Leadership
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Lack of White House guidance has complicated agency Mythos adoption, people familiar say

Agency tech leaders say they don’t have clear direction from the White House on how to access and implement Anthropic’s cyber-focused AI model for their networks.

New CISA directive would reshape how agencies prioritize cyber risk, official says

The forthcoming mandate aims to triage vulnerabilities by real-world consequences of a successful cyberattack, marking a major shift in how the government decides which cyber risks demand attention first.

VA CIO nominee vows to create program management office

Gary Shatswell, President Donald Trump’s pick to helm VA’s IT operations, told lawmakers creating the office is “one of the first tasks that I will be going after” if confirmed to the role.

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.

Exclusive

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.

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.