Weekly Roundup: February 16-20, 2026

Submitted by on Fri, 02/20/2026 - 13:09
Friday, February 20, 2026
Michael J. Keegan
Curating Articles & Insights of Interest in Public Management & Leadership for the week ending February 20, 2026.

Technology & IT Modernization

OMB Deepens IT Oversight, Elevates CIOs in Policy Decisions. The Office of Management and Budget is strengthening its oversight of federal IT spending and expanding the role of agency CIOs in policy deliberations. The development reinforces enterprise governance discipline and signals a renewed emphasis on strategic alignment between technology investments and mission delivery.

NIH Expands AI Pilots Amid Staffing Reductions. The National Institutes of Health significantly increased AI use cases across research and administrative functions, even as staffing levels declined. The move illustrates how agencies are leveraging AI to enhance productivity and sustain mission performance under fiscal and workforce constraints.

Where Federal AI Ambition Meets the Limits of Operational Reality. A Federal News Network commentary examines the tension between federal AI aspirations and existing procurement, governance, and oversight structures. The article highlights the challenge of integrating adaptive AI systems into frameworks designed for traditional software acquisition and compliance regimes.

FDA, GSA Spotlight How AI is Reshaping Modernization Efforts.  Federal officials are intensifying back-office modernization with AI as a key tool to streamline operations and reengineer business processes. At a Federal News Network webinar February 17, agency leaders outlined how they're embedding AI into modernization roadmaps.

Pentagon Seeks AI to Streamline Admin Tasks.  The Pentagon seeks AI solutions to manage routine back-office functions across DoD through the Joint Enterprise Task Management System (JETMS). In a solicitation released Tuesday, the department explained current tasking processes rely on fragmented legacy systems, email, and manual trackers, creating operational friction, extensive data entry, and limiting leaders' visibility into workloads. DoD asks industry to propose innovative solutions achieving desired outcomes and  workflow management across DoD.

Cybersecurity

OMB Rescinds the "Common Form" Secure Software Attestation Requirement. OMB issued Memorandum M-26-05 "Adopting a Risk-based Approach to Software and Hardware Security," rescinding the Biden Administration's requirement for federal agencies to obtain self-attestation from software producers in CISA's "Common Form" before using certain third-party software. OMB Director Russell T. Vought stated M-22-18 and M-23-16 imposed "unproven and burdensome software accounting processes that prioritized compliance over genuine security investments."

FAR Council Proposes Ban on Adversary-Linked Chips in Federal Contracts.  The Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council proposed a rule Tuesday barring federal agencies from purchasing products and services containing semiconductors tied to foreign adversaries. The proposed rule would prohibit agencies from procuring electronic products or services that include "covered" semiconductors, and from purchasing electronic products for use in critical systems that rely on electronics containing such components.

Acquisition & Procurement Reform

Pentagon Seeks Industry Input on Regulatory Reform Phase 2. The Department of Defense is soliciting industry feedback as it advances acquisition reform, including updates to the FAR and DFARS. The effort aims to streamline contracting pathways, reduce friction, and increase agility in defense procurement.

Lawmakers Push for Pentagon Audit Accountability. Congressional leaders continue pressing the Pentagon to achieve audit readiness and strengthen financial transparency. Improved financial management remains central to restoring confidence in defense acquisition and ensuring responsible stewardship of public resources.

Time for the “eBuy Wall” to Come Down Once and for All. Commentary on GSA’s eBuy platform calls for greater openness in early market research practices. Critics argue that limiting visibility can reduce competition and innovation—reinforcing broader reform discussions about modernizing federal procurement.

Defense & National Security Innovation

Space Force Needs to Double in Size, Top Enlisted Leader Says. Senior Space Force leadership indicated that personnel levels may need to double to meet expanding mission demands. Recruitment gains and growing national security requirements are shaping workforce planning discussions across the defense enterprise.

