Smarter Gov Tech, Stronger MerITocracy
workforce federal workers industry-min

When generative AI first made waves with the launch of ChatGPT in late 2022, one major concern that arose within the Federal government and beyond was the idea that the tool would steal people’s jobs. Something akin to the opposite of that trend emerged today at a hearing of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. […]

A new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) reveals that Federal agencies’ implementation of the Federal Information Security Modernization Act (FISMA) continued to be mostly ineffective in recent years, and it calls on the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to develop better metrics to evaluate the effectiveness of FISMA. […]

A bipartisan pair of lawmakers have sent a letter warning Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen of what they call the “problematic relationship” that China-based Quectel Wireless has with being a “civil-military fusion arm” of the Chinese government. […]

deep fakes, AI
What Happened This Week – Ep. 53

President Biden this week hit the refresh button on dozens of nominations left over from 2023, including several for officials that may have big impacts on the Federal technology and workforce fronts within the Department of Defense (DoD) if their nominations are cleared by the U.S. Senate.  […]

FCC, Federal Communications Commission

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) said it plans to start winding down the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) – the nation’s largest broadband affordability program – this week unless the program receives additional funding from Congress. […]

Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., chairman of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and Chinese Communist Party, and the committee’s ranking member Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., urged Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo in a Jan. 5 letter to stem U.S. reliance on “foundational” semiconductors produced in China.    […]

modernization

The Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) has issued guidance to agencies to encourage more public feedback in Federal rulemaking, including through a new web portal that makes it easier for citizens to provide their feedback. […]

Data
Budget Federal spending

The Federal Secure Cloud Advisory Committee (FSCAC) is looking to fill four open seats on its 15-member board that advises and provides recommendations to the General Services Administration (GSA) administrator, the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) Board, and Federal agencies.  […]

The Department of Energy’s (DoE) Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER) has announced up to $70 million in funding to support research into technologies designed to increase resilience and reduce risks to energy delivery infrastructure from a variety of hazards, including cyber threats.  […]

U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Lorna Mahlock officially took command of the Cyber National Mission Force (CNMF) – the U.S. military’s joint cyber force tasked with defending the U.S. in cyberspace – at a military ceremony on Jan. 5. […]

Kemba Walden, Principal Deputy National Cyber Director, Office of the National Cyber Director

The White House’s former National Cyber Director (NCD) Kemba Walden has been tapped to lead Paladin Capital Group’s new Global Institute, the investment firm announced today.   […]

army fitness apps

The U.S. Army is looking for industry expertise to help unify many of the service’s outdated systems into a single-user interface that can provide a common operating picture, according to a new sources sought notice. […]

The Department of Labor (DoL) has tapped its Deputy Chief Information Officer (CIO) Louis Charlier to serve in the dual-hatted role of chief AI officer (CAIO), a department spokesperson confirmed to MeriTalk today. […]

OPM Office of Personnel Management
AI

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) will share its recommendations on artificial intelligence (AI) accountability policy “soon,” NTIA Administrator Alan Davidson said in a 2023 year-in-review blog post.  […]

White House

The White House is looking for a new chief information officer (CIO) to serve as the principal adviser and consultant to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) director and senior leadership team on all OMB IT matters. […]

deep fakes, AI

With the prevalence of AI technology becoming ubiquitous in daily life, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) recently released a new paper warning of hackers looking to potentially manipulate or “poison” AI data sets for malicious purposes. […]

Department of Transportation

The Department of Transportation (DoT) has released its annual financial report for fiscal year (FY) 2023 in which the agency shares its cybersecurity successes from 2023 and plans to further improve its cybersecurity posture in 2024. […]

Air Force

A new U.S. Air Force operational doctrine publication released by the service branch last month covering electromagnetic spectrum (EMS) operations is setting forth goals for the Air Force and U.S. military joint forces to create competitive advantages in the EMS arena. […]

Pentagon Military Defense DoD

The Department of Defense (DoD) is looking for industry’s insight to help create a digital platform that will enable the agency  to manage contracts seamlessly, easily, and effectively, according to a new open call put out by DoD on Dec. 28, 2023. […]

TSA

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) plans to expand and modernize several of its customer experience (CX) technology initiatives in 2024.   […]

State Department
semiconductor

The Department of Commerce (DoC) said today it has reached an agreement with Microchip Technology Inc. to provide about $162 million in Federal incentives under the CHIPS and Science Act – marking the agency’s second funding announcement under the law. […]

Labor

The Department of Labor (DoL) recently announced plans to partner with state agencies to strengthen the nationwide unemployment insurance (UI) system, “with a focus on how modern technology and digital practices can make state systems more accessible, resilient, and secure.” […]

taxes, IRS
The Pentagon is a very large building that houses a lot of the authorities for the U.S. Military. It's big. This photo doesn't do it justice, but they're kinda rightly concerned about people flying drones around there.

The Department of Defense (DoD) laid out new guidance on Dec. 22 covering how digital engineering practices should be implemented and used for developing and sustaining defense systems at the Pentagon. […]

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