Federal Drive with Tom Temin

On today's episode of the Federal Drive with Tom Temin: Now a big national laboratory has gone all in on artificial intelligence. Will the new defense industrial strategy actually produce results? Congress labors to keep the budget deal alive. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the moment, the Pentagon’s transition to a new multi-billion dollar contract for household goods moves is being held up by IT integration issues between Defense Department systems and those of its prime contractor. But the long-planned overhaul faces a much more dire challenge: the possibility that almost no one in the current moving industry will take part in the new arrangement. Movers say that’s not because they don’t want to. For them, up until now, military moves have been good business. But they argue a combination of drastically lower rates under the new contract and bureaucratic complexities stemming from the Service Contract Act would make almost every military move a money-losing proposition. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Army has long talked about simplifying its IT networks, and it is finally getting closer to delivering it. Over a year ago, the service’s IT portfolio consisted of 42 disparate organizational networks. It has now been consolidated to 14, and the goal is to collapse it down to one greater Army network by 2027. “We’re probably about three years out; at least, that’s our goal. But every time we sit down with a partner, we learn something new about a network, and we go, ‘Ok, now it’s going to take a little bit longer.’ But the goal over the next three years is to collapse the last 14 [networks]. I think the Army has put the resources in place to do this. And so now it’s about time,” Maj. Gen. Christopher Eubank, the commander of Army Network Enterprise Technology Command told Federal News Network at the AFCEA Army IT day on Jan. 11. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Farming these days is a downright scientific enterprise. Precise measurement of soil, water, air, and seed conditions all figure in. The work never stops for scientists at the Agricultural Research Service. One of them has been named a meritorious senior professional in this year's Presidential Rank Awards. Federal Drive Host Tom Temin talked with Dr. Bill Kustas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It is no secret the the U.S. armed forces are dealing with a recruitment shortfall. And they often cannot retain the experienced people they need. Maybe it is because of a changing military culture. Federal Drive Host Tom Temin spoke with someone who has documented what is going on in a book called, "Military Culture Shift." Corie Weathers is a licensed counselor and military spouse, who has visited troops throughout the world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today's episode of the Federal Drive with Tom Temin: How and why the U.S. military culture is changing and why it matters. This USDA scientist does work that is down to earth. When it comes to acquisition and innovation, OFPP looks to the data. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

House lawmakers are calling on the Department of Veterans Affairs to shed more light on an investigation of alleged sexual harassment in its office that normally deals with these types of claims. The House VA Committee on Thursday voted 22-1 to approve a subpoena demanding more documents and records from the VA’s internal investigation. Committee Chairman Mike Bost (R-Ill.) said VA employees contacted the committee in September 2023 with allegations of alleged sexual assessment and misconduct from leaders within the Office of Resolution Management, Diversity & Inclusion (ORMDI). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Over the next year, the Office of Personnel Management is planning to expand on one recruitment strategy that has already seen small-scale success: pooled hiring. “You’re going to see a continuing emphasis on that because it just makes sense from a resource perspective,” OPM Deputy Director Rob Shriver said in an interview with Federal News Network. Pooled hiring takes place when one agency, who’s already hired the candidates it needs off a list of qualified applicants, then shares that list with other agencies looking to onboard candidates for the same position. It can be particularly beneficial, for instance, to agencies who may have fewer HR resources, if they can lean on larger agencies and departments for support. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Science, technology, engineering and mathematics education (STEM), is a critical need for the United States, especially since math skills of American students keep dropping. The National Science Foundation has been funding research into STEM education. Federal Drive host talked with the person, Sylvia Butterfield, who has led that effort as the deputy assistant director of NSF's Directorate for STEM Education. And she just received a Presidential Rank Award. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Washington, and much of the nation, has been scratching its collective head over the case of Lloyd Austin. The Secretary of Defense was hospitalized with major surgery followed by complications. Yet the White House didn't know for nearly a week. For what might have been going on and what should have, Federal Drive Host Tom Temin spoke with Ezra Cohen, a Hudson Institute adjunct faculty member and former Defense Department and National Security Council official. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Climate change and what is known as environmental justice top the list of management challenges for the Environmental Protection Agency this year. No surprise there. But the EPA's office of inspector general, in its annual listing, found several other priorities. For details, Federal Drive Host Tom Temin talked with supervisory auditor Claire McWilliams. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of the Federal Drive with Tom Temin: The EPA gets a long to-do list from its inspector general. Insight into the weird situation of the hospitalized Defense Secretary. White House recognition for a long-serving supporter of STEM education. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The disappointing results from the General Services Administration’s landmark Section 508 report also come with the hope that increased transparency will drive more staff and resources for federal technology accessibility efforts. GSA’s assessment released last week shows that, with a few exceptions, agencies are struggling to meet their obligations to provide persons with disabilities with accessible information and communications technologies. Relying on self-reported results, the assessment measured how agencies are conforming to Section 508 standards for digital content, including websites, electronic documents, videos, hardware, software, mobile apps and kiosks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

National security eyebrows shot up last month when a former FBI counterintelligence special agent received a four-year prison sentence. Why? He had gone to work for a Russian oligarch, a sanctioned oligarch no less. Robert McGonigal had headed the New York field office counterintelligence work. For some of the lessons everyone with clearance should learn from this, Federal Drive Host Tom Temin talked with attorney Dan Meyer, managing partner at Tully Rinckey. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices