DOD is putting the final touches on a new zero trust assessment standard; agencies have cleared AI executive order’s talent benchmarks

A new assessment standard to guide how Pentagon components evaluate and approve zero-trust cybersecurity solutions for responsible use will soon be finalized and ready for release, according to a senior official overseeing its making. During FedTalks 2024, hosted by Scoop News Group on Tuesday, Les Call — director of the DOD’s Zero Trust Portfolio Management Office — provided the latest update on his team’s unfolding pursuits to drive this implementation, and to continue “progressing at a fast rate.” Call said Pentagon officials are working closely with a range of industry partners and representatives, including the Cloud Security Alliance, to pinpoint compliant capabilities that can accelerate DOD components’ paths to fully achieving zero trust.

A key component of the landmark executive order on artificial intelligence issued by President Joe Biden last year was to meet a handful of requirements aimed at bolstering the AI talent pool throughout the federal government. And according to a new Government Accountability Office report, those benchmarks have been cleared. The congressional watchdog said Monday that 13 AI management and talent requirements in Biden’s order were fully implemented by the March 2024 deadline, checking off boxes that the GAO said would effectively lay the groundwork for governmentwide AI efforts.

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