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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Sep 29, 2026 · 7:30
The Army’s Communications-Electronics Command is positioning itself as a premier artificial intelligence development hub at the heart of the service’s transformation plans. CECOM…
Sep 29, 2026 · 7:12
The Pentagon is creating a new team to look for wasteful spending. It says the Force Agility and Streamlining Team will point out duplication of effort, unnecessary processes and…
Sep 29, 2026 · 9:16
A recent presidential directive involving a possible debarment review drew attention to how the federal suspension and debarment system works. The National Academies removed the…
Sep 29, 2026 · 10:07
The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs has eliminated many disability-related compliance requirements that federal contractors have followed for years. The underlying…
Sep 29, 2026 · 11:37
Quantum computing may still be developing, but the planning decisions facing agencies aren't. Federal leaders already have guidance for preparing their organizations for a…
Sep 29, 2026 · 48:31
Coming up today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton Federal agencies may not know exactly when quantum computing will arrive, but they already have decisions to make about it…
Sep 28, 2026 · 6:51
A new class action lawsuit is seeking to recover years of back pay for federal employees who served as military reservists. Federal News Network’s Anastasia Obis has more. See…
Sep 28, 2026 · 10:38
Americans’ trust in government remains persistently low, according to the latest research from the Partnership for Public Service. The organization reports that public trust is…
Sep 28, 2026 · 12:10
Six months into Operation Epic Fury, military families are dealing with the realities of deployments while many are still settling into new duty stations after another busy PCS…
Sep 28, 2026 · 11:34
Supporters of the Fix Our Forests Act are urging Congress to include the measure in the annual defense authorization bill. Their argument is that wildfires can threaten military…
Sep 28, 2026 · 9:53
With the election approaching, senators would normally rather be home talking with voters. Instead, Senate leaders appear prepared to keep members in Washington for another week…
Sep 28, 2026 · 54:13
Coming up today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton The closer Congress gets to Election Day, the harder it becomes to choose between governing and campaigning. The Senate…
Sep 25, 2026 · 7:52
The White House's new military spouse commission held its first meeting this week to lay out which problems it wants to tackle first. The panel of nearly two dozen wives picked…
Sep 25, 2026 · 12:02
The government's overhaul of the Federal Acquisition Regulation is intended to make it easier for agencies to adopt commercial technology. But buying technology faster doesn't…
Sep 25, 2026 · 12:20
Government agencies are still figuring out how to use artificial intelligence without losing public trust. Election administrators may be further along than many realize.…
Sep 25, 2026 · 51:49
Today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton Election officials are showing what AI adoption looks like when accountability comes first Modernizing government technology takes…
Sep 24, 2026 · 5:48
The Space Force is looking to bring in hundreds of service members from across the military as it works to expand its workforce. Meanwhile, the Department of the Air Force is…
Sep 24, 2026 · 7:08
House and Senate Democrats are urging congressional leaders to reject the Trump administration’s planned federal pay freeze for 2027. The lawmakers also see a potential path to…
Sep 24, 2026 · 11:12
Drug overdoses move fast. The CDC wants communities to get from overdose data to action more quickly. A new overdose prevention data channel brings several federal data sources…
Sep 24, 2026 · 11:20
Fentanyl seizures have declined as Homeland Security Investigations devoted more resources to immigration enforcement. That has renewed debate about how best to disrupt the…
Sep 24, 2026 · 10:09
Many federal employees assume their taxes will go down when they retire. But a pension, Social Security benefits and required withdrawals can all add to taxable income later in…
Sep 24, 2026 · 48:13
Today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton A federal pension can make retirement more secure. It can also change the tax picture in ways people don't expect The same criminal…
Sep 23, 2026 · 7:57
Earlier this month, a federal judge ruled that a plan to cut the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s workforce was unlawful. But Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin…
Sep 23, 2026 · 9:09
The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute in the National Institutes of Health, like most federal research organizations, has a big data problem. NHLBI already is sitting on…
Sep 23, 2026 · 11:33
