/
Trump’s Buyout Offer Attracts 20,000 Federal Employees
Published on
Trump’s Buyout Offer Attracts 20,000 Federal Employees

The Hill reported Tuesday that at least 20,000 federal employees have accepted the Trump administration’s offer to resign and receive payment through September. The deadline for accepting the government buyout offer is on Feb. 6.

The 20,000 employees represent approximately 1 percent of the national workforce, but sources told the publication that the number of people accepting the buyout offer is expected to surge ahead of the deadline.

Workforce Downsizing

The offer was presented to 2 million federal employees in January ahead of return-to-office requirements as part of an initiative to reduce the workforce.

The memo, which was sent via email by the Office of Personnel Management on Jan. 28, also indicated that all workers will be subject to “enhanced standards of suitability and conduct,” according to an AP News report.

However, the offer’s vague language has caused skepticism and sparked questions about the government’s legal authority to make it. A union representing federal employees warned against it, while Washington, D.C. legislators representing federal workers opposed the deal.

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Motors and a 2025 Wash100 awardee, said the offer would allow employees to take their desired vacation or just relax.

President Donald Trump nominated Musk in November to lead the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency.

//
NASA Flight Test Prepares Critical Payloads for Moon Mission
Published on
NASA Flight Test Prepares Critical Payloads for Moon Mission

NASA has included critical payloads in a flight test that simulated lunar gravity to prepare them for the Moon and other space exploration missions.

During the test, Blue Origin’s New Shepard reusable rocket was launched in Texas to replicate the Moon’s gravity during a suborbital flight, NASA said Tuesday. The experiments include technologies and instruments, which experienced around two minutes of lunar gravity forces without going to the Moon.

The New Shepard capsule used its reaction control system to spin up to 11 revolutions per minute and simulate one-sixth of Earth’s gravity.

Preparing Tech for Lunar Explorations

The flight test was provided with sufficient support to expand the available vehicle capabilities and ensure technologies are ready for lunar exploration, according to Danielle McCulloch, program executive at NASA’s Flight Opportunities program. She added that the experiment was designed to achieve a test environment that is similar to a mission’s operating environment.

Greg Peters, acting program manager for Flight Opportunities, noted that an extended period of simulated lunar gravity is a critical test regime for NASA. “It’s crucial to reducing risk for innovations that might one day go to the lunar surface,” he explained.

Among the payloads tested in Blue Origin flight is the Lunar-g Combustion Investigation, which seeks to understand material flammability on the Moon. Such knowledge is an important component of astronaut safety on the Moon and would inform the design of potential combustion devices there.

//
Audit Flags DHS for Insufficient Governance of AI Use
Published on
Audit Flags DHS for Insufficient Governance of AI Use

The Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General released on Jan. 30 the results of an audit it carried out concerning DHS’ use of artificial intelligence.

Purpose of the Audit

The audit sought to determine whether and to what extent the agency had developed and put into effect policies governing the use of AI, whose adoption by the agency increased from 2022 to 2023, DHS OIG said.

More Action Required

The audit found that DHS took multiple steps to ensure the responsible and ethical use of AI. These steps include the issuance of guidance specific to AI, the appointment of a chief AI officer and the establishment of an AI Task Force and working groups, whose function would be to guide the agency’s efforts in AI. The OIG nevertheless deemed these measures insufficient, noting that “more action is needed to ensure DHS has appropriate governance for responsible and secure use of AI.”

The agency was also found to have established an AI strategy but not a plan to implement it. The agency also lacked the resources to ensure that its AI was being used in compliance with privacy, civil rights and civil liberties requirements.

Additional issues include the insufficiency of the data being collected by the agency to track and report its use of AI, and the insufficiency of the evidence the agency and its components have managed to collect to demonstrate that their use of AI align with the requirements of the federal government.

‘Appropriate, Ongoing Governance’ of AI

“Without appropriate, ongoing governance of its AI, DHS faces an increased risk that its AI efforts will infringe upon the safety and rights of the American people,” DHS OIG said.

Twenty recommendations were offered to correct the issues. DHS concurred with all of them.

Audit Flags DHS for Insufficient Governance of AI Use

Register now to attend the Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 AI Summit. The event will offer participants strategic insights and actionable takeaways on how to best harness the benefits of artificial intelligence.

