Weekly Roundup: February 9-13, 2026

TECHNOLOGY

USPTO’s ‘Scout’ GenAI Platform Gains Traction as Cloud Modernization Hits 58%. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is betting that a strong cloud foundation will accelerate adoption of generative AI across the agency, with its in-house GenAI tool “Scout” now rolled out agencywide, acting Chief Information Officer (CIO) Debbie Stephens said on Thursday.

Military Cyber Leaders Accelerate Zero Trust, Modernization Efforts. Cybersecurity leaders across the U.S. military said they are accelerating efforts to modernize networks, tighten access controls, and defend against evolving threats. Officials outlined new programs to speed technology development, strengthen zero trust protections, and support operations in challenging environments. Army Cyber Command advances agile development and threat hunting. A major initiative the command is leveraging is the Transforming in Contact 2.0, which is designed to push emerging technologies – including electronic warfare prototypes and aerial jammers – directly into Army units to improve mobility and lethality.

When every second counts: government tech helps first responders' lifesaving missions. NIST efforts highlight how improved situational awareness and indoor location tracking are becoming part of first responders' toolkit. Drones have earned their place in public safety supporting search and rescue and surveillance missions. Emerging technology from government labs gives emergency crews advantages they didn't have a decade ago. Whether it's a collapsed building after an earthquake or smoke-filled office during an active shooter event, ability to see around corners and know what's happening inside dangerous environments can mean the difference between life and death.

NSF to Invest $100M in Up to 16 Open-Access Quantum Research Sites. The National Science Foundation (NSF) announced Friday that it will invest $100 million to build a nationwide network of up to 16 open-access research facilities that will advance quantum and nanoscale technologies and strengthen workforce development.

FBI Cyber Division’s Operation Winter SHIELD Gains Momentum Nationwide. The FBI Cyber Division’s latest initiative, Operation Winter SHIELD, is growing as more field offices join the cybersecurity defense campaign that aims to turn lessons from investigations into high-impact actions that organizations can take to strengthen their defenses.

FEHRM CTO Voices Confidence as VA Prepares to Restart EHR Rollout in April. With the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) preparing to restart deployments of its Electronic Health Record Modernization (EHRM) program in April, a senior federal health IT leader said Thursday that the effort is entering a new phase shaped by hard lessons learned and growing confidence in the underlying system.

AI & EMERGING TECH

Pentagon Wrestles With AI Acceleration Mandate, Risk. Military officials said Wednesday that the Pentagon’s mandate to speed artificial intelligence (AI) adoption has the services wrestling to balance speed and safety while managing security, governance, and workforce challenges. The Department of Defense (DOD), which the Trump administration has rebranded as the Department of War, is moving to carry out a mandate from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to make the department “an ‘AI-first’ warfighting force across all domains.” But AI is easier said than done, and adoption is a balance of risk and reward, leaders from across the Navy and Marine Corps conveyed during the AFCEA West 2026 conference in San Diego.

State Department Pursues AI, Enterprise IT Simplification in 2026. The State Department is undertaking a comprehensive modernization plan to streamline operations, advance artificial intelligence (AI) integration, and update core technology systems in 2026, the department’s chief information officer, Kelly Fletcher, said Thursday.  Fletcher said the strategy will center on consolidating commodity IT services, expanding agentic AI deployment, modernizing ID systems, and aligning classified networks with more advanced unclassified capabilities. “We’re trying to consolidate and standardize and simplify around commodities,” Fletcher said. “If something is a commodity, let’s just make it simple and standard.” 

CMS Expands AI Use as Weekly Adoption Hits 80%, CIO Says. The numbers are in – artificial intelligence (AI) has saved the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) 11,000 hours per week across the agency, and 80% of employees use the technology weekly, CMS Chief Information Officer (CIO) Patrick Newbold said Wednesday.

WORKFORCE TRANSFORMATION & CIVIL SERVICE

OPM seeks to consolidate power over employee appeals in new regulations. OPM proposed two new regulation sets granting itself authority to adjudicate appeals of federal workers' firings, wresting control from MSPB. One proposal covers suitability appeals—determinations of whether someone is appropriate for federal employment. Last year, President Trump signed an executive order instructing OPM to take over suitability decisions previously handled by individual agencies. OPM stated it would keep staff making suitability determinations separate from those adjudicating appeals. The second proposal addresses reduction in force appeals.

Congress gave feds a 3-month break from layoffs. A court may signal what happens next. Lawmakers gave federal employees a three-month reprieve from governmentwide layoffs through continuing resolution provisions, but those protections expire February 13. Language in stopgap spending bills prevented several agencies from proceeding with RIFs targeting approximately 4,000 employees. During the shutdown, RIF notices went to employees at Commerce, Education, Energy, HHS, HUD, Homeland Security, and Treasury. A federal judge is weighing whether agencies must rescind those notices or can let them stand despite the layoff prohibition. Judge Illston noted she "cannot understand why the government is fighting about this," since the administration could issue new RIF notices and remove employees months later.

How to attract tech workers to civil service? Give them credit! OPM Director Scott Kupor announced the federal government will recruit thousands of private and non-profit sector STEM workers to help agencies solve technology issues, including rapid acquisition and implementation. The effort resembles the U.S. Digital Service model. The challenge intensifies when the president "denigrates and disrespects federal service" following another government shutdown, making interest in such positions "problematic at best." OPM may already have tools to make federal government attractive for tech talent—what it doesn't have "should not be that hard to get."

Rebuilding federal capacity will require public-private partnerships. The federal workforce experienced "possibly the most destabilizing year in a century" as DOGE's rapid personnel cuts removed employees "with little analysis or understanding of their roles, performance or mission importance." Institutional knowledge was lost with the surge of retirees, creating barriers to agency performance. Now AI is triggering widespread workflow redesign and changing or eliminating jobs and occupations. The Tech Force represents the latest public-private partnership central to achieving White House goals. The disruption didn't just shrink the workforce—it disrupted agency operations.

HOMELAND SECURITY

DHS officials warn about shutdown impacts.  CISA's work to finalize an incident reporting rule would face further delays if DHS components face another shutdown. CISA Acting Director Madhu Gottumukkala told legislators that more than a third of CISA's employees would continue working without pay "even when nation-state actors intensify efforts to exploit the systems that Americans rely on." Secret Service Deputy Director Matthew Quinn warned that shutdowns halt the agency's reforms and undermine momentum on communications and IT infrastructure upgrades brought to attention after the 2024 assassination attempt. A continuing resolution funding DHS expires February 13, with Republicans and Democrats unable to reach agreement on immigration enforcement reforms.

ACQUISITION & CONTRACTING REFORM

SBA proposes to terminate 154 companies from 8(a) program.  SBA initiated termination processes for 154 small companies from the 8(a) program based on data showing they "exceeded statutory net worth limits, adjusted gross income caps, or total asset limits." Administrator Kelly Loeffler stated these D.C. firms received $1.3 billion in federal contracts despite not being economically disadvantaged. This follows December's data call to 4,300 8(a) firms requesting 13 data elements including general ledgers, bank statements, and contract documentation. January saw suspension of over 1,000 firms for non-compliance. SBA highlighted one D.C. firm reporting total assets over $35 million—five times the statutory eligibility limit—while continuing to pursue set-aside opportunities.

Why federal acquisition must adapt to survive. Federal acquisition now operates in an environment "that looks far more like biology than manufacturing." The immune system operates continuously without central control, sensing threats, testing responses, learning from exposure, and retaining memory "not by freezing behavior, but by changing it." No one expects an immune system to predict every future disease or designs a single perfect antibody hoping it lasts decades. Protection in a changing environment comes from continuous learning, rapid feedback, and ability to adapt without destroying the organism.

OVERSIGHT & GOVERNANCE

FBI gathered intelligence on reporters, religious orgs using 'assessment' authority, watchdog report says. FBI used intelligence-gathering techniques to examine over 1,000 journalists, religious organizations, politicians and others using "assessment" authority that allows data gathering on individuals without legal grounds to pursue criminal investigation. The sensitive GAO report measured use of assessments between 2018-2024. Authorized gathering methods include physical surveillance not requiring court orders, grand jury subpoenas for electronic communications, and confidential human sources. The bureau undercounts analysts' non-compliance with assessment policies because it relies on self-reporting and infrequent audits.

GAO: Data Sharing Delivers Millions, but SSA’s Cost Model Falls Short.  A three-year pilot gave the Treasury Department access to the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) full Death Master File and generated nearly $109 million in net benefits in its first year, but the Government Accountability Office (GAO) says SSA’s approach to paying states and allocating data costs doesn’t meet statutory requirements. GAO recommended that SSA ensure contracts reflect statutorily authorized costs and required documentation, analyze state cost information and determine whether to renegotiate the fee schedule, and revise its methodology for allocating costs to incorporate proportional shares of state death data expenses. SSA agreed with those recommendations. 

THIS WEEK @ THE CENTER 

RECENT BLOGS

Advancing Multi-Sector Partnerships: Improving Outcomes and Productivity by Michael J. Keegan. Pillar 1: Partnerships Are Now Essential, Not Optional. No single organization can solve the hardest problems alone Whether delivering vaccines, planning for climate risks, strengthening supply chains, or modernizing digital services, success increasingly depends on partnerships—across agencies, across levels of government, and across sectors.

ICYMI – This week Michael J. Keegan welcomed Micah Gaudet, Deputy City Manager, City of Maricopa, Arizona to explore leveraging AI in local government, what "AI-ready culture" looks like in city government, and how AI creates efficiencies in city operations.