Tom Temin
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Patents and the intellectual property they represent have become an international business. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is racing to keep up. It's new Dossier Initiative lets applicants more easily see what's going around the world. Mark Powell is USPTO's deputy commissioner for international patent cooperation. He tells Federal Drive with Tom Temin the initiative starts with the importance of patents to the U.S. economy and jobs creation.
December 03, 2015 -
Somebody's got to keep tabs on all of the cybersecurity breaches that hit federal agencies. One of the people taking up that grim task is researcher Riley Walters of the Heritage Foundation. He tells Federal Drive with Tom Temin about his latest report.
December 03, 2015 -
Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) recently honored the Northern Virginia Technology Council for its work with the Veterans Affairs Department in improving access to care. On Federal Drive with Tom Temin, Federal News Radio reporter Scott Maucione caught up with Warner and VA Secretary Bob McDonald to talk about the VA's partnership with the council, the possibility of a government shut down and the future of the VA. He spoke first with Warner.
December 03, 2015 -
In Thursday's Federal Headlines, the Senate bill would cancel the Postal Service's requirement to pre-fund 80 percent of retiree health benefits. USPS said this requirement is one of the main reasons for its financial instability.
December 03, 2015 -
Speed matters, says Federal Drive host Tom Temin. When Defense Secretary Robert Gates stomped and hollered when MRAPs weren't there during the height of the Iraq war, by golly, DoD found a contractor to build them in march time.
December 02, 2015 -
The Army says its nascent electronic warfare program has plenty of people. Now it needs to train and equip them to do their jobs. But as Federal News Radio’s Jared Serbu tells Federal Drive with Tom Temin, those parts are coming soon.
December 02, 2015 -
The Office of Management and Budget has been pushing federal agencies to improve customer service, whether online or in-person. But one group has been pushing better service for years. The Government Customer Contact Services Community of Practice was founded by Daryl Covey. A Weather Service executive with 38 years of federal service, Covey tells Federal Drive with Tom Temin what the Community of Practice is all about.
December 02, 2015 -
A five-page draft executive order to improve the government’s ability to recruit, retain and train members of the Senior Executive Service is raising eyebrows. Good government groups and other experts are pleased to see the White House’s ideas to make the SES more attractive to current and future members. But they're concerned about what the draft order doesn’t do. Federal News Radio’s executive editor Jason Miller has more on Federal Drive with Tom Temin.
December 02, 2015 -
The federal government has designated 15 private sector industries as being or operating critical infrastructure. Each one has a corresponding federal agency with whom that industry shares cybersecurity threat information. Trouble is, the so-called sector-specific agencies haven't done a good job in assessing whether the infrastructure operators are getting better at cyber. That's according to the Government Accountability Office. Its director of cybersecurity issues, Greg Wilshusen, tells Federal Drive with Tom Temin more.
December 02, 2015 -
Pentagon brass are starting to get specific about the technologies they're looking for to produce the military advantage they'll need. The so-called third offset strategy acknowledges that the edge from stealth and guided munitions has evaporated. Bloomberg defense analyst Rob Levinson has been following the offset strategy and tells Federal Drive with Tom Temin what the defense industry can expect and what military planners are hoping to achieve.
December 02, 2015 -
In Wednesday's Federal Headlines, the House-passed bill authorizes funding and sets policies for intelligence-related activities at 18 federal departments including the NSA, Department of Homeland Security, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
December 02, 2015 -
Defense Department Comptroller Mike McCord said the department is getting about 96 percent of what it wants for fiscal 2017. He said 96 percent is a good day. But the administration tossed DOD a $2 billion curve ball. Federal News Radio's Scott Maucione has more on Federal Drive with Tom Temin.
December 01, 2015 -
Data has become the life blood of decision-making at many federal agencies. Greg Godbout is one of the leaders in federal data adoption. Now the chief technology officer at the Environmental Protection Agency, he's helping decision-making at both the federal and state levels. Federal Drive with Tom Temin interviewed Godbout and the agency's chief data scientist, Robin Thottungal, for an update on data initiatives. Godbout explained how data innovation can keep federal executives from making bad decisions on what they don't really know.
December 01, 2015 -
Ron Walters, interim Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs, VA He's spent decades in federal service, on both the financial management and program sides. Now Ron Walters of the Veterans Affairs Department has been named a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration. The Acting Principal Deputy Undersecretary of Veterans Affairs now is overseeing the department's memorial and cemetery activities. He fills in Federal Drive with Tom Temin on the latest.
December 01, 2015 -
They arrived in town yesterday, but today members of Congress get down to real work. But what's real all depends. If you care about establishment of a federal budget for fiscal 2016, you may have to wait a few days. David Hawkings, senior editor at CQ Roll Call, tells Federal Drive with Tom Temin about another issue that's first in line on the agenda.
December 01, 2015