Fed Gov Today

Presented by Booz Allen Evan Carey, Acting Director at the National Artificial Intelligence Institute, Department of Veterans Affairs discusses the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and its efforts to integrate AI into its operations to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of medical documentation and community care records. The VA is focusing on using AI to streamline the creation of documentation, particularly for encounters with veterans, and to manage the complex and often voluminous documentation received from community care providers. This involves developing a robust infrastructure to support AI technologies, including testing and integration phases. The discussion also explores how AI could lead to significant workflow redesigns, particularly in improving the handling of large data sets and ensuring data security and privacy. Emphasis is placed on the ongoing need for infrastructure that bridges the gap between technological advancements and practical clinical applications. Bryan Castle, Director of AI Engineering at Booz Allen provides insights into how organizations are approaching the adoption and scaling of AI technologies. He explains that while some organizations are beginning with small-scale, research-focused AI projects, others are establishing large, centralized AI functions. The discussion highlights the necessity of a multidisciplinary workforce to effectively implement and scale AI solutions, akin to the diverse expertise needed to develop and distribute a vaccine. Cassels also discusses the role of open-source frameworks in AI, noting that Booz Allen's open-source framework, Assemble, is designed to provide flexible, future-proof solutions that can adapt to new innovations and avoid vendor lock-in. This approach helps organizations overcome common challenges, such as operationalizing AI and transitioning from experimental to enterprise-level implementations. Alexis Bonnell, CIO and Director of Digital Capabilities Directorate at the Air Force Research Lab discusses the development and objectives of the NIPR GPT project, a generative AI initiative aimed at improving knowledge accessibility and reducing bureaucratic workload for military and intelligence personnel. The project began with the recognition that AI could transform the way knowledge is accessed and utilized, moving beyond traditional data organization methods. The initiative was driven by a volunteer team motivated by the potential to enhance information retrieval and make it easier for users to engage with critical knowledge. The discussion covers the practical aspects of implementing AI, including understanding user needs, developing infrastructure, and shaping policies to support the project’s goals.

The Defense Department’s new Fulcrum IT Advancement Strategy includes four lines of effort. One of them is focused on customer experience. Savan Kong is Senior Advisor in the User Experience Portfolio Management Office in the Office of the CIO at DoD. At TechNet Cyber recently, he tells me his office is driving what customer experience looks like across the department. One of the jobs of the Defense Department’s Joint Forces Headquarters DoD Information Network is what it calls “organizing the cyber battlespace”. Dell Foster is one of the DODIN leaders responsible for that. He’s Executive Director of JFHQ DODIN. At TechNet Cyber 2024, he tells me what that term means to him. The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health will look for solutions from small businesses through a new funding opportunity. It’s one way ARPA-H is trying to leverage special contracting authority the agency has. Ben Bryant is Deputy Director for the Business Innovation Division at ARPA-H. At the ACT-IAC Health I-T Summit recently, I asked him how that special contracting authority works.

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT inside the Department of Health and Human Services has prepared the draft “2024-2030 Federal Health IT Strategic Plan”. At the ACT-IAC Health Innovation Summit recently, Peter Karras, Deputy Director for the Strategic Planning and Coordination Division at ONC, tells me the strategy is both a progression and an evolution. ACT-IAC Vision 2030: the Federal Tech Revolution

No matter who wins the presidential election this November, a new round of political appointees is likely to make its way to Capitol Hill to seek the approval of the Senate. Maj. Gen. Arnold Punaro (USMC ret.) will probably be involved in helping at least some of them prepare for confirmation. Arnold’s new book, "If Confirmed: An Insider’s View of the National Security Confirmation Process," is exactly what the title says it is. Arnold’s guided thousands of appointees through the confirmation process in his decades on the Hill, including a dozen Secretaries of Defense, and a dozen Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Arnold takes you through the confirmation process as only an insider could, with stories and advice on what you can expect if the next administration, or a future one, calls on you to serve.

