The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton
The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton provides expert insights on current events in the federal community. Read more interviews to keep up with daily news and analysis that affect the federal workforce. The Federal Drive is found at FederalNewsNetwork.com and 1500 AM in the Washington D.C. region.
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DoD looks to AI to speed up hiring for civilian jobs
<p>The Pentagon wants to speed up hiring for civilian jobs, saying long delays can hurt military readiness. Defense official Michael Cogar recently gave an update on the changes they've made to hiring rules, and how DoD is using artificial intelligence to help fill jobs faster. Federal News Network’s Rachel Cohen listened to the speech. She joins me now to explain what the Pentagon is doing.</p><p>See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.</p>
A record number of companies are reporting insider cybersecurity threats
<p>The Defense Cyber Crime Center is seeing a record number of companies reporting insider threats. The FBI warned last week about North Korean schemes to fund its regime through remote IT work for U.S. companies. These are just two recent examples of the growing threats contractors and federal employees are facing from foreign countries. For more on why these insider threats are increasing and what agencies can do about it, Federal News Network’s Jason Miller joins me now. </p><p>See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do...
A national missile shield may be worth pursuing, but the laws of physics still have a vote in what the US can realistically buy and build
<p>The Trump administration's Golden Dome proposal has sparked visions of a nationwide shield against missile attack. But building an effective defense is as much a question of physics and affordability as technology. A new analysis argues the challenge is separating achievable defenses from concepts that become prohibitively expensive once they collide with real-world physics. Joining me now is Michael O'Hanlon, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.</p><p>See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.</p>
Early in the Trump administration, agencies issued stop-work orders to their contractors. CFPB issued them to its own staff
<p>At the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the early workforce reductions drew most of the attention. A new inspector general review finds some of the longest-lasting effects came from internal stop-work orders and contract actions that disrupted the bureau's operations and contract support. Joining me with the findings are Terese Blanchard and Michael Zeitler, managers in the Office of Inspector General for the Federal Reserve Board and CFPB. </p><p>See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.</p>
Good management starts with good data, and GAO says the federal judiciary is making space decisions without an important measure of how its space is being used
<p>The federal judiciary has policies intended to control costs and manage its real estate footprint. But a new GAO review found it does not routinely collect utilization data for its administrative space, raising a basic management question: how do you know what space you need if you don't know how much of your existing space is being used? Joining me now is David Marroni, director of physical infrastructure at the Government Accountability Office.</p><p>See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.</p>
The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton - Wednesday, October 21, 2026
<p>Coming up today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton </p>A national missile shield may be worth pursuing, but the laws of physics still have a vote in what the United States can realistically buy and build Early in the Trump administration, agencies issued stop-work orders to their contractors. CFPB issued them to its own staff Good management starts with good data, and GAO says the federal judiciary is making space decisions without an important measure of how its space is being used<p>See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https...
Governmentwide cyber exercise to test resilience against AI cyber attack
<p>Cyber attacks using artificial intelligence increased by 89% in 2025 as compared to 2024. And this year the use of AI in cyber attacks is only increasing. This is why the Federal Chief Information Security Officer’s Council is bringing agencies together in early November to prepare for an ever-challenging cyber threat environment. For more on what the Federal CISO Council is doing, Federal News Network executive editor Jason Miller joins me now.</p><p>See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.</p>
The Energy Department’s lead cyber and energy security office has a new five-year strategic plan
<p>The Energy Department’s lead cyber and energy security office has a new five-year strategic plan to improve resilience across electricity, oil and gas infrastructure. The Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security and Emergency Response, or CESER, released that plan in March. It has three major goals. Andrew McClure is CESER's director. He talked about them with Federal News Network's Justin Doubleday during our Cyber Leaders Exchange.</p><p>See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.</p>
Where the EPA IG chooses to look often tells you where the risks are growing
<p>The EPA inspector general's office has mapped out its oversight priorities for fiscal 2027, from financial accountability to program performance. As more federal dollars move through grants, cooperative agreements, and other funding channels, identifying where risk is building before money is wasted or programs fall short is becoming more complicated. We get a look at where auditors and investigators will focus their attention from the Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Inspector General, Environmental Protection Agency Office of Inspector General, Nicole Murley.</p><p>See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19...
Government is about to start enforcing a new set of rules for buying AI
<p>One of government's newest oversight tools isn't an audit or an investigation. It's a contract clause. The latest version of GSA's artificial intelligence acquisition requirements took effect Monday after months of revisions and industry pushback. We'll talk about what changed, what didn't, and what the final version says about government's ability to manage rapidly evolving technology with Emily Murphy, Senior Fellow at the George Mason University Baroni Center for Government Contracting.</p><p>See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.</p>
