VHA Deploys Agentic AI Operating System to Improve Care Delivery
The Veterans Health Administration has rolled out an agentic AI operating system across more than 150 VA medical centers and outpatient facilities, serving up to 18 million veterans. Built on Salesforce’s Slack platform, the solution unifies clinicians, administrators and caregivers, automating incident response and streamlining workflows. By consolidating data from electronic health records and operational tools, the system reduces administrative burden, accelerates decision‑making, and creates a permanent library of best practices. Initial deployment is followed by pilots that will integrate the AI layer with VA Health Connect for telehealth triage.
NNSA Eyes Human-Machine Teaming to Boost Mission Efficiency
The National Nuclear Security Administration is integrating artificial intelligence into its core missions through human‑machine teaming, using predictive analytics to improve equipment maintenance and cybersecurity. This approach shifts personnel from routine monitoring to higher‑value decision‑making. Simultaneously, NNSA is advancing a...
CYBERCOM 2.0 Seeks to ‘Deny Adversaries Freedom of Maneuver’
The Department of Defense is rolling out CYBERCOM 2.0, a revamped force‑generation model aimed at retaining elite cyber talent, deepening specialization, and preparing for AI‑driven threats. The initiative integrates cyber capabilities across all warfighting domains, treating the cyber sphere as connective...
Federal Leaders Shift Workforce Strategies to Support AI Integration
Federal agencies, led by NASA and the Department of Transportation, are overhauling workforce strategies to accommodate AI‑augmented workflows. They plan to inventory current roles, map skill needs for the next three to six years, and launch upskilling, reskilling, and cross‑skilling...
Inside DOE’s Genesis Mission to Power AI-Driven Science
The Department of Energy’s Genesis Mission is creating an integrated ecosystem that ties together supercomputers, artificial‑intelligence platforms and emerging quantum technologies across its 17 national laboratories. Argonne National Laboratory, leveraging its multidisciplinary CELS Directorate, is positioned to accelerate discovery through...
DHS CISO Departs After Driving AI, Risk-Based Security
Hemant Baidwan stepped down as the Department of Homeland Security’s CISO after a two‑year tenure focused on scaling secure artificial intelligence and accelerating zero‑trust adoption. Under his leadership, DHS transitioned from a compliance‑driven posture to a risk‑based cybersecurity model anchored...
DOW’s Acquisition Overhaul: From Impenetrable Fortress to Innovation Magnet
The Pentagon is overhauling its acquisition system by replacing traditional program managers with Portfolio Acquisition Executives (PAEs) who oversee capability portfolios. A new Challenge‑Based Acquisition model will post problem statements on a unified marketplace, inviting commercial solutions through flexible contracting....
Federal Leaders Lean Into Collaboration to Make OneGov Strategy Work
The White House Office of Federal Procurement Policy highlighted the OneGov Strategy as a unified federal software buying model launched by GSA in April. By consolidating demand across roughly 340,000 employees, OneGov aims to standardize terms, secure volume discounts, and...
Tech Force Signals Shift to Centralized, Skills-Based Federal Hiring
The Office of Personnel Management is launching the first cohort of its Tech Force initiative, placing several hundred technologists into federal roles through a new shared‑certificate system. The program centralizes hiring, using a three‑phase, skills‑based assessment to create a cross‑agency...
Building the Military Health System’s AI Ecosystem
The Defense Health Agency (DHA) has launched a five‑year data strategy to create a secure, interoperable AI ecosystem for the Military Health System. Partnering with Red Hat, DHA is building cloud‑native infrastructure, data lakes, and governance frameworks that can safely scale...
Navy Streamlines Tech Acquisition, Development, Rollout
The Navy’s PEO Digital office is overhauling its technology acquisition by standardizing shared development environments and enterprise services to cut deployment time and reduce user cognitive load. It is expanding access to large‑language models through the GenAI.mil platform while planning...
VA Prepares April Relaunch of EHR Program
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs will restart its electronic health record (EHR) modernization rollout in April, adding four sites, with a total of 13 new sites slated for 2026. The program, originally launched under the Trump administration, has been...
NOAA Improves Geospatial Accuracy With NSRS Modernization
NOAA’s National Geodetic Survey announced a comprehensive overhaul of the National Spatial Reference System, the first update in 40 years. The modernized NSRS incorporates real‑time GPS technology and a new gravity‑based geoid model, delivering finer horizontal and vertical positioning. These...
How to Help Tech Cross the Valley of Death
Leslie Beavers, former Deputy CIO of the Department of Defense, now leads LB Insights to guide firms through the “valley of death” that separates tech innovation from operational deployment. At the Pentagon she helped launch digital modernization programs such as...