The new Chief Artificial Intelligence Officers Council just passed the six-month mark of its existence. The White House Executive Order on AI specifies that every agency should designate a Chief AI Officer. Two leaders who’ve led AI efforts at agencies are writing about what agencies should look for in those CAIOs. Lt. Gen. Jack Shanahan (USAF ret.) was the first Director of the Algorithmic Warfare Cross-Functional Team (Project Maven) and the first Director of the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center at DOD. Joel Meyer is President of Public Sector at Domino Data Lab. He’s former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security for Strategic Initiatives, where he helped stand up DHS’s Artificial Intelligence Task Force. Jack and Joel are writing about “The CAIO’s role in driving AI success across the federal government.” Joel askes in a separate piece, “Can the US government compete for the world’s best AI talent?” They join me for a deep dive into how the Federal government can find success in AI.

The Thrift Savings Plan is on a new glidepath. That path should help its members… that are investing for the long term. Kim Weaver, Director of External Affairs at the TSP, tells what the path is, and how it will work. The Central Intelligence Agency is building a chatbot to help its people verify open-source information quickly. The agency’s working with other members of the intelligence community to create the bot. On the newest Fed Gov Today TV, I asked Randy Nixon, Director of the Open Source Enterprise at the Central Intelligence Agency, who he wants to use the bot, and what he wants them to do with it.

This Fed Gov Today podcast is sponsored by Microsoft. Today’s show is “Innovating on the Frontlines: Securing the Future with AI and Cybersecurity.” The evolving intersection of security and AI is the focus today. Leaders from the Department of Homeland Security, Microsoft, and the Department of Defense will tell you where their organizations are, and where they’re going on security and AI; and how they’ll get there. DHS has several pilot programs in place now to leverage generative AI. It will judge the success of those programs on several metrics. Chris Kraft, Deputy Chief Technology Officer for AI and Emerging Technology at DHS, tells you what those programs are, and how the agency will judge them. The acceleration of AI use is causing military and civilian agencies to rethink their cybersecurity strategies. The path to doing that is taking two tracks. Vishal Amin, General Manager of Defense Security at Microsoft, tells you how to merge security and AI for success now, and in the future. Cyber and AI professionals in government usually talk to me about their work from two perspectives: securing applications, and using AI for security. At the ACT-IAC Emerging Tech and Innovation Conference recently, Danielle Metz, Director of Information Management and Technology, and Deputy Chief Information Officer in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, tells me using and securing AI in the Pentagon is a work in progress.

This Fed Gov Today podcast is sponsored by Verizon. Today’s show is titled “Bridging Horizons: Innovating Customer Experience in Federal Civilian Services. The President’s Management Agenda and a series of executive orders have pushed agencies to transform the way they deal with agency customers. Leaders from FDA, VA, and Verizon dig into the challenges, opportunities, and technological innovations shaping the future of citizen service. The Food and Drug Administration is ready to take a leap… in its customer experience journey. Josh Lehman, Chief Customer Experience Officer and Director of the Office of Customer Experience at FDA, tells you how the agency approaches customer experience, and how it’s about to change that approach. The FDA’s forthcoming CX strategy is just the latest example of agencies taking a deliberate approach to the issue. But not every step in that journey goes smoothly. Brian Pancia, Senior Client Partner for Solutions for Public Sector and Digital Experience at Verizon, tells you about the struggles he sees with CX at agencies, and how to deal with them. Several pieces of policy and legislation put data at the center of the decision making process for agencies. Leaders say data is becoming one of their most important tools in improving customer experience. At the ACT-IAC Emerging Tech and Innovation Conference recently, Evan Albert, Director of Measurement and Data Analytics at the Department of Veterans Affairs, tells me how his agency uses data to measure and improve its performance for veterans.