Congress directed DOD to modernize and professionalize its security cooperation workforce. A new GAO review finds the department has made significant progress, while still facing…
Sep 23, 2026 · 10:20
The Navy and the Indiana National Guard recently unveiled what they describe as the nation's first ground-based sled track capability for testing aircraft countermeasures. The…
Sep 23, 2026 · 9:34
The U.S. Copyright Office is hosting an event today to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Copyright Act. My next guest says the anniversary offers a chance to look back at…
Sep 23, 2026 · 51:23
Coming up today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton The Copyright Act turns 50 this year, and the Copyright Office is marking the occasion today with a look at how the law has…
Sep 22, 2026 · 13:50
The Trump administration has lost more political appointees than any other recent president in the first year and a half of their term. And Trump appointees who have already left…
Sep 22, 2026 · 7:00
The Pentagon is moving away from government-unique cost accounting rules towards standards that are widely used in the commercial sector to make it a lot easier for commercial…
Sep 22, 2026 · 12:01
Federal agencies are exploring how AI can improve customer service without losing the human expertise complex cases require. My next guest says the most important changes may…
Sep 22, 2026 · 11:39
The Cost Accounting Standards Board has approved the biggest overhaul of CAS coverage in more than two decades. The changes raise key thresholds and create a new path for some…
Sep 22, 2026 · 13:38
The latest FAR overhaul package includes changes affecting how agencies buy products and services and how much discretion acquisition professionals may have in making those…
Sep 22, 2026 · 1:00:52
Today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton The government is looking for ways to take friction out of the acquisition system without losing accountability Some government…
Sep 21, 2026 · 8:41
The Small Business Administration got an earful on Thursday over proposed changes to the small business size standards. The comments ranged from supportive of some or all of the…
Sep 21, 2026 · 7:28
The Air Force and Space Force are asking Congress for thousands of new civilian positions, acknowledging they cut too deep to meet mission requirements in critical areas. The…
Sep 21, 2026 · 11:59
The House has adjourned until after the election, but a growing number of issues with support from both parties remain unresolved. Why does Congress seem unable to finish work…
Sep 21, 2026 · 10:19
Drones are showing up in everything from military operations to criminal investigations. As that technology spreads, investigators need new tools and training to recover and…
Sep 21, 2026 · 10:19
Many of today's sailors are between 18 and 24 years old and Navy leaders are rethinking whether traditional shore-side dining facilities still meet their expectations. A pilot…
Sep 21, 2026 · 50:43
Today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton The Navy is taking a fresh look at how everyday life affects readiness. One test case starts in the dining hall Military…
Sep 18, 2026 · 7:19
The Coast Guard is hitting its recruiting targets and making historic investments in ships, aircraft and shore-based infrastructure. That’s thanks to funding from last year’s…
Sep 18, 2026 · 9:09
There is a lot of work that needs to be done to build broad support in Congress for the Trump administration’s ambitious Golden Dome missile defense system, in part because…
Sep 18, 2026 · 12:20
A planning panel has recommended replacing the Forrestal Building and redeveloping the site with a mix of housing, commercial and public uses. The proposal is also raising…
Sep 18, 2026 · 14:32
Recent debate over military-related prediction markets has focused attention on who can participate and what they may know before the market does. Some analysts say that…
Sep 18, 2026 · 13:44
New fraud tactics are exposing weaknesses in the way government verifies identity. As artificial intelligence makes fake identities more convincing and easier to create, agencies…
Sep 18, 2026 · 59:50
Artificial intelligence is making it easier to create fake identities and harder for agencies to tell who's real One federal office complex is becoming a test case for a larger…
Sep 17, 2026 · 8:52
The NIH IT Acquisition and Assessment Center, or NITAAC, found there was better than 90% duplication of what it offered and what was already available through IT contract…
Sep 17, 2026 · 9:43
The federal government is under pressure to move capabilities into the field faster. One result is a growing willingness to bring industry, researchers and technology providers…
Sep 17, 2026 · 10:39
Moving technology into government faster doesn't eliminate the need for accountability. A recent Court of Federal Claims decision kept alive a protest over a Navy software…
Sep 17, 2026 · 10:15
For decades, technology transfer usually meant moving inventions out of government laboratories and into the marketplace. Now some small technology companies are heading in the…
