Government Matters

NASA changes trajectory of asteroid Lindley Johnson, lead program executive for NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office, discusses NASA’s successful Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) and initial findings   TSA releases new Innovation Doctrine Meg King, executive director for strategy, policy coordination and innovation at TSA, describes the agency’s new Innovation Doctrine to empower its workforce and stay ahead of emerging security threats   Transforming government technology Raylene Yung, Technology Modernization Fund executive director at GSA, discusses major new investments to support tech modernization at agenciesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The following program is sponsored by the Association of the United States Army Christine Wormuth, secretary of the U.S. Army, discusses recruitment and retention, inflation, military housing improvements, mental health, diversity and inclusion, the war in Ukraine, weapons development, international collaboration, modernization and the future of the ArmySee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The following program is sponsored by the Association of the United States Army Military logistics in the Indo-Pacific region Brig. Gen. Jered P. Helwig, commanding general of the 8th Theater Sustainment Command in the U.S. Army, discusses the Army’s role in the Indo-Pacific, supply and logistics strategy and international collaboration   Optimizing Army acquisition and investing in technology Doug Bush, assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology, discusses the supply of weapons to Ukraine, acquisition and supply chain efficiency, JADC2 and digital transformationSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The following program is sponsored by the Association of the United States Army Interview with the chief of the Norwegian Army Maj. Gen. Lars Lervik, chief of the Norwegian Army, discusses integration with the U.S. military, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, defense spending increases, NATO and the Arctic   Interview with the commanders of the Swedish and Finnish Armies Maj. Gen. Karl Engelbrektson, commander of the Swedish Army, and Lt. Gen. Pasi Välimäki, commander of the Finnish Army, discuss the impact their countries’ accession to NATO would have, collaboration with the U.S., Baltic Sea security and the Russia-Ukraine warSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Closing the digital divide Nicol Turner Lee, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, discusses the digital divide and funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for high-speed broadband   US munitions stockpiles Maj. Gen. John Ferrari (U.S. Army, ret.), senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, discusses the war in Ukraine and the impact of U.S. assistance on American munition stockpiles   Iran supplies Russia with drones Alex Vatanka, director of the Iran Program at the Middle East Institute, discusses Iran’s supply of drones to Russia and potential sanctions from the U.S. and EUSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ensuring election systems security Thomas Hicks, chairman of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, discusses what his organization is doing to ensure the security of election systems and the safety of election officials as midterms approach   Preventing international child abductions and supporting adoptions Michelle Bernier-Toth, special advisor for children’s issues at the Office of Children’s Issues, explains how her office prevents international child abductions, supports international adoptions and works with other countries on these efforts   US sending $625 million in weapons to Ukraine Bryan Clark, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, discusses the details of new weapons shipments to Ukraine, other requests from Ukraine and attacks on the Nord Stream undersea pipelineSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

USPS sorting and delivery consolidation plan Ivan Butts, president of the National Association of Postal Supervisors, discusses how the U.S. Postal Service’s plans to consolidate mail processing operations across the country could impact postal workers and supervisors   Accelerating US biotechnology Theresa Good, division director for NSF’s Directorate for Biological Sciences, discusses a new executive order for advancing biotechnology and biomanufacturing and the National Science Foundation’s efforts in this area   Writing the Space Force’s service song Jamie Teachenor, songwriter of Space Force’s ‘Semper Supra,’ discusses his process of composing the Space Force’s new, official service song that was unveiled Sept. 20See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Initiatives of the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs Todd Robinson, assistant secretary for the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs at the State Department, discusses the mission of his bureau and its efforts to combat the international drug trade, support Ukraine and train law enforcement officials   Copyright Claims Board launched in July Suzy Wilson, general counsel and associate register of copyrights at the U.S. Copyright Office, discusses the new claims board to improve accessibility of the copyright system to everyone in the U.S.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Negative impacts of continuing resolutions Elaine McCusker, former deputy under secretary of defense (comptroller) and senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, explains how operating the government under a continuing resolution negatively impacts the country   Transforming foodborne illness prevention Steven Musser, deputy center director for scientific operations at the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition at the FDA, discusses the use of whole genome sequencing to greatly improve the way foodborne illnesses are investigated and prevented   Development of brain-controlled technology Karen Howard, director of science, technology assessment and analytics at the Government Accountability Office, discusses the applications for brain-computer interfaces along with ethical and security concernsSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