Pentagon Policy Reforms Boost Innovation Base, Report Finds
The Ronald Reagan Institute’s National Security Innovation Base Report Card shows the Pentagon’s acquisition reform is gaining traction, lifting the unified technology enterprise grade to B‑ from D+. However, the defense modernization indicator remains stuck at a D, with program...
Labor Department’s New Hub Aims to Prepare Workforce for AI
The U.S. Labor Department launched an AI Workforce Hub to centralize AI literacy tools, the AI Literacy Framework, and hiring guidance for workers and employers. The hub aims to foster collaboration between education, workforce development, and private‑sector partners, addressing rising...
Iran Strikes Showcase American AI, Drone and Cyber Advances
U.S. strikes against Iran, dubbed Operation Epic Fury, showcased the Pentagon’s push toward an AI‑first warfighting posture. AI‑enabled planning tools allowed 900 attacks to be planned and executed within a 12‑hour window, while the low‑cost LUCAS one‑way attack drones provided...
HHS Launches New Cyber Assessment Tool to Secure Health Systems
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has added a cybersecurity assessment module to its Risk Identification and Site Criticality (RISC) toolkit, responding to more than 2,200 cyber incidents reported in 2025. The free, online tool guides hospitals, health...
Federal AI Series: Training and the Workforce
Chad Tetreault, Zscaler’s Public Sector CTO for AI Strategy and Governance, outlined how federal agencies can modernize their AI workforce training. He argued that conventional classroom models lag behind AI’s rapid evolution, recommending "prompt‑athons" to democratize skill acquisition. Hands‑on, mission‑driven...
Army Launches Strategic Capital Initiative to Attract Private Investment
The U.S. Army has launched the Strategic Capital Initiative (SCI), a public‑private partnership model that invites industry to co‑invest in modernizing installations, supply chains, and dual‑use technologies. By shifting funding from congressional appropriations to capital‑market financing, the Army seeks new...
Army’s FUZE Program Speeds Path to Fielding Emerging Tech
The Army’s FUZE Innovation Engine, launched in September, applies a venture‑capital‑style funding model to accelerate defense prototypes and move successful technologies from lab to field in months rather than years. By combining rapid financing with forward‑deployed acquisition officers, FUZE creates...
New Navy Platform Aims to Improve Medical Recordkeeping at Sea
The U.S. Navy is testing the Operational Medical Care Delivery Platform (OPMed CDP), an electronic medical‑records system built to capture patient data aboard ships and sync with U.S. military health networks. Designed to function offline when satellite bandwidth is limited, the...
Staying Ahead of AI-Driven Cyber Threats
At the Zscaler Public Sector Summit, Idaho National Laboratory’s CISO Robert Roser warned that artificial intelligence is accelerating the sophistication of phishing and ransomware attacks targeting government and critical‑infrastructure networks. He noted AI lowers the technical barrier for less‑skilled hackers,...
AI’s Impact on Warfighting Starts With Logistics
Defense Logistics Agency CIO Adarryl Roberts outlined a "connected enterprise" framework that embeds AI across supply‑chain functions, from procurement to finance. The agency is constructing a data‑mesh backbone to feed "control tower" dashboards, giving senior leaders real‑time logistics visibility. Deterministic...
Modernizing Federal Risk Management
Federal agencies are overhauling risk management as artificial intelligence moves from pilot projects to core missions. The AI Risk Management Framework has been refreshed, and NIST introduced the ARIA 0.1 framework to quantify real‑world AI behavior. Simultaneously, quantum‑computing challenges and tight...
CMS Advances Zero Trust, AI Security in IT Modernization Push
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is accelerating its IT modernization by consolidating platforms, expanding shared services, and adopting a zero‑trust cybersecurity framework. Under Director Wade Zarriello, the agency has already exceeded its FY 2025 savings target, cutting $750 million in...
Federal Leaders Confront the Next Wave of AI Security Risks
Federal leaders highlighted escalating AI security risks at Zscaler’s Public Sector Summit, noting that over 70% of AI‑generated code goes unchecked and 90% of AI systems were compromised within 90 minutes in a recent red‑team test. The discussion emphasized the...
New OPM Database Is First Step for Federal HR Modernization
The Office of Personnel Management unveiled the Federal Workforce Data (FWD) platform, superseding the two‑decade‑old FedScope system. FWD delivers monthly refreshed data and interactive tables that illuminate federal employee demographics and agency staffing trends. OPM Director Scott Kupor highlighted the platform’s...
Building the Digital Foundation for Golden Dome
The event showcased how Red Hat and Microsoft intend to build the digital foundation for the Golden Dome, President Trump’s proposed layered air and missile defense system. It emphasized modern software integration, resilient infrastructure, and automation to enable faster decision‑making and...
Defense Officials Highlight ‘Problem-First’ Approach to AI Development
Defense officials at the GovCIO Defense IT Summit urged a shift from technology‑first to problem‑first AI development, emphasizing real‑world data over synthetic sets. The Marine Corps is redefining its acquisition process to start with clear operational problems before applying machine‑learning...
