Thrift Savings Plan Participation at an All-Time High
Thrift Savings Plan participation hits a record, with nearly 90% of Federal Employee Retirement System participants contributing enough to receive the full government match. Customer‑service satisfaction with the TSP remains around 94% for more than a year. At the same time, a new inspector‑general analysis shows 21 of the 24 largest federal agencies confronting significant workforce shortages, while the IRS’s AI talent drain and a prolonged TSA shutdown highlight broader human‑capital strains. Additional policy shifts include the Army raising the maximum enlistment age to 42 and the Defense Department revamping chaplain insignia.
Contractors Weigh in on How AI Fits Into GSA Rules that Weren’t Built for It
The General Services Administration issued a draft modification to its Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) to incorporate artificial‑intelligence procurement, but the comment period and implementation timeline are unusually short. Contractors, represented by the Professional Services Council (PSC) and its 400 member...
Four Ways Government Agencies Can Overcome the Azure Skills Gap
Federal agencies are rapidly adopting Microsoft Azure for modernization, security and public‑service delivery, but a shortage of specialized talent threatens progress. The article outlines four practical strategies to close the Azure skills gap: role‑based training, internal Centers of Excellence, strategic...
Could U.S. Pushback on Foreign Data Laws Recast Global Business Operations?
The Trump administration has formally instructed U.S. diplomats to push back against foreign data‑sovereignty and localization mandates. This marks a strategic shift toward encouraging cross‑border data flows to support AI and crypto innovation. Executives warn that divergent regulations in the...
VA Restores AFGE Labor Contract, but Isn’t Implementing It, Court Documents Show
The Department of Veterans Affairs reinstated its master collective bargaining agreement with the American Federation of Government Employees/National Veterans Affairs Council after a Rhode Island federal judge’s preliminary injunction, but court filings show it continues to deny contract‑mandated benefits. More...
CDC Hits Record Number of Volunteers Helping Monitor Global Virus Travel
The CDC’s Traveler‑Based Genomic Surveillance (TGS) program has surpassed one million voluntary participants since its 2021 launch, using anonymous nasal swabs and aircraft wastewater sampling at eight U.S. airports. The effort screens for COVID‑19, influenza, RSV, norovirus, adenovirus and mpox, delivering...
Turning Around an Agency Under Scrutiny: The Challenges Facing BOP Leadership
The Bureau of Prisons (BOP) entered 2026 under new Director William Marshall III and Deputy Director Josh Smith amid back‑to‑back critical reports from the DOJ Inspector General and the GAO. Both oversight bodies flagged chronic staffing shortages, crumbling infrastructure, and...
Strategic Alliance Aims to Accelerate Federally Funded R&D Into Real-World Tech
The Federal Laboratory Consortium (FLC) has entered a three‑year strategic partnership with FedTech to close the gap between federally funded research and market‑ready products. The alliance will list patented lab technologies on the FLC Business portal and task FedTech with...
Judge Sides with New York Times in Challenge to Policy Limiting Reporters’ Access to Pentagon
A federal judge in Washington, D.C., issued an injunction blocking the Trump administration’s Pentagon policy that limited press credentials for reporters who refused new rules. The ruling, brought by The New York Times, found the policy violated the First and...
As HHS Limits Telework, Disabled Veterans Say They’re Running Out of Options for Accommodations
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has tightened its telework policy, barring interim remote work as a reasonable accommodation while requests are processed. The change has created a backlog of over 3,000 accommodation cases at the CDC, with...
The Army National Guard’s New Tool Gives Students a Firsthand Look at Disaster Response
The Army National Guard is launching "Disasterville," a traveling virtual‑reality program that brings three ten‑minute disaster simulations—earthquake, flash flood and wildfire—to high school gymnasiums across the United States this spring. Participants work in teams of five, using VR headsets and...
The University of Texas at El Paso Is Gearing up to Build Drone Tech
The University of Texas at El Paso’s Aerospace Center secured a $2 million congressional grant to expand its unmanned‑air‑system (UAS) capabilities. The funding will upgrade the Tornillo and Fabens test sites with enhanced power, computing, networking, radar, and beyond‑visual‑line‑of‑sight (BVLOS) operations....
