Federal Drive with Tom Temin

Ambassadors and diplomats aren’t the only ones who further the mission of the State Department. In most cases, the family members that join them overseas promote the department’s interests through volunteer work. This year’s winners of the Secretary of State’s Award for Outstanding Volunteerism Abroad did just that, donating reusable hygiene kits to school-age girls in India and Kenya, as well combatting human trafficking in the Middle East. For a closer look at these projects, Federal News Network’s Jory Heckman spoke with two of this year's award winners, Layla Murphy. And first from, Jennie Linton. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The deadline for federal employees to comply with the Biden administration's vaccine mandate has passed. And some of the numbers are in. The White House says 90% of federal employees have at least one shot of the COVID-19 vaccine. Federal News Network's Nicole Ogrysko joined the Federal Drive to tell us what we know so far about the vaccination campaign inside the federal workforce. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The debt ceiling is looming closer. And a government shutdown showdown is only a couple of weeks away. And the mask mandate continues to roil Congress. For a look at the week ahead, WTOP Capitol Hill Correspondent Mitchell Miller. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Supply chain security issues have been dominating the news lately. That plus rising costs and longer delivery times. The Biden administration has taken some steps to help logistics companies. For an assessment, Federal News Network's Eric White spoke with the Senior Vice President of Policy and Senior Counsel at the Information Technology Industry Council, John Miller. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Agencies with big campuses often have parking that's either not enough, or people have long hikes from distant spaces. That's the case at the National Security Agency's big headquarters campus at Fort Meade, Maryland. For decades it's been a source of angst for employees. The Office of Inspector General took a look at the parking situation. IG Robert Storch joins me with details. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Friday, the federal IT world got some long awaited news about the future of cloud computing in DoD. The department picked four companies for spots on its upcoming Joint Warfighter Cloud Capability contract, expected to be worth several billion dollars. But the names of the companies are about all we do know. After months of market research, the Pentagon is keeping a tight lid on how the contract will actually work. Federal News Network’s Jared Serbu has been following DoD’s enterprise cloud saga as it’s unfolded over the last several years, broke the story on Friday, and joined the Federal Drive with analysis. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s been six months since President Joe Biden signed a sprawling executive order on cybersecurity. Agencies have received a fire hose of new guidance and standards. Now a top White House cyber official says it’s time to start executing on those plans. For more, Federal News Network’s Justin Doubleday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A leading academic program concerned with federal acquisition has become something of an advisor to the government. To the Defense Department in particular. The Center for Government Contracting, part of George Mason University's business school, has won a contract. It will help the under secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering review the contracting activities of DARPA and of the defense laboratories. Joining the Federal Drive with the details, center executive director Jerry McGinn. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, part of Homeland Security, has awarded a $1 million grant to a non-profit. CISA wants the CyberWarrior Foundation to create a training program to make more cybersecurity practitioners. It's called the Cybersecurity Workforce Development and Training Pilot for Underserved Communities. Here with details, foundation chief operating officer Jonathan Edwards. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You can't overestimate how much people care about the weather. And although most people may not realize it, the National Weather Service is the original source of most weather forecasts. My next guest has spent more than 40 years as a federal weather practitioner, first at NASA and then at the National Weather Service, where he's been the director since 2013. Now Dr. Louis Uccellini has announced his retirement. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Veterans Affairs Department is testing whether artificial intelligence can flag health problems from medical images, help veterans find services online, and enable clinicians to reach out to patients about their mental health. VA looks to take this to the next level under its new AI strategy. For details, Federal News Network’s Jory Heckman spoke with the director of the VA’s National Artificial Intelligence Institute, Gil Alterovitz. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Biden administration has a new management agenda... or at least a what it calls a vision for one. The administration detailed three main priorities and several underlying strategies as part of the President's Management Agenda. Some are familiar. Others have a slightly different take on goals that have shown up in past PMAs. Federal News Network's Nicole Ogrysko joined the Federal Drive now to walk us through the new agenda. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Now that the Veterans Benefits Administration has started delivering disability payments to service members exposed to burn pits, everything is hunky dory, right? Not according to Bart Stichman, whose organization is helping represent veterans with those claims. He’s the executive director of the National Veterans Legal Services Program and joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin to discuss. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, known as the DFC, is only about two years old. It grew out of a Congressionally ordered merger of two older agencies. It mostly funds itself with fees and interest on the loans it provides overseas. Recently it got a new chief operating officer. Former Carlyle Group managing director and presidential transition expert David Marchick told the Federal Drive more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Army’s been busy over the last few years solving technical capability gaps in the communications networks soldiers use on the battlefield. That whole modernization effort is still very much underway. The Army continues to field new gear incrementally. In October the Army unveiled a plan to tie the tactical network to the enterprise network, with cloud capabilities helping out. For more on all of that, Federal News Network’s Jared Serbu talked with three senior Army leaders at the annual AUSA conference in Washington. Maj. Gen. Rob Collins is the program executive officer for command, control and communications-tactical. Brig. Gen. Jeth Rey is director of the Network Cross-Functional Team at Army Futures Command. And Joe Welch is the director of the C5ISR center, part of the Army’s combat capabilities development command. You hear Collins first. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices