FCW Insider: Feb. 23

The latest news and analysis from FCW's reporters and editors.

Who cares if you wear a hoodie or a suit? It's the mission that matters most

Responding to Steve Kelman's recent blog post, Alan Thomas shares the inside story on 18F's evolution. Getting culture right is important, Thomas writes, but it needs to be backed up by alignment between authority and resources.

SolarWinds CEO: This could have happened to anyone

In what will be the first of several public appearances this week, Sudhakar Ramakrishna says his company will be transparent about the supply chain attack it suffered as a way to help other companies prepare for the next attack.

Biden pledges international cooperation on cyber in speech

Biden addressed the global security forum for the first time as president last week when he called for the United States to cooperate with European allies on establishing cyberspace norms.

GAO: DOD has to get a handle on future services spending

As the Defense Department looks to buy more services, it's going to need to come up with action plans to better account for spending in future years, according to a recent Government Accountability Office report.

Quick Hits

*** The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency at the Department of Homeland Security announced several senior appointments on Monday. Nitin Natarajan is the agency's new deputy director. Eric Goldstein will serve as CISA's executive assistant director for cybersecurity. Dr. David Mussington was tapped to serve as executive assistant director for infrastructure security. Goldstein was a member of the agency review team that managed the CISA transition for the Biden administration and served at CISA's predecessor agency, the National Protection and Programs Directorate, from 2013 to 2017.

*** Neera Tanden's bid to head the Office of Management and Budget is in doubt as lawmakers announced their plans to vote no if the nomination reaches the Senate floor. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W. Va.) said he will vote no on the nomination, as have Republican lawmakers Mitt Romney and Susan Collins.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on Monday that President Joe Biden chose Tanden for the post, "because he believes she would be a stellar OMB director. She's tested. She's a leading policy expert. She has led a think tank in this in Washington that has done a great deal of work on policy. She has done a great deal of bipartisan work as well."

*** The House Foreign Affairs Committee is scheduled to mark up the bipartisan Cyber Diplomacy Act on Feb. 25. A version of the bill passed the House in the last session of Congress but didn't generate any action in the Senate. The measure as previously passed establishes an Office of International Cyberspace Policy at State with an executive that reports directly to the agency head.