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Office of Personnel Management to Upgrade FedScope for Better Data Access
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The U.S. Office of Personnel Management will overhaul its FedScope platform.

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management, or OPM, plans to upgrade FedScope, a platform that provides statistics of federal employment. The agency announced in a press release on Tuesday that the move of the site is part of a broader effort to modernize its data and digital platforms.

Changes to FedScope

Changes to the FedScope website have already started, including publishing updated data on employment, accessions and separations through March. OPM plans to further enhance the platform in the coming months by adding interactive visuals, thorough datasets and response mechanisms to answer common queries about federal employment. The new website is expected to launch by fall, seeking to address the needs of researchers, journalists, federal managers and the public.

According to the Federal News Network, the current data on the FedScope website does not completely reflect the federal workforce overhauls during the Trump administration.

The Government Accountability Office previously recommended in a 2016 report that the OPM should modernize its FedScope platform and improve the availability of payroll data in the Enterprise Human Resources Integration system.

Remarks by OPM’s Chuck Ezell

Commenting on the overhaul of FedScope, OPM Acting Director Chuck Ezell said, “Data transparency is essential to building trust in the federal government.”

“By modernizing FedScope, weʼre delivering on our promise to make federal workforce data easier to access and understand, ensuring the public and agencies alike have the information they need to make informed decisions.”

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DISA Director Highlights Need for Proactive Approach to Cybersecurity
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DISA Director Lt. Gen. Paul Stanton urges cyber professionals to take a proactive approach to cybersecurity.

Army Lt. Gen. Paul Stanton, Defense Information Systems Agency director and commander of the Department of Defense Cyber Defense Command, has urged cyber professionals to shift from a reactive cyber incident response to a proactive mindset to better protect the Department of Defense Information Network from adversaries.

Speaking at a fireside chat at the recent HammerCon convention, Stanton stressed that cybersecurity is not about reacting to random incidents, but anticipating the moves of adversaries and imposing costs on them.

“Don’t randomly chase incidents. Don’t chase events. Think in context. Think about what the enemy is attempting to accomplish. Think about what missions are relevant to us. Think about where our missions and the enemy’s intent and capabilities overlap, and in the center of that Venn diagram, build your engagement area, and then beat the enemy,” the DISA director said.

Embracing a Warfighting Mindset in Combating Cyberthreats

Stanton highlighted the need to view cybersecurity through a warfighting lens and the importance of applying warfighting principles to cyber defense, prioritizing missions, identifying enemy intent, and focusing resources on defending what matters most, drawing on his military experience, including leading soldiers in combat during the initial invasion of Iraq.

“Attempting to defend everything effectively defends nothing, because you spread yourself too thin,” said Stanton.

To enhance DODIN security further, Stanton recommended modernizing the architecture and developing a workforce with the skills to operate the network. He described DODIN as a weapon system that requires rigorous training and a certain level of understanding, noting the complex process associated with the configuration of a zero trust environment.

“If you don’t understand the tools that are inherent to it, then you’re not going to configure it right,” the DISA director explained. “If you don’t configure it right, then you’ve wrapped yourself in a false blanket of confidence that you have security.”

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Can the DOD Build a Unified IT Ecosystem?
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Acting DOD CIO Katie Arrington introduces Mission Network as a Service, a forthcoming unified data-sharing ecosystem.

The Department of Defense this year, like much of the federal government, is undergoing changes, reevaluations and reforms, prompted by the new Trump administration. One forthcoming line of effort raised by senior Pentagon officials is a potential unified information ecosystem that encourages accessible data access and breaking down siloed or stovepiped individual tech systems, allowing them to all work as one.

Acting DOD Chief Information Officer Katie Arrington said at a recent conference that she’s angling to create a “Mission Network as a Service” system. This would, presumably, be modeled after “as-a-service” subscription-based delivery methods for software, infrastructure and other tech offerings, which are provided via the internet rather than managed on-premises.

“I’m collapsing all the disparate networks,” Arrington, who won GovCon’s top prize, the Wash100 Award in 2020, said, according to MeriTalk. “It’s all getting collapsed into one.”

At the Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 Navy Summit, there will be a panel focused on how to achieve a unified IT architecture through modernization. Experts sitting for the Aug. 26 discussion include PEO Digital Executive Director Jeffery Proudfoot; Navy Enterprise Networks and Cybersecurity Director Scott St. Pierre; and Office of Naval Research Global CIO Christian Williams. Don’t miss this highly informative defense IT dialog!

