Author Archive
Chris Riotta
Staff Writer

Chris Riotta is a staff writer at FCW covering government procurement and technology policy. Chris joined FCW after covering U.S. politics for three years at The Independent. He earned his master's degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, where he served as 2021 class president.
Digital Government
NIST researcher calls for further evaluation of the AI impact on humans
Amid growing concerns that artificial intelligence systems could be misused by cybercriminals and for malicious purposes, a leading researcher said more study is needed to determine the societal impact.
- By Chris Riotta
Cybersecurity
U.S. cyberspace ambassador lays out technology’s role in geopolitical contests
Nathaniel Fick said tools like cloud computing and public-private partnerships will continue to prove essential to diplomacy, as they already have in Ukraine.
- By Chris Riotta
Cybersecurity
Government watchdog warns on cyber weakness
The federal government has not yet addressed nearly 150 recommendations previously issued by the Government Accountability Office to help strengthen national cybersecurity, according to a new report.
- By Chris Riotta
Acquisition
NASA SEWP director echoes concerns over looming deadlines for software providers
Federal agencies have until September to collect self-attestation forms from software providers before deploying their products on government systems – and most people aren’t ready, according to a top acquisition official.
- By Chris Riotta
Acquisition
DOD instructs acquisition teams to prioritize small business engagement over best-in-class contracts
The Defense Department is instructing its components to support efforts to expand small business participation in the federal marketplace following the release of its “Small Business Strategy” earlier this month.
- By Chris Riotta
Cybersecurity
Republicans announce new congressional cyber subcommittee leadership
A New York Republican is taking over a powerful House Homeland Security subcommittee tasked with overseeing efforts to improve federal network security and the nation’s cyber defense agency.
- By Chris Riotta
Workforce
GSA opens workplace innovation lab, a coworking space for federal employees
The new lab within the General Services Administration’s headquarters features state-of-the-art office technology and furniture crafted to help reimagine federal agencies' future of workspaces
- By Chris Riotta
Acquisition
Lawmakers want GAO to assess risk of government contractors working for China
A bipartisan pair of lawmakers cited national security risks and warned of significant conflicts of interest over private firms working for both the U.S. and Chinese governments.
- By Chris Riotta
Workforce
USAID seeks contractor input on new STEM fellowship program
The U.S. Agency for International Development is aiming to launch a new Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics fellowship program to help build more pathways for skilled talent to enter the federal workforce.
- By Chris Riotta
Acquisition
NDAA’s cloud cyber-testing provision marks another hefty DOD compliance lift, analyst says
Section 1553 of the fiscal 2023 defense authorization bill will require all DOD cloud contracts to include provisions that allow the department to access and test systems housing classified data.
- By Chris Riotta
Cybersecurity
CISA hires Navy cyber expert to help oversee vulnerability management
The cybersecurity agency selected U.S. Fleet Cyber Command veteran Sandy Radesky to serve as its associate director of vulnerability management Wednesday.
- By Chris Riotta
Cybersecurity
CISA’s chief of technology strategy stepping down ‘much earlier’ than expected
Cyber expert Daniel Bardenstein said he was leaving his post at the nation’s cyber defense agency for “a unique opportunity.”
- By Chris Riotta
Cybersecurity
Lawmaker asks CISA to investigate air travel cyber risks following FAA system outage
New questions have been raised about national air travel safety following the FAA’s ground stop earlier this week.
- By Chris Riotta
IT Modernization
NASA spent $35 million on ‘wasteful’ software licenses and fees, report says
NASA’s current software management operations put it years away from achieving a centralized and consolidated enterprise computing model, according to its inspector general.
- By Chris Riotta
Digital Government
Treasury lacks data on pandemic-era rental assistance payments, report says
The Treasury Department hasn't reported data on 26% of payments sent through the Emergency Rental Assistance program in 2021, according to the GAO.
- By Chris Riotta
People
National Cyber Director Chris Inglis reportedly set to retire in the coming months
The first national cyber director has been shepherding the White House’s national cyber strategy with the help of industry professionals and cybersecurity experts.
- By Chris Riotta
Acquisition
NASA is looking for a vehicle to help deorbit the space station
The space agency is seeking industry information on a potential vehicle that can autonomously guide the International Space Station's controlled reentry in the Earth's atmosphere in 2030.
- By Chris Riotta
Defense
Navy awards AWS cloud contract worth nearly $724 million
The five-year contract gives the military branch access to the cloud giant’s full suite of commercial cloud services, trainings and certification programs.
- By Chris Riotta
Congress
Omnibus funding bill includes $50 million for TMF, $90 million for Citizen Services Fund
Funding levels for the tech modernization vehicles fell short of Biden administration requests.
- By Chris Riotta
IT Modernization
FITARA scorecard sees 7 agencies increase their marks amid cyber methodology changes
All 24 agencies received passing grades in the latest iteration of the Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act scorecard, though 17 saw their scores largely unchanged.
- By Chris Riotta