NASA has a new technology leader to work in its digital transformation. Patrick Newbold is about five months into his tenure there, after joining the agency from the Social Security Administration. At the ACT-IAC Emerging Tech and Innovation Conference recently, he tells me digital transformation is about more than technology. The Defense Department is in year two of its latest Small Business Strategy. That strategy includes three objectives. The first one is unifying small-business related activities. Farooq Mitha is Director of DoD’s Office of Small Business Programs. At SOF Week 2024, he tells me he needs to coordinate efforts from everywhere in the department to achieve that objective. Federal government leaders now have several guiding documents on using and buying artificial intelligence. New guidance from the Office of Personnel Management covers the growing AI workforce, and the General Services Administration has released acquisition guidance on AI too. Rob King is the Chief Data Officer at the Energy Department. At the ACT-IAC Emerging Tech and Innovation Conference recently, he says no one can ignore the disruption AI is causing,especially generative AI. ACT-IAC Health Innovation Summit Innovation in Government from SOF Week

All the military services, and pretty much the whole federal government, says they’re looking for innovative solutions. The hang-up can be what “innovation” actually means to each organization. Lt. Col. David Brewer (USAF) is Total Force Integration Liaison in the Disruptive Technology Division at Air Force Futures Center 3 Integration and Innovation. At the Emerging Tech and Innovation Conference, he tells me why innovation isn’t a noun, and why he thinks people are using the term incorrectly. The Office of Federal Procurement Policy is fresh off the celebration of its 50th anniversary. One of the tools it’s provided to agencies is the Periodic Table of Acquisition Innovations. The table came out of a working group ACT-IAC’s Institute for Innovation put together. Jim Cook is Chair of the Institute. At the Emerging Tech and Innovation Conference, he tells me the institute is expanding its focus from just creating connections. The Bureau of the Fiscal Service is on what it calls a transformation journey, like a lot of other federal agencies. BFS is engaging its employees, and the federal organizations it serves, to guide that journey. Joe Gioeli is Deputy Commissioner of Transformation and Modernization at BFS. At the Emerging Tech and Innovation Conference, he tells me that journey began with what the agency calls a Future Readiness Assessment. ACT-IAC Health Innovation Summit Innovation in Government from Sea Air Space

A new artificial intelligence tech sprint is under way at the Department of Veterans Affairs. 152 teams are competing in the sprint, on two tracks. Donna Hill, Deputy Director of Operations at the National Artificial Intelligence Institute at the VA and manager of the AI Tech Sprint, tells you how the sprint works, and what the agency is looking for. The Defense Department is working with five international partners to co-fund research and development projects. That work is happening in the Irregular Warfare Technical Support Directorate. On the newest Fed Gov Today TV from SOF Week in Tampa, Roger Newberry, Director of the Directorate, tells me how those relationships work. Two of the F-35 program’s key metrics are how much the planes cost, and much the services can use them. According to new data from the Government Accountability Office, both those metrics are trending in the wrong direction. At agency headquarters recently, Diana Maurer, Director of Defense Capabilities and Management at GAO, tells me what she and her team found when they looked at both markers. ACT-IAC Emerging Technology & Innovation Conference Innovation in Government from Sea Air Space

Some records are falling in your Thrift Savings Plan. More federal employees are bringing money into the TSP than ever, and the Plan is breaking other records too. Kim Weaver, Director of External Affairs at the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board, tells you about some of the other records the TSP is breaking, and why the Board thinks those records are falling. Federal agencies have new guidance from the Office of Personnel Management on using generative artificial intelligence responsibly. The guidance includes nine general recommendations for employees and use-case examples with specific recommendations. On the latest edition of Fed Gov Today TV, Rob Shriver, Acting Director of OPM, explains how the agency hopes agencies will use the guidance. The Comptroller General of the United States is celebrating his 51st year in the Federal government. Gene Dodaro started at the Government Accountability Office in 1973 and became the Comptroller General in December of 2010. At GAO headquarters in Washington recently, I asked him what’s changed, and what’s stayed the same, since he started at the agency and since he took over as Comptroller General. Innovation in Government from Sea Air Space

