Author Archive
IT Modernization
VA secretary: Automation will help agency ‘make better, faster, more informed decisions’
VA Secretary Denis McDonough said the department is poised “to deliver a completely new, fully integrated experience” for veterans as officials expect a further increase in PACT Act claims.
Congress
Congress must use budget power to move tech firms out of Beijing’s orbit, former lawmaker says
Former congressman and Under Secretary of the Army Patrick Murphy said lawmakers need to be focused “like a bulldog on a bone” when ensuring the U.S. is positioned to compete with China’s tech ambitions.
Congress
House, Senate China hawks concerned White House will let TikTok stay in the US
Key Republican lawmakers in the House and Senate warned that tweaked language in a new Commerce Department rule could lay the groundwork for TikTok’s proposal to store U.S. users’ data in the country.
Congress
Legislation would expand and extend government’s counterdrone authority
Bipartisan legislation in the House and Senate would extend DHS and DOJ’s authority to mitigate the threat posed by unmanned aircraft systems, while also providing state and local law enforcement with enhanced counter-detection capabilities.
Congress
Democrats call YouTube ‘extremely irresponsible’ for election misinformation rollback
YouTube’s decision to stop removing false content about previous U.S. elections “threatens to weaken our democracy,” several top Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee said in a letter to the platform’s leaders.
Cybersecurity
Congress needs ‘private sector buy-in’ to address cyber workforce shortage
Organizations are working to educate and train the next generation of professionals to fill critical cybersecurity vacancies, but private sector firms need to change their hiring practices to integrate this pool of talent into the workforce.
IT Modernization
VA official expects Oracle Cerner to deliver on $10B EHR contract despite layoffs
While lawmakers and officials expect work to continue as planned, an insider warned that layoffs at Oracle Cerner targeted a clinical team that worked to implement new electronic health record systems.
Congress
Schumer says 'don't count Congress out' when it comes to regulating AI
Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer said Congress needs “to invent a new process” to effectively balance the dangers of artificial intelligence with the capabilities of these emerging technologies.
Digital Government
All Veterans Affairs police officers to be issued bodycams, dashcams by end of 2023
The Department of Veterans Affairs said it will begin issuing in-car and body-worn cameras on June 20, starting with officers at the VA Desert Pacific Healthcare Network in Long Beach, California.
Defense
Lawmakers propose shoring up nuclear cyber standards ahead of NDAA markup
The bipartisan proposal, which could be added to the FY2024 defense policy bill, would establish a federal working group to help address gaps in the cyber practices securing the nation’s nuclear weapons stockpile.
Congress
Relaunched electric grid caucus plans to highlight security, tech improvements
The bipartisan Grid Innovation Caucus plans to hold educational seminars and a Grid Innovation Expo to highlight emerging technologies and ensure the resiliency of the U.S. power network.
Congress
Bipartisan bill seeks to safeguard US data from foreign exploitation
New legislation would restrict the transfer of Americans’ data to foreign nations, but leaves the door open for TikTok to store U.S. users’ data on domestic servers.
Defense
DOD needs more diverse emerging tech investment, Democratic caucus argues
Too much of the Pentagon’s funding to support emerging technologies “is concentrated in the early stages of development,” according to members of the New Democrat Coalition’s national security task force.
Workforce
Lawmaker advocates 'all-of-the-above' approach to fix cyber worker shortage
The chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee’s cybersecurity panel said a greater focus on cyber education in K-12 schools could help fill the roughly 700,000 vacant cyber jobs across the country.
Defense
House cyber panel’s NDAA draft prioritizes commercial tech, expert engagement
Tech- and cyber-focused legislative proposals for the fiscal year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act would restructure the Pentagon’s internal leadership to emphasize greater engagement with the commercial tech sector.
IT Modernization
VA to lean on automation, better IT to tackle wave of benefits claims
The component responsible for overseeing veterans’ benefits programs at the Department of Veterans Affairs believes that automation and modernized IT systems will enhance its processing of PACT Act-related claims.
IT Modernization
VA CIO warns against sacrificing 'consistency' for more contractor diversification
VA is engaging more with smaller vendors to fulfill some of its projects, but the department’s CIO warned that calls for the agency to break large contracts into smaller pieces would not ensure that “there's consistency across the key places.”
IT Modernization
As disability claims mount, VA needs to ramp up automation, lawmakers say
The Department of Veterans Affairs needs to rely on more advanced automation tools in its processing of veterans’ benefits to meet an expected “tidal wave” of PACT Act-related claims.
Defense
How DISA plans to use its workforce to combat China and global adversaries
The Defense Information Systems Agency’s Workforce 2025 framework is designed to help the agency attract and retain a workforce that “adapts to the ever-changing landscape of IT and cyberspace.”
Acquisition