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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Pentagon suspends CMMC phase two requirements, launches review of program
<p>The Defense Department is pausing the roll-out of contractor cybersecurity requirements. DoD’s top IT official says the current iteration of the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program is too onerous on small businesses. She’s now leading a review of the CMMC program to consider the next steps. For the latest, Federal News Network’s Justin Doubleday joins me.</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 surge in publicly available data and AI tools is allowing adversaries to target federal missions
<p>Adversaries are using open source information to target federal missions. That’s partly because of a surge in publicly available data and AI tools that can make use of that data more quickly than ever. But agencies can use the same kinds of information to help defend themselves through the tradecraft of open source intelligence. Gharun Lacy is the deputy assistant secretary for cyber and technology security at the State Department, and Eric Miller is a senior advisor for open source intelligence at the Defense Intelligence Agency. They talked about OSINT with Federal News Network’s Jason Miller. Lacy spea...
A recent DOJ operation showed what it takes to find online scam networks
<p>Federal investigators say online scam networks operate like organized enterprises, spanning platforms, payment systems and countries. A recent operation worked to disrupt that ecosystem all at once, not just individual accounts. Joining me now to explain how that works is Mike Sweeney, Director of Preemptive Cyber Defense at Silent Push.</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, July 15, 2026
<p>Coming up today on "The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton" </p>Online scam networks hide behind layers of accounts, infrastructure and payment systems. A recent DOJ operation showed what it takes to find them You can't defend critical infrastructure from threats you can't detect. That's becoming a growing concern in space Before policymakers can improve border security, they need confidence in how they're measuring it<p>See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.</p>
Before policymakers can improve border security, they need confidence in how they're measuring it
<p>Border security may be one of government's most visible missions but measuring what's happening along the border is far more complicated. A new GAO report examines whether DHS's metrics and reporting practices are giving Congress an accurate picture of performance. The short answer; not consistently, and Heather MacLeod, Director of Homeland Security and Justice at GAO is here to walk us through the details. </p><p>Read the reporter here: https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-26-108715 </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>
You can't defend critical infrastructure from threats you can't detect
<p>Satellites support everything from communications to navigation, making them an increasingly important part of national infrastructure. But protecting those systems depends on being able to identify suspicious activity before it becomes a larger problem. For a look at DHS research in this area, Federal News Network's Eric White discussed these efforts with Ernest Wong, technical lead at the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate.</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>
Trump admin reshaping federal employee discipline, firing rules
<p>The rules governing discipline and removal procedures for federal employees are on track for a major overhaul. A slew of proposed regulations and executive orders from the Trump administration along with recent court decisions and upcoming hearings, are reshaping how agencies handle adverse action processes for the federal workforce. Here to break down the latest, Federal News Network’s Drew Friedman.</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>
Air Force scrambling after employees experience computer lock-out
<p>The Air Force is scrambling to get its employees back online after scores of people were locked out of their computers last week. Computers across the service went into quarantine, a sort of protective shutdown that's routine as a cybersecurity measure both in and out of the military. But what's not routine here is the scale of people affected, and that at least some of them say they weren't warned in advance.</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 government's role in innovation may be changing from customer to investor
<p>If agencies are no longer willing to wait for markets alone to deliver critical technologies, what comes next? Some are moving upstream, investing in companies and technologies much earlier than traditional procurement would allow. For a look at what that means for industry and government alike, I spoke with Bloomberg Government senior data analyst Paul Murphy.</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>
TZA's more active government role in innovation asks how to move faster with accountability
<p>As agencies experiment with new approaches to technology, finance, and acquisition, the rules that govern grants and contracts are changing too. The challenge is making sure oversight keeps pace with innovation. Professional Services Council President Stephanie Kostro joins me now with the latest take on these issues.</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>