“You can’t be lethal and ready if you’re not efficient, right? So, let’s get the efficiency.”

Why Create Mission Network as a Service?

Arrington said she has quickly become frustrated with how, unlike in industry, access to DOD data is often dictated by location and division.

“How are we so far behind?” she asked when comparing to the private sector. “We have to do better … I can’t go to any command I want to and put my CAC [Common Access Card] in and access data. Is that crazy?”

The CIO clarified that “tenants” on the “core, central fabric” would have the ability to develop individualized and customized programs for their own purposes, they just need to build them to be able to converse and connect with the rest of the ecosystem. And, of course, someone’s clearance level would determine what amount of data within the system they could see.

This all comes back, in the spirit of Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency to consolidation and strengthened operations by trimming fat, she explained.

“You can’t be lethal and ready if you’re not efficient, right? So, let’s get the efficiency,” Arrington declared.

Who Is Katie Arrington?

Arrington is currently performing the duties of the CIO for all of DOD. It isn’t the first time she’s served at the Pentagon. During the first Trump administration, she was the first chief information security officer for the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, wherein she worked to build up and integrate cybersecurity defense for acquisition and sustainment activities.

Notably, she directed and oversaw the team that established the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification; her career has in large part been dedicated to cyber pursuits.

The experienced public and private sector executive has held roles at Exiger and Booz Allen Hamilton and was an elected member of the South Carolina House of Representatives.

The 2025 Navy Summit is fast approaching. Come to the Hilton McLean on Aug. 26 to have all of your burning questions about that service’s unified IT efforts answered by industry-leading experts. Stay for fast-paced GovCon networking in a high-level environment.

Can the DOD Build a Unified IT Ecosystem?
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SDA Seeks Proposals for Tranche 2 Demonstration and Experimentation System Europa Program
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SDA issued a request for proposals for the Tranche 2 Demonstration and Experimentation System Europa Program

The Space Development Agency has issued a request for proposals, under an other transaction solicitation, for the Tranche 2 Demonstration and Experimentation System, or T2DES, Europa Program.

According to the notice posted on SAM.gov Tuesday, interested prime contractors included in the Hybrid Acquisition of Low-Earth Orbit, or HALO, pool can send their proposals for the Europa program until July 28.

What Is the Europa Program?

The Europa program is a demonstration effort by SDA that will be integrated into the T2DES. It aims to demonstrate technologies and methodologies refined through the program that could be incorporated into the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture, or PWSA.

SDA Seeks Proposals for Tranche 2 Demonstration and Experimentation System Europa Program

Join the 2025 Air and Space Summit on July 31 to learn about the latest initiatives to strengthen air and space defense, such as the Europa Program.

SDA intends to implement a two-phase down-select with two distinct opportunity tracks. The first track invites proposals for a two-space vehicle demonstration that is anticipated to be developed and tested 12 to 18 months before launch and spend one year in orbit for testing. The second track involves seeking proposals for commercial technologies that comply with Europa’s objectives. This includes six months of on-orbit demonstrations, commencing within three to six months of contract award.

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DCSA Announces Personnel Vetting Directorate
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DCSA Director David Cattler unveiled the newly realigned Personnel Vetting directorate, formerly Personnel Security

David Cattler, director of the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency, has approved the new organizational structure of the newly realigned Personnel Vetting directorate as part of DCSA’s efforts to drive innovation, continuous improvement and efficiency across the agency. 

“The implementation of this important transformation not only strengthens DCSA’s security posture but also enhances public trust in the agency’s ability to protect the nation’s sensitive information and assets,” Cattler said in a statement published Monday.

DCSA Personnel Vetting Directorate’s Leadership Team

DCSA said Mark Sherwin, assistant director for personnel vetting, will oversee the new PV directorate, formerly the Personnel Security directorate.

Other mission leaders joining Sherwin in the newly realigned directorate are Laura Eury, deputy assistant director of data collection and analytics; Marianna Martineau, deputy assistant director of operations management and control; Chakeia Ragin, acting deputy assistant director for trust decision; and James Cratty, acting deputy assistant director for risk analysis and information development.

