FCW Insider: Aug. 5, 2021
The latest news and analysis from FCW's reporters and editors.
OPM head acknowledges there are 'more questions than answers' on federal workforce vaccine policy
Kiran Ahuja, the recently installed director of the Office of Personnel Management, has a host of long-standing agency issues to deal with, along with helping implement governmentwide workforce policy to combat the spread of COVID-19.
Comment: How VA can succeed with its EHR mega-program
The former CIO of the Department of Veterans Affairs offers some ideas for course correction in the agency's flagging $20 billion–plus Electronic Health Records Modernization program.
Coast Guard updates cyber strategy with focus on 'mission platform'
The updated document aims to provide a clearer map for the Coast Guard's cyber priorities, including mitigating vulnerabilities in the maritime supply chain.
Labor Department moves toward zero trust
Labor Department CISO Paul Blahusch detailed how his agency ramped up its implementation efforts around zero trust in recent months, from establishing an entirely new team to proposing a project for the Technology Modernization Fund.
Quick Hits
*** The Biden administration announced the nomination of Biniam Gebre to serve as administrator for federal procurement policy in the Office of Management and Budget. Gebre is currently a senior executive at Accenture Federal Services and previously served in the Obama administration in the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
*** David Honey, a special assistant to the director at the Defense Advanced Projects Research Agency, is the Biden administration's pick to serve as deputy undersecretary for research and engineering at the Department of Defense. Honey previously served in senior roles at DOD and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
*** Mimi Geerges, a longtime broadcaster and producer, was named as the host of Government Matters, a public affairs program produced at WJLA-TV in the Washington, D.C. area that is focused on government operations, technology and public sector contracting.
*** Raymond Karrenbauer, a former insurance industry CIO, will be new chief financial officer and executive vice president for the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification Accreditation Body, which governs the Defense Department's unified cybersecurity program for contractors.