes of Health’s All Of Us Research Program, Holko is working to better engage research participants and researchers. She discusses her background at DARPA plus emerging technologies, wearable devices, vaccine research and more — all incredibly important during pandemics like COVID-19's that government faces.
Raylene Yung co-leads a recent effort stood up by volunteer technologists to assist government in any work needed due to the coronavirus response. With a background at Stripe and Facebook, Yung believes a collaborative approach between government and the 2,000-plus volunteers that make up the U.S. Digital Response will ensure ongoing success to both continuing operations and fighting the virus.
Julie Dunne brings experience from Congress, the private sector and executive branch of federal government to her current role overseeing technologies and solutions that enable federal agencies to fulfill their missions. She discusses ongoing efforts with consolidating the Multiple Award Schedules, plus how her background in the legal field is contributing to her path in public service.
Greg Rivera, a lifelong technologist, discusses how software intelligence solutions like CAST's can help federal agencies in their IT modernization initiatives and help digital leaders make better decisions on their software assets.
This episode is sponsored by CAST
Gerard Badorrek is leading the charge in a government-wide effort to implement robotic process automation to solve workforce challenges and empower employees to perform higher-value work.
David Bottom was newly appointed as CIO at the Securities and Exchange Commission. He discusses his vision for the agency's technology posture in the face of increasing sophistication with automation and data management needs.
Dominic Delmolino shares insights from "Lessons from Exploring AI in Government," a new report featuring best practices from a number of government leaders. The Accenture Federal Services CTO also discusses the state of cloud computing and prospects for quantum in the federal government. Plus, he explains why he recently went back to school and what he learned from the experience.
This episode is sponsored by Accenture.
Stacie discusses her path within government and the importance women mentors played in her success within IT at NIH. She remarks on her "hero" Jeannette Rankin who inspired her during her time as a new working mom at the agency. Plus, Stacie discusses the importance of IT in public research to advance innovation.
Bruce Tromberg discusses the importance his department's research in biophontics and biomedical imaging plays in technologies that serve the greater health care space.
The National Institute of Mental Health’s machine learning team is guiding researchers with the best practices for using the technology, particularly within the section on functional imaging methods. We learn about the lead behind this team, Francisco Pereira, his passions for health care and for helping health researchers.
Ryan Vega discusses the innovation underway at the Veterans Health Administration with an overview of the exciting technologies underway such as 3D and bio-printing, artificial intelligence, telehealth and more, plus how the agency is changing the way health providers are interacting with patients and delivering better care.
Stephanie Shutt approaches her role in consolidating the multiple award schedule at the agency with an analytical and team-oriented mind. With initiatives to educate both the workforce and contracting community, she discusses that progress and what lies ahead.
With a passion for helping people and roots in creative arts, Alycia Yozzi discusses her current initiatives at the CIO Council to transform government IT in areas including workforce, acquisition, design, development and more.
For more podcasts: https://www.governmentciomedia.com/podcasts
The cancer institute's director of small business research sees the importance small business bring to cancer innovation at the agency. He discusses how his path from NASA brought him to his role in bringing the next generation of technology to cancer research.
For more podcasts: https://www.governmentciomedia.com/govcast
*The businesses and technologies mentioned during this episode received SBIR funding from the National Cancer Institute and are not endorsements or advertisements.
The Department of Health and Human Services' Buy Smarter program aims to use emerging technologies to transform how the agency purchases goods. Its program lead discusses how this effort will also provide real-time data to decision-makers to achieve efficiencies and reduce costs on goods and services.
With a background in law, Ed Simcox has a unique position at the intersection of health and technology as CTO of the Department of Health and Human Services. He discusses efforts around the agency's KidneyX program to advance research in kidney disease and the importance of emerging tech like AI toward protecting data and improving patient care.
More podcasts: https://www.governmentciomedia.com/podcasts
Dr. Don Rucker discusses his office's efforts in the nationwide implementation of the most advanced health information technology and the electronic exchange of health information. He discusses the impact of emerging technology and initiatives including interoperability.
Jothi Dugar discusses the importance of bringing a well-rounded and holistic approach to leadership positions despite the technical nature of working in IT.
In this episode, host Amy Kluber talks with Greg Gershman, the CEO of Ad Hoc, and a member of the team that assisted in the reworking of Healthcare.gov during its extended launch phase.
The NIH agency's CIO discusses the importance of technology and big data to manage research. He brings to the agency a creative background in the animation industry and is now working on various health initiatives, including those researching sickle cell anemia.
Gordon Bitko discusses FBI's focus of improving IT management, infrastructure, networks, applications and services to improve performance capabilities in support of national security.