US lifts sanctions to increase internet access in Iran Jennifer Brody, U.S. Policy and Advocacy Manager at Access Now, discusses protests in Iran and internet blackouts amid historic unrest as well as U.S. government assistance   Revitalizing US Foreign Service Michael Polt, Ambassador-in-Residence at Arizona State University, details a new set of blueprints that he helped develop for revitalizing and modernizing the U.S. diplomatic service   US-Pacific Island Country Summit Michael Walsh, affiliate at the Center for Australian, New Zealand and Pacific Studies at Georgetown University, discusses the summit in Washington with leaders from Pacific Island nations and the strategic importance of the regionSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Advancing artificial intelligence at NIH Grace Peng, director at NIH’s National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, discusses the new Bridge to Artificial Intelligence (Bridge2AI) program to transform the use of data and improve patient outcomes   Risks of ending SBIR program Charles Wessner, senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, explains the benefits of the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, the risks of ending it and China’s involvement   US assistance to Pakistan after historic floods Sarah Charles, assistant to the administrator of USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, describes the impact of historic flooding in Pakistan, the food shortage it has led to and U.S. assistanceSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Impacts of potential Schedule F Richard Loeb, senior policy counsel at the American Federation of Government Employees, discusses Schedule F and the Preventing a Patronage System Act   VA Office of Women’s Health Dr. Patricia Hayes, chief officer of the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Women’s Health, discusses the mission of her office and the increasing number of women veterans   US and UK ‘special relationship’ Sam Edwards, associate professor at Manchester Metropolitan University, discusses changes in the diplomatic relationship between the U.S. and U.K. in light of a new prime minister and new monarchSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Putin-Xi meeting in Uzbekistan Elizabeth Wishnick, senior research scientist at CNA, discusses the recent meeting between Putin and Xi and China’s level of support for Russia’s war in Ukraine   China announces discovery of lunar mineral Arthur Herman, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, discusses whether the United States should be concerned about a recent claim from China and what the U.S. should do to strengthen its space program   Maintaining US global leadership Jennifer Buss, CEO of the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies, discusses recommendations for maintaining global leadership through investments in critical technologiesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

New funding for Environmental Protection Agency Janet McCabe, deputy administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, discusses major investments in the country’s water infrastructure, pollution cleanup, modernized school buses and clean energy programs   Upcoming AUSA annual meeting and exposition Brig. Gen. Jack Haley (Ret.), vice president for membership and meetings for the Association of the U.S. Army, describes what will be new at this year’s AUSA event and explains the organization’s missionSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ukraine takes back territory Mark Montgomery, senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, analyzes recent developments in Russia’s war on Ukraine, likely next moves from Putin and recommendations for the United States   Incentivizing military service Katherine Kuzminski, senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, discusses historic incentives the Navy and Air Force are now offering to new recruits   Veteran Rapid Retraining Assistance Program Lisa Rein, reporter for the Washington Post, explains what she found when investigating problems with a program to help veterans get jobsSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

DIA’s Challenges to Security in Space 2022 report findings John Huth, defense intelligence officer for space and counterspace at the Defense Intelligence Agency, details some of the main findings of a report about threats to U.S. space capabilities from Russia, China and other adversaries   Operationalizing US-Pacific partnerships Keoki Jackson, senior vice president and general manager for MITRE National Security, discusses the need for the U.S. to reinvigorate alliances with Pacific nations and use whole-of-nation thinking to counter China   Developing direct air capture technology Pamela Chu, researcher at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, describes NIST’s efforts to improve direct air capture technologies to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphereSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Possibility of reviving the Iran nuclear deal Jonathan Lord, director of the Middle East Security Program at the Center for a New American Security, discusses Iran’s work towards developing a nuclear weapon and the possibility of reviving the nuclear deal   Deadly rise of fentanyl in the United States David Asher, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, discusses the dangers of Mexican drug cartels distributing fentanyl across the U.S. as well as the government’s attention on this issue   Calculating the social cost of carbon Kevin Rennert, fellow at Resources for the Future, discusses a new study analyzing the societal costs of carbon dioxide and recommendations for federal government responseSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Interview with Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Linda Fagan Admiral Linda Fagan, commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, discusses workforce transformation, recruitment, mental health, modernization, climate change, the upcoming four-year strategy and diversitySee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense Ambika Bumb, deputy executive director of the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense, discusses the current landscape of biological threats, government pandemic preparedness efforts and her organization’s recommendations   Mission of Veterans Experience Office Barbara Morton, deputy chief veterans experience officer at the Department of Veterans Affairs, discusses how her office has transformed customer experience for veterans since it was established in 2015   Improving federal customer experience and service Martha Dorris, former deputy associate administrator for GSA’s Office of Citizen Services, discusses government agencies’ progress on implementing the president’s customer experience executive order and the most important factors for successSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Mission and history of ARPA-E Jennifer Gerbi, acting director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for the Department of Energy (ARPA-E), discusses the process of evaluating and funding high-risk, high-reward energy projects and getting the technologies to market   DoD’s civilian harm reduction plan Todd Huntley, director of the National Security Law Program at Georgetown University Law Center and former Judge Advocate General, discusses the Defense Department’s new Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response Action Plan and implementation challengesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.