This show is sponsored by EY. The federal government is beginning month eight of work on the White House’s plan for “Delivering a Digital First Public Experience.” That work, and work tech leaders from other countries are doing around the world, was the focus of an event in Washington recently called Government DX. Dozens of US federal government leaders joined their peers from around the world, on stage and off, to learn how to solve digital transformation challenges from each other. Clare Martorana, the Federal Chief Information Officer, and Harry Coker, the National Cyber Director, were on stage together at Government DX. They joined me exclusively after their session, and I asked Clare to tell a story about digital government that she had just told on stage. Government DX featured leaders from around the world talking about how they’re taking on some of the same problems US federal leaders are attacking. One of those is artificial intelligence. Amy Jones is US Public Sector AI Market lead for EY. At Government DX, I asked her if government is getting better, worse, or neither at connecting its data to AI.

The Department of Energy says it’s planning for technology that might not exist for ten years or more. Given the leaps in tech in the past ten years, leaders say that planning requires great flexibility. Brian Epley is Deputy Chief Information Officer at the Energy Department. At the ACT-IAC Climate Change Summit recently, he tells me about the partnerships he wants to help maximize that flexibility. Agency Priority Goals in the President’s Management Agenda include several goals that cut across multiple agencies. Former government leaders say agencies still struggle with cross-agency collaboration. Mark Osler is senior advisor for Coastal Inundation and Resilience at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. He tells me what he’s seen that works, and doesn’t work, between agencies.

The federal government is missing a “prime opportunity” to cut the size and cost of its real estate footprint, according to the Public Buildings Reform Board. The board finds the government is missing modernization opportunities too. Dan Mathews, a member of the Public Buildings Reform Board and former commissioner of the Public Buildings Service at the General Services Administration, details what the board thinks that opportunity is, and how to capture it. The Military Health System is reimagining how it provides care to its customers. Its digital transformation is just one part of that makeover. Naomi Escoffrey is Chief Accelerator Officer and Innovation Program Manager at the Defense Health Agency. On the newest episode of Innovation in Government from HIMSS, she tells me other military health leaders around the world face some of the same challenges DHA does. Federal government leaders have a unique opportunity to learn from IT leaders from around the world, in person, this week. GovernmentDX is coming to the Reagan Building downtown on Thursday and Friday. Kevin Sorkin is Chief Executive Officer of Pendragon International Media, and Siobhan Bonita is moderator of the Global Government Forum. Kevin and Siobhan are hosting GovernmentDX. They tell me why federal government leaders, especially leaders outside the IT specialties, should come.

Today, a special program. Monday I hosted the Chiefs Panel, the opening event of the Sea Air Space conference. My thanks to the Navy League of the United States, the hosts of Sea Air Space, for inviting me to moderate the Chiefs Panel. You’ll hear that event on the program today, with the Chief of Naval Operations… Admiral Lisa Franchetti; the Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps, General Christopher Mahoney; the Commandant of the Coast Guard, Admiral Linda Fagan; and the Administrator of the Maritime Administration, Rear Admiral Ann Phillips (USN ret.) The first question I asked went to CNO Franchetti, about the new fiscal year 2025 budget request, and how it supports her recent strategy document, “America’s Warfighting Navy." Navy League YouTube channel

The President’s Management Agenda doesn’t include an explicit mention of shared services. But one leader says there are plenty of references that imply agencies should use shared services. Chad Clifford is Executive Director of the Grants Quality Service Management Office at the Department of Health and Human Services. At ACT-IAC’s Shared Services Summit at the Carahsoft Conference Center in Reston recently, he tells me why he thinks that is. Eight hubs around the country will be the building blocks of a “Microelectronics Commons.” Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks calls the Commons an effort to bridge what some observers call the “valley of death” between research-and-development and production. Dr. Dev Shenoy is Principal Director for Microelectronics and Director of the Defense Microelectronics Cross-Functional Team in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering. On the new Fed Gov Today TV, he tells me what the Commons is, and what DoD wants to accomplish with it. Your biometric markers could be the path to access your retirement information. The Thrift Savings Plan is introducing biometric elements to its identity verification. Kim Weaver is Director of External Affairs at the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board. She tells me how it will work for participants, and what the TSP will have to do to make it work. Zero Trust In Depth special show ACT-IAC Climate Change Summit info The Navy League’s Sea Air Space