GSA's assistant commissioner of the Office of Systems Management under the Federal Acquisition Service discusses improvements to the federal government's acquisition systems. Her office includes two programs, the Integrated Award Environment and the Common Acquisition Platform, both of which use modernized technologies to improve systems and processes.
Jeff Shilling discusses data and technology efforts behind the nation's largest funder of cancer research. He shares optimism toward technology's future role in processing cancer data for the research community and furthering research and discovery in the mission to treat cancer.
As director of the FDA's Center for Tobacco Products, Mitch Zeller has an important public health mission to reduce disease from tobacco use. With a background in law as an attorney, Zeller discusses the importance policy and technology play in the center's mission.
A leader from GSA's newest initiative with its Centers of Excellence toward collaborative IT modernization talks the importance of partnerships and agile methodologies to solve some of government's toughest technological challenges.
As new CIO of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and veteran private sector technologist, Jamie Holcombe discusses the agency's efforts with data management and technology modernization within the nation's intellectual property community.
Kelly O'Connor was motivated to join public service to serve veterans. She explains the importance of user-centered design in product management and what it means for Veterans Affairs' overall modernization efforts.
Michael Akinyele leads the Department of Veterans Affairs' newly formed VA Innovation Center. Part of his focus at the center is implementing care and payment innovation as dictated by Section 152 of the MISSION Act. Akinyele discusses his journey to the VA and where he sees the department's efforts toward IT modernization and the future of delivering care to veterans.
Natalie Vanatta, a national cyber protection team leader, explains the methods behind "threatcasting," a tactic used to stay at the forefront of the nation's cybersecurity threats. She also goes into how various technologies like AI could help the future of managing cyber risk.
Andrea Norris discusses the technology efforts at play in managing the National Institutes of Health's mass amount of data across its research community. With extensive backgrounds at NASA and NSF, Norris also advocates for more women in government leadership.
Renee Wynn has an astronomical responsibility in managing a mix of new and legacy systems to manage NASA's vast amount of data across its programs that include missions back to the Moon and to Mars.
Terry Gerton, a 20-year Army veteran and career member of the Senior Executive Service, discusses the importance of Congressionally chartered NAPA's mission to the advancement of public service initiatives.
Zachary Goldstein's responsibility for NOAA's vast amount of data has greater implications for the public good. The CIO discusses the importance of the cloud and other efforts, including high-performance computing.
Nagesh Rao, a self-appointed "Geek in Residence" at the Small Business Administration, discusses the importance of taking risks on small companies toward driving technological innovation and change. He brings in his experiences in and out of the private sector and government, which also includes a career at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, to highlight modernization efforts and the importance of keeping up with a constantly changing technological landscape and evolving workforce.
Jen Sovada, a 25-year career U.S. Air Force airman, discusses her work to recruit and retain talent in the service amid a changing technological landscape and mission needs.
Angela Colter talks how new technology is not always in focus in modernizing government systems, and that taking into account the process and user needs should be any organization's foundation. The head of the General Service Administration's 18F office discusses her strategic vision for IT services and recruitment over the next year.
Stacey Dixon brings a mechanical engineering background to IARPA and discusses the positives and negatives to new technology in research programs.
Dr. Neil Evans, an active clinician to veterans, discusses how he became involved in efforts with improving services to veterans by increasing access to care using digital health technologies
VA's Charles Worthington joined us to discuss his experience standing up the U.S. Digital Service team, various fellowships and his time at Harvard earning his degree in social studies. Worthington is currently working to modernize the VA's digital products and recently spearheaded the relaunch of the VA.gov website.
This episode features Sezin Palmer, mission area executive for National Health for the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab. Palmer uses her education in engineering to revolutionize health, so that one day people won't have to go to a medical facility to know what's going on in their bodies. Her first role at APL was a program area manager for submarine warfare, where she worked on keeping Navy submarine crews safe before women were even allowed to join them.
This episode features Steve Blank, entrepreneur, founder of the Lean Startup movement and original Silicon Valley-er. Blank founded eight companies and authored two books about executing startup business models. Although he retired in 1999, he hasn't stopped spreading his knowledge and experiences by teaching entrepreneurship courses at Stanford, U.C. Berkeley and beyond —courses that have even been adopted by government. And despite claiming he would have been chosen “lease likely to succeed” in high school, Blank's life has taken him from repairing fighter planes in Thailand during Vietnam to true Silicon Valley entrepreneur.
This episode features Nick Psaki, Pure Storage's U.S. Public Sector CTO. Pure Storage is a technology company helping the government build a better world with data, artificial intelligence and machine learning. Psaki is helping lead these efforts. He joined us to talk about how he went from working with the Army's top intelligence leaders to helping lead Pure Storage's efforts. Psaki also breaks down the different opportunities and potential for the government to capture with the advances in AI.
