Weekly Roundup: July 29-August 2, 2024

OMB: PMA Strategy Goals More Than Halfway Completed. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on July 31 released its most recent quarterly updates to the Biden-Harris administration’s President’s Management Agenda (PMA), noting that the strategies in each of the three priority areas range from 59 to 77 percent complete. “This quarter’s updates include new dashboards on customer experience feedback data, increased transparency for time to hire, as well as new acquisitions tools that make it easier for agencies to purchase services equitably, and more,” OMB said in its blog post published to Performance.gov.

Senate HSGAC Clears Bill to Reauthorize TMF. The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC) passed a bill that would reauthorize the Technology Modernization Fund (TMF) through 2030. The Modernizing Government Technology (MGT) Reform Act, introduced late last year would amend the 2017 MGT Reform Act to reauthorize the TMF for another five years – though 2030 – and make changes for agency repayments to the fund with the aim of keeping TMF sustainable for the longer term.

National Defense Commission Warns Pentagon’s Defense Strategy is Outdated. The Commission on the National Defense Strategy (NDS) warned lawmakers today that the Defense Department’s (DoD) NDS is outdated, and the growing global threat landscape calls for immediate action and fundamental changes in Pentagon operations. During a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, members of the commission shared the findings and recommendations from the commission’s fiscal year (FY) 2024 report, released prior to the hearing on Monday.

DoD plans to ‘right size’ its medical staff after years of cutbacks. The Defense Department has the makings of a plan to address its issues with access to health care. It starts with recognizing that DoD has cut staffing at its own hospitals and clinics too deeply, and that the department needs to clearly understand its health care requirements so that it can “right-size” its medical offerings. But it could be a couple of years before the changes have a meaningful impact.

Air Force: Timely Budget Key to Reshaping Service Priorities. Air Force Under Secretary Melissa Dalton reaffirmed the priorities of the Air Force and Space Force during a discussion on July 29 at the Brookings Institution where she suggested that the department’s “cohesive approach has been key to successfully reshaping policies, practices, and hardware to confront emerging challenges.” Dalton pointed out that the Air Force is refining and expanding its focus on agile combat employment, emphasizing more nimble, self-sufficient units instead of large, stand-alone bases. She also underscored the importance of space in this effort and how these elements are being integrated.

Creating Stability Is Just as Important as Managing Change. When we think about change at work today, we tend to assume its inevitability and focus our attention on how to manage it. Some change is necessary. But not all of it. What the scientific literature on predictability, agency, belonging, place, and meaning suggests is that before we think about managing change, we should consider the conditions that people need at work in order to be productive. In this article, the author explains why we should cultivate a renewed appreciation for the virtues of stability, together with an understanding of how to practice “stability management.

THIS WEEK @ THE CENTER 

RECENT BLOGS 

• Driving Digital Transformation: Insights from Alexis Bonnell by Michael J. Keegan. This essay delves into the main themes discussed during the interview, including her strategic IT vision, the significance of understanding the relationship with knowledge, the concept of digital transformation, the five deadly sins of digital transformation, and the role of emerging technologies.
• Leadership Insights from "Cracking Complexity" and "Ruthless Consistency" with Reflections from The Business of Government Hour Interviews by Michael J. Keegan. This essay explores the key leadership insights from these two books and integrates perspectives from the interviews with the authors on The Business of Government Hour

ICYMI – Driving Digital Transformation. This week Michael Keegan welcomed Alexis Bonnell, chief information officer and director, Digital Capabilities Directorate within the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory to discuss her IT strategy, the significance of understanding the relationship with knowledge, the concept of digital transformation, the five deadly sins of digital transformation, and the use of emerging technologies.