Weekly Roundup: September 9-13, 2024

O’Malley makes last ditch effort to secure Biden’s budget proposal for Social Security. The commissioner said that without a budget anomaly to boost funding at the agency, the Social Security Administration would need to institute a hiring freeze and would see its workforce fall to a 50-year low.

A Management Agenda for 2025 and beyond: Pivoting from outcomes to results. When it comes to creating a government that solves the country’s big problems, the people just don’t believe it’s happening. Here’s how to fix that. Don Kettl calls for a pivot from outcomes to results. Americans want to know that they’re appreciated and respected for the taxes they pay, that government is devoted to connecting with them in trustworthy and transparent ways, and that government gives them what they want, need, and deserve. This is what the pivot from a focus on outcomes to results means.

Feds Hitting AI Benchmarks So Far, but GAO Warns It Will Be Watching. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) published a report this week saying that federal agencies are hitting the requirements set by the administration’s October 2023 AI executive order (EO) so far. However, GAO officials are letting agencies know that they expected this outcome and will be watching to make sure agencies continue to get it right. The report looked at 13 requirements and acknowledged that the agencies fully met these 13 requirements, laying the groundwork for government-wide AI efforts.

White House Creating Task Force on AI Datacenter Infrastructure. The White House announced on Thursday its plans to launch a new Task Force on AI Datacenter Infrastructure to coordinate policy across government, along with other actions to ensure the United States continues to lead in AI tech.

NSA CCC Chief: Interoperability Powers Fight Against Security Threats. The events of 9/11 – and more recently, the SolarWinds cyber incident – have illuminated a vital lesson. Kristina Walter, chief of the Cybersecurity Collaboration Center (CCC) at the National Security Agency (NSA), emphasized that these incidents underscore the importance of interoperability in creating a unified approach to addressing complex challenges and safeguarding national security.

DoD Quantum Programs Set to Take Off ‘Very Soon,’ Official Says. The advent of quantum computing and sensors will change things “dramatically” for the Department of Defense (DoD) and “very soon,” said John Burke, the undersecretary of Defense for research and engineering (OUSD (R&E)) for science and technology (S&T). The program aims to test quantum computing heuristics and is related to a provision in the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) – which includes several directives pushing the Pentagon to adopt quantum computing for emerging national security missions. 

DISA on Track for Full Thunderdome Implementation by FY2027. With 40 out of 60 planned sites slated for fiscal year (FY) 2024 now operational, the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) is aiming for full deployment of its Thunderdome zero trust network initiative by FY 2027, according to Chris Pymm, DISA’s zero trust portfolio manager. With FY 2024 coming to a close on September 30, the clock is ticking for DISA to meet its initial target of deploying Thunderdome to 60 sites. The larger Department of Defense (DoD) zero trust goal is set for FY 2027, and DISA is on track to meet that deadline, Pymm said.

Commerce Unveils Supply Chain Risk Assessment Tool. The Department of Commerce this week rolled out its new SCALE supply chain risk assessment tool that the agency said will increase the government’s ability to be “more proactive and strategic” about assessing structural supply chain risks across the country. 

GAO: Interior ‘Urgently’ Needs Better Leadership After BLM Tech Project Failure. The GAO is calling for new tech project leadership and oversight at the Department of the Interior following a failed effort to modernize one of the agency’s critical IT systems. According to the government watchdog’s report, the system cost $40 million – triple BLM’s original estimate – and was four years behind schedule.

Watchdog wants more transparency on DOD’s reprogramming of military pay funds. A GAO report published this week did not find that the Defense Department’s reprogramming of funds for service members’ wages and benefits hurt those programs. However, the watchdog did recommend that the Pentagon provide more information to Congress when it realigns such funding.

Strengthening public-private collaboration in the post-Chevron era. The recent U.S. Supreme Court decision to overturn the Chevron doctrine has sent ripples through the regulatory landscape, affecting how U.S. federal agencies interpret laws. The ruling shifts the power of statutory interpretation from agencies to the judiciary. For technology companies, this decision underscores the importance of closely partnering with the government and continuing in the role of trusted partner. The ruling also places greater responsibility on Congress to draft more precise and clear laws to reduce the risk of legal challenges to the law based on ambiguity.

THIS WEEK @ THE CENTER 

NEW REPORTS

• Building future ready governments – Transformational lessons learned from a global shock by Cristina Caballe Fuguet, David Zaharchuk, Kee Won Song. The IBM Institute for Business Value, in cooperation with Oxford Economics, surveyed 635 government leaders in 44 countries who were in positions of organizational authority during the pandemic to understand how specific behaviors and attitudes adopted during the pandemic influenced levels of preparedness for shock-level events in the future. When we isolated different groups of governmental organizations based on performance, the comparison revealed startling differences as well as valuable insights for government leaders as they develop their capacities to respond to a range of potential shock events.
• Realising Trustworthy and Inclusive Artificial Intelligence for Indonesia by Kevin C. Desouza, Marc E. Barda Picavet. Today, artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming societies worldwide, and Indonesia is at a pivotal moment to harness AI’s potential for economic growth, social progress, and improved quality of life. This new IBM report captures another step towards ensuring that AI is developed and deployed in a manner that benefits all segments of society.

RECENT BLOGS 

• Applying Design Principles for Responsible AI in Homeland Security. by Ana Maria Dimand  et. al. The insights from chapter 8 of the IBM Center book, Transforming the Business of Government: Insights on Resiliency, Innovation, and Performance, are especially relevant to homeland security as they underscore the importance of ethical and effective AI deployment in enhancing public trust and operational efficiency. This column summarizes the chapter’s key elements, focusing on their implications and applications for homeland security.
• From the Gridiron to Government: How Tom Brady’s Leadership Insights Can Transform Government Teams  by Michael J. Keegan NEW ART OF LEADERSHIP series exploring NFL great Tom Brady’s HBR article on leadership and how this insights can be used by government leaders to build better teams.

ICYMI – This week Michael Keegan welcomed author and noted futurist, Roger Spitz for a very timely and insight conversation exploring core themes from your latest book, “Disrupt With Impact: Achieve Business Success in an Unpredictable World” (https://bit.ly/47qyVO0).