Department of Transportation fills CIO vacancy

The Department of Transportation has hired Cordell Schachter to be CIO.

Schachter joined the department Aug. 30, a DOT official told FedScoop. He replaces Deputy CIO Jack Albright who had been serving in the role in an acting capacity since former CIO Ryan Cote stepped away from the role in January during the transition to the Biden administration.

“As U.S. DOT Chief Information Officer, I look forward to supporting the work of Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Deputy Secretary Polly Trottenberg, and the entire Biden-Harris administration to Build Back Better to provide greater equity when improving the nation’s infrastructure,” Schachter said in a statement to FedScoop.

As the former longtime CTO of the New York City Department of Transportation, Schachter comes to the role with a wealth of experience. In that role, Schachter said he helped lead NYC’s DOT when responding to crises such as restoration after Superstorm Sandy in 2012 and the recent transition to telework during COVID-19.

Prior to his 13-year run with NYC’s DOT, he also worked for NYC’s Department of IT and in a variety of private-sector IT management positions with Avaya, IBM and AT&T. He also spent more than a decade early in his career with the city’s Department of Parks and Recreation.

Schachter is also an adjunct professor in NYU’s Center for Urban Science and Progress and Wagner School of Public Service.

Navy to stand up new AI and unmanned system task force

The Navy’s 5th Fleet in Central Command is establishing a new task force focused on integrating artificial intelligence with new unmanned systems, officials told reporters Wednesday.

Task Force 59, which will officially launch Sept. 9, will pull technical experts along with outside advisors from offices like the Joint AI Center to test new AI and unmanned tech. The work will focus on integrating new AI tech into unmanned systems across domains, not just the aerial systems currently in development.

“Think of it as going on offensive with unmanned,” Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, commander U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, said.

The task force will focus on testing new tech and integrating systems, and is intended to play a key role in the International Maritime Exercise (IMX) scheduled for early 2022. IMX is a military exercise that has regularly taken place since 2012, which the Naval Forces Central Command conducts alongside other nations.

The Navy has several offices working on unmanned vessels that have launched successful tests, and in March unveiled a new unmanned campaign.

Its strategy focuses on enabling maritime operations with manned and unmanned systems working along side each other. The plan received mixed reactions in Congress, which ultimately will need to fund the unmanned platforms the Navy plans to request.

One of the integration problems the task force will look at is building trust between operators and machines.

“It is really about building trust between the human and the machine,” Captain Michael Brasseur, the commodore for Task Force 59, said on the call with reporters.

Task Force 59 will be stood up in Central Command as it’s very “maritime centric,” Cooper said. The area also present a range a challenges to test tech against, including rough seas, hostile adversaries and unpredictable weather.

“The concept here is if you can operate here you can probably operate in other areas,” Cooper added.

Commerce establishes National AI Advisory Committee

The Department of Commerce has set up a committee to advise the president and other federal agencies on artificial intelligence issues, Secretary Gina Raimondo announced Wednesday.

It seeks to recruit top-level talent to serve on the new panel, which is called the National AI Advisory Committee. DOC also seeks members for a new AI and Law Enforcement subcommittee.

DOC and the National AI Initiative Office formed the committee, in accordance with the National AI Initiative Act of 2020. It will issue recommendations on U.S. AI competitiveness, workforce equity, funding, research and development, international cooperation, and legal issues.

“We have seen major advances in the design, development and use of AI, especially in the past several years,” said Eric Lander, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, in a statement. “We must be sure that these advances are matched by similar progress in ensuring that AI is trustworthy and that it ensures fairness and protections for civil rights.”

NAIAC will consist of members from academia, industry, nonprofits and federal laboratories.

Meanwhile the National Institute of Standards and Technology continues to develop guidance on trustworthy, explainable AI and will offer administrative support to the committee.

Nominations for NAIAC and its subcommittee nominations will occur on a rolling basis, with new members to be considered as vacancies arise.

State Department made little progress on online passport renewal the last decade

The State Department made “virtually no progress” on two passport systems projects, one of which would allow people to renew passports online, over the last decade, according to an Office of Inspector General report released Tuesday.

OIG found that, within the Bureau of Consular Affairs, the Passport Services Directorate (CA/PPT) relies too heavily on the Office of Consular Systems and Technology (CA/CST) to manage its IT modernization initiatives.

That over-reliance delayed both the Online Passport Renewal and Next Generation Passport systems, which are part of the ConsularOne program started in 2009 and that spent $59 million on passport projects as of December 2020.

“Had the Online Passport Renewal system been available, CA/PPT could have pivoted to remote work and kept a greater portion of the incoming passport applications moving throughout the COVID-19 pandemic-related maximum telework orders in 2020,” reads the report. “However, since the system was unavailable, CA/PPT staff were required to return to the office sooner than other department employees to address the backlog of passport applications that accumulated during the pandemic’s first few months.”

Only 13,002 passports were issued in May 2020, compared to 1.8 million in May 2019, and revenue consequently dropped from $852 million to $646 million.

System objectives for both systems in the fiscal 2020-2022 Passport Services’ Strategic Plan were “essentially unchanged” from plans dating back to fiscal 2010, according to the report.

OIG found CA/CST has yet to establish a “sufficient” test environment that supports multiple scenarios for the Online Passport Renewal system. The office began with an agile development approach before reverting to a phased, sequential process.

As for the Next Generation Passport system, CA/CST struggled to develop software that could interface with new passport printers for printing more secure passports — delaying a pilot until March 2021.

While CA/CST was not part of OIG’s investigation, an investigation of the ConsularOne program was subsequently launched in the spring.

For its part, CA/PPT lacked project management processes like a collaborative performance evaluation plan, communication plan and risk management strategy. The directorate’s staff was also unfamiliar with project communication plans and didn’t document points of contact for each project, according to the report.

CA/PPT and CA/CST further failed to coordinate on interdependent project tasks and communication and planning. CA/CST couldn’t provide CA/PPT with project timelines.

As a result, OIG recommended CA implement department project management processes.

CA/PPT’s SharePoint site contained broken hyperlinks and performance award information that hadn’t been updated since 2015. And its FAQ forum, PPT Answers, hadn’t operated since 2018, so OIG recommended CA ensure content was regularly refreshed.

Lastly OIG recommended CA implement a storage process for archived advisory opinions on citizenship and passport adjudication issues, so they’d be searchable and readily retrievable.

CA concurred with all three recommendations in its July 29 response.

How federal agencies are shifting IT investment strategies

When it comes to mission critical operations and the IT that supports them, federal government IT officials and influencers see a compelling return on investment for a hybrid IT model, according to a new FedScoop research study.

According to respondents in the survey, 75% agree that establishing a hybrid IT environment — both on-prem and in the cloud — offers the best ROI over the next three to five years. 

Read the full report.

The survey, “The Hybrid Cloud Debate,” produced by FedScoop and underwritten by Hewlett Packard Enterprise, asked 212 IT decision makers from federal civilian, defense and intelligence agencies — plus system integrators — about their post-pandemic IT strategies and priorities. 

Among the findings, 76% of respondents agree that modernizing or upgrading their existing data center operations offers the best ROI over the next three to five years. But nearly as many also agree that moving existing data center operations to a federally-authorized cloud (68%), or to a dedicated private cloud platform (64%) — also offer strong returns on IT investments over that time frame as well.

While agencies differ on what mix of cloud and on-prem structure works best, respondents indicate their agencies are committed to a hybrid model. Looking ahead two years from now, fully 41% of respondents — a reduction from 50% currently — expect their agencies will devote 70% or more of IT spending to on-prem infrastructure, applications and IT services. 

“When considering aspects of on-prem versus cloud, how the data is secure in transit and at rest always needs to be the leading decision factor,” shared Scott Cassady, sales director for U.S. public sector PointNext Services at Hewlett Packard Enterprise, after an initial review of the report’s findings. 

The study examines the biggest motivators and challenges that small, medium and large agencies face in pursuing pay-on-demand, or IT-as-a-service solutions in managing their IT operations. IT gauges current perceptions about the costs of moving data in and out of cloud platforms and whether agencies believe they have the requisite skills to develop and maintain a hybrid cloud environment.

