The Department of Energy says it’s planning for technology that might not exist for ten years or more. Given the leaps in tech in the past ten years, leaders say that planning requires great flexibility. Brian Epley is Deputy Chief Information Officer at the Energy Department. At the ACT-IAC Climate Change Summit recently, he tells me about the partnerships he wants to help maximize that flexibility.Agency Priority Goals in the President’s Management Agenda include several goals that cut across multiple agencies. Former government leaders say agencies still struggle with cross-agency collaboration. Mark Osler is senior advisor for Coastal Inundation and Resilience at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. He tells me what he’s seen that works, and doesn’t work, between agencies.

The federal government is missing a “prime opportunity” to cut the size and cost of its real estate footprint, according to the Public Buildings Reform Board. The board finds the government is missing modernization opportunities too. Dan Mathews, a member of the Public Buildings Reform Board and former commissioner of the Public Buildings Service at the General Services Administration, details what the board thinks that opportunity is, and how to capture it.The Military Health System is reimagining how it provides care to its customers. Its digital transformation is just one part of that makeover. Naomi Escoffrey is Chief Accelerator Officer and Innovation Program Manager at the Defense Health Agency. On the newest episode of Innovation in Government from HIMSS, she tells me other military health leaders around the world face some of the same challenges DHA does.Federal government leaders have a unique opportunity to learn from IT leaders from around the world, in person, this week. GovernmentDX is coming to the Reagan Building downtown on Thursday and Friday. Kevin Sorkin is Chief Executive Officer of Pendragon International Media, and Siobhan Bonita is moderator of the Global Government Forum. Kevin and Siobhan are hosting GovernmentDX. They tell me why federal government leaders, especially leaders outside the IT specialties, should come.

Today, a special program. Monday I hosted the Chiefs Panel, the opening event of the Sea Air Space conference. My thanks to the Navy League of the United States, the hosts of Sea Air Space, for inviting me to moderate the Chiefs Panel. You’ll hear that event on the program today, with the Chief of Naval Operations… Admiral Lisa Franchetti; the Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps, General Christopher Mahoney; the Commandant of the Coast Guard, Admiral Linda Fagan; and the Administrator of the Maritime Administration, Rear Admiral Ann Phillips (USN ret.)The first question I asked went to CNO Franchetti, about the new fiscal year 2025 budget request, and how it supports her recent strategy document, “America’s Warfighting Navy."Navy League YouTube channel

The President’s Management Agenda doesn’t include an explicit mention of shared services. But one leader says there are plenty of references that imply agencies should use shared services. Chad Clifford is Executive Director of the Grants Quality Service Management Office at the Department of Health and Human Services. At ACT-IAC’s Shared Services Summit at the Carahsoft Conference Center in Reston recently, he tells me why he thinks that is.Eight hubs around the country will be the building blocks of a “Microelectronics Commons.” Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks calls the Commons an effort to bridge what some observers call the “valley of death” between research-and-development and production. Dr. Dev Shenoy is Principal Director for Microelectronics and Director of the Defense Microelectronics Cross-Functional Team in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering. On the new Fed Gov Today TV, he tells me what the Commons is, and what DoD wants to accomplish with it.Your biometric markers could be the path to access your retirement information. The Thrift Savings Plan is introducing biometric elements to its identity verification. Kim Weaver is Director of External Affairs at the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board. She tells me how it will work for participants, and what the TSP will have to do to make it work.Zero Trust In Depth special showACT-IAC Climate Change Summit infoThe Navy League’s Sea Air Space

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Air Force will apply data to determine readiness of pilots. That’s one of a number of areas the Air Force will apply data… to measure its success. Colt Whittall is Founder and CEO of BRAVO17, and former Chief Experience Officer of the Air Force. He linked to an article on LinkedIn titled “Readiness Redefined But Not Measured” where the author, Matthew Ross, writes about the pilot readiness data. I ask Colt what resonated with him in that article, and how organizations in government can measure for success in various situations.The State Department is moving its top-secret network to the cloud. That move is happening in the Bureau of Intelligence and Research at State. Jimmy Hall, Jr. is the Chief Information Officer for the Bureau. At DODIIS 2023, he tells me about the mission of the Bureau, and how the cloud move will work.“Innovation In Government: DODIIS” TV show details

