Policy
Bipartisan bill seeks to safeguard US data from foreign exploitation
New legislation would restrict the transfer of Americans’ data to foreign nations, but leaves the door open for TikTok to store U.S. users’ data on domestic servers.
Emerging Tech
DOD needs more diverse emerging tech investment, Democratic caucus argues
Too much of the Pentagon’s funding to support emerging technologies “is concentrated in the early stages of development,” according to members of the New Democrat Coalition’s national security task force.
Cybersecurity
Lawmaker advocates 'all-of-the-above' approach to fix cyber worker shortage
The chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee’s cybersecurity panel said a greater focus on cyber education in K-12 schools could help fill the roughly 700,000 vacant cyber jobs across the country.
Cybersecurity
House cyber panel’s NDAA draft prioritizes commercial tech, expert engagement
Tech- and cyber-focused legislative proposals for the fiscal year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act would restructure the Pentagon’s internal leadership to emphasize greater engagement with the commercial tech sector.
Modernization
VA to lean on automation, better IT to tackle wave of benefits claims
The component responsible for overseeing veterans’ benefits programs at the Department of Veterans Affairs believes that automation and modernized IT systems will enhance its processing of PACT Act-related claims.
Modernization
VA CIO warns against sacrificing 'consistency' for more contractor diversification
VA is engaging more with smaller vendors to fulfill some of its projects, but the department’s CIO warned that calls for the agency to break large contracts into smaller pieces would not ensure that “there's consistency across the key places.”
Modernization
As disability claims mount, VA needs to ramp up automation, lawmakers say
The Department of Veterans Affairs needs to rely on more advanced automation tools in its processing of veterans’ benefits to meet an expected “tidal wave” of PACT Act-related claims.
Digital Government
How DISA plans to use its workforce to combat China and global adversaries
The Defense Information Systems Agency’s Workforce 2025 framework is designed to help the agency attract and retain a workforce that “adapts to the ever-changing landscape of IT and cyberspace.”
Policy
Agencies issue rule to ban TikTok on contractor devices
The interim rule amends the Federal Acquisition Regulation to include a ban on the use of TikTok by government contractors and vendors.
Policy
New bill proposes 'made in China' tags for mobile apps
The legislation would require large online app stores — including Apple’s App Store and Google Play — to disclose the countries where their apps were developed and are currently owned.
Artificial Intelligence
AI and China are ‘defining challenges of our time,’ CISA director says
Artificial intelligence’s potential as an “extinction event” for humanity prompted CISA Director Jen Easterly to advise companies to “think about self-regulation” for product security and safety.
Cybersecurity
Unmonitored networks put US nuclear arsenal at risk, GAO finds
A Government Accountability Office report found that the Energy Department cannot effectively monitor potential insider threats to U.S. nuclear security because department staff “have not identified the total number of DOE’s stand-alone classified networks.”
Cybersecurity
DOD Submits Classified Cyber Strategy to Congress
An unclassified fact sheet released by the Pentagon said the new strategy will continue efforts to conduct “hunt forward operations”’ with U.S. allies and “defend forward” activities meant to disrupt threat actors on their own turf.
Digital Government
House Passes Bill to Permanently Authorize VA’s Tech Training Program
VA’s VET-TEC pilot ran out of funding last month, but lawmakers in the House and Senate are moving to permanently authorize the technology education program.
Digital Government
10 Vendors Receive Over Half of VA's IT Contracts, Drawing Lawmaker Concern
A Government Accountability Office representative told House lawmakers that Veterans Affairs’ IT obligations have been “increasingly concentrated with a small group of vendors.”
Policy
DHS Unveils Departmentwide Body Camera Policy
The new guidance restricts law enforcement agencies under DHS’s authority from using body-worn cameras “for the sole purpose of recording individuals who are engaged in activity protected by the First Amendment.”
Cybersecurity
Lawmakers Want DHS to Assess National Security Risks of Doxing
Proposed legislation would require the Department of Homeland Security to “evaluate risks posed to national security and civilian privacy” by the online release of individuals’ personal information.
Modernization
VA Lacks Goals to Assess Satisfaction With New EHR, Watchdog Finds
The report from the Government Accountability Office found that the absence of such goals has limited the agency’s ability to “objectively measure progress toward improving EHRM users’ satisfaction.”
Artificial Intelligence
Senators Introduce Bill to Create Digital and AI Oversight Agency
The legislative proposal would establish a so-called Federal Digital Platform Commission to regulate online services, including those that offer content “primarily generated by algorithmic processes.”
Cybersecurity
‘Continuing Significant Deficiencies’ Hamper VA’s Information Security Controls, Audit Finds
An audit released by the VA Office of Inspector General found that the department “needs to implement improved controls” to address persistent gaps in its information security program.
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