Federal Drive Interviews — Jan. 17, 2013

Michael Daniel, White house cybersecurity coordinator, talks about the new national strategy for information sharing and safeguarding. Brian Friel of Bloomberg ...

This is the Federal Drive show blog. Here you can listen to the interviews, find more information about the guests on the show each day and links to additional resources.

Today’s guests:

Michael Daniel
president’s special assistant and cybersecurity coordinator
White House

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Last month, the White House released a new national strategy for information sharing and safeguarding. In the preface, President Barack Obama says agencies are sharing and cooperating like never before. But he says, they can do better. And, at the same time, he voices concerns about leaks that can damage national security. The strategy, he says, aims to strike a balance.

Brian Friel
federal business intelligence analyst
Bloomberg Government

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In general, we might not like red tape. But for government contractors, a boom in new regulations is creating new business opportunities. Bloomberg Government analyst Brian Friel has crunched the numbers. He’s found that the government spent, on average, about $10 billion in each of the last two fiscal years hiring contractors for work related to the new rules, and, there’s more work to be had.

(BGov is a paid site and requires a subscription to access stories.)

Charles Crum
director
Office of the Postal Service Inspector General

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The saying goes, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” The Postal Service has lost billions of dollars in the digital age, as more people turn to email and online shopping. But the agency’s inspector general says it should embrace the Internet. Charles Crum, director of the office of the Postal Service Inspector General, discusses his plan for turning the Postal Service into an e-government hub and helping USPS along with the rest of government.

Michael Nugent
director
Defense Language and National Security Education Office

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Whether it’s an FBI agent who detains a Somali pirate or a Coast Guard cutter calling out to a Chinese fisherman, federal employees stationed abroad need a little help saying hello. More and more, they’re turning to a special corps of volunteers organized by the Pentagon. It started out as a pilot program and became permanent when President Barack Obama signed the defense authorization law earlier this month. Michael Nugent oversees the National Language Service Corps as part of his role as director of the Defense Language and National Security Education Office.

To learn how to volunteeer at the National Language Service Corps, click here.

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