The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton

The Army is rethinking how it builds and maintains its facilities as it faces a $140 billion backlog of military construction projects. The service wants to use prefabricated buildings, streamline reviews and replace outdated structures instead of spending years repairing them. Army officials are aiming to cut construction timelines by as much as 50% and costs by 30%. Federal News Network’s Rachel...

The National Security Agency says in a new zero trust guide for operational technology systems that nation states and hacktivists are targeting water, power and other critical infrastructure systems more than ever. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

The Agriculture Department wants to reduce the reporting burden on farmers and ranchers while improving the data it uses to make decisions. The plan relies on new ways of collecting and combining information, but its success may depend on whether producers trust the results. Here with more details is Deputy Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics at the U.S. Department of Agriculture...

New technologies are increasingly helping professionals collect and analyze information. Researchers at ARPA-H are now testing a more ambitious idea: whether an AI system can help manage heart-failure patients between doctor visits and make certain clinical judgments on its own. Here with more is Dr. Haider Warraich, program manager at the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health. See Privacy...

A new GAO review finds FEMA has struggled to turn resilience funding into completed projects, even as communities across the country seek help reducing disaster risk. The report offers a look at where that process has stalled and what FEMA could do differently. Here to break it all down for us is Christopher Currie, director of Homeland Security and Justice at the Government Accountability Office....

Today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton USDA wants better agricultural data while asking farmers fewer questions. Whether that works may depend on trust as much as technology If technology can help collect information, can it also be trusted to act on it? ARPA-H is funding an AI system designed to help manage heart-failure patients between doctor visits The federal government knows it's cheap...

The Social Security Administration joined a small but seemingly growing number of agencies when it decided to no longer offer its employees the option of an alternative work schedule, and it has caused quite a stir across the federal community. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

The biggest military conference in Washington D.C. is back. The Association of the United States Army annual conference is taking place this week during a period of uncertainty for the service. In his first major address to the force on Monday, Acting Secretary Adam Telle talked about what’s next for the Army. Federal News Network’s Anastasia Obis and Rachel Cohen are at the conference and join me...

The Government Accountability Office has repeatedly found that the administration improperly withheld congressionally appropriated funds under the Impoundment Control Act. Some appropriators are urging GAO to seek judicial enforcement of those findings, even as Congress weighs its own response to the broader dispute over spending authority. Joining me with the latest is Loren Duggan from Bloomberg...

The economics of AI are creating an unusual problem. Unit costs are falling, but overall spending may still rise as adoption spreads across government. Here with insights on how leaders can begin to prepare now are Gayatri Shenai and Tim Ward from McKinsey. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

The Defense Department is creating a new command dedicated to autonomous warfare, while federal agencies are responding to the effects of the latest hurricane. We'll look at what those very different events say about planning, readiness and the role industry plays in both. Joining me is Stephanie Kostro, president of the Professional Services Council. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privac...

Today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton Whether it's preparing for the next war or responding to the next storm, success usually depends on work that's already been done The first wave of government AI adoption came with pilot projects and discounted pricing. The next phase could bring a very different budget reality Whether it's preparing for the next war or responding to the next storm, suc...

Welcome to this holiday edition of the Federal Drive on Federal News Network. It's Monday, October 12. I'm your host Terry Gerton, and I'm glad you're here. Thank you for making the Federal Drive part of your Columbus Day holiday today. I wanted to bring you the recording of a panel I moderated at the NDIA Emerging Technologies for Defense Conference on September 9th. The topic is an important one...

The new leader of the Transportation Security Administration is laying out a bold vision for the future of TSA. TSA Administrator David Cummins says the agency’s Horizon 25 strategy is aimed at modernizing airport checkpoints and improving the traveler experience. For more on how those plans are coming together, Federal News Network’s Justin Doubleday joins me. See Privacy Policy at https://art19....

The Government Accountability Office recently made big headlines with its report on the cost of the deferred resignation program. In 2025, agencies spent nearly $7 billion paying federal employees *not* to work. But there's more to the story beyond the headline, like the other factors to consider when calculating DRP costs versus savings, and the limitations of what we actually know about the prog...

Every year, the AUSA conference offers clues about where Army leaders are focused and where the toughest debates may lie ahead. This year's gathering comes amid leadership changes, continuing modernization efforts and new questions about alliance management. Gen. Robert Brown, president of the Association of the United States Army, joins me now with a conference sneak peek. See Privacy Policy at h...

Nearly every veteran has earned burial benefits through military service, but only a fraction of eligible families ever use them. Many families don't learn what's available until they're faced with decisions that can't be postponed. Here to discuss what veterans and their families can do before that moment arrives is Mike Meese, president of Armed Forces Mutual. See Privacy Policy at https://art19...

Today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton This year's AUSA conference arrives at an important moment for the Army, with major questions about modernization, readiness and the alliances behind both Nearly every veteran qualifies for burial benefits, but only a fraction of eligible families ever use them See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art1...

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is facing widespread pushback on its planned overhaul of the federal sector complaint process. Lawmakers, former commissioners and other stakeholders are all warning that a proposed rule from EEOC would make it more difficult for federal employees to challenge workplace discrimination. Here with more, Federal News Network’s Drew Friedman. See Privacy Pol...

The Pentagon already tracks suicides among service members and their families, but it doesn’t have the same requirement for its civilian workforce. Now, a Maryland lawmaker wants to change that after five suicides in five weeks at Fort Meade. Federal News Network’s Rachel Cohen joins me with more on the proposal. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at http...

Retirement calendars can be helpful, but they don't tell the whole story. Choosing when to retire involves a series of tradeoffs that can affect your benefits long after you leave federal service. Bringing her deep expertise to this question is Tammy Flanagan, Principal with Retire Federal. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#d...

For generations, civil service reform has focused on federal employees. A new proposal argues that government capacity depends on a much larger ecosystem of people who carry out public purposes. Here to discuss that perspective is Don Kettl, professor emeritus at the University of Maryland and author of the paper. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at htt...

The government continues to test the reach of the False Claims Act in contractor compliance cases. Recent settlements suggest employment practices may receive the same scrutiny as other contractual obligations. Here to discuss the implications is Richard Arnolt, partner at Bass, Berry & Sims. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/pri...

Today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton Those "best days to retire" calendars are showing up again. The date you choose really can affect your benefits, but not always in the ways people assume Civil service reform usually starts with federal employees. A new proposal argues that's too narrow a view of how government gets its work done A new False Claims Act case offers another example of how...

The Navy doesn’t have an innovation problem, it has an adoption problem. For years, the service couldn't keep pace with rapid technology advances. But in recent years, it has managed to transform itself into a more agile organization. For more on that transformation, Federal News Network’s Anastasia Obis spoke with Lauren Nelson, the senior vice president and research director at Forrester, and Ju...