“These leaders are the right people, in the right roles, at the right time,” said Cattler. “I’m confident this leadership structure will enable PV to gain efficiency, reduce redundancy, and improve operational performance in support of effective business strategies while adhering to the administration’s guidance.  

Key Capabilities of DCSA Personnel Vetting Directorate

The DCSA Personnel Vetting directorate has four key capabilities: data collection and analysis; risk analysis and information development; trust decision; and operations management and control capabilities.

The directorate’s risk analysis and information development capability, for instance, is focused on conducting initial reviews of the preliminary risk profile and sourcing additional information to prepare a comprehensive investigative product for further assessment.

According to DCSA, the realignment provided the agency with an opportunity to integrate continuous process improvement activities and suggestions on how to manage workforce shaping and manpower reduction efforts.

“This is not just a change in process, but a transformation in mindset – one that prioritizes proactive protection and adaptability in the face of evolving challenges,” said Cattler. “Over the past year, we have postured ourselves to a be a more responsive service provider and operate like a business and that’s how we approached this reorganization – SAFe Agile Framework principles, industry best practices and a customer-focused approach to name a few.”

DCSA said it expects additional structural changes and internal realignments to support Department of Defense and government reform initiatives.

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OMB Unveils Initiative to Improve Financial Accountability, Oversight
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OMB Director Russell Vought’s memo calls for a strategic reset of financial statement audits

Russell Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget, has released a memorandum announcing an OMB initiative to improve financial accountability and oversight within the federal government.

In the June 23 memo published Monday on OMB’s website, Vought wrote that the Department of Government Efficiency has identified procurement irregularities, fund control lapses and other issues that traditional financial statement audits missed.

“They were symptoms of structural issues our current model does not address,” he stated in the memo.

Presenting Financial Statement Audits Using Single-Year Model

According to the OMB director, agencies will prepare and present financial statements and associated financial statement audits using a single-year format. The change will be reflected in the upcoming update to Circular A-136.

Vought noted that the single-year presentation model will allow the government to focus on current-year activity and balances; streamline audit scope; establish a cleaner, clearer baseline for progress in future years; and address high-risk programs and control weaknesses in real time to implement changes based on challenges identified by audits.

OMB Accountability Agenda

In addition to the single-year model, OMB will implement a broader accountability agenda that includes auditing the auditors to assess whether the audit ecosystem is aligned with outcomes, risks and mission delivery.

The agenda also includes focusing on high-impact audits, linking transparency to reform and addressing improper payments and waste.

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GSA Inspector General Identifies Issues in FAS Transactional Data Reporting Rule Pilot
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GSA's inspector general shared previous evaluations of the TDR pilot

The General Services Administration’s Federal Acquisition Service, FAS, has made the Transactional Data Reporting, or TDR, rule mandatory across the entire multiple award schedule, a.k.a. MAS, program. 

In an alert memorandum issued Friday, GSA’s Office of Inspector General said the rule implementation will happen “despite persistent data quality issues, lack of data usage for pricing decisions, lack of price competition and failure to support the OneGov Strategy.”

What Is the Transactional Data Reporting Rule?

In June 2016, the GSA introduced TDR, which requires contractors to report transactional data, including with government customers, for products and services under their MAS contracts. 

In exchange, contractors no longer have to submit their most favored customer and commercial pricing information. 

According to GSA, TDR collects pricing data to better understand what products and services the government purchases. 

By August 2016, GSA launched a three-year TDR pilot to improve the MAS program for federal customers and the American taxpayer. During the pilot, the agency said it would evaluate TDR based on a set of metrics, including changes in price and sale volume, small business participation, and purchasing strategies. 

The pilot was extended through fiscal years 2019 and 2020. 

TDR Pilot Findings

According to the inspector general, evaluation of the program in 2019 revealed that TDR data is not being used to improve purchasing decisions, but GSA still contended that the pilot is “on track to meet targets.” In a 2020 review, GSA also determined that the program meets or exceeds its targets, with plans to expand the pilot to the entire MAS program. 

In 2023, the OIG audited the TFR pilot and found that the data collected was still not being used to negotiate pricing. Moreover, the inspector general revealed that the data amassed is “inaccurate, unreliable and unusable.” 

Although GSA has since made improvements to the quality of TDR data it collected, about 73 percent of sales reported as of June 2, 2025 remain unusable. 

