Shows / The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton
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.
Episodes
- The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton
DISA seeks industry input on combatant command migration after GDIT protest
The Defense Information Systems Agency is seeking industry input on its plan to migrate all combatant commands’ common-use IT services to the Defense…
- The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton
AI is only as reliable as the information, some are learning this late
Organizations are investing heavily in AI, but many still struggle with a basic question: can they trust the data feeding those systems? New research suggests…
- The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton
NIST’s Cyber AI Profile is designed to move agencies from abstract frameworks to real operational choices
Federal agencies often struggle to turn high‑level guidance on AI and cybersecurity into everyday decisions about procurement, deployment and risk. NIST’s new…
- The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton
Organizations are discovering the remote worker they hired might not be the one doing the work
Technology has made remote hiring easier and distributed work more common. It's also created new opportunities for fraud and misrepresentation. In some cases…
- The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton
The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton - - Friday, July 31, 2026
Today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton . . . NIST’s Cyber AI Profile is designed to move agencies from abstract frameworks to real operational choices…
- The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton
Encouraging people to speak up is one challenge, protecting them afterward is another
Whether whistleblower programs succeed often depends on what happens after a disclosure is made. Congress is now considering changes aimed at strengthening…
- The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton
Good intentions, incentives and legal protections only matter if employees know where to turn when they uncover a problem
Throughout this National Whistleblower Day special we've been discussing why disclosures matter and how government encourages them. The final piece is…
- The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton
The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton - - Thursday, July 30, 2026
Today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton . . . it's National Whistleblower Day The United States has protected whistleblowers since the Continental…
- The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton
The U.S. has protected whistleblowers since the Continental Congress, 250 years later insiders still matter the most
National Whistleblower Day offers a chance to look at why whistleblower protections remain a bipartisan priority. From financial crime to artificial…
- The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton
David Markowitz, Army chief data officer gives an update on plans for the date operations center
When the Army launched its data operations center in April, the goal was to create a centralized service that will reduce the burden on warfighters. Over the…
- The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton
The House passed its version of the 2027 defense policy, it could mean changes for DoD's civilian workforce
The House narrowly passed its version of the fiscal 2027 defense policy bill last week despite strong Democratic opposition over the bill’s price tag, the war…
- The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton
An $11 billion price tag gets attention. Understanding what government lost in the process may take a lot longer
Public Citizen has released a new analysis estimating that the deferred resignation program will cost taxpayers at least $11 billion. The report examines where…
- The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton
It takes a lot for public servants to speak out. More than 1,200 former DOJ officials decided they needed to
A coalition of 1,200 former Justice Department officials took the unusual step of publicly opposing the nomination of Todd Blanche as Attorney General. Beyond…
- The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton
The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton - - Wednesday, July 29, 2026
Today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton It takes a lot for public servants to speak out. More than 1,200 former Justice Department officials recently…
- The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton
Two recent Supreme Court decisions may have changed the rules for some of government's most independent institutions
For decades, Congress has created boards, commissions and oversight bodies intended to operate with some distance from presidential control. Two recent Supreme…
- The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton
After a months-long pause, Space Development Agency launches new batch of satellites
It’s been a busy month for the Space Development Agency. After a months-long pause, SDA has just launched its next batch of satellites after it dealt with…
- The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton
Army initiative to reshape how soldiers prepare for future wars expands to National Guard
An Army initiative that launched in 2024 wants to reshape how soldiers prepare for future wars. But as the "Transformation in Contact" program has expanded to…
- The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton
DoD is looking for new ways to bring commercial innovation and manufacturing capacity into the national security arena
Building military capability takes more than defense contractors alone. Increasingly, the Pentagon is looking to commercial manufacturers, technology firms and…
- The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton
Military leaders are drawing new lessons from conflicts in Ukraine, the Middle East and beyond
Governments around the world are rethinking the technologies and capabilities they'll need for future conflicts. I caught up with OJ Sanchez, president of…
- The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton
The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton - - Tuesday, July 28, 2026
Today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton The debate over controlled unclassified information is revealing a larger struggle over how government buys…
- The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton
The debate over controlled unclassified information is revealing a larger struggle over how government buys technology
The government says it wants greater access to commercial technology and innovation. But cybersecurity requirements, data protections and agency-specific…
- The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton
Fired DHS, Interior probationary workers challenge MSPB ruling
Fired probationary employees from the Department of Homeland Security and the Interior Department are continuing to challenge the legality of their…
- The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton
Space Force doesn’t know how many personnel it needs, watchdog finds
As Space Force leaders argue that doubling the size of the newest branch of the military is a “national security necessity,” roughly 25% of the jobs within the…
- The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton
Congress can pass legislation, but Government still has to implement it
It was a busy week on Capitol Hill, with House lawmakers advancing spending, defense and other major legislation before leaving town. What happens next will…
- The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton
Nuclear Regulatory Commission considers changes to radiation protection requirements
For decades, federal radiation standards have been guided by the principle that exposures should be kept as low as reasonably achievable. Now the Nuclear…
- The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton
The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton - - Monday, July 27, 2026
Today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton . . . Congress can pass legislation. Government still has to implement it. A look at the week on Capitol Hill with…
- The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton
The Trump administration is championing deregulation, but agencies have thousands of regulatory actions waiting
The Trump administration has released its latest Unified Agenda, offering the clearest picture yet of what federal agencies expect to work on in the coming…
- The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton
After Slaughter decision, MSPB no longer calling itself ‘independent’
The Merit Systems Protection Board is no longer describing itself as “independent.” In recent weeks, the board has been removing the word “independent” from…
- The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton
Space Force Space Systems Command starts application of AI to mission areas
The Space Force’s Space Systems Command already is seeing an increase in trust and confidence when it comes to applying artificial intelligence tools to…
- The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton
As threats increase, Supreme Court justices make the case on Capitol Hill for security funding
As concerns about threats against judges continue to grow, members of the Supreme Court took the unusual step of personally advocating for additional security…
- The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton
The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton - - Friday, July 24, 2026
Today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton It's easy to focus on the latest workforce rule or executive action. But taken together, these changes raise a…
- The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton
What if military readiness starts at the kitchen table?
