Federal Drive with Tom Temin

The defense industrial base roster of companies keeps shrinking, and supply chain snags have become constant. Now at least some members of Congress have asked whether the Defense Department should step in more often when DIB companies merger or acquire one other. Among those asking, Democratic Congressman John Garamendi, ranking member of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For a decade, the nation's military leadership have talked about the need for innovative technology, and how to inject it faster into doctrine and operations. Published reports detail how little the Defense Department actually spends on new or start-up companies, even ones that have what the military says its looking for. For some insight, the Federal Drive turned to people with experience at the Pentagon and in startups. Lisa Hill is the director of investor relations and engagement at Shield Capital. Michael Brown is a partner at Shield Capital, and former director of the Defense Innovation unit. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transportation Security Officers have reached what their union calls a groundbreaking bargaining agreement with the TSA. It covers everything from uniforms to airport safety itself. We get more now from the president of Council 100 of the American Federation of Government Employees, Thomas Hydrick. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The White House is seeking the smallest increase in spending on federal civilian IT since 2013. That year the technology budget actually dropped. The $75 billion dollar request for fiscal 2025, however, isn’t pushing the same old, same old. It’s clear the Office of Management and Budget is telling agencies to make even more strategic investments in Biden administration priorities around artificial intelligence and customer experience. For more on what the federal civilian IT budget request is trying to do, the Federal Drive turned to Federal News Network executive editor Jason Miller who dug into the details. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A multi-agency Electronic Health Record has reached a new milestone. The Department of Veterans Affairs and the Defense Department have launched their new EHR at a jointly run health care facility in Chicago. This marks DoD’s final rollout its new EHR. But the VA is much further behind, but looking to get the project back on track. For an update, Federal News Network’s Jory Heckman has more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's episode of the Federal Drive with Tom Temin: How the T-S-A could improve the sense of job engagement of its line officers Some new thinking on the crucial question of cloud computing security Contractors make the case for flexibility in a forthcoming Defense Department cybersecurity program Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Engagement scores for Transportation Security Officers have consistently ranked below the average for federal employees. Management at the Transportation Security Administration is aware of this. Its taken steps to help foster engagement. But the Government Accountability Office finds, TSA could do more. The Federal Drive got more now from the GAO's director of homeland security and justice, Tina Won Sherman. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ready or not, the Defense Department's Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification Program is coming. The proposed rule has been out, and industry has been commenting on what contractors think will be an expensive burden. Attorney Bob Metzger of Rogers Joseph O'Donnell helped craft comments by the Coalition for Government Procurement. He joined the Federal Drive earlier in studio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Four non-profits recently banded together to come up wide ideas for better cloud computing security. Just about every federal agency uses cloud computing to some degree. Some no longer have their own data centers. Joining the Federal Drive with what the cloud safe task force came up with, from the MITRE Corporation, the director of strategic engagement and partnerships, Dave Powner. And the senior principal cybersecurity engineer, Mari Spina. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 2025 defense budget request is out, and the Pentagon plans to cut its active duty end strength once again as it struggles to meet its recruitment goals. At the same, it plans to boost its personnel budget. Federal News Network’s Anastasia Obis has the details.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Biden administration plans to push hard for sales of federal buildings that agencies no longer need. Its fiscal 2025 budget request seeks major funding for the General Services Administration to improve the space it owns, and consolidate for federal employees into those buildings. That would give it an opportunity to get rid of both owned and leased office space. The White House is also coming up with plans to fund a new FBI headquarters. Federal News Network’s Jory Heckman has more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's episode of The Federal Drive with Tom Temin: Employers of the disabled worry about the uncertain federal budget A small federal agency plans to document the state of American museums A troubling small business trend is getting worse Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Institute of Museum and Library Services, a small, independent federal agency, plans to examine as many museums in the U.S. as it can. It's National Museum Survey will launch in 2025. The agency recently completed a pilot effort to test its survey process. For details, Federal News Network's Eric White spoke with Laura Huerta Migus, Deputy Director for Museum Services at IMLS. And with with Matt Birnbaum, the agency's Director of Research and Evaluation. https://www.imls.gov/news/institute-museum-and-library-services-announces-plans-launch-national-museum-survey-early-2025 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bloomberg Government recently underscored something federal contracting data has been showing. In the last ten years, the number of small businesses doing business with the government has fallen by a third. Small companies staying in the market specialize in it. My next guest says the regulatory burden the government requires keeps non-specialized, so-called mom-and-pop business out of the market. Long time federal sales and marketing consultant Larry Allen joined the Federal Drive to discuss. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Biden administration’s fiscal 2025 budget request, hot off the presses this week, includes another major boost in cybersecurity spending. The budget proposal also continues to grow the federal government’s primary civilian cybersecurity agency. Federal News Network’s Justin Doubleday joined the Federal Drive with more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices