Smarter Gov Tech, Stronger MerITocracy

Federal agencies are expected to begin implementing new enforcement policies today related to President Trump’s three workforce executive orders (EO) signed on May 25. […]

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has been on an ambitious modernization journey, taking not just a “Cloud First” approach, but also setting an “All Cloud” goal. Alongside the modernization process, the team recognized they needed to re-tool their cyber infrastructure to achieve the strongest levels of cloud security and keep data and systems secure.   […]

The White House isn’t doing enough to address in a public forum a range of artificial intelligence issues and needs to institute a public process to seek comments on AI-related issues, said a group of six industry groups and more than 80 individuals from academia and the private sector in a July 4 letter to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). […]

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is piloting a new artificial intelligence (AI) initiative with Canada’s Department of National Defense that kicked off today and aims to provide first responders and paramedics with information to help make potential life-saving decisions in the field. […]

A bipartisan group of Federal lawmakers on Monday filed an amicus brief in support of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE)–the largest Federal government employee union–who recently sued President Trump over his Federal workforce executive orders (EO) issued on May 25. […]

A mobile device security platform funded in part by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) has been updated with a never-before-seen feature to help tackle one of the most persistent problems in Federal agency cybersecurity. […]

Amid growing fears of large-scale cyberattacks–ranging from attacks on infrastructure, to cyber espionage that threatens national security, to a “terabyte of death”–Congressional lawmakers are calling for a more clearly defined strategy for responding to such attacks. […]

White House

Underneath its more headline-grabbing aspects such as the proposed merger of the Departments of Labor and Education, the Trump administration’s Federal agency reorganization proposal issued on June 21 marks another step in the wider push toward greater Federal government IT modernization, a former Department of Commerce (DoC) official told MeriTalk. […]

The Government Accountability Office on Thursday released the findings of a review of the Internal Revenue Service’s major IT investments, citing well-known shortcomings in the tax collection agency’s aging technology infrastructure and recommending steps to make better use of the billions IRS spends on IT each year. […]

The latest edition of the Army’s annual Cyber X-Games exercise is designed to let Reserve and other cyber warriors team up to train in dealing with real-world situations. It is focused on protecting U.S. infrastructure, an area somewhat outside the norm for the exercises, but one that reflects an emerging potential battleground on the cyber landscape. […]

Robert Wilkie, President Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA), affirmed that IT modernization and the Electronic Health Records (EHR) Program are among his top priorities during today’s Senate Veterans Affairs Committee nomination hearing. […]

The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee approved by voice vote today S.645, the Measuring the Economic Impact of Broadband Act, that would require the Secretary of Commerce to assess and analyze the impact of broadband service deployment and adoption on the United States economy. […]

Health

While the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is ready to move forward on a new electronic health records (EHR) system, members of Congress are asking for transparency and angling for oversight of an agency that has had its fair share of problems providing services […]

The House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Communications and Technology today discussed the most recent draft of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration Reauthorization Act of 2018, which the subcommittee said is intended to “support broadband infrastructure, efficient spectrum use, and drive the nation’s internet-connected economy.” […]

The Trump administration’s nominees to become head of cybersecurity and Inspector General (IG) at the Department of Energy (DoE) received a largely warm welcome from members of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee today as the panel held a hearing to consider those and several other DoE nominations. […]

The State Department on Friday held the fourth United States-Republic of Korea Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Policy Forum in Seoul, South Korea, which brought together private sector representatives and delegations from the two nations to discuss how the countries can collaborate to advance mutual goals in areas of 5G mobile technology, artificial intelligence, inclusive Internet governance, and data privacy. […]

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report today that says Federal agencies are largely following guidelines to make Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests easier to access by making many of the frequently requested documents available online. […]

Joyce Corell, assistant director for the supply chain directorate at the Officer of the Director of National Intelligence’s (ODNI) National Counterintelligence and Security Center, predicts that regulation or other means to manage IT supply chain security risk is inevitable, given increased emphasis on the topic across government. Speaking at an Information Security and Privacy Advisory Board meeting Friday, Corell said rumblings across the Federal space concerning supply chain risk will soon likely lead to even more formal steps. […]

Air Force Gen. John Hyten, commander of the United States Strategic Command, told House members today that he would be happy to give over the Air Force’s role in providing “situational space awareness (SSA)” services which involve keeping track of many thousands of pieces of orbital debris that have the potential to disrupt satellites and the communications and other critical services they provide. […]

Jordan Burris, senior cybersecurity advisor to Federal CIO Suzette Kent at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), said Friday at an Information Security and Privacy Advisory Board (ISPAB) meeting that Federal agencies are continuing to make progress on curbing their cybersecurity risks, following concerning findings from the White House. […]

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