Emerging Tech

Air Force’s First Software Chief Steps Down

Leader of a Pentagon-wide DevSecOps initiative, Nicolas Chaillan cited lack of support from senior leadership as one reason for his  departure. 

People

Federal managers seek hard info on COVID-19 testing plans

In a letter sent to administration officials Thursday, the Government Managers Coalition flagged concerns that agencies and managers are ill-prepared to roll out the administration's COVID-19 vaccination and testing requirements for feds.

People

Biden names pick for final MSPB slot

The Merit Systems Protection Board has been without a quorum for over four years and has a backlog of more than 3,000 appeals.

Emerging Tech

Navy Expands Uniform Policy to Permit Fitness Trackers and Smartwatches

Such announcements are made when the need for standards revisions have been confirmed and approved by leadership.  

Ideas

5 Steps to Protecting Federal Data Repositories in the Cloud

From ransomware to exfiltration, cybersecurity attacks are targeting sensitive government data. Here’s a reliable approach to protecting mission-critical information.

Digital Government

OMB Names New U.S. Digital Service Chief

Mina Hsiang is the third administrator of USDS since it launched in 2014.

Cybersecurity

House panel passes 2022 NDAA with eye on cyber workforce

The House Armed Services Committee passed its version of the 2022 defense policy bill, 57-2.

Digital Government

White House names Mina Hsiang to lead USDS

Mina Hsiang is the first woman and first Asian-American to lead the innovation shop. She was part of the U.S. Digital Service when it was launched after the troubled Healthcare.gov rollout.

People

Air Force chief software officer to resign

The Air Force's first chief software officer, Nicolas Chaillan, will step down from his role in October, citing lack of funding and being "unempowered to fix basic IT issues."

Digital Government

FCW Insider: September 2, 2021

The latest news and analysis from FCW's reporters and editors.

Digital Government

Quick Hits

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Cybersecurity

Lawmaker to Propose Bill to Incentivize Industry Cybersecurity Cooperation Within Days

During congressional testimony, cybersecurity firm FireEye pushed for greater liability protections to be included in a draft cyber incident reporting bill.

Modernization

Survey: Most Organizations Embrace Hybrid Cloud 

In a survey of U.S. and U.K. IT decision makers, three out of four reported onboarding a new cloud provider during 2020.

Digital Government

Bill would require big social platforms to support data mobility

Under the bill, the Federal Trade Commission would assess data interoperability for platforms with more than 100 million monthly users.

Digital Government

Defense panel bucks Biden on topline military budget

The House Armed Services Committee adopted an amendment that would increase defense spending by $24 billion over the requested amount to about $770 billion.

Cybersecurity

House panel mulls mandatory disclosure bill

Industry reps at a hearing of the House Homeland Security Committee were supportive of new requirements to report hacks, but want more clarity on how to report and what constitutes a covered incident.

Ideas

How to Make Unemployment Insurance Work for Gig Workers

The share of workers who have traditional full-time jobs is shrinking but the ways to verify identity and income have not kept up.

Digital Government

No US Military Dogs Were Left Behind in Afghanistan, DOD Says

Pentagon officials say the caged dogs in viral photos aren’t military working dogs, all of which were evacuated.

Digital Government

Quick Hits

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