Federal Drive with Tom Temin

Homeland Security is a big department founded on a big idea. How to better secure the country in a new age ushered in on 9/11. At the moment though, DHS's most senior positions, those normally occupied by political appointees and some senior career people, are vacant. Bob Tobias, a longtime observer of federal administration and a professor at the Key Executive Leadership program of American University, says several possible answers do exist. He joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin to explain.

The EPA has a new chief information officer, an important post in a highly data-intensive agency. Vaughn Noga stopped by Federal Drive with Tom Temin for an update on technology initiatives. He discussed cloud, build or buy software decisions, and digitizing the workforce.

It's been nearly a year since the President signed three executive orders designed to limit collective bargaining. A federal district court overturned much of those EOs. And the Trump administration is appealing that decision. But whatever happens in court, the executive orders may have already had their intended effect. The American Federation of Government Employees says it'll fight new bargaining proposals from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Federal News Network's Nicole Ogrysko joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin to discuss these and other developments.

At a recent hearing, the director of the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) was explaining a budget that's hundreds of millions of dollars less than its peak a few years ago. The proposal didn't sit well with Illinois Democrat Bill Foster, the new co-chair along with Republican Jim Baird of the Congressional Research and Development Caucus. He joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin to discuss his concerns for federal R&D.

It hasn't been the easiest year for federal employees, caught up as many of the were in political crossfire and a historically long government shutdown. But that didn't deter them from carrying out their agencies' missions. And now the best of the best, finalists in the Service to America Medals, have been announced by the Partnership for Public Service. Partnership president and CEO Max Stier joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin with the highlights of this year's program.

In the aftermath of natural disasters, small businesses can get overwhelmed trying to get back up and running. But as part of Small Business Week the Small Business Administration partnered with Visa for its second annual hackathon. It gives developers an opportunity to leverage government data, and build tools to speed up disaster recovery. SBA Chief Information Officer Maria Roat served as a judge for the hackathon. She gave Federal News Network’s Jory Heckman results of this year’s hackathon.

The Technology Modernization Fund has greenlit a handful of agency projects looking to overhaul their IT architecture or services. But the money’s a little tighter this year. Congress approved 25 million dollars for the fund in fiscal 2019, down from $100 million from the year before. But the General Services Administration says the fund can still build modernization momentum elsewhere in government. Federal News Network’s Jory Heckman has more.

Children of service members face a host of unique life challenges, like stress and worry of having a parent deployed. For support, the Defense Department created the Military Kids Connect program, which includes a website to give them a platform for communicating with other youngsters in military families. The website was just updated with new content and features. For more, Federal News Network's Eric White spoke with the psychologist for the Connected Health branch at the Defense Health Agency Doctor Kelly Blasko.

All three military services are backing a new legislative proposal that would elevate information technology management in their organizational charts. The measure would give the Army, Navy and Air Force the authority to appoint new, Senate-confirmed officials to handle IT issues. As Federal News Network’s Jared Serbu reported, the biggest backer is the Department of the Navy.

Commercial vendors would have a much bigger share of military space activity under plans of the newly formed Space Development Agency. For more about this new DOD agency, director Fred Kennedy joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin.

The travails of Boeing Company and its grounded airliner have raised questions about exactly how the Federal Aviation Administration oversees the aviation industry and certifies the planes that carry millions of people a day. It's also prompted lots of misinformation. Aviation attorney Mark Dombroff of LeClair-Ryan joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin with details on how the process looks from the industry standpoint.

The Army is changing its approach to its classic physical fitness test. Trainers have made the test more realistic and more individualized. Right now, the test is being tried out by the National Guard. Federal News Network’s Scott Maucione spoke with Brigadier General Richard Johnson, leader of the Army National Guard Training Directorate, and National Guard Chief Master Sergeant John Sampa.

The Maritime Administration, known as MARAD, doesn't always get the most publicity. But it has a variety of missions in support of economic development, training of merchant marines, and military readiness. MARAD director Admiral Mark Buzby spoke with Federal Drive with Tom Temin about his hopes for a new ship next year and more at the 2019 Sea-Air-Space conference.

The Senate is considering a third nominee in a little more than two years to lead the Office of Personnel Management. The nomination hearing for Dale Cabaniss comes as the agency she may lead faces some real uncertainty. The Trump administration wants to reorganize OPM functions and move them to the General Services Administration or Defense Department. Federal News Network's Nicole Ogrysko has the story.

The government is still struggling to hire and retain young workers. A recent analysis by the Government Accountability Office shows that while the federal workforce is getting more diverse, it's still getting older. In an interview with Federal News Network's Eric White, former Homeland Security chief human capital officer Jeff Neal had a lot to say about that.