Sep 17, 2026 · 48:51
In national security technology, some of the most important ideas are now arriving at federal labs from outside government Government agencies are bringing technology companies…
Sep 17, 2026 · 7:35
Agencies’ spending on paid administrative leave surged sixfold last year. Those costs were largely due to the Trump administration’s deferred resignation program. But data…
Sep 16, 2026 · 5:14
Fears about the risks of artificial intelligence continue to dominate conversations in Washington. Those concerns include the potential for AI to enable devastating cyber…
Sep 16, 2026 · 14:26
For small and non-traditional businesses that want to do national security work, some of the biggest challenges can be getting security clearances — both for physical spaces, and…
Sep 16, 2026 · 11:30
Changes to Washington DC's Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program sparked a debate about policy. A National Academy of Public Administration working group focused on…
Sep 16, 2026 · 8:56
A new report from the Government Accountability Office looked at workers receiving Medicaid and SNAP and found many are employed, often full time, and frequently work for large…
Sep 16, 2026 · 12:54
For years, policymakers have searched for ways to make housing more affordable. One think tank argues the problem isn't simply a shortage of homes, but a shortage of affordable…
Sep 16, 2026 · 55:43
Building more homes and building more affordable homes are not always the same thing People who benefit from a government program often know things the people who designed it…
Sep 15, 2026 · 8:03
Federal employees’ performance ratings will now be the top consideration during future reductions in force. That’s as a final rule from the Office of Personnel Management takes…
Sep 15, 2026 · 11:30
Just as the latest review of CMMC wraps up, the Defense Department appears to be reconsidering parts of how the program will work. We'll get an industry perspective on what…
Sep 15, 2026 · 10:45
A packed election calendar is limiting what lawmakers can accomplish this fall, even as pressure builds for action on artificial intelligence. We'll get the latest from Capitol…
Sep 15, 2026 · 49:53
Congress doesn't seem ready to move quickly on AI. The technology may not wait. The Pentagon may be rethinking CMMC, but cybersecurity isn't taking a pause. See Privacy Policy at…
Sep 14, 2026 · 19:23
Coast Guard missions generate information from ships, aircraft, sensors and operational systems across the globe. Bringing that information together in a form operators can…
Sep 14, 2026 · 19:35
The Defense Department has narrowed its list of critical technology areas and is rethinking how it identifies, funds and scales emerging capabilities. The goal is to focus…
Sep 14, 2026 · 19:29
Financial systems may run on technology, but they're built on data and business processes. As the Department of the Navy consolidates systems and modernizes its financial…
Sep 14, 2026 · 17:19
After visiting 30 defense research sites, one message came through clearly: world-class scientists are often working around very ordinary obstacles. Aging facilities, lengthy…
Sep 14, 2026 · 1:14:53
Today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton Some of the Pentagon's toughest technology challenges aren't technical at all. A recent review of the defense research enterprise…
Sep 11, 2026 · 9:02
It’s been eight years since the Pentagon underwent a major restructuring of its acquisition bureaucracies, splitting it into two separate organizations overseen by two…
Sep 11, 2026 · 8:59
The FBI released its first agency-wide, unclassified cyber strategy on Wednesday. The bureau’s goal is to unify efforts across the bureau’s 56 field offices to counter both…
Sep 11, 2026 · 10:42
The story of September 11 didn't end when the attacks were over. Recovery, rebuilding and remembrance became part of the nation's response as well. A new exhibit at the National…
Sep 11, 2026 · 8:09
Remembering September 11 often begins with looking back. One nationwide effort is asking people to look forward as well. This weekend, thousands of volunteers will gather at…
Sep 11, 2026 · 13:34
Twenty-five years ago, the attacks of September 11 exposed gaps in how government shared information, coordinated action and prepared for emerging threats. The reforms that…
Sep 11, 2026 · 53:31
It's Friday, September 11th 2026, and today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton Twenty-five years after 9/11, we'll examine what government learned from that day, and whether…
Sep 10, 2026 · 9:54
Lieutenant General Mark Simerly is in his final weeks as the director of the Defense Logistics Agency. In the two-plus years as DLA’s leader, Simerly drove the agency to change…
Sep 10, 2026 · 5:35
The Pentagon is trying to clean up the records behind military ID cards used by hundreds of thousands of service members. About 215,000 active-duty and reserve troops have…
Sep 10, 2026 · 12:36
