Federal Drive with Tom Temin

The number of unfilled cybersecurity positions across the world continues to grow, despite an overall increase in the cyber workforce, as security professionals struggle with understaffing, burnout and persistent skills gaps, according to a new report. The annual workforce report released today by the International Information System Security Certification Consortium, known as ISC2, shows the global cybersecurity workforce has reached a record-high 5.5 million people, up 8.7% from 2022. But roughly 4 million more cyber professionals are needed worldwide, with the gap widening by 12% from last year. “It is great news that the number of professionals coming in is increasing,” Tara Wisniewski, executive vice president for advocacy, global markets and member engagement at ISC2, said in an interview. “But the gap is scary and getting scarier.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Biden administration is calling for a “governmentwide AI talent surge” across the federal workforce to build up its capacity to lead on this emerging technology. President Joe Biden, in an executive order Monday, is requiring agencies to set comprehensive policies for how they will use AI tools internally to further the business of government. The White House, in a fact sheet, said the executive order also “directs the rapid hiring of AI professionals, as part of a governmentwide AI talent search.” Biden, speaking at the White House, said that “without the right safeguards in place, AI can lead to discrimination, bias and other abuses.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The House of Representatives has a speaker, for now. That was a heavy lift. What comes next now that Capitol Hill is operational again. For this week's outlook, Federal Drive Host Tom Temin spoke with Bloomberg Government deputy news director Loren Duggan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Social media posts reveal a lot about the posters. That is why some agencies look at job candidates' or security clearance applicants' social media accounts. Now research shows how monitoring social media posts can reveal indicators of suicide … and therefore help prevent it. Federal Drive Host Tom Temin spoke with the man doing the research: Harvard psychology professor Matthew Nock, PH.D. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

They work on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube. They work just about everywhere. So why not short videos to pitch ideas to Defense Department program managers and contracting officers? That is the idea behind the year-old Tradewinds Project under the DoD's chief digital and artificial intelligence office. Now there is a new development at Tradewinds. It is how to apply AI to contract writing. For more on this, Federal Drive Host Tom Temin spoke with Tradewinds execution lead, Bonnie Evangelista. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today's episode of the Federal Drive with Tom Temin: Here's a novel way for contractors to pitch ideas to the Defense Department. A promising new avenue to help prevent suicides among veterans. Congress is functional again, more or less. And it's got no time to lose. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The cloud security program known as FedRAMP is getting its first major update in more than a decade to better address the shift toward software-as-a-service. The Office of Management and Budget’s draft memo would transition the Joint Authorization Board (JAB) to a seven-member FedRAMP Board, promote the concept of joint authorizations among agencies in similar sectors like healthcare and take steps that aim to produce a more transparent and straightforward authorization process. Drew Myklegard, the deputy federal chief information officer, said the updates closely follow the FedRAMP Authorization Act Congress passed and President Joe Biden signed into law in December as part of the 2023 Defense authorization bill. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When participants in the Thrift Savings Plan next log in to their online accounts, they may notice another option available on the My Account homepage. TSP’s recently launched “loan tracker” feature offers participants a step-by-step look at the processing of their loan applications. The Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board, the agency that runs the TSP, said the feature should help answer questions from participants about the progress of their loan applications, and show them what’s still missing to reach the next step of the process. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If one theme applies to the federal career of this guest of Federal Drive Host Tom Temin, it might be innovation. In both civilian and military situations, she's brought new technology and new approaches to mission support. Now she's been inducted into the National Academy of Public Administration. Temin recently talked with the Chief Information Officer of the Air Force Research Laboratory, Alexis Bonnell. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You scarcely hear the word "software" these days, without it being followed by "supply chain." One of the biggest topics in cybersecurity is how to make sure the thousands of pieces of a software program add up to something safe. For an update on how best to think about software supply-chain security, Federal Drive Host Tom Temin spoke with Jon Boyens, the Deputy Chief of the Computer Security Division at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of the Federal Drive with Tom Temin: NIST researchers take on software supply chain questions. This Air Force technologist has helped spread the internet everywhere. Small agency tech execs get some help juggling all their responsibilities. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Federal facilities in Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi will get cleaner electricity soon, as the government works towards its goal of carbon pollution-free electricity (CFE) for federal operations by 2030. On Tuesday, the General Services Administration and Southern Company — a gas and electric utility — signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for federal facilities in Southern Company’s territory to buy more CFE to work towards the government’s sustainability goals. At a signing event in Washington, GSA Administrator Robin Carnahan said that long-term partnerships and collaboration are critical to help achieve the government’s sustainability goals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Department of Homeland Security is setting up potential reassignments for employees in its Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction unit if Congress fails to reauthorize the office later this year. The authority for the CWMD office terminates Dec. 21. While bipartisan legislation to reauthorize CWMD exists in both chambers of Congress, time is running short as lawmakers face another looming government shutdown scenario in mid-November, while House Republicans have yet to appoint a new speaker. “It’s a complicated congressional environment right now,” Mary Ellen Callahan, the assistance secretary of DHS’s CWMD Office, said in an interview. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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You might not know him by name, but Federal Drive Host Tom Temin's guest oversees an operation that touches thousands of federal employees. He has also worked facilities, operations and budget analysis across the government. Now he's among the new members of the National Academy of Public Administration: Byron Adkins. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices