Weekly Roundup: March 10-14, 2025

Leadership

Former Fed CIO Kent Points to ‘Enterprise’ Future for Feds.  Former Federal Chief Information Officer (CIO) Suzette Kent issued a call today for the federal government to focus on enterprise-wide systems as the “North Star” for guiding future improvements to government workforce management technologies and service improvements. “Here’s the question,” she said during a panel moderated, “When we have … the same requirements, and we have an employee workforce that needs to think as an enterprise, why do we keep doing everything individually and in silos?...The North Star is the enterprise,” Kent declared. “Thinking about it, how do we do it holistically,” she asked. “That’s how we bring efficiency,” she said

5 Pandemic-Era Lessons on Leading Through Drastic Change. As we move further into the post-Covid era, the distinction between normal operations and crisis management continues to blur. Tomorrow’s most successful leaders will be those who can maintain organizational stability while simultaneously driving innovation and change. These leadership imperatives aren’t temporary adaptations—they represent a fundamental shift in what effective leadership means in the modern world. Successful leaders today must: 1) proactively engage with uncertainty; 2) balance employee and company needs; 3) test new ideas quickly; 4) make smart decisions with limited information; and 5) communicate to build trust and confidence.

The Pandemic Proved That Remote Leadership Works. In the five years since the start of the Covid pandemic, the conversation about remote work versus return-to-office has centered largely on employees. But organizations also benefit when leaders are remote—when they live and work primarily in a different place than their teams—because they are able to hire from a broader pool of candidates and bring in stars who would be unlikely to move to the company’s headquarters.

How to Push for Change in a Large Organization. Getting a big, bureaucratic organization to innovate or adopt new technologies is hard. That’s why Harvard Business School professor Maria Roche wrote a case study about U.S. Air Force Major Victor “SALSA” Lopez. He helped launch a program that uncovers ways to use AI to strengthen U.S. defense efforts. Professor Roche and Major Lopez talked about the challenges of fostering innovation within a large bureaucracy in a conversation with host Brian Kenny on Cold Call back in 2023.

Emerging Tech

NIST Adds HQC as Fifth Algorithm for Post-Quantum Encryption.  The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has selected HQC as its fifth standard for post-quantum encryption, providing an additional layer of security to protect encrypted data against potential threats from future quantum computers. HQC is not a replacement of NIST’s main encryption algorithm, the Module-Lattice-Based Key-Encapsulation Mechanism (ML-KEM). Instead, it’s a backup defender, ready to step in if quantum computers – whenever they come to fruition – manage to crack ML-KEM down the road.

Witnesses: Tech Reforms Can Curb Fraud, but Accountability Is Key. Deploying artificial intelligence tools and improving agency data management and sharing could work to prevent fraudulent and improper payments made by the Federal government but reaching that goal also requires better agency accountability measures, witnesses told members of the House Oversight and Reform Committee’s Subcommittee on Government Operations.  Several witnesses emphasized that both Congress and agencies need to adopt better accountability measures in order to improve fraud and improper payment prevention.  “Over the past two years, we have heard a number of suggestions to improve our program integrity capabilities, and more will be discussed today – but I must admit, I expected the Federal agencies to be further along,” Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, chairman of the subcommittee, said in his opening statements.  

GAO: VA Needs New Cost Estimate, Schedule for EHRM Program. As the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) prepares to resume the rollout of its Electronic Health Record Modernization (EHRM) program, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) is urging the VA to update the program’s modernization life cycle cost estimate and schedule. The VA’s EHRM program aims to provide a seamless experience for veterans as they transition from receiving care under the Department of Defense (DoD) to receiving care under the VA, with a single, fully integrated EHR system. The VA began modernizing the system in 2020 but paused deployments in 2023 as part of a “program reset” due to user concerns. “The VA made numerous system improvements during the pause, but more can be done,” a new GAO report says.

Contracting

Hegseth Directs Pentagon to Streamline Software Acquisition. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has directed the Department of Defense’s (DoD) acquisition leaders to embrace existing authorities to speed up software procurement for warfighters. In a memo, Hegseth directed all DoD components to use the department’s Software Acquisition Pathway (SWP) program in combination with other existing authorities – such as commercial solutions opening and Other Transaction authority – to speed up the procurement of digital tools. “When it comes to software acquisition, we are overdue in pivoting to a performance-based outcome,” Hegseth wrote. “To meet this challenge, I am directing all DoD Components to adopt the [SWP] as the preferred pathway for all software development components of business and weapon system programs in the department.”

How OTAs are speeding up defense innovation.  A contracting method known as Other Transaction Authority (OTA) has been around since 1958, during the beginnings of NASA and the Advanced Research Projects Agency. For nearly six decades, government agencies used this vehicle to work with research labs, universities and small businesses to build prototypes. But the 2016 defense policy bill transformed this once obscure and rarely used contracting vehicle into a key tool for moving innovative technologies out of the lab and into production.

Efficiency

DoD’s Resnick Talks DOGE Impact, Cyber Budget Concerns. “I’m hoping that there’s some sort of insulation from DOGE when it comes to cyber defense and zero trust,” Randy Resnick, director for the DoD’s Zero Trust Portfolio Management Office, said. “What I’m more concerned about is how the budgets of the components who need to purchase these things will be affected,” he said. While he couldn’t speak to potential cuts directly, Resnick predicted that IT funding would likely see no more than a 10 percent reduction. He emphasized that cybersecurity has become a critical priority at the DoD, and any cuts could significantly hinder these vital efforts.

USPS will let DOGE team tackle its 'big problems,' DeJoy tells lawmakers.   The Postal Service is letting a team from the Department of Government Efficiency take a closer look at its reform plans. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, in a letter sent to congressional leaders Thursday, said he signed an agreement last night with DOGE representatives and the General Services Administration to “assist us in identifying and achieving further efficiencies.” DeJoy told lawmakers that USPS is heading in the right direction under his 10-year Delivering for America reform plan and that DOGE’s work is “aligned with our efforts.” “While we have accomplished a great deal, there is much more to be done. We are happy to have others to assist us in our worthwhile cause,” DeJoy wrote.

Budget

Military Leaders Warn of Budget Impact on Readiness. U.S. military leaders from across the service branches told lawmakers at a Senate Armed Services subcommittee hearing that budget uncertainties are hindering their efforts to maintain military readiness. Defense leaders argued today that CRs restrict the military’s ability to launch new programs, make long-term investments, and adapt to shifting operational needs. “Our priority remains our readiness accounts, which are most vulnerable under a CR or sequestration,” Admiral James W. Kilby, vice chief of Naval Operations for the Department of the Navy, said to lawmakers on the Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support. “The Navy will need to make hard choices this year if we are operating under a full-year continuing resolution,” he said.

Workforce

Eric Ueland is tapped for Key OMB Tech, Management Role. President Donald Trump has nominated Eric Ueland, a veteran Senate and White House aide, to serve as the deputy director for management (DDM) at the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB). That’s a key role at OMB, and if confirmed, Ueland would report to OMB Director Russell Vought. The DDM is responsible for developing and executing the President’s Management Agenda (PMA) which typically has a technology-driven list of longer-term goals. The DDM role also serves as the nation’s Federal chief performance officer to ensure agencies meet their objectives.

Kratsios OSTP Nomination Clears Panel, Klein Picked as No. 2. The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee voted 24-4 today to approve the nomination of Michael Kratsios to become the next director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP).

Trump Taps Eric Ueland for Key OMB Tech, Management Role. President Donald Trump has nominated Eric Ueland, a veteran Senate and White House aide, to serve as the deputy director for management (DDM) at the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB). That’s a key role at OMB, and if confirmed, Ueland would report to OMB Director Russell Vought. The DDM is responsible for developing and executing the President’s Management Agenda (PMA) which typically has a technology-driven list of longer-term goals. The DDM role also serves as the nation’s Federal chief performance officer to ensure agencies meet their objectives.

Veteran suicide hotline employees permitted to work remotely after concerns that in-office requirement would hurt service. One Veterans Crisis Line supervisor said the return to office mandate was creating confusion among staff, presented logistical challenges and could hurt recruitment.

Presidential Transition – Updates

Which of Trump's nominees have been confirmed?  The Senate is currently vetting and voting on President Donald Trump's nominees for his Cabinet and other senior roles. There’s list of his nominations thus far and will update when they are confirmed by the Senate. There also are links to our coverage regarding how these individuals plan to lead their agencies and what workforce changes they could make. 

THIS WEEK @ THE CENTER 

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