Artificial Intelligence

GSA adds global AI providers to the schedule

ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini are now available to agencies through a single source for buying artificial intelligence capabilities.

Cybersecurity

New research shows Iran’s expansive cyber offensive during ‘12-Day War’ with Israel

One state-backed hacking group created conflict-themed websites to lure pro-Israel visitors and siphon their data, according to SecurityScorecard.

Digital Government

NIST releases final digital identity guidelines after years of drafts

The new guidelines remove mentions of equity that NIST had included in previous draft updates.

Defense

Defense tech office cuts staff down to 40

The cuts to the Defense Technical Information Center are intended to refocus it on “its core statutory mission” according to a Pentagon spokesperson.

People

Thomas Shedd departs as Labor CIO

The longtime Tesla engineer appears to still be working at the General Services Administration, according to two employees, even as he leaves his post at the Labor Department.

Cybersecurity

Foreign adversaries are trying to weaponize open-source software, report finds

Hacking units affiliated with nation-state adversaries are subtly contributing to open-source software tools and working to insert backdoors into publicly available code used by millions worldwide, new research says.

Defense

The Army’s giant data deal with Palantir is a harbinger: service CIO

The 10-year, up-to-$10 billion deal is part of a larger effort to consolidate IT contracts and save money, Leonel Garciga told reporters.

People

Senate confirms Sean Cairncross to be national cyber director under Trump

Sean Cairncross, a former RNC official, is the first person to head the Office of the National Cyber Director under Donald Trump.

Artificial Intelligence

Senators call for robust security protocols over US-owned AI datacenters

As the Trump administration drafts its new AI export control regime, two senators wrote to the Secretaries of Commerce and State asking for officials to incentivize companies to keep their AI infrastructure within the U.S.

People

‘Processes, people and products’: Transportation’s CIO sets new vision for the agency

In a recent interview, DOT CIO Pavan Pidugu outlined his vision for the department, its early relationship with DOGE, reducing acquisition timelines and his advice for the government contracting industry.

Cybersecurity

Expiring cyber information-sharing law puts US maritime infrastructure at risk, experts warn

A congressional probe last year found Chinese‑made technology embedded in many U.S. ports, raising fears of espionage and sabotage.

Policy

Democrat asks agency watchdogs to tally the cost of DOGE

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., is estimating that the efficiency project has racked up around $21.7 billion.

Cybersecurity

Government layoffs are making us less safe in cyberspace, experts fear

There’s been a mass exodus of government cyber expertise during the Trump administration.

Cybersecurity

Russian hackers target local internet to spy on embassies in Moscow, Microsoft says

The attack works by rerouting targeted diplomatic devices through a hoax captive portal modeled on the kind commonly used to grant internet access in hotels and airports.

Ideas

GSA’s procurement moves reaping major discounts for government

COMMENTARY | The agency is making use of the government’s buying power in ways it hasn’t since the early 1990s.

Digital Government

White House launches digital health initiative backed by leading tech firms

President Trump said the effort to create a more robust digital health ecosystem will give providers and patients more streamlined access to health information.

Digital Government

SSA to make planned ID checks for additional phone transactions ‘entirely optional’

In regulatory filings made earlier this month, SSA had estimated that the planned requirements would result in over three million field office visits.