Weekly Roundup: June 16-20, 2025

Submitted by on Fri, 06/20/2025 - 16:37
Friday, June 20, 2025
Michael J. Keegan
Articles & insights of interest in public management & leadership for the week ending June 20, 2025

Artificial Intelligence

TSA Using AI to Enhance GEOINT Data. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is looking at how it can integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into its Geographic Information Infrastructure (GII), which is a shared sensitive but unclassified platform that provides critical geospatial capabilities across the Homeland Security Enterprise. By leveraging the platform, TSA can share mission-critical intelligence across the Homeland Security Enterprise and inform operational decisions at key transportation nodes.

Senators Want to Harness AI to Reduce Medicare Fraud. Bipartisan legislation introduced in the Senate aims to reduce fraud, waste, and abuse in the Medicare system by harnessing artificial intelligence technologies for that task. The Medicare Transaction Fraud Prevention Act is being sponsored by Sens. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., and Tim Sheehy, R-Mont. Among other provisions, the bill would create a pilot program that would test a “predictive risk-scoring algorithm to provide oversight of payments for durable medical equipment and clinical diagnostic laboratory tests under the Medicare program.” Harnessing AI’s power to identify potential waste, fraud, and abuse will help strengthen the Medicare system.

Defense

Defense Officials: Smarter Data Use Key to Crisis-Ready Military. U.S. military officials said today that for responding swiftly and effectively during crises real-time data is now as critical as boots on the ground — and that’s why military services are making data management a top priority, aiming to enable smarter decisions, sharper resource deployment, and clearer communications when it matters most.

Pentagon Official Details DoD’s Plan to ‘Blow Up’ RMF. The RMF implements the Federal Information Security Modernization Act (FISMA) and ensures compliance. Rob Vietmeyer, the chief software officer at the DoD, explained that changes to the RMF are about moving from a process that is compliance-focused to a real-time cyber posture.

GAO: DoD Must Improve Speed, Innovation in Weapons Systems Programs. The Department of Defense (DoD) continues to stumble in delivering innovative technologies to its weapons systems programs, prompting the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to urge the Pentagon to adopt modern development practices or risk more delays, rigid requirements, and runaway costs. In its latest Weapon Systems Annual Assessment, the GAO found that cost growth in the DoD’s major defense acquisition program (MDAP) portfolio was driven by development delays, inflation, and other compounding factors. With nearly $2.4 trillion committed to its costliest programs, GAO urged DoD to act decisively to modernize its practices and deliver timely, effective capabilities to the warfighter.

GAO: Army Falling Short on Modern Design Tools, Development Practices. The U.S. Army is working to modernize its air and missile defense systems, but its failure to fully adopt modern design tools and industry best practices has slowed progress and may be driving up costs. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a recent report noting that the Army has not consistently applied leading product development approaches – particularly iterative development and the use of methods like digital twins – to its air and missile defense programs, including those targeting drone threats. DoD agreed with all GAO recommendations.

Leadership

Let Go of the Beliefs That Limit How You Lead. Details. Many of us have internal beliefs—I need it done now, I know I’m right, I need to be involved—that feel like truth but actually hold us back as leaders. Executive coach Muriel Wilkins calls these counterproductive beliefs “hidden blockers,” and she explains the process of identifying theirs and then reframing them. She shares how leaders can encourage mindset shifts in their organizations, beginning with themselves, and how to create conditions that allow others to examine what’s driving their behavior without judgment or overreach.

In Turbulent Times, Consider “Strategic Subtraction”. In an era marked by constant uncertainty and where every competitor is racing to add more features, channels, data, and spend, the real differentiator for organizations is the courage to remove. Subtractive actions can be a powerful way of dealing with emerging situations where resources are tight. However, they’re shortsighted if the goal is only to improve efficiency at the cost of other objectives. Strategic subtraction can help you innovate in a way that positions your organization to withstand the tumult and even rebound.

Acquisition

FAR Overhaul: Council Updates IT, Commtech Section. The Federal Acquisition Regulatory (FAR) Council has released new model deviation text as part of the ongoing Revolutionary FAR Overhaul (RFO) Initiative, including an updated section related to the acquisition of IT and communications technology. In addition to the updated technology section, the FAR Council also updated two other sections related to emergency acquisitions and contract modifications. The updates are in accordance with President Donald Trump’s April executive order that aims to simplify the FAR to make it more efficient.

Science and Technology

NSF Looking for Feedback on TIP Directorate’s Focus Areas. The National Science Foundation (NSF) is looking for input on potential updates to the technology focus areas of its Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (TIP). In a request for information (RFI) published to the Federal Register on Friday, NSF said it is looking for feedback to help inform an assessment and potential update of the list of 10 key technology focus areas for the TIP directorate.

NIST Seeks Input on Newly Announced Chatbot. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) wants feedback on a newly developed chatbot for its National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE) to streamline the cybersecurity guidelines that it creates. “The NCCoE identified a potential application for a chatbot to support its mission and developed a secure, internal-use chatbot to assist NCCoE staff with discovering and summarizing cybersecurity guidelines tailored to specific audiences or use cases,” Public comment on the NIST report for its chatbot is available until August 4 at midnight. 

Energy

DoE to Launch 3 Small Nuclear Reactors by 2026. The Department of Energy (DoE) will have at least three small modular reactors (SMRs) running by July of next year, Energy Secretary Chris Wright told Congress on Wednesday. SMRs are compact nuclear reactors designed for scalable and safer power generation. Wright also cited authority granted under an executive order from President Donald Trump last month that allows the Energy Department to bypass the independent Nuclear Regulatory Commission in approving advanced reactor designs and projects. 

Workforce

GAO Tells OPM It Should Issue Remote Work Guidance. A new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) is urging the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to issue new guidance for agencies that are offering remote work. According to the GAO, over 200,000 federal employees – nine percent of the federal workforce – worked remotely across the country as of June 2024. GAO is recommending that OPM issue guidance for agencies to assess the benefits and costs when offering remote work positions, “including its effects on the mission and outcomes of the agency, employee recruitment and retention, and operational costs.”

Case Study: Do We Reskill or Replace Our Workforce? Leaders are worried that longtime workers will balk at learning new skills and end up quitting, causing the company to lose hundreds of years of cumulative experience. The CEO is now unsure of how to proceed.

THIS WEEK @ THE CENTER 

RECENT BLOGS

ICYMI – Harnessing the Strengths of both Human Leaders and AI Systems: A Conversation with Dr. Shanda Gore  This week Michael Keegan welcomed Dr. Shanda Gore, author, The PinLeader Path to explore how the frameworks in The PinLeader Path help leaders communicate their vision and build trust across these groups, what strategies government agencies can use to identify and nurture future leaders, and why the significance of the metaphor of the pin?