Emergency leave for federal employees impacted by Hurricane Helene

• Federal employees impacted by Hurricane Helene in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and other states are eligible to receive donated leave under the emergency leave transfer program established by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). OPM says employees who are adversely affected and seek to become emergency leave recipients must apply in writing to their agencies. An employee who is unable to do so on their own may apply through a personal representative. OPM says agencies are responsible for administering the leave transfer program for their own affected employees.
  (Emergency leave transfer for federal employees adversely affected by Tropical Cyclone, Tropical Storm and Hurricane Helene 2024 - CHCO Council)
• Air Force General Steven Nordhaus officially assumed the duties of the National Guard Bureau chief yesterday. The Senate confirmed Nordhaus last month to serve as the Guard’s top official and a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Army Lt. Gen. Jonathan Stubbs, who’s been the Guard’s acting chief during the service’s leadership laps for the past two months, will serve as the Guard’s acting vice chief. The national Guard will have a ceremonial assumption of responsibility for Gen. Nordhaus later this month.
  (Nordhaus assumes duties of the National Guard Bureau - National Guard)
• The House Veterans Affairs Committee is seeking answers about a $12 billion healthcare budget shortfall at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Chairman Mike Bost (R-Ill.) and Subcommittee Chairman John Carter (R-Texas) have asked VA Secretary Denis McDonough to reconcile financial accounts of the Veterans Health Administration for fiscal 2024 before making additional funding requests. Their letter highlights concern about rising pharmaceutical costs and excessive service contracts as well as the need for transparency. The committee wants answers to 15 questions from the VA by October 18.
  (House Committee questions $12B VA healthcare budget shortfall - House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs)
• Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Lisa Franchetti says each target laid out in her plan is a stretch goal. Franchetti wants the service to prioritize nearly a dozen targets, including getting sailors off waitlists for housing, operationalizing autonomous systems, and sustaining surge-ready forces. While the goals are lofty, the plan will push people harder to get after them. One of the targets is to achieve an 80% surge-ready fleet. Franchetti also wants the service to fill jobs in the active and reserve components to 100% and man deploying units to 95% of billets.
  (Navy’s new targets are ‘stretch’ goals - Federal News Network)

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• The National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) has selected 42 leaders to join the 2024 Class of Academy Fellows. The 42 fellows include Darren Ash, the Interior Department’s CIO; Laura Stanton, the assistant commissioner IT category at the General Services Administration; and Steven Lenkart, the executive director of the National Federation of Federal Employees. The 2024 class joins nearly one thousand current NAPA fellows, a list that also includes former cabinet officers, members of Congress and many other public sector and non-profit leaders. The class shines light on civil servants with a wide range of professional experience and accomplished academics.
  (National Academy of Public Administration selects 42 leaders in public administration - National Academy of Public Administration )
• Agencies have new guidance to ensure they are safely buying artificial intelligence products. In a new 36-page memo, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is directing agencies to improve their capacity for the responsible acquisition of AI. OMB Deputy Director for Management Jason Miller says agencies must take proactive steps to deal with an ever-changing landscape: "This new memo provides agencies with the tools and information they need as they acquire AI, capturing its promise while managing its risks." The memo calls on agencies to do three things: Proactively manage risk, promote a competitive AI market and address the business processes for acquiring AI.
  (Advancing the responsible acquisition of AI in government - Office of Management and Budget)
• A cyber vulnerability disclosure program helped 51 agencies triage more than 7,000 submissions last year. That’s according to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s (CISA) latest report on its Vulnerability Disclosure Policy (VDP) Platform. Since launching in 2021, CISA’s platform has taken in more than 12,000 vulnerability submissions across the federal government. VDP researchers subsequently confirmed more than 2,400 valid cyber vulnerabilities. Agencies have patched more than 2,000 of the identified bugs. CISA says the goal is to continue growing the VDP platform as a model for crowdsourced cyber vulnerability disclosure.
  (2023 annual report on Vulnerability Disclosure Policy Platform - Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency)
• The Justice Department (DoJ) is taking steps to address potential security and safety risks in artificial intelligence systems. DoJ is updating the vulnerability disclosure framework to account for AI. The department framework in 2017 to reduce legal risks for independent cybersecurity researchers. Nicole Argentieri is principal deputy assistant attorney general in DoJ’s criminal division. AI red teaming will be essential to ensuring the integrity and safety of AI systems … It can also help protect against discrimination, bias and other harmful outcomes." The White House has also pushed major AI companies to allow for third-party red teaming of their systems. But leading AI researchers say many current policies at those companies chill independent evaluation.
  (DoJ revising vulnerability disclosure framework to encourage AI red teaming - Federal News Network)

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