New “Drone Killer” Cartridge Aims to Give Marines a Simple, Low‑cost Solution
The Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane has unveiled a Drone Killer Cartridge (DKC) that turns standard‑issue rifles and machine guns into kinetic counter‑UAS tools. By reusing existing cartridge cases, primers and propellant, the round creates a shotgun‑style spread of sub‑projectiles,...
Maximize Your TSP by Minimizing Your Tax
The article explains how federal retirees can optimize Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) withdrawals by integrating tax‑planning strategies. It distinguishes between traditional and Roth TSP rules, outlines penalties for early, non‑qualified distributions, and details required minimum distributions (RMDs) that begin at...
New CBO Federal Outlook Defined by Rising Costs, Imbalances, Tough Choices
The Congressional Budget Office’s 2026‑2036 outlook projects annual deficits of 6‑7% of GDP, pushing total federal debt above the size of the economy by 2026 and setting a record for publicly held debt. Social Security’s trust fund is projected to...
Section 508 Report Eyes Acquisition ‘Lever’
The General Services Administration’s latest Section 508 assessment reveals that fewer than half of federal agencies’ public‑facing ICT—webpages, documents, hardware and software—meet accessibility standards, with only 37% of top‑viewed sites fully compliant. The report highlights a testing bias toward websites and...
Navy Revamping SBIR, STTR Programs with Focus on Speed
The U.S. Navy is overhauling its Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs to speed up technology development and fielding. After a six‑month suspension, the service plans to centralize contract execution in a new Center...
Winning Hearts and Minds: Ensuring Adoption of OPM’s HR 2.0 Initiative
The Office of Personnel Management’s HR 2.0 platform is the most ambitious federal HR‑IT overhaul in decades, but its success depends on more than technology. OPM must adopt a human‑centered change strategy that tackles agency anxiety, loss of flexibility, and fear...
As HHS Looks to Speed up AI in Clinical Care, the Big Questions Are Burden, Trust and What Comes Next
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has closed a major request for information (RFI) to gather public input on speeding AI adoption in clinical care. The initiative follows the OMB’s AI guidance and HHS’s own AI Strategy,...
AI Is Now a Competitive Edge in Federal Capture and Small Firms Need to Adjust Fast
Former VA small‑business director Desmond Brown warns that AI is becoming a decisive advantage in federal contracting and has unveiled an AI‑driven framework that reverse‑engineers RFPs to surface evaluator priorities. He stresses that AI should act as a co‑collaborator, augmenting—not...
US Faces Elevated Terrorism Threats Against Backdrop of Iran War and Cuts at FBI, Justice Department
The United States has experienced three separate extremist attacks in the past week, including a bomb plot at a right‑wing protest, a vehicle‑ramming at a Michigan synagogue, and a classroom shooting in Virginia. These incidents occur as the Iran‑U.S. war...
Navy Adjusts Rollout of Enterprise Safety Reporting System After Shutdown Delays
The U.S. Navy is re‑sequencing its rollout of the Risk Management Information (RMI) system after a 42‑day federal shutdown delayed development and data migration. A phased implementation will span from January through May, beginning with modules that require no historical...
VA Ordered to Restore AFGE Contract Under Federal Judge’s Temporary Order
A Rhode Island federal judge issued a preliminary injunction requiring the Department of Veterans Affairs to reinstate its master collective‑bargaining agreement with the American Federation of Government Employees’ National Veterans Affairs Council, covering over 300,000 workers. The order restores the...
Navy Bolsters Platforms with 5G, Eyes Ship-to-Ship Connections
The Navy’s 5G Integrated Product Team is accelerating the deployment of fifth‑generation wireless across every platform, from small unmanned aerial systems to aircraft carriers. It has successfully tested high‑speed, low‑latency ship‑to‑shore links and is now exploring ship‑to‑ship connectivity using the...
