Leadership
Trump to soon nominate CISA head, DHS secretary says
Markwayne Mullin said a nominee to lead the cyber agency is coming soon, even as questions remain over whether an IBM security executive remains a leading candidate.
Pulte appointment threatens fragile spy powers deal
Senate Democrats are warning that Trump’s move to install the FHFA director at the head of the nation’s top intel office could make it harder to pass an extension for Section 702 of FISA.
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Anthropic held cyberthreat briefings with agency CIOs last month
Discussions included how to defend digital assets following the debut of advanced AI models, like Anthropic’s Mythos.
Breaking News
Trump appoints housing official to be acting director of national intelligence
The selection is unconventional for the nation’s lead intelligence official, a role tasked with managing 18 distinct agencies like the CIA and NSA.
Top White House cyber policy official to soon depart
Alexandra Seymour currently serves as principal deputy assistant national cyber director for policy in the Office of the National Cyber Director.
Updated
Gabbard to resign as director of national intelligence, citing husband’s health
Her exit marks the end of a 16-month tenure overseeing the nation’s spy agencies, where the former Democratic congresswoman and 2020 presidential candidate sought to reshape ODNI around Trump’s priorities.
Ryan Donaghy returns to CISA as first chief operating officer
Donaghy previously served in acting leadership roles across two of the agency’s divisions and moved to the Transportation Security Administration in October.
DOGE is about making government services easier to access, its head says
In a rare public speaking appearance in which DOGE was discussed, its acting administrator Amy Gleason painted a different vision of its work than that pursued during the government-slashing efforts last year.
Exclusive
White House taps Education’s tech lead as new deputy federal CIO
Thomas Flagg is a longtime government executive, having worked in the Labor Department for over 11 years prior to joining the Education Department.
Andrew Vanjani becomes CIO for USCIS
Vanjani has held several positions across federal and state agencies and will take over a position left vacant for nearly a year after former USCIS CIO Bill McElhaney departed in May.
Trump nominates third VA CIO since the start of his administration
Gary Shatswell, a senior advisor to VA Secretary Doug Collins, was nominated by President Donald Trump to serve in the role of CIO and assistant secretary for information and technology.
Plankey withdraws nomination to lead CISA
It’s not clear who Trump will tap to lead the cyberdefense agency following Plankey's withdrawal.
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Pentagon announces senior appointments to CIO’s office
"Their collective expertise in cybersecurity, defense innovation, and enterprise-level strategy is exactly what we need to accelerate our mission,” Defense CIO Kirsten Davies said about her new leadership team.
HHS reverses Biden-era restructuring of its IT and tech operations
The move includes transitioning oversight of the agency’s chief technology officer, chief data officer and chief AI officer back to the Office of the Chief Information Officer.
Pro-Iran hackers claim breach of FBI director’s email
The leaks appear to be authentic, according to a person familiar with the matter.
VA’s former EHR lead indicted for concealing contractor gifts
The Department of Justice alleges that John Windom accepted and sometimes demanded various gifts while helming the electronic health record modernization at Veterans Affairs.
Agency data leads worry about staff capacity to tackle statutory requirements, survey finds
The Data Foundation found that some 40% of chief data officers lost six or more employees last year.
Inspector general group to be led by former Trump administration adviser
A government oversight organization said that the selection of Cheryl Mason, who is the inspector general for the Veterans Affairs Department, shows the White House is “putting more of a thumb on the scale” of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency.
Ex-NSA leaders say Americans are becoming ‘numb’ to cyber threats
A serious cyberattack hasn’t prompted a strong enough policy or public reaction, one former director said.
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New NSA director pushes for more intel-sharing with allies in internal meeting
Gen. Josh Rudd also told members of NSA and Cyber Command that the organizations should still focus on major cyber adversaries like Russia and China, despite the Trump administration’s emphasis on the southern border.
