• After Vice President Kamala Harris’ concession, President-elect Donald Trump has a clear path to begin the presidential transition process. The General Services Administration (GSA) says it’s standing at the ready to give Trump’s transition team post-election resources. Those include office space and supplies, IT equipment, fleet vehicles and much more. But before any of that can happen, Trump’s team has to sign an agreement with GSA to get access to the resources. GSA says it’s notified Trump’s team of the support that's available. But Trump has so far not signed the required contract. Without the agreement in place, the Partnership for Public Service says Trump will face "tremendous and unnecessary" risk to national security.
  (Post-election services after concession - General Services Administration)
• It’s not just Schedule F. President-elect Donald Trump has an arsenal of ways to target federal employees. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) finalized a regulation that would make it harder to bring back the Trump administration’s Schedule F executive order. Under that plan thousands of policymaking federal employees would be reclassified as at-will employees that are easier to fire. But federal workforce experts say that would only delay, not prevent the return of Schedule F. They say a second Trump administration could also put some federal employees on indefinite administrative leave. That’s because OPM has yet to finalize agency guidance for a 2016 law meant to put some guardrails on administrative leave.
  (Beyond Schedule F, Trump has ‘arsenal’ of ways to target federal employees - Federal News Network)
• Many federal groups and unions are bracing for what a second Trump term might bring. In the immediate aftermath of President-elect Donald Trump’s victory this week, unions and advocacy organizations are already thinking ahead to what it will all mean for career federal employees. Some groups congratulated Trump on his win over Vice President Kamala Harris. Others expressed disappointment. Federal unions in particular say they’re worried about the revival of what they called anti-labor policies from Trump’s first term. Many groups are also concerned about the revival of Schedule F in the new administration.
  (Federal groups, unions brace for what a second Trump term may bring - Federal News Network )
• The use of joint ventures and mentor-protégé agreements has exploded over the last decade both in terms of number of agreements and contract awards. New data from market research firm Deltek shows since 2013, the number of unique joint ventures is up by 66% and contracting spending with these firms is up by 120%. In 2023 alone, Deltek says JVs and mentor-protégé won 10 billion dollars in awards. That's $1 billion more than in 2022 and $1.4 billion more than in 2021. Concerns about how vendors and agencies are using these agreements has pushed SBA to consider changes to the program.
  (Joint ventures and mentor-protégé agreements sky rocketing - Daltek)

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• The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) wants to establish new cyber requirements for pipeline and railroad operators. TSA’s proposed rule released this week would require high-risk pipeline and railroad operators to establish cyber risk management programs. It would also mandate they report cyber incidents to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. The proposed rule builds on annual security directives that TSA has released in recent years. The agency first established minimum cyber standards for the pipeline and rail sectors in the wake of the 2021 Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack.
  (TSA announces proposed rule that would require the establishment of pipeline and railroad cyber risk management programs - TSA)
• The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) will conduct an assessment of its workforce’s technology skills in the coming year. In its latest Federal Information Security Modernization Act (FISMA) audit, the office of the inspector general recommended OPM identify any IT skills gaps and specialized training needs. OPM agreed, telling the IG the assessment will be done in fiscal 2025. The IG found OPM mostly implemented required FISMA policies. But the auditor also urged the personnel agency to improve some security processes, such as configuration management.
  (OPM FISMA audit for fiscal 2024 - OPM OIG )
• The Department of the Navy is launching the Naval Strategic Studies Group. The program is inspired by a previous Cold War-era initiative that was developed to train future flag officers in strategic thinking and to research some of the service’s most pressing strategic issues. The first cohort will include both military and civilian personnel from the Navy and Marine Corps. They will work on a capstone project that will support Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro’s strategic maritime statecraft initiative. The first group of participants will also help shape the program.
  (DON launches naval strategic studies group - Department of the Navy)
• The Space Force is expanding its Commercial Integration Cell (CIC). The Commercial Integration Cell has grown from ten to 15 companies. The Space Force plans to add two more companies by early next year. The program facilitates real-time information and threat sharing between the military and commercial satellite operators. While there is no limit on the number of companies that can join the CIC, the challenge becomes managing all these connections effectively. CIC members sign non-disclosure agreements to ensure that any shared information is not used for competitive advantage or profit.
  (Space Force’s Commercial Integration Cell to include 17 companies by next year - Federal News Network )
• Agencies have some help as they continue to hire more data scientists. As agencies continue to fill positions in the 1560 jobs series for data scientists, the Chief Data Officer's Council's new toolkit gives both candidates and hiring managers new considerations as part of the recruiting and hiring processes. The Data Science Hiring Toolkit is part resource guide, part skillset description and part best practices for hiring managers and candidates. Hiring managers can find frequently asked questions around basic hiring requirements like which job series to use to different hiring tools like the Pathways internship program to recruitment incentives. The toolkit also features FAQs for potential candidates for data scientist jobs in government.
  (CDO Council's data science hiring toolkit - CDO Council)
• The share of veterans with service-connected disabilities has more than doubled in recent years. Census Bureau data shows about 30% of veterans had a service-connected disability in 2022. That’s up from just 15% in 2008. Veterans with service-connected disabilities in most cases are eligible for monthly disability payments and health care from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The VA is currently providing record levels of benefits and health care under the PACT Act. The legislation expands the eligibility criteria for veterans exposed to toxic substances during their military service.
  (Veterans with service-connected disabilities doubles in recent years - U.S. Census Bureau)

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