Pentagon Shifts to Data-Centric Security to Boost Resilience
The Pentagon is moving from network‑centric to data‑centric security, embedding zero‑trust principles across the Navy and Marine Corps. Initiatives such as Project Dynamis and the Operation Cattle Drive effort aim to accelerate secure data sharing, reduce technical debt, and modernize...
Navy CTO: Innovation Adoption Kit Breaks the ‘Valley of Death’
The Navy’s Innovation Adoption Kit (IAK) is a new framework that fast‑tracks emerging technologies by using measurable metrics and structured pilot programs. Launched in October, the kit provides a standardized vendor template and a clear path from pilot to production,...
Accelerating Federal Cloud Modernization
Federal agencies are accelerating cloud modernization, but must first close gaps in data readiness, cybersecurity, and legacy infrastructure. Officials from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the Department of Energy, and NinjaOne discussed prerequisites for hybrid and multi‑cloud success....
Navy Pushes AI From Experiments to Everyday Warfighting Functions
The U.S. Navy is moving artificial intelligence from experimental pilots into routine warfighting functions, aiming to embed trustworthy AI across all mission areas. Deputy Director Christopher Page emphasized the need for a common taxonomy and lexicon to ensure data quality...
VA Launches Tech Pilot Portfolio to Accelerate Modernization
The Department of Veterans Affairs has launched a portfolio of technology pilots to fast‑track modernization across its digital services. Led by the Office of Information and Technology, the pilots evaluate Google Workspace, Oracle Cloud, Google Cloud, and a cybersecurity rationalization...
Officials Build Digital Backbone for Federal Health Care Reform
The Trump administration is constructing a federal digital backbone to support the Great Healthcare Plan, focusing on interoperability, patient identity verification, and transparent prescription pricing. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services are advancing a Health Technology Ecosystem that will...
Submit Your Nominations for the 2026 Federal IT Efficiency Flywheel Awards
GovCIO Media & Research announced that nominations are now open for the 2026 Federal IT Efficiency Flywheel Awards, to be presented at the Federal IT Efficiency Summit on May 20 in Reston, Virginia. The awards honor federal employees whose recent programs...
Federal AI Series: Security Priorities
Federal agencies are rapidly integrating artificial intelligence, prompting heightened focus on securing the underlying data and systems. Zscaler’s Federal Field CTO Chad Tetreault outlined the evolving AI threat landscape, highlighting supply‑chain vulnerabilities, data‑poisoning, prompt‑injection, and emerging agentic AI risks. He...
War CIO Seeks Private Partners to Help Modernize Acquisition
The Pentagon launched the Business Operators for National Defense (BOND) program, recruiting up to 250 senior industry executives to work directly with acquisition, engineering, and sustainment teams. The initiative aims to cut bureaucratic delays, speed weapon fielding, and strengthen supply‑chain...
White House CTO Outlines Federal AI Agenda
White House CTO Ethan Klein outlined a federal AI agenda that links government, industry, academia, and philanthropy around three pillars: U.S. leadership in emerging tech, revitalizing the science enterprise, and broad societal benefit. The plan calls for a national AI...
NOAA Nears Rollout of Its Modernized National Spatial Reference System
NOAA's National Geodetic Survey is nearing completion of the modernized National Spatial Reference System, which integrates GPS and GNSS to replace the legacy NAD83 and NAVD88 datums. The new system will deliver centimeter‑level accuracy, streamline surveying, and cut costs for...
Who’s in Charge of AI at Every Federal Agency
Federal agencies are rapidly appointing chief artificial intelligence officers (CAIOs) to comply with President Biden’s 2023 AI executive order and a 2025 Trump administration memo that mandates AI leadership. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has also launched a...
Navy Installations Shift to Continuous Cybersecurity Model
The U.S. Navy is moving to a continuous cybersecurity model that relies on artificial intelligence to detect and mitigate threats in real time. Navy Installations Command (CNIC) is replacing its legacy risk‑management framework with the Cybersecurity Risk Management Construct, emphasizing...
Navy Secretary Outlines AI, Unmanned Tech to Advance Golden Fleet Initiative
U.S. Navy Secretary John Phelan detailed the Golden Fleet initiative, which pairs AI, autonomous systems and distributed shipbuilding to accelerate fleet growth and modernize the maritime industrial base. Central to the plan is ShipOS, an AI‑driven connective platform that integrates...
New NPS Challenge Aims to Rewrite How the Military Builds Missiles
The Department of Defense has long struggled with the high cost and long timelines of traditional missile programs, where a single system can exceed millions of dollars. To counter this, the Naval Postgraduate School introduced the Tactical Missile Innovation Challenge,...