Pentagon Welcomes Industry Talent Through BOND Program. Through its BOND initiative, the Defense Department is embedding private-sector leaders into acquisition and modernization roles. The strategy reflects a broader push to integrate commercial expertise into defense operations and accelerate innovation cycles.

DOD Selects 25 Firms for Drone Dominance Program.  The Pentagon invited 25 companies to compete for approximately $150 million in the first phase of its Drone Dominance Program, an acquisition reform effort aimed at rapidly fielding low-cost, unmanned, one-way attack drones. The program, rolled out in early December via request for information, is designed to accelerate delivery of affordable unmanned aerial systems to strengthen military capabilities

Workforce & Federal Management

Arbitrator Orders HUD to Restore Telework Agreements. A federal arbitrator ruled that HUD must reinstate telework agreements after determining the agency violated collective bargaining provisions. The decision underscores the continuing debate over workplace flexibility, management authority, and labor relations in federal agencies.

Administration Clarifies Telework Expectations. Updated guidance from OPM and the EEOC clarifies how agencies should approach telework requests, particularly for employees with disabilities. The policy aims to balance operational readiness with compliance and equitable workplace practices.

Lawmakers Eye Changes to Federal Benefits, Hiring, and Pay. Congress is exploring reforms to federal hiring practices, compensation models, and benefits structures—including potential shifts toward skills-based hiring for cybersecurity roles. The discussion reflects ongoing modernization efforts in federal human capital strategy.

Postal Service Sets Up Mental Health Peer Support Program for Its Law Enforcement Officers. The U.S. Postal Service is establishing a peer support program for its law enforcement officers, aimed at strengthening resilience and providing structured mental health support. The initiative highlights growing attention to workforce wellbeing and performance sustainability in federal law enforcement communities.

Leadership

6 Ways to Make Strategy Resonate with Skeptical Leaders. To leaders of successful organizations, strategy can feel like a slow, political exercise that invites too much debate, increases bureaucracy, and distracts the organization from what made it successful. CEO overconfidence is often associated with bold moves and strong performance, but it can also lead to misjudgments and make it harder to change course, as leaders remain committed to familiar trajectories even as the context changes. If you’re looking to convince a reluctant CEO or other senior leader of the merits of adopting a strategic approach, you need to position it as an advantage, not a distraction.

Why Most Projects Fail—and How to Achieve Better Outcomes. Companies of every size in every industry and part of the world are basing more of their work around projects. And yet research shows that nearly two-thirds of those efforts fail. Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez, who has studied projects and project management for decades, explains how we can do better. He offers advice on the right way to frame projects, how to structure organizations around them, and pitfalls to avoid. Nieto-Rodriguez is the author of the Harvard Business Review Project Management Handbook and author of the article “The Project Economy Has Arrived.”

To Lead Through Uncertainty, Unlearn Your Assumptions.  Leaders grow competence by adding skills, frameworks, and experiences. But they grow “capacity” by unlearning, which involves changing prior scripts, such as the assumptions that speed, reassurance, and control are necessary when making complex leadership decisions. It requires relearning ways of being that widen the room for reality and uncertainty. Competence equips a leader to manage and organize people, so the business runs smoothly. Capacity equips a leader to remain present in the (many) moments when the business and the people in it are unsettled. It is what turns a leader from a reliable operator into a leader others can rely on in complexity.

Emerging Themes This Week

Across these developments, several patterns stand out:

  • AI adoption is accelerating, but governance and acquisition frameworks are straining to keep pace.
  • Enterprise IT oversight is tightening, with CIO authority gaining prominence.
  • Acquisition reform remains a bipartisan priority, particularly within DoD.
  • Defense modernization is integrating private-sector talent and expanding mission capacity.
  • Workforce policy—from telework to wellbeing—is evolving alongside fiscal and operational pressures.

As agencies confront resource constraints, technological disruption, and shifting mission demands, disciplined leadership across technology, acquisition, and human capital remains essential to effective government performance.

THIS WEEK @ THE CENTER 

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