A new National Defense Industrial Strategy is coming from the Pentagon any day now. The model to operationalize that strategy already exists in the MRAP story, according to Jerry McGinn. He’s Executive Director of the Baroni Center for Government Contracting at George Mason University, and former Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manufacturing and Industrial Base. He’s writing about it in Breaking Defense, and tells you why the MRAP story is worth watching.The Chief Information Officer of the Defense Department, John Sherman, is launching a new user experience initiative across the department. It’s part of the response to the “Fix Our Computers” complaints from DOD employees. At DODIIS 2023, I asked John Sherman how the initiative will work, and what he wants to accomplish.A new Cyber Workforce Development Institute is coming from the Office of the National Cyber Director. The White House says ONCD is working with agencies to prepare them for what’s coming. Jordan Burris is Vice President for Public Sector Strategy at Socure, and former Chief of Staff in the Office of the Federal Chief Information Officer. I ask him what he sees ahead for building the federal cyber workforce.“Innovation In Government: DODIIS” TV show details

Some of the numbers for your TSP will change in 2024, and some will stay the same. And, the TSP is digging into a social science. Kim Weaver, Director of External Affairs at the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board, tells you what’s changing, and how the TSP is trying to get its message across better with social science.Civilian agencies in the federal government have thousands of use cases for artificial intelligence. Those use cases are starting to yield results for those agencies. Kevin Walsh, Director of the Information Technology and Cybersecurity Team at the Government Accountability Office, details what his team found when they inventoried those use cases.“Innovation In Government: DODIIS” TV show details

Federal agencies have a roadmap now for delivering digital-first experiences to the customers they serve. The guidance the Office of Management and Budget calls “Delivering a Digital-First Public Experience” can be a roadmap for the vendor community too, according to Clare Martorana, the Chief Information Officer of the United States. On Fed Gov Today TV recently, I asked her what she meant by that.You heard Clare reference the roll-out of the digital-first guidance, and her presentation about it at ACT-IAC’s Executive Leadership Conference 2023 in our TV conversation. Today’s podcast includes some highlights of that presentation, starting with her view of the relationship between government and industry. Right after her presentation at ELC, I joined her on stage for a fireside chat about the digital first guidance.

This podcast is sponsored by SAP Concur.The Chief Information Officer of the Navy, Jane Rathbun, says her service’s enterprise work platform, Flank Speed, will be the foundation of the Navy’s zero trust effort. The Navy stood up Flank Speed when the pandemic forced almost the entire service into remote work. Darren Turner, chief technologist for the Department of Navy Chief Technology Office, tells you how the Navy stood up Flank Speed, and where the program will go in the future.Enterprise platforms like Flank Speed are just one type of transformation agencies are undertaking now. Almost every agency has a legacy system of some kind that’s ripe for modernization. Marques Tibbs-Brewer, Vice President of Federal Government Operations for SAP Concur, reveals three important aspects of transformation that aren’t technological.The Department of Veterans Affairs is ready for the next phase of its transition to a new financial management system. That system features nine functions across the entire agency. Terry Riffel, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Financial Management Business Transformation, at the Financial Management Business Transformation Service at the Department of Veterans Affairs, explains why customization is out of the question in the FMBT modernization process.

A change may be coming to your Thrift Savings Plan account. The TSP will use a new benchmark for the International Fund.  Kim Weaver, Director of External Affairs at the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board, explains what the change means for participants, and what differences, if any, you’ll see in your account.A theoretical shift is under way at the Patent and Trademark Office. That shift is turning into real-life examples now. On the newest edition of Fed Gov Today TV, Jamie Holcombe, the Chief Information Officer at the Patent and Trademark Office, explains the concept behind the shift from projects to products.Emergency managers across the federal government have a new opportunity to learn from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and from each other. FEMA’s taking entries for its Vanguard Executive Crisis Leaders Fellowship. Deanne Criswell, the Administrator of FEMA, details the program, and what she wants federal leaders from all agencies to get out of it.AFCEA DC Winter Gala info