Fortunately for federal agencies, a shortage of in-house IT skills agencies familiar with how to build and operate a hybrid cloud environment appears not to be as dire a concern as it once was.

“Today, agencies can leverage cloud — either on- or off-premises — where refactoring and recoding is never a requirement to be operational,” said Cassady.

The study concludes with suggestions on what agencies should consider as they continue to build out their hybrid IT environments.

Download the report, “The Hybrid Cloud Debate” to read more about what agency leaders are considering as they create their hybrid IT strategies.

This article was produced by FedScoop and sponsored by Hewlett Packard Enterprise.

GSA names Raylene Yung director of Tech Modernization Fund

The General Services Administration has appointed Raylene Yung as executive director of the Technology Modernization Fund.

She joins the organization after stepping down as CEO of the nonprofit U.S. Digital Response, which she helped to found in March 2020.

Yung will oversee the Technology Modernization Fund Program Management Office, which was authorized by the Modernizing Government Technology Act of 2017, and will be tasked with giving agencies additional ways to deliver services to the American public more quickly and efficiently.

She has over 10 years of experience in technology across the private sector, government and nonprofit organizations. Previously she was a member of the Biden-Harris transition team identifying key policy priorities for the administration with a critical technical focus.

GSA Administrator Robin Carnahan said in a statement on Yung’s appointment: “The future of government services is digital.”

“Modernizing technology means delivering a better experience for the public, securing our nation’s infrastructure, creating shared services that save taxpayers money and addressing the critical challenges of climate change and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic,” Carnahan said. “Raylene brings a wealth of experience in technology policy and the private sector that will help us more effectively rethink the way we invest in modernizing our nation’s digital infrastructure. We look forward to having her on the team.”

Yung’s appointment comes as the TMF has received a $1 billion injection of capital from the American Rescue Plan Act and the team behind it must now work to deliver funding to agencies at a scale unprecedented for the fund.

According to Federal CIO Clare Martorana, the Technology Modernization Board has received over 100 proposals for projects, totaling more than $2 billion, since funding was appropriated in March through the American Rescue Plan.

Late last week, the House Committee on Oversight and Reform voted to adopt an amendment as part of the fiscal 2022 budget reconciliation process that could provide an extra $3 billion for federal IT modernization, including $1 billion for the Technology Modernization Fund.

Air Force awards potential $46B digital engineering contract vehicle

The Air Force awarded a major digital engineering contract to 55 companies that aims to increase the service’s ability to work on digital designs of its future platforms.

The $46 billion indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity initially only obligated $55,000 in research and development funds for fiscal 2020 and 2021 at the time of award, according to a Department of Defense press release. Air Force Officials have previously stated high interest in developing the ability to digitally design and test hardware like airplanes before they go into production, a capability served by digital engineer.

The procurement is for digital engineering and model-based systems engineering. Contractors will also provide services to support agile processes, open systems architecture and weapons and enterprise analytics.

By building virtual environments that simulate the physical conditions a weapon system or airplane will sustain during use, the Air Force could optimize designs before they are physically created and tested in the real world. The prospective tech that could save the department both time and money, officials have said.

The service has been working to advance digital engineering practices internally and with contractors. Former head of acquisition, technology and logistics, Will Roper, pitched companies on using the Air Force’s own tech stack to mixed reactions.

Companies selected for potential future task orders include both major defense contractors such as Booz Allen Hamilton and Lockheed Martin, and smaller startups like Shield AI.

OMB publishes zero-trust draft strategy

The Office of Management and Budget published a draft strategy Tuesday that will clarify key zero-trust priorities for civilian agencies as they roll out the cybersecurity architecture over the next few years.

Alongside the proposals issued, the Cyber and Infrastructure Security Agency also released a new cloud security technical reference architecture (TRA) and zero-trust maturity model to guide implementation.

Both agencies are seeking public feedback on the draft documents, which they hope will further strengthen the plans.

Top priorities identified in OMB’s new strategy include consolidating agency identity systems, combatting phishing through strong multifactor authentication and treating internal networks as untrusted. It also spells out the need to encrypt traffic and strengthen application security.