The OIG warned in the memorandum that the expanded TDR rule implementation could place government agencies at risk of overpaying

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Bipartisan ARMOR Act Introduced to Streamline AUKUS Tech Transfer
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Reps. Young, Zinke and Dean introduced ARMOR Act to strengthen AUKUS trilateral security partnership

Reps. Young Kim, R-Calif., Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., and Madeleine Dean, D-Pa., introduced the AUKUS Reform for Military Optimization and Review Act, or ARMOR, Act on June 27.

Kim, chairwoman of the House Foreign Affairs East Asia and Pacific Subcommittee, said Monday the bipartisan bill aims to optimize and reinforce the trilateral security partnership between Australia, United Kingdom and United States, or AUKUS. The proposed bill is intended to fast-track and strengthen the review processes for transfers, exports and activities involving advanced technologies and defense services.

What Is AUKUS?

Established in 2021, AUKUS is a trilateral security agreement uniting Australia, the UK and the U.S. to strengthen defense cooperation. The strategic alliance is structured around two key pillars. Pillar I is dedicated to assisting Australia in acquiring nuclear-powered submarines. Pillar II, the ARMOR Act’s primary concern, is focused on the joint development and sharing of advanced technologies to bolster military and defense technologies.

“The AUKUS trilateral security partnership protects our national security and projects shared strength. The ARMOR Act will improve and streamline the expedited review process for AUKUS activities involving advanced technologies and defense articles and services,” said Kim. 

“Expediting the sale of defense items and services to these close allies will strengthen our partnership and enhance America’s strength worldwide,” remarked Zinke, chairman of the Arms Sales Task Force.

“Since its creation in 2021, AUKUS has played a transformative role in allowing the United States to counter the rising threat China poses and shape a free and open Indo-Pacific for years to come,” stated Dean.

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DOD Eases Environmental Reviews to Fast-Track Infrastructure Projects
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The DOD has streamlined environmental reviews to fast-track military and public construction projects.

The Department of Defense has streamlined its National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA, implementing processes as part of a government effort seeking to speed up and reduce the costs of environmental reviews to allow faster construction of public and military infrastructure.

Changes to NEPA Procedures

In a press release on Monday, the DOD said the changes to the NEPA implementing processes include expanding categorical exclusions for the department, setting deadlines for the completion of environmental reviews, simplifying the ability to adapt and update NEPA implementing procedures and using information from previous evaluations to fast-track new project reviews.

The changes to the implementing processes aim to generate momentum in the defense industrial base and to support President Donald Trump’s Executive Order, Unleashing American Energy. The executive order aims to make energy more affordable and available to Americans.

DOD’s Michael Duffey Shares Thoughts

Commenting on the streamlining of NEPA, Defense Under Secretary for Acquisition and Sustainment Michael Duffey said it was important for modernizing infrastructure and enhancing national security.

“By streamlining the environmental review process, we will deliver critical projects more efficiently, ensuring our military and defense industrial base have the facilities and resources needed to defend our nation,” he added.

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SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler Initiates Full-Scale Audit of 8(a) Business Development Program
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SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler ordered a full-scale audit of the 8(a) Business Development Program

The U.S. Small Business Administration has initiated a comprehensive audit of the 8(a) Business Development Program.

The SBA said Friday Kelly Loeffler, the agency’s administrator, called for the full-scale audit following revelations of a major fraud and bribery scheme involving a former U.S. Agency for International Development federal contracting officer and two participating 8(a) contractors.

Corruption in the 8(a) Business Development Program

The scheme was discovered after the Department of Justice conducted an investigation revealing that over $550 million in government contracts were improperly awarded by the former USAID contracting officer. The investigation also uncovered that one 8(a) contractor, flagged for lacking “honesty and integrity,” still managed to secure an additional $800 million in contracts to assess “issues affecting the root causes of irregular migration from Central America.”

SBA’s Office of General Contracting and Business Development, or GCBD, is tasked with conducting the audit while working closely with federal agencies that award contracts to 8(a) businesses. GCBD will start with high-value and limited-competition contracts covering the past 15 years. It will send its findings to the SBA Office of Inspector General and DOJ for enforcement. SBA intends to recover misused funds.

“Effective immediately, I am launching a full-scale audit of the program to stop bad actors from making the kind of backroom deals that have already cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars,” said Loeffler.

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