Accenture Federal Services sponsors this edition of the Fed Gov Today podcast. The Defense Department says its Cyber Workforce Framework will be a key tool in developing the team that will implement the department’s cyber strategy. That framework comes out of a directive called 8140.01. Matthew Isnor is Program Lead for Cyberspace Workforce Development in the office of the Chief Information Officer at the Department of Defense. At West 2024 recently, he says the goal is to make the Defense Department an employer of choice, and he tells me how the department will do it. Human centered design is one of the key principles of the customer experience pillar of the President’s Management Agenda. A new principle, though, might take that concept one step further. Michael Gavin is Managing Director, and Lauren Oliver is Principal Director, for the experience practice at Accenture Federal Services. Together they explain how the concept of “human by design” works. The Defense Innovation Unit calls its next iteration “DIU 3.0.” That new iteration has eight lines of effort, according to DIU leadership. Capt. Alex Campbell (US Navy) is director of the maritime portfolio at DIU. At West 2024 recently, I ask him where DIU has come from, and what’s behind DIU 3.0.

The Navy League sponsors this edition of the Fed Gov Today podcast. The Office of Naval Intelligence is delivering three new cloud-based capabilities that it says will “revolutionize the delivery of critical ONI intelligence, data and development tools to the fleet.” Zeke Maldonado is Chief Information Officer and Director of Technology and Innovation at the Office of Naval Intelligence. At West 2024 recently, I ask him what the duties are that come with his extra title, and his role in delivering new capabilities. The Chief of Naval Operations, ADM Lisa Franchetti, lists warfighting, warfighters, and foundation as her three priorities in a document she calls “America’s Warfighting Navy.” She talked about each of those recently on Fed Gov Today TV. Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Mike Stevens (USN ret.) is the Chief Executive Officer of the Navy League of the United States. He’s the 13th Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy. I ask him what message the fleet should take from having warfighters listed as one of CNO’s highest priorities. Sea Air Space details The Navy’s Carrier Strike Group 12 is in its home port of Naval Station Norfolk now, after it returned from a deployment in January. During that deployment, the strike group welcomed a new Information Warfare Commander. Capt. Christi Montgomery (USN) moved to that job last summer from her post as Commander of the Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center. At West 2024 in San Diego recently… she tells me about her new areas of responsibility. Fed Gov Today Zero Trust In Depth webinar details ACT-IAC Shared Services Summit details

The Transportation Security Administration is testing touchless ID at several airports across the country. The goal is to make clearing security easier and faster for travelers. Kristin Ruiz is Deputy Chief Information Officer at TSA. At the ACT-IAC Digital Transformation Summit recently, she tells me why the project is a good example of TSA’s approach to digital transformation. The Office of Personnel Management says its Workforce of the Future initiative “lays the foundation for the Federal government to be recognized as a model employer.” The newest element of that initiative is the Workforce of the Future Playbook. Kim Holden is Principal Deputy Associate Director for Workforce Policy and Innovation at OPM. On the newest edition of Fed Gov Today TV, I ask her why OPM chose the playbook format. The Agriculture Department is launching its first Digital Service Fellows program. The department says the program will “operate on a tour-of-service model where fellows are appointed for a two-year minimum term on a full-time basis, with the potential option to serve a total of four years.” Fatima Terry is Acting Executive Director and Deputy Director of Digital Services at the Department of Agriculture. At the ACT-IAC Digital Transformation Summit recently, she told me how the program will work. BAH DE24 details Fed Gov Today Zero Trust In Depth webinar details ACT-IAC Shared Services Summit details