A recent Federal Reserve Board audit found that insider-risk responsibilities existed across multiple offices, but no centralized program was managing those risks at the…
Sep 10, 2026 · 26:27
Passing an audit remains one of the Defense Department's top financial priorities, but getting there may require more than better bookkeeping. Department leaders are looking at…
Sep 10, 2026 · 9:49
The TSP's F Fund has trailed the G Fund over the last several years. Before deciding what that means for your own investments, it helps to understand what's happening in the bond…
Sep 10, 2026 · 1:06:40
Today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton For years, the TSP's F Fund was supposed to offer a little more return in exchange for a little more risk. Lately, the results…
Sep 9, 2026 · 8:16
Federal employees will see a major shift in the way misconduct cases are handled. Going forward, the Merit Systems Protection Board will evaluate disciplinary actions using…
Sep 9, 2026 · 6:25
The Defense Information Systems Agency has issued another sources-sought notice for its massive migration of combatant commands’ common-use IT services to a single service…
Sep 9, 2026 · 10:59
As concerns about repeated blast exposure receive increasing attention, the Defense Department has launched several monitoring initiatives. but, GAO says the department has not…
Sep 9, 2026 · 9:19
CMS recently revisited a Medicare payment policy after determining that some arrangements no longer reflected the original intent of the rule. Healthcare attorney Alice Harris…
Sep 9, 2026 · 10:14
Contractors are tracking several policy decisions that could affect how they compete for work and plan for the year ahead, from small-business eligibility rules to counter-drone…
Sep 9, 2026 · 48:10
Today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton Washington is making decisions now that could reshape competition, investment and planning across the federal marketplace A Medicare…
Sep 8, 2026 · 14:57
The Pentagon is using military medical records to identify service members who could be subject to the administration's ban on transgender troops. Federal News Network found that…
Sep 8, 2026 · 9:33
With election season accelerating, pressure is building on Congress to wrap up its work and head home. We examine what's still on the agenda and what could be pushed aside with…
Sep 8, 2026 · 10:21
Federal employees nearing retirement often discover that health coverage decisions are more complicated than they expected. From spouse eligibility to Medicare enrollment, small…
Sep 8, 2026 · 24:10
For decades, government reform efforts have focused on accountability, oversight and reducing risk. A new blueprint argues that approach may have left agencies better at avoiding…
Sep 8, 2026 · 1:01:44
Today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton Turning 65 doesn't make the choice between Medicare and FEHB any less confusing Government is very good at preventing mistakes. But…
Sep 7, 2026 · 39:09
It's Labor Day, and coming up today on the Best of "The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton" One taxpayer's effort to solve an IRS problem led to a much larger question about how the…
Sep 4, 2026 · 14:08
House Veterans Affairs lawmakers sought answers on Wednesday about why the Veterans Affairs Department massively increased the contract for its electronic health record system.…
Sep 4, 2026 · 12:19
A new White House strategy ranks the technologies viewed as most important to national security and economic competitiveness. According to one new industry analysis, less…
Sep 4, 2026 · 11:16
A recent Congressional Budget Office report estimates that it could cost over $7 billion to protect military installations from unmanned aircraft. But the report also highlights…
Sep 4, 2026 · 12:09
Recent attacks on water utilities have shown how quickly a local cybersecurity incident can become a national concern. The systems that deliver drinking water are operated by…
Sep 4, 2026 · 52:43
Today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton Recent attacks on water utilities exposed a cybersecurity challenge that's national in scope but local in responsibility It may be…
Sep 3, 2026 · 8:51
Artificial intelligence is forcing agencies and industry to take a prioritized approach to software patching. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s new directive…
Sep 3, 2026 · 7:48
Agencies have a few months left to survey their employees before the required end-of-year deadline. For most, it will be their first time distributing an employee engagement…
Sep 3, 2026 · 8:15
The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope combines the image quality of Hubble with a field of view that's dramatically larger. That will allow scientists to map vast portions of the…
Sep 3, 2026 · 12:06
For years, research institutions operated under relatively defined federal standards for reviewing high-risk biological research. A new government-wide policy shifts toward a…
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