Why the CIO role is increasingly more about business than technology

David Shive is one of the longest-tenured CIOs in all of the federal government. Also vice chair of the Federal CIO Council, Shive has a wealth of knowledge on what it means to be a CIO at the federal level and how the role has evolved over the last decade-plus. Shive, a nominee for the 2026 FedScoop 50 Awards, recently joined the Daily Scoop Podcast to share how he thinks about his role as GSA CIO amid the ongoing AI boom and why IT management inside the government has become as much about good business practices as the technology itself.

The Trump administration and Anduril Industries unveiled plans Tuesday for a new “software-defined” shipyard that will help build attack submarines for the Navy. The announcement comes as the Navy aims to boost its undersea arsenal, which could play a key role in a potential future conflict with China in the Pacific, and President Donald Trump seeks to enhance domestic manufacturing. The Navy has awarded Anduril a contract worth up to $2.9 billion to support the effort, according to a press release from the contractor. The firm plans to invest $3.7 billion of its own funding to help stand up the facility, grow the workforce, and add new tech and other capabilities that will be required for the project. The facility, dubbed Arsenal-2, will be constructed at Tradepoint Atlantic in Baltimore County.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a memorandum that was publicly released on Friday with updated policies to expedite counter-drone technology deployments across U.S. military bases, critical infrastructure, and other domestic assets, as unmanned systems continue to disrupt national security and transform global warfare. The five-page directive, dated Sept. 28, targets specific administrative and procedural bottlenecks that have historically slowed the Defense Department’s counter-drone hardware and software adoption — like radio spectrum and frequency authorization delays and often arduous safety review processes. Notably, this new policy requires review and approval authorities to treat any delays in handling requests associated with DOD’s counter-drone needs as operational risks. Hegseth’s memo appears to serve as an enforcement mechanism for Joint Interagency Task Force 401, which he previously launched to lead the Pentagon’s high-priority counter-drone initiatives.

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