This episode features Justin Herman, lead of the Emerging Citizen Technology program office for GSA's Technology Transformation Services. Herman talks about his transition from public affairs officer in the Air Force to social technologist, his passion for GSA's emerging tech missions, and how the arrival of the internet at his high school in a small town in New Hampshire led him to developing the school's first website and ultimately predicting the rise of social technologies. Plus, hear about Herman's recent 3,500 kilometer tuk-tuk race in India that he started and finished solo.
Oct 25, 2018 | This episode features Marcy Jacobs, Executive Director of the Digital Service team at Veterans Affairs, and recent recipient of a Service to America Medal for Management Excellence for her and her team's work connecting vets to the benefits they deserve. Jacobs talks about her background in fine arts and psychology, her 15-year career in web design and how USDS actually came to her. After a two-hour coffee meeting and a breakfast at the White House with former U.S. CTO Todd Park, Jacobs is leading a team at VA changing the veteran digital experience.
Oct 16, 2018 | This episode features Meagan Metzger, the Founder and CEO of tech-accelerator Dcode. With dual degrees in marketing and engineering, she founded Dcode, at the intersection of tech and government. And of all the tech-based challenges between industry and the public sector, she chose to tackle one of the biggest barriers: procurement. But starting a business wasn't easy, and Metzger had her share of worried nights by the fire - literally. Hear how she got Dcode off the ground, her side passions and Dcode's next tech focus: space.
Oct 11, 2018 | This seventh episode features Stephanie Neill, Executive Director of USDS at Homeland Security. Neill spent much of her younger years abroad, as her father was a U.S. Ambassador for the small West African country of Benin. She held an inherent interest for culture, international relations and global business, but found her way into the tech space while still in college. In fact, Neill got her start in product management and user design building Facebook app pages. But after a hiccup in foreign service plans, graduating into the recession and spending time at a range of industry companies, her passion for public service landed her at USDS, where she has been for two-and-a-half years.
Oct 1, 2018 | This sixth episode features Haiyan Song, Senior Vice President of Security Markets at Splunk. Song was named in the top 50 most powerful women in tech in 2016 and 2017, but her childhood dream was actually to be an astronaut. After growing up in China and attending one of the top engineering universities, which at the time was 10 percent woman, she landed into computer science not because she knew what it was about, but because her dad encouraged her to. She followed his advice, came to the U.S. after college in the late 1980s, fell into the database security world, and loved it. Hear more about Song's journey to security, and what Splunk actually means.
Sept 25, 2018 |This fifth episode features Shannon Sartin, executive director of the U.S. Digital Service at the Department of Health and Human Services. Sartin comes from a family of public service, but unsure of her career path, obtained a degree in Italian from the University of Arizona. She got her start in tech with Bunjie, the video game company behind Halo, but eventually made her way to D.C. via a cross-country drive with her daughter, dog and horse. She applied to a job with USDS, listing her skill as "making sh*t happen." Hear more about how she's making healthcare better with technology, and what she thinks is driving the future of USDS.
Sept 17, 2018 | This fourth episode features Ashley Mahan, the General Services Administration’s first evangelist for the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program. She came to GSA in 2015 to stand up her role and help agencies understand FedRAMP — but she doesn’t have an educational background in IT. Rather, she majored in business and minored in real estate, which led her to a consulting company in Washington, D.C. serving federal agencies as a junior information assurance analyst — or what we call today, cybersecurity. Hear how that led her to a master’s degree in IT, and more about her unique experiences one of the faces of FedRAMP.
Sept 12, 2018 | This third episode features Peter Newell, managing director at BMNT, a Silicon Valley company focused on solving national security challenges. He spent nearly 30 years in the military and when time came to transition out of the service, he knew what he didn’t want to do next: work for somebody else. So he uprooted his life to the West Coast, fought through a start-fail process and lived without a paycheck for a year, risking it all to launch his own company — and new passion.
Sept 5, 2018 | Molly Cain, Director of the Office of Venture & Innovation at Homeland Security, speaks with Camille and Amanda about her drive for innovation, how she fosters and encourages tech adoption and how an entrepreneurship culture is changing government.
Aug 29, 2018 | This inaugural GovCast episode features Jose Arrieta, who runs acquisition at the Health and Human Services Department. His career didn't start in government but on the basketball court. That professional path took a dramatic turn on Sept. 11, 2001, when his coach came into the gym where Arrieta was practicing, saying two planes had hit the World Trade Center.