The new federal zero-trust strategy is intended to focus government departments on key security outcomes and to set baseline policy and technology requirements. It supports the executive order on cybersecurity issued by President Biden in May, which reignited the push to zero trust.

OMB and CISA publish the documents as part of a long-running campaign to push federal agencies to adopt zero-trust architecture — a strategic initiative that helps prevent successful data breaches by eliminating the concept of trust from an organization’s network architecture.

“Moving to zero-trust architectures will by a multi-year journey for federal agencies, and the government will learn and adjust along the way as new practices and technologies emerge,” OMB said.

CISA’s new cloud security technical reference architecture and zero-trust maturity model were developed as part of a multi-agency effort with contributions from the U.S. Digital Service and the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP). The technical reference architecture and zero-trust maturity model are intended to provide agencies with guidance on a range of cloud security-related issues.

“With today’s zero trust announcement, we are clearly driving home the message to federal agencies that they should not automatically trust anything inside or outside of their perimeters,” Federal CIO Clare Martorana said in a release. “They must verify anything and everything trying to connect to their systems before granting access. This is an expectation in a modern technology environment and we look forward to this public comment process to make our strategy even stronger.”

Federal CISO Chris DeRusha said: “The federal government’s approach to cybersecurity must rapidly evolve to keep pace with our adversaries, and moving toward zero trust principles is the road we need to travel to get there … While we feel the urgency to begin implementing this plan, we know that input from the broader community of experts will help ensure it is the right plan. We welcome feedback on how we can refine this strategy to best advance federal cybersecurity.”

DOD deputy secretary sets Jan. 1 deadline for transferal of chief management officer assets

Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks has set a deadline of Jan. 1, 2022 for the transferal of assets and responsibilities from the now-abolished office of the chief management officer to other officials or organizations.

In a memo to senior Pentagon staff on Wednesday, the defense leader outlined a plan for the reallocation of responsibilities, including those of data oversight, which now fall to the agency’s CIO and chief data officer.

“[E]ach responsibility assigned to, and the personnel, functions, and assets of, the chief management officer of the Department of Defense, as of January 1, 2021, shall be transferred to another official or organization no later than January 1, 2022,” Hicks wrote in the memo.

The Pentagon in January this year abandoned the CMO role, which was created to overhaul business practices and oversee tech reform within the department. The decision to disestablish the role followed a recommendation from the DOD advisory board.

Other responsibilities that will be reassigned include that of defense reform and performance improvement, which now fall to the director of administration and management.

Responsibilities for defense business systems now also fall to the DOD comptroller, as well as the CIO.

According to the memo, the assistant to the secretary of defense for intelligence oversight will  now take responsibility for privacy, civil liberties and transparency and regulatory oversight.

The Defense Business Council will also be tri-chaired on an interim basis by the director of administration and management, the chief financial officer, and the DOD CIO.

“These realignments of former CMO responsibilities represent only the latest step in the ongoing efforts to improve strategic-level management and oversight at the highest levels of the Department,” added Hicks. “We will review these arrangements after one year to assess any potential need for adjustments.”

House Oversight Committee approves extra $3B for IT modernization in budget markup

The House Committee on Oversight and Reform has voted to adopt an amendment as part of the fiscal 2022 budget reconciliation process that could provide an extra  $3 billion for federal IT modernization.

If it passes into law, the proposed change would allocate $2 billion for the Federal Citizen Service Fund to improve federal cybersecurity and the delivery of critical services, as well as $1 billion for the Technology Modernization Fund.

The amendment would also give the Office of Management and Budget $350 million for IT oversight and reform. It would provide extra support for U.S. Digital Service projects such as a forthcoming climate and economic justice screening tool.

Following the markup, the reconciliation package now moves to the floor of the House for further consideration by lawmakers. The legislation was introduced to the Senate early last month and passed the upper chamber on Aug. 11.

In a statement, the House committee said it sought to provide “crucial funding” to improve cybersecurity and to modernize federal technology. The $1 billion for the TMF is intended to facilitate the modernization of high-priority federal systems.

Chairwoman of the committee, Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., said she looked forward to continuing working with the Biden administration and members of the House and Senate to pass the legislation.

The amendment was proposed by Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va.