Acquisition

IT spend expected to trend up, acting DOD CIO says

Rising IT and cyber budgets may lay ahead as the Defense Department moves forward with implementing zero trust architecture and begins relying more on artificial intelligence.

Digital Government

Survey: Federal IT workers say agencies are lagging with digital transformations

In a survey, 88% of federal employees working full-time in technology or IT-focused roles say agencies have fallen behind on modernization plans, citing cultural resistance to change and the inability of contractors to quickly implement new initiatives.

Digital Government

Survey: 46% of U.S. Organizations Will Institute Vaccine Mandates

Tech companies are among those taking the lead following federal guidance on vaccine mandates.

Cybersecurity

DOJ Announces Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team

The group will include cybersecurity and anti-money laundering experts looking to crack down on ransomware and other criminal efforts. 

Digital Government

FCW Insider: October 7, 2021

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

Digital Government

Quick Hits

None

Cybersecurity

Senate Committee Passes Major FISMA Changes—Including a New Definition of ‘Major Incident’ 

The Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee also passed an incident reporting bill with increased liability protections for companies, drawing praise from industry.  

Artificial Intelligence

NSA Cyber Chief Spells Out Near-Term Priorities

Ransomware is a top concern, but the agency is also looking ahead to defending networked weapons and post-quantum encryption.

Ideas

Augmented and Virtual Reality Step Up for Military Maintenance

"We have seen in similar scenarios at a large aerospace and defense company where technicians with hardly one year of experience have been able to outperform technicians with four or five years of experience," GridRaster Co-Founder and COO Dijam Panigrahi said.

Modernization

Supreme Court Ends Oracle’s JEDI Challenge

Oracle first challenged the Pentagon’s Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure cloud contract in 2018.

People

DOD personnel now subject to 'continuous vetting'

Defense and military personnel are now a part of an automated "continuous vetting" program that will flag concerning behavior or circumstances as part of the security clearance process.

Cybersecurity

DOJ to Hit Government Contractors with ‘Very Hefty Fines’ If They Fail to Disclose Data Breaches

Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco promised to use an existing law to go after contractors that don't follow required cybersecurity standards.

Cybersecurity

DHS adds cyber requirements for transportation industry

The Transportation Security Agency and the Coast Guard are getting increased authority over industry cybersecurity.

Artificial Intelligence

Senate Bill Would Require New Metrics to Fuse Artificial Intelligence Across the U.S. Defense Landscape

It would fulfill a recent recommendation from the National Security Commission on AI.

Ideas

Most Vaccine-Hesitant People Remain Willing to Change Their Minds

A new study shows people's views are not set in stone. The director of the National Institutes of Health explains.

People

Feds could see relief as Public Service Loan Forgiveness gets a reboot

The program, meant to wipe the student debt of eligible public servants, has rejected the vast majority of applications it's received.

Digital Government

FCW Insider: October 6, 2021

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

Digital Government

Quick Hits

None

Ideas

Why Improvisation Is the Future in an AI-Dominated World

Which human activities will survive the rise of intelligent machines?

Cybersecurity

Deputy National Security Adviser Lays Out Goals for Upcoming 30 Nation Meeting on Ransomware

Top cyber officials highlighted the importance of defensive measures as lawmakers move on related initiatives, including a bill to identify systemically important critical infrastructure.