/
Christopher Wright Confirmed as Energy Secretary
Published on
Christopher Wright Confirmed as Energy Secretary

Christopher Wright, a fracking executive, received Senate confirmation on Monday as secretary of the Department of Energy in a 59-38 vote.

Reuters reported that Wright will be responsible for DOE’s budget of approximately $50 billion and 17 national laboratories involved in supercomputing and research fusion energy, among other areas.

During his nomination hearing, he said his top priority is to expand the domestic production of liquefied natural gas and nuclear energy. He also believes in the potential of geothermal power to provide the country with emissions-free energy.

According to the report, Wright is expected to play a key role in a new national energy dominance council.

Christopher Wright’s Career Background

The newly confirmed DOE secretary most recently served as CEO, chairman and founder of Liberty Energy.

Wright served on the boards of several companies, including small modular reactor developer Oklo and global mining royalties company EMX Royalty.

In 1992, the oil industry leader and MIT graduate founded shale gas producer Pinnacle Technologies, where he also served as chief executive.

//
Karen Evans Rejoins DHS as Senior Cyber Adviser at CISA
Published on
Karen Evans Rejoins DHS as Senior Cyber Adviser at CISA

Karen Evans, a former chief information officer at the Department of Homeland Security, has joined the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency as senior cyber adviser.

A CISA spokesperson confirmed Evans’ return to government service, Federal News Network reported Monday, adding that multiple sources claimed Evans would either become an executive assistant director for cybersecurity at CISA or assume a top-level position at DHS headquarters.

Meanwhile, the returning DHS executive announced her new role in a LinkedIn post on the same day.

Evans’ Recent Career History

Evans served in the first Trump administration as assistant secretary for cybersecurity, energy security and emergency response at the Department of Energy between 2018 and 2020. She then moved to the DHS for the CIO post and held the role from June 2020 to January 2021.

Evans worked as a partner at KE&T Partners and served as managing director of the nonprofit Cyber Readiness Institute after her government stint. She also played a leading role in a 2022 National Academy of Public Administration study on CISA’s role in building a national cybersecurity workforce.

Her appointment comes as DHS Secretary Kristi Noem called for a smaller CISA, leaving the agency’s future uncertain under the second Trump presidency.

/
House Bill Seeks to Ensure DHS Research Security
Published on
House Bill Seeks to Ensure DHS Research Security

Rep. Dale Strong, R-Ala., has introduced a bill that would direct the Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate, or S&T, to develop a process to protect sensitive information in research and development projects.

What’s in the Bill?

Strong’s office said Friday the Research Security and Accountability in DHS Act would require the Government Accountability Office to report to Congress on DHS’ compliance with governmentwide policies to safeguard R&D.

The proposed legislation would also direct DHS to provide a briefing to the House and Senate Homeland Security Committees to address the Office of Inspector General’s 2022 report concerning S&T’s oversight of R&D projects.

The OIG report found lapses in the directorate’s efforts to protect sensitive data in R&D initiatives due to a lack of guidance and oversight.

“This bill will strengthen safeguards to prevent unauthorized access of sensitive information, ensuring that our nation’s research and development efforts remain secure,” said Strong.

“Chinese espionage is one of our country’s greatest threats. Protecting our innovations is critical to national security, and this legislation takes an important step in ensuring the integrity of DHS research,” added the lawmaker from Alabama.

/
LMI Execs on How GenAI Could Help Accelerate EO Implementation
Published on
LMI Execs on How GenAI Could Help Accelerate EO Implementation

Matthew Finney, Milasy Mugnolo and Harry Edelman of LMI discussed five ways the management consulting firm’s generative artificial intelligence program — LIGER for Policy — could help the Trump administration quickly implement executive orders, or EOs, and automate challenging policy tasks during the transition period.

In a blog post published Thursday on the firm’s website, the three LMI executives mentioned LIGER’s ability to help agencies assess the impact of EOs and improve decision-making through quick analysis that uncovers emerging priorities and key adjustments.

With LMI’s LIGER for Policy, organizations can comply with new directives under the current administration by searching document collections to identify content that needs updates.

LIGER Use Cases

The firm’s generative AI platform could support transition activities by enabling incoming leaders and their personnel to summarize large document libraries and generate insights for informed decision-making, the LMI representatives said.

The executives also cited how LIGER could enable organizations to produce reports, memos and synopses by preserving critical program data and institutional knowledge during transitions and allow teams to quickly respond to policy and program questions during transitions.

Finney is LMI’s vice president of generative AI and Mugnolo is the firm’s vice president of policy analysis and operations. Edelman serves as LMI’s principal technical adviser for policy.

Finney will be part of the Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 Artificial Intelligence Summit on March 20. Register here to join and hear more about cutting-edge AI innovations from industry and government experts.

POC - 2025 Artificial Intelligence Summit
/
Marco Rubio Appointed as USAID Acting Administrator
Published on
Marco Rubio Appointed as USAID Acting Administrator

President Donald Trump has appointed State Secretary Marco Rubio as acting administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development. 

In a media note, the Office of the Spokesperson said that the appointment was an initiative toward “gaining control and better understanding over the agency’s activity.”

According to the office, significant portions of USAID funding no longer align with the country’s core national interests.

Rubio informed Congress of plans as acting USAID secretary to review USAID’s foreign assistance activities and potentially reorganize the agency.

About Secretary Rubio

Rubio was nominated by President Trump in November 2024 and confirmed by the Senate as the secretary of state with a vote of 99-0 in January, hours after President Trump was sworn into office. 

He served as a senator representing the state of Florida from 2011 until his confirmation as state secretary.

During his tenure as senator, Rubio held several positions in different committees, including senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, vice chair of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.

He wrote the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act and co-authored the Hong Kong Relations Act and the VERDAD Act.

/
2025 USMC Aviation Plan Focuses on Tech Advancements, Expeditionary Mobility
Published on
2025 USMC Aviation Plan Focuses on Tech Advancements, Expeditionary Mobility

Marine Corps Aviation has launched a new roadmap that seeks to improve operational readiness and ensure the lethality of marine aviation in support of the Marine Air-Ground Task Force, or MAGTF.

USMC said Monday the 2025 Marine Corps Aviation Plan focuses on technological advancements, sustainment, expeditionary mobility and total force integration as key areas of transformation.

“Through continued modernization and an unwavering commitment to current readiness, Marine Aviation is prepared to support the MAGTF through competition to conflict,” said Lt. Gen. Bradford Gering, deputy commandant for aviation at the U.S. Marine Corps.

“The 2025 Aviation Plan demonstrates our resolute dedication to maintaining operational superiority and ensuring we are always ready to project force, wherever and whenever needed,” Gering added.

Table of Contents

Project Eagle

The plan also introduces Project Eagle, a modernization strategy that prioritizes Decision-Centric Aviation Operations and Distributed Aviation Operations to maintain operational effectiveness in contested environments. 

Through Project Eagle, USMC intends to adopt artificial intelligence-driven decision-making software, advanced digital command and control, unmanned systems, manned-unmanned teaming, autonomous systems and other technologies to improve the service’s ability to operate in increasingly complex environments.

Other Key Priorities

Other important priorities outlined in the 2025 plan are aviation readiness, enhanced expeditionary mobility, aviation logistics modernization, marine air command and control system modernization, and total force integration.

//
NIST Seeks Public Comments on Revised Encryption Guide
Published on
NIST Seeks Public Comments on Revised Encryption Guide

The National Institute of Standards and Technology has issued a second public draft of the revised Special Publication 800-38G, or SP 800-38G, to invite public comment on the document.

The initial revision of the “Recommendation for Block Cipher Modes of Operation: Methods for Format-Preserving Encryption” includes key technical changes, such as increased domain size of the FF1 encryption method and unspecified FF3 encryption method, NIST said Monday. Under the new draft, the inverse advanced encryption standard cipher and floating point arithmetic have been disallowed.

Addressing Sensitive Information Management

First published in March 2016, SP 800-38G was designed to specify and approve the FF1 and FF3 methods for format-preserving encryption, or FPE. The publication intended to address issues, such as sensitive information management of software packages. According to NIST, the document provides ways to convert a digital code and make it indecipherable to hackers.

Since the publication came out, researchers have identified several FPE vulnerabilities that prompted NIST to implement revisions. For instance, the FF3 tweak parameter was reduced to 56 bits and named FF3-1. The adjustment also led NIST to set the minimum domain size for FF1 and FF3-1 at one million.

Interested parties can submit their comments on the revised draft by April 4.

1 … 96 97 98 99 100 … 2,597