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VA OIG: IT Procurement Should Prioritize Accessibility for Individuals With Disabilities
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The VA’s Office of Inspector General sees a need to improve the agency's IT procurement process to comply with Section 508.

The Department of Veterans Affairs must improve its procurement process for information and communication technology systems to better comply with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which mandates accessibility for individuals with disabilities, according to a new audit released by the VA’s Office of Inspector General.

The audit, which follows up on a similar 2024 report, evaluated 30 critical IT and communications systems that the VA procured and found that only four were classified as compliant with Section 508 standards, noting the VA officials’ failure to ensure that the systems they procured would meet the required accessibility standards.

According to the report, VA contracting officers and program officials conducted market research on vendors to meet business requirements; however, they did not verify the accessibility of the systems for individuals with disabilities.

OIG Recommendations to Address Procurement Issues

The OIG recommended that the assistant secretary for information and technology, who also serves as the department’s chief information officer, ensure that staff involved with acquiring information and communication technology are adequately trained on federal and VA requirements for Section 508 standards.

The OIG also recommended that the assistant secretary update VA Handbook 6221 to identify roles and responsibilities related to ensuring Section 508 compliance during procurement.

Furthermore, the assistant secretary should establish a way to ensure that compliance documentation and market research on any information and communication technology being procured are submitted to the VA Office of 508 Compliance for review so that the office can determine whether the technology is the most compliant under Section 508.

Finally, the OIG recommended that the deputy assistant secretary for acquisition and logistics collaborate with the VA Office of 508 Compliance to develop policies and procedures to ensure VA’s information and communication technology procurements comply with Section 508 requirements.

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Jeff Conklin, Casie Antalis Join CISA
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Federal civilian leaders Jeff Conklin and Casie Antalis joined CISA

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has appointed federal civilian leaders Jeff Conklin and Casie Antalis as chief security officer and program director of the Joint Cyber Coordination Group, or JCCG, respectively.

In a LinkedIn post published Tuesday, CISA announced that Acting Director Madhu Gottumukkala presided over the swearing-in ceremony of Conklin and Antalis.

Jeff Conklin as CISA Chief Security Officer

As CSO, Conklin will oversee CISA’s internal security and threat management programs and provide executive leadership for the Office of the CSO executive officer and associate chiefs for security programs, personnel security, enterprise security, threat management and internal affairs.

Before CISA, the former Marine Corps officer was the CSO for the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. He also served as chief information officer for USCIS and deputy CIO at the U.S. Coast Guard.

The U.S. Naval Academy applied science graduate holds a master’s degree in software engineering from National University in San Diego.

Casie Antalis as CISA Joint Cyber Coordination Group Program Chief

In her new role, Antalis will oversee the CISA group, which works across the agency’s Office of Strategy, Policy and Plans and the Integrated Operations Division to centralize the advancement of cybersecurity initiatives and priorities across the Department of Homeland Security.

Before joining CISA, she was the principal deputy assistant secretary for the DHS Office of Counterterrorism, Threat Prevention and Law Enforcement. She also served as deputy assistant secretary for screening and vetting at DHS.

According to her LinkedIn profile, the University of Maryland graduate’s government career included time as chief of staff at the Customs and Border Protection; director of security screening and vetting at the White House National Security Council; and deputy group chief for screening and vetting at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

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John DeGoes Confirmed as Commander of Air Force Medical Command
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Lt. Gen. John DeGoes was confirmed as commander of the Air Force Medical Command

Lt. Gen. John DeGoes, the current Air Force surgeon general, has been confirmed by the U.S Senate as commander of the Air Force Medical Command.

DeGoes’ New Role and Responsibilities

The Air Force Medical Service said Tuesday DeGoes will leverage 35 years of clinical and command experience to oversee all functions of the AFMEDCOM, including performing its mission of providing medical readiness, operational support and health service logistics for the Air Force and Space Force. AFMEDCOM was also formed to fast-track medical innovation and integrate with joint and coalition forces.

DeGoes will continue serving as the surgeon general and spearheading the AFMS, which ensures the medical readiness of the Department of the Air Force’s programs and policies. In this capacity, he has been instrumental in modernizing the Air Force’s medical arm, enhancing operational efficiency and the ability to conduct critical operations in contested environments.

DeGoes previously served as deputy surgeon general and commander of various AFMS units, including the 59th Medical Wing. He was also the command surgeon under the Northern Command and CEO of the Mike O’Callaghan Federal Medical Center.

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Senate OKs Trump-Backed Bill With $150B in DOD Funding
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The Senate passed a Trump administration-backed budget reconciliation measure

The Senate on Tuesday passed a massive budget reconciliation bill that includes $150 billion in additional funding for the Department of Defense, Breaking Defense reported.

The upper chamber approved the Trump administration-backed measure, also known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” in a 51-50 vote, with Vice President JD Vance breaking a tie.

According to the report, the bill is now headed to the House and is expected by President Donald Trump to reach his desk before Friday, July 4.

Mandatory Defense Funding Through Congressional Reconciliation

The bill’s passage came days after senior DOD officials and military leaders unveiled the department’s proposed $961.6 billion fiscal year 2026 budget, which includes $848.3 billion in discretionary funding and $113.3 billion in mandatory funding through congressional reconciliation.

A senior DOD official said Thursday the mandatory reconciliation funding would support shipbuilding, munitions production, missile defense and other Trump administration priorities. 

The Pentagon’s FY 2026 budget request includes $25 billion for the proposed Golden Dome for America missile defense initiative and $60 billion for the nuclear triad and nuclear modernization efforts.

Learn about the Golden Dome initiative in Gen. Michael Guetlein‘s keynote address at the 2025 Air and Space Summit on July 31 and in an all-industry panel featuring representatives from industry giants like RTX, L3Harris, Booz Allen and more!

Senate OKs Trump-Backed Bill With $150B in DOD Funding
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GAO Calls on DOD to Improve Billing Procedures for Commercial Use of Federal Launch Sites
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GAO urged the DOD to develop clear guidance to recoup launch support costs

The Government Accountability Office has warned that the Department of Defense is missing opportunities to bill private companies that use federal sites to launch satellites into space.

In a report published Monday, the congressional watchdog revealed that the Pentagon does not have clear cost collection and reimbursement procedures for supporting commercial launch needs.

The DOD also does not have sufficient commercial scheduling information needed to manage payload processing, which refers to the process of integrating payloads into the launch vehicle to prepare for the mission. The absence of commercial scheduling information could impact coordination and affect payload processing for government missions.

Billing Commercial Companies for Using Federal Launch Sites

The report pointed out that commercial launches have “more than quadrupled since 2021,” increasing demand and putting a strain on government launch infrastructures, called ranges, that support space missions.

To support the growing volume of commercial and military launches, the DOD plans to spend over $18 billion in the next five years to improve ranges.  

By billing commercial companies that use ranges, the government can get reimbursements for the costs of maintaining, operating, upgrading and modernizing space-related facilities.

GAO Recommendations for DOD

The congressional watchdog urged the U.S. Space Force to collaborate with the under secretary of defense comptroller to improve guidance on direct and indirect cost collection and reimbursement for support at ranges.

GAO also advised Space Force to solicit information on commercial payload processing schedules to improve capacity and coordination.

The DOD concurred with all recommendations. 

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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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