Federal Drive with Tom Temin

Tech companies are increasingly at the center of Washington’s bureaucracy. They’re looking to influence major federal developments ranging from the Technology Modernization Fund, to cyber and supply chain security. The Alliance of Digital Innovation is among the tech groups jockeying to have its voice heard. Federal News Network’s Justin Doubleday caught up with the new executive director at ADI, former Senate and White House staff member, Ross Nodurft Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tech companies are increasingly at the center of Washington’s bureaucracy. They’re looking to influence major federal developments ranging from the Technology Modernization Fund, to cyber and supply chain security. The Alliance of Digital Innovation is among the tech groups jockeying to have its voice heard. Federal News Network’s Justin Doubleday caught up with the new executive director at ADI, former Senate and White House staff member, Ross Nodurft Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Even simplified acquisitions can get an agency tied into knots. That's what the Department of Homeland Security found out when it used simplified procedures for a training contract worth less than $5 million. Smith Pachter McWhorter attorney Joseph Petrillo has the details. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The ransomware wave of cybersecurity attacks is bad enough. But what if hackers were able interrupt military airplanes or tanks? Such platforms present their own challenges for data gathering and protection. For how this might work, long-term cybersecurity executive, Ralph Kahn spoke to Federal Drive with Tom Temin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Two key laws require federal agencies to make their decisions based on evidence and performance information. And according to the Government Accountability Office, they’re making progress. According to GAO’s latest survey of more than 4,000 federal managers, they’re using performance information more often than at any time since the office started the survey in 2007. Federal News Network’s Jared Serbu talked about the results with the acting director for strategic issues at the GAO, Alissa Czyz, on Federal Drive with Tom Temin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Defense Information Systems Agency has made it clear: It wants to begin retiring the venerable common access card for multifactor authentication. Christoper Barnhurst, executive deputy director for DISA, said the agency is actively experimenting with other forms of multifactor authentication, which will eventually tie into the DoD’s zero trust construct dubbed Thunderdome. Federal News Network's David Thornton joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin for the latest. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Biden administration is working on a new executive order focused on improving customer experience. A draft shows the administration plans to link customer service to its ongoing work to improve equity in public-facing services. For a preview of what this executive order contains, Federal News Network’s Jory Heckman joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From lack of a new budget to roiling vaccine mandates. The federal government, from contractors' point of view, has become, you might way, and even more difficult customer. And now, that cybersecurity maturity plan has them scratching their heads. The Federal Drive checked in with the president and CEO of the Professional Services Council, David Berteau. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The McCain Institute at Arizona State University develops educational programs aimed at securing democracy and protecting human rights. Now it's launched a program called the McCain Global Leaders Program. Because of what it calls a leadership void around the world. For how federal executives can participate, the Federal Drive turned to the institute's senior manager for global leadership, Scott Nemeth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The recent rise of ransomware attacks has shown that even small and medium sized organizations have to worry. For several years the Cyber Readiness Institute, a non profit led by some of the nation's industrial giants, has provided resource to help small business deal with the cyber threat. Now the CRI has a new managing director, someone well known from her long federal information technology and cybersecurity experience. Karen Evans joined the Federal Drive to discuss. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Federal employees are less than a week away from their vaccine deadline. The largest federal employee union asked the White House for an extension. The American Federation of Government Employees says federal workers should have the same deadline as their contractor colleagues, which is January 12. And a federal district court declined to block the federal vaccine mandate for employees last week. Federal News Network's Nicole Ogrysko joined the Federal Drive to run through the latest on the federal vaccine mandate for employees and contractors. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Air Force Materiel Command recently put out its updated telework policy. The document outlines how airmen and civilians can take advantage of new remote options. The command is also thinking about how moving to a more hybrid environment will impact its employees and the physical office space it inhabits. Federal News Network’s Scott Maucione talks with Tammy Lyons, chief of Air Force Materiel Command's personnel support division, and Director of AFMC’s Manpower, Personnel and Services Bill Snodgrass. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Biden signs an infrastructure bill today. Which, after a long and messy debate, the House passed last week. Now there's the matter of a few crucial requirements to keep the government itself going. The Federal Drive got the week's outlook from Bloomberg Government deputy news director Loren Duggan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For years he's been at the vanguard of examining emerging technology. And whether it can benefit the federal government and its operations. He's also delved deeply into the practical applications of data, analytics, and the efficient deployment of technology. Now, he's a new inductee into the National Academy of Public Administration. Doctor Tim Persons is Chief Scientist and Managing Director of the Science, Technology Assessment, and Analytics Team at the Government Accountability Office. https://napawash.org/fellow/89180

You've heard the old saying about airline food. Terrible and not enough. That's not good enough for NASA. Agency planners have been thinking hard about how you feed people on long missions, say a year to get to Mars. Joining the Federal Drive with the latest on a challenge competition to come up a new space cuisine, the project manager for NASA's Centennial Challenges program, Monsi Roman. https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-announces-winners-of-deep-space-food-challenge Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices