GAO Prods HHS on Long-Delayed Health Awareness Network
Fifteen years after Congress approved legislation requiring the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop a public health situational awareness network to facilitate information sharing about public health threats, the agency has made little progress toward making that project a reality.
Senate Panel Approves IC Funding Bill With Tech, Cyber Focus
The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on June 22 unanimously approved the Intelligence Authorization Act (IAA) for fiscal year (FY) 2023 to authorize funding, provide legal authorities, and enhance congressional oversight for the U.S. intelligence community (IC).
NSC Cyber Official Hunting for Unified Identity Technology
Amit Mital, senior director for cybersecurity and policy on the White House’s National Security Council (NSC), is on the hunt for a unified and trusted secure digital identity technology that he said has the potential to dramatically reduce identity-based fraud and the success of attempted ransomware attacks.
Gen. Bradley Pyburn Named Chief of Staff at USCYBERCOM
Brig. Gen. Bradley L. Pyburn took over as new Chief of Staff at U.S. Cyber Command on June 9.
Smita Patel Named CIO at Justice Department’s NSD
Smita Patel has been named Chief Information Officer (CIO) at the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ)’s National Security Division (NSD), according to her LinkedIn page.
Education Dept. Names Margaret Glick CIO of Fed Student Aid Office
The Department of Education has named Margaret Glick as the new Chief Information Officer of the agency’s Federal Student Aid Office.

Alternative Data Storage Technologies Still Years Away, GAO Says
While concern in some quarters of the tech world continues to grow about how to keep pace with growing data storage demand, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) concluded in a new report that exotic alternatives – think options like synthetic DNA – to fill the gap are probably still years away.
DoD CDO Spirk: People, Tech, and Culture Spurring Data-Driven Transformation
The Department of Defense (DoD) is using data to accelerate the Pentagon’s digital transformation, and DoD Chief Data Officer David Spirk said that a focus on people, technology, and culture has spurred that transformation.
DoE Needs Work on Managing Data Analytics, Protecting IP, and AI
The Department of Energy (DoE) could improve how it manages its fraud, waste, and abuse practices by improving access to the data used by the agency and its contractors for data analysis, as well as using all tools available to keep the department’s research secure, according to a Nov. 26 DoE Office of the Inspector General (OIG) report.

CISA Issues Revised Cloud Security TRA
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) today issued an updated version of its Cloud Security Technical Reference Architecture (TRA) that serves as guidance for Federal civilian agencies for secure migration to cloud services.
Naval Postgraduate School Partnering with Microsoft for Emerging Tech
The Navy Postgraduate School (NPS) has entered into a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with Microsoft to look to integrate and utilize emerging technologies in service of the warfighter and national security, the Navy announced May 2.
DISA Appoints JWCC Program Manager
The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) has appointed Ryan McArthur to lead its program office for the Department of Defense’s (DoD) Joint Warfighter Cloud Capability (JWCC), according to McArthur’s LinkedIn.

NCD Adds Three More to Staff
The White House’s Office of the National Cyber Director (NCD) has made a few new recent hires to staff up the office and support the office’s mission.
GAO: HHS Still Facing Open High-Priority Cyber Fix Recommendations
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) still needs to address a pair of open cybersecurity priority recommendations related to cybersecurity coordination and implementation of a cybersecurity framework, according to a new report by the Government Accountability Organization (GAO).
Cyber EO Anniversary: Feds Like Order’s Aims, See Unrealistic Timelines
As President Biden’s landmark cybersecurity executive order (EO) approaches its first anniversary on May 12, new research shows that most Federal cybersecurity decision-makers solidly back the aims of the EO, but also think that its initial timelines to implement zero trust security are unrealistic.

Defense Secretary Austin Signs Off on JADC2 Strategy
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin signed and approved the Department of Defense’s (DoD) Joint All Domain Command and Control (JADC2) strategy document last month, marking an official start to the marathon to implement the data-sharing strategy across the military, the Pentagon said at a June 4 press conference.
GAO: OMB Data Center Definition Change Creates Cyber Vulnerability
A 2019 tweak by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to the definition of a data center – and thus how the Federal government proceeds with its Data Center Optimization Initiative (DCOI) aimed at sharply cutting the number of data centers that Federal agencies operate – is having the effect of leaving the government more vulnerable to cyberattacks, a Government Accountability Office (GAO) official concurred today.
Adapting to New Tech and Cybersecurity Key to Data Center Optimization
As agencies have continued to close data centers by participating in the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) Data Center Optimization Initiative (DCOI), adapting to new technologies and cybersecurity must be front of mind for these closures, a Government Accountability Office expert said today.