GovConJudicata Weekly Debrief (1/13–17)
This edition of the Weekly Debrief covers some interesting topics, such as fewer Army program budget cuts, Esper's generational-sized DoD reform, CISA alert on Windows 10 security flaw, Interior's $1.6 billion network contract, USPS cuts, and VA's new digital transformation metrics.
Defense
FCW – Army chief says to expect fewer program cuts in 2021 budget
"Following two rounds of zero-based budgeting that went after underperforming and legacy programs, the Army's 2021 budget request is likely to contain fewer deep cuts to existing budget lines, Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy told reporters."
DefenseOne – Esper Is Attempting the Biggest Defense Reform in a Generation
"Since New Year’s Day, Defense Secretary Mark Esper has issued not one but two memos to the force. Both push for “ruthless prioritization” by the bureaucracy in support of his top priority: great power competition with China and Russia."
Cyber
"The National Security Agency informed Microsoft about the existence of a previously unidentified flaw in the Windows 10 operating system that could allow a Man in the Middle attacker to spoof public key infrastructure certificates of trusted individuals."
Interior
Federal Times – Who won Interior’s $1.6B secure network contract?
"The Department of Interior awarded CenturyLink a contract potentially worth $1.6 billion for network security and IT modernization. Under the contract, a task order award under the GSA’s Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions program, CenturyLink will provide Interior with managed core network services and managed access services. The contract has a base period of one year, a CenturyLink spokesperson said. According to the news release, there are 11 one-year options through 2032."
Postal Service
GovExec – Postal Service Sees More Cuts to Workforce Costs to Avoid Running Out of Money by 2024
"The U.S. Postal Service is on a course to run out of funds in five years and is calling on Congress to provide legislative reforms, including changes to employee compensation, to avoid that fiscal calamity."
VA
FedScoop – The VA is developing new metrics for measuring its digital transformation
"The Department of Veterans Affairs’ IT office is developing a new set of metrics to measure the agency’s success managing a cloud-driven digital transformation across several of its most important systems and missions."
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