FCW Insider: May 11

ODNI shakes up cyber structure

A consolidation of the cyber offices at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence is just one piece of a sweeping re-org announced by the spy agency late Friday that includes the elimination of one of four directorates. Adam Mazmanian reports.

House bill would protect unused leave during COVID-19

A bill from Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-Va.) would make sure that feds won't forfeit unused annual leave. Lia Russell has more.

DIU chief: Earnings focus thwarts innovation

The head of DOD's Defense Innovation Unit suggested that any technology race with China commands a dramatic shift in U.S. market strategies. Lauren C. Williams explains.

FAA names drone remote ID tech contractors

The Federal Aviation Administration named over a half dozen well-known companies to develop foundational remote identification technologies for its unmanned aircraft management system. Mark Rockwell has the story.

Quick Hits

*** Rep. James Langevin (D-R.I.), who is active on cybersecurity issues, is urging the Cybersecurity and Information Security Agency to make public its guidance on voting online or via mobile app.

"As experts have stated unequivocally over the years, Internet voting is not secure," Langevin said in a statement" The [CISA] guidance echoes this assessment, making clear that electronic ballot return, as opposed to mailing returns, risks compromising the integrity of our voting process."

Langevin wants to preserve and expand ballot access, he said, but "we must do so in a way that preserves the integrity of our elections, and online voting poses far too high a risk of compromise." He wants the guidelines to be made public, he said, "so that voters around the country have a better understanding of what is at risk."

*** In a May 9 op-ed published in the Palm Beach Post, Rep. Ted Deutch (D-Fla.) called on Congress to find a way to vote on legislation and conduct oversight virtually during the coronavirus pandemic.

"It isn't a question of technological ability," Deutch wrote. The technology exists and is already in use by our allies. Look no further than the virtual sittings in the United Kingdom's House of Commons, virtual committee meetings in Canada and remote voting in Spain's legislature."

Many in Congress, particularly in the House of Representatives, are grappling with issues of how to conduct debate and voting as well as committee work while maintaining a safe work environment amid the COVID-19 crisis.

On May 7, the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus hosted a virtual floor debate via Zoom and shared it via Facebook. On the same day, the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress hosted a virtual discussion on conducting legislative work via telepresence technologies.