Welcome to The Wrap for Tuesday, March 21!

From the newsroom at MeriTalk, it’s the quickest read in Federal tech news. Here’s what you need to know today:

Quantum Prep One-Two-Three

Dylan Presman, director for Budget and Assessment at the Office of the National Cyber Director (ONCD), made the prep for quantum computing sound easy today during a talk at an ACT-IAC shared services event. First, inventory the systems; second, prioritize the risks to current systems; and third, create a transition plan away from quantum risky tech, including how much that will cost. The widespread advent of quantum computing – and the concerns that it poses especially to current day cryptography and the cybersecurity technologies that rely upon it – are still years away, but the time for planning is now.

VA Data Gaps

The good news: The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has developed more than 1,400 recommendations for modernizing and realigning its health care infrastructure after conducting a system-wide assessment of its ability to provide health care services to veterans. The recommendations take into account vital issues like adapting to innovations in health care delivery, and trends from the coronavirus pandemic.  The less-than-good news: a new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) is finding gaps in the data VA used to inform the recommendations, and has given the agency a list of steps to help close those.  VA concurred with those, but also indicated that action on them may not come quickly, as the agency plans to address the gaps as part of its ongoing planning for the next set of quadrennial market assessments expected in three years.

Army Sticking With Headsets

U.S. Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville today mounted a robust defense of the Army’s use of augmented reality (AR) headsets, and insisted that the service branch needs to “be persistent” with the technology in order to transform how soldiers operate on the battlefield. The Army has faced some criticism over its 2021 decision to go big with the technology provided by Microsoft – in a deal with a value of up to $21 billion – but McConville said at a Brookings event today that the Army needs to stay the course. The general compared the Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS) headset tech to early cellphones that later morphed into indispensable tools. “That is what IVAS is going to be, and people just got to be persistent,” McConville said, adding that the technology is going to “transform the way our leaders and soldiers can operate in the battlefield.”

U.S. Digital Response CEO

Congrats to Hillary Hartley on landing the CEO spot at U.S. Digital Response, a San Francisco-based nonprofit that helps government organizations respond quickly to critical public needs by pairing them with pro-bono technologists. Hartley will take over from interim CEO Tina Walha, who will become the organization’s chief partnerships officer in early April. Hartley comes to U.S. Digital Response after six years as chief digital and data officer and deputy minister for the Ontario Public Service, and before as co-founder and deputy executive director of the General Services Administration’s (GSA) 18F technology and design consultancy.

Trusted Workforce 2.0 Progress

The security clearance process for the Federal government is about to get a more modern look. By the end of the fiscal year, 115 agencies will be using the new e-app personnel vetting form from the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA), Trusted Workforce 2.0, said Heather Green, director of DCSA’s Vetting Risk Office, today. She said 83 agencies have been through the onboarding process, which features more than 56,000 security clearance cases. “We are making progress,” said Green. “I can see it; I can feel it.”

Once again, let’s “call IT a day,” but we'll bring you more tomorrow. Until then please check the MeriTalk breaking news website throughout the day for the latest on government IT people, process, and policy.

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