For years, policymakers have looked at military family issues through separate lenses; housing, employment, health care or mental health. But a new study…
- The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton
What's the right balance between holding employees accountable and helping them succeed?
The administration says recent personnel changes are intended to make government more effective and improve accountability. But as agencies move from policy…
- The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton
Army overhauls civilian workforce, looking to speed up removals
The Army is overhauling how it manages its civilian workforce, issuing a directive that aims to make it easier to reward top performers while speeding up the…
- The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton
Two airports opt into TSA’s new privatization model
The Transportation Security Administration is pushing a new privatized security screening model called Gold-Plus. Now some airports are starting to opt into…
- The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton
After years of digital transformation efforts, does government know what digital success looks like?
Government has spent more than a decade building digital-service teams. But a new retrospective argues that many successes depended on workarounds rather than…
- The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton
Nobody likes talking about long-term care, but waiting may cost more
The best decisions are usually made before a crisis arrives. Long-term care planning is a good example. Families that understand their options early have more…
- The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton
The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton - - Thursday, July 23, 2026
Today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton When is a dataset truly dead? And when is it just being kept alive by a stubborn server and a little hope? On the…
- The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton
When is a dataset truly dead? On the Data Dish, we're checking the pulse of America's public data systems
Federal datasets don't always die dramatically. Sometimes they lose a variable here, an update there, and slowly drift into the statistical afterlife. In this…
- The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton
After returning to the office, federal employees report low productivity, morale
More than a year after a governmentwide return-to-office mandate, federal employees are reporting lower productivity, diminished morale and increasing strains…
- The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton
General Dynamics protests DISA’s Enclave contract expansion
General Dynamics Information Technology is challenging the Defense Information Systems Agency’s decision to expand Leidos’ $11 billion Defense Enclave Services…
- The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton
Federal agencies measure everything from staffing levels to performance goals, but can that predict mission accomplishment?
Agencies collect enormous amounts of information about performance. But those measures don't always answer a fundamental management question: does the…
- The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton
Government measures compliance, but does accountability help programs succeed?
When people hear the word accountability, they often think about assigning responsibility after something goes wrong. But my next guest says accountability…
- The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton
If accountability depends on honest assessments, are agencies using the tools from Congress to make those assessments?
Knowing whether a program is succeeding requires more than good intentions. It requires a disciplined look at results. Congress strengthened federal…
- The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton
The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton - - Wednesday, July 22, 2026
Today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton . . . Government spends a lot of time measuring compliance. But does accountability actually help programs…
- The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton
DLA rethinks how it does business as it pursues its first clean audit
Federal agencies are facing growing pressure to replace heavily customized legacy business systems with commercial off-the-shelf platforms that are easier to…
- The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton
Space Force welcomes first part-time guardians
The Space Force has officially welcomed its first part-time service members, launching a first-of-its-kind personnel model that allows Guardians to move…
- The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton
As agencies rethink cybersecurity requirements, how will they manage AI risks
GSA is taking another run at what could become the federal government's first acquisition clause focused specifically on large language models. After…
- The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton
Contractors face uncertainty with cybersecurity regs, AI rules and acquisition policies
Federal contractors are navigating uncertainty on several fronts, from evolving cybersecurity requirements to ongoing questions surrounding overseas programs…
- The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton
DoD pauses CMMC, but contractors still have obligations
Recent changes to the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program led some contractors to believe requirements had been put on hold. The reality is more…
- The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton
The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton - - Tuesday, July 21, 2026
Today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton The Defense Department has paused part of its cybersecurity certification program, but contractors still have…
- The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton
DoD plans CMMC listening sessions as questions swirl around review
The Pentagon has kicked off its review of the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program. Defense officials plan to hold listening sessions across the…
- The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton
Senators call for independent audit of DoD TRICARE pharmacy program
Senate lawmakers are calling for an independent audit of the Defense Department's multibillion-dollar TRICARE pharmacy program amid concerns that its longtime…
- The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton
A new Commerce Dept policy pits privacy and transparency against access to information
Most Americans never think about the statistical methods used to protect personal information in federal data products. But a recent Commerce Department order…
- The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton
Artificial intelligence may be getting the attention, but AI is only as reliable as the data behind it
Questions about federal data have increasingly moved from the margins of government policy to the center of it. A new report argues that the United States…
- The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton
As Congress sprints to August recess, major decisions on spending, nominations and a reconciliation package await
As lawmakers look toward the August recess, several of the year's biggest policy debates remain unresolved. Budget issues, pending nominees and early…
- The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton
The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton - Monday, July 20, 2026
Today on "The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton" Federal data helps drive everything from economic forecasts to local planning decisions. Now a new Commerce…
- The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton
Judge tells DOJ to reinstate telework for two attorneys as their lawsuit proceeds
Federal employees have recently scored a few small victories in their quest to restore telework. Two Justice Department attorneys with disabilities will be…
- The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton
Military to screen older troops for low testosterone
The Pentagon is launching a new health screening initiative that will check for low testosterone as part of annual physicals for service members age 30 and…
- The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton
An IG audit found the VA tool used to determine police staffing levels had serious gaps
The VA’s inspector general found that a tool designed to determine police staffing levels lacked validation, clear ownership and consistent use. Those very…