National Security Acquisition Overhaul: Industry Can Play a Positive Role
The Office of Federal Procurement Policy is launching the most extensive overhaul of the Federal Acquisition Regulation in decades, targeting simplicity, speed, and cost savings across the national security acquisition landscape. Legacy processes have been criticized for excessive complexity, lengthy...
DPAA’s Family Update Mission Searches for Answers Worldwide
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) is a congressionally mandated body tasked with locating and identifying missing U.S. service members worldwide. It holds large family‑member update events, the biggest scheduled in Dover, to share case progress and foster closure. Recent...
How New Law Enforcement Pay Rates Affect Federal Retirees
The federal government introduced a 3.8% special pay increase for law‑enforcement personnel, while most other GS employees receive only a 1% raise. Retirees who left on December 31 may see their annual‑leave lump‑sum paid at the prior year’s salary, with a...
Army Launching First Operational Makerspace in Europe
The U.S. Army’s 21st Theater Sustainment Command will open an Innovation Lab in Kaiserslautern, Germany on March 13, marking the first operational makerspace the Army has deployed in Europe. The 10,000‑square‑foot facility links frontline soldiers directly to Army Development Command and...
What Does the IRS Do if Someone Is Kidnapped and Not Able to Pay Taxes?
The IRS has established a protocol to protect taxpayers who are kidnapped or held hostage, placing a “hostage indicator” on their accounts to freeze filings and assessments. The program, developed with the State Department and FBI, was formalized with new...
Feds with Benefits: Healthcare Affordability Part 2 — How Supplemental Benefits From Your FEHB Plan Can Put Money Back in...
The article outlines the wide range of supplemental benefits available through Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB), FEDVIP, and Medicare Advantage plans, including wellness incentives, gym discounts, and Smart Shopper credits. It lists specific reward amounts for popular carriers in the...
As Military AI Divide Widens, Here’s One Path for Agentic Systems
The Aerospace Industries Association released a white paper positioning agentic AI as a powerful enabler for faster defense procurement and supply‑chain decisions. Tim White emphasizes that AI will not replace culture, processes, or workforce but can augment them when paired...
OPM Releases First Round of Tech Force Candidates for Agencies to Consider Hiring
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has issued its first two shared certificates for software‑engineering and data‑engineering candidates, making a vetted pool of talent available to federal agencies for two‑year temporary roles. Each candidate has cleared a technical assessment, resume...
After Deep Staffing Cuts, Agencies Seek Mix of Hiring and AI Tools to Rebuild Capacity
Federal agencies are grappling with massive staffing cuts from the Trump administration, with the General Services Administration shedding nearly 40% of its workforce and the Environmental Protection Agency losing about a quarter. To restore capacity, both agencies are deploying artificial‑intelligence...
Action Needed to Avoid Memory Loss
U.S. federal contractors are facing a severe DRAM and NAND flash shortage driven by AI and data‑center demand, pushing commercial memory prices up more than 500 %. The scarcity is expected to persist through late 2027, with projected triple‑digit price hikes...
CISA Delays Cyber Incident Reporting Town Halls Due to Shutdown
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has postponed its scheduled town‑hall meetings on the Cyber Incident Reporting for Critical Infrastructure Act (CIRCIA) because the Department of Homeland Security remains shut down. The agency also warned that the shutdown will...
State CIOs Have a New Top Priority in 2026
State chief information officers have elevated artificial intelligence to the top of their 2026 agenda, displacing cybersecurity after a 12‑year run. The NASCIO survey shows more than 90% of states are piloting generative AI projects and have established task forces...
Is SDA Getting Ahead of Itself on Missile-Warning Satellites?
The Government Accountability Office released a critical review of the Space Development Agency’s missile‑warning satellite program, highlighting a heavy reliance on contractor‑provided technology‑readiness assessments and an aggressive two‑year acquisition cadence. GAO found that SDA lacks an enterprise‑wide schedule, has limited...
Army Overhauls Direct Commissioning Process to Bring in Civilian Tech Experts Faster
The U.S. Army is revamping its direct‑commissioning program to accelerate the entry of civilian technologists into officer roles. By moving oversight to the Army Recruiting Command and streamlining medical, security, and training steps, the accession timeline has dropped from roughly...
New Bill Would Push Agencies Toward Shared Services for Federal Lending Programs
The bipartisan Federal Loan Systems Modernization Act directs the General Services Administration to create a unified, commercially‑based loan processing platform called Lending.gov. The legislation aims to consolidate more than 175 federal loan programs onto a single technology backbone, eliminating duplicated...
These 2 Recent Cases Confirm DOJ Is Escalating Cyber Enforcement
At the close of 2025 the Department of Justice announced two high‑profile cyber enforcement actions that spotlighted deficient cybersecurity practices among DoD contractors. The first settlement involved Swiss Automation’s breach of the DFARS 7012 clause, which mandates NIST 800‑171 compliance. The second...
OPM’s HR IT Consolidation Effort Hit with New Obstacles
The Office of Personnel Management’s effort to consolidate federal HR IT into a single modern system faces fresh setbacks as IBM and Economic Systems Inc. filed GA GAO protests over their exclusion from a 10‑year, potentially $1 billion contract. The procurement, now...
OPM Revives Defunct Gov Tech Efforts with Tech Force Hires
The Office of Personnel Management has launched the Tech Force initiative, a temporary hiring program that will bring roughly 1,000 early‑career tech workers into federal agencies for two‑to‑four‑year stints. The effort is backed by a coalition of about 30 major...
What DoD’s Anthropic Ban, FY26 Spending Plans Mean for Contractors
The Pentagon has labeled Anthropic a supply‑chain risk, forcing prime contractors and their subcontractors to assess, report, and wind down any reliance on Anthropic’s AI tools. This unprecedented move targets a domestic vendor and extends beyond DoD contracts, prompting agency‑wide...
New Data May Change What We Know About Staffing, Stability, and Capacity on Capitol Hill
Hill Climbers, founded by former House staffer Omar Awan, consolidates decades of congressional staff salary and role data into a single, searchable platform. The tool introduces the Hill Climbers Index, which rates offices on capacity, stability, and structure, offering benchmarks...
Modern Approaches to Closing the Skills Gap in Government
New research shows 76% of talent development professionals view a significant skills gap in government, yet 72% of agencies still depend on traditional classroom instruction. The article outlines four modern approaches—mission‑aligned buy‑in, targeted pilot programs, creative cross‑agency resourcing, and training...
Agencies Aim to Harness AI for Cyber Defense
The upcoming national cyber strategy will make artificial intelligence a cornerstone of federal network security, as emphasized by National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross. Agencies are urged to secure AI use cases while leveraging AI to strengthen information security across government....
Securing Commercial Satellite Networks: A National Security Imperative
Bipartisan senators have reintroduced the Satellite Cybersecurity Act to address growing cyber and electronic‑warfare threats against commercial satellite constellations. Low‑cost systems such as Starlink now underpin military command, intelligence, logistics and civilian services, making them attractive targets. The article highlights...
Wyden Blocks Nominee to Lead NSA and Cyber Command
Senator Ron Wyden has blocked Lt. Gen. Joshua Rudd’s nomination to lead the NSA and U.S. Cyber Command, citing insufficient experience for the urgent cyber threat landscape. Meanwhile, the Army is piloting AI to speed doctrine writing, the Ninth Circuit...
DoD Replaces Paper-Based Access Requests with Automated ICAM Workflow
The Department of Defense is phasing out the decades‑old DD Form 2875, replacing it with an automated Identity, Credential and Access Management (ICAM) workflow. The new system will provision, authorize, and revoke user access within hours, generate immutable audit logs,...
Empowering Public Service: Frontline Readiness for a New Era of Modernization
Federal social service agencies are gearing up for a digital‑first transformation, driven by an administration agenda that emphasizes efficiency, accountability, and stronger security. The inaugural Equifax Social Services Outlook Index shows 100% of frontline workers expect workplace efficiency to improve...