Agencies Look to AI to Improve Hiring and Build Workforce Skills

by  Sean Michael Newhouse

The chief human capital officers also emphasized the importance of improving the skillset of the mid-career workforce.

Summary

At a GovExec event sponsored by SAP, federal human capital officials described how AI is speeding up hiring. GSA’s Arron Helm said AI now drafts initial job classification narratives, cutting a six-to-eight-hour process to about two hours, contributing toward GSA’s goal of eliminating one million work hours.

Colleen Heller-Stein of the Chief Human Capital Officers Council said consolidating agency personnel systems could help identify employees’ skills government-wide during crises. Both officials praised the shift from self-assessed skills to formal evaluations, calling it a return to merit-based hiring. They also stressed mid-career development, noting that as cuts push employees into leadership faster than expected, agencies need stronger internal talent pipelines alongside early-career recruitment efforts like Tech Force.

 Read full story at NextGov

Office of Naval Research Rolls Out New Science and Technology Strategy

by  Michele Sandiford

The office also wants closer ties to industry and troops to get new equipment to the field faster.

Summary

The Office of Naval Research is implementing a new science and technology strategy focused on its unique needs, aiming to expedite equipment deployment through closer ties with industry and troops.

The FBI appointed Karl Schumann as its new chief information officer, while the Trump administration's deferred resignation program has paid out $11 billion to nearly 140,000 federal employees. The Senate's fiscal 2027 defense policy bill proposes a 3.6% pay raise for service members, differing from the House's proposed higher increase.

 Read full story at Federal News Network

The Biggest Identity Risk for State and Local Agencies Isn't a Person — It's a Script

by  Thomas Sinnott

Government security teams must manage and authenticate nonhuman identities that require access to their systems.

Summary

Government cybersecurity has improved at managing human identities through MFA, single sign-on and access reviews — but nonhuman identities, including service accounts, APIs, bots and AI agents, often go unmonitored.

These now outnumber human users in many systems and frequently carry long-lived credentials with broad permissions and little oversight. A single exposed API key or forgotten service account can let attackers access citizen data programmatically, bypassing typical user-focused defenses entirely.

The article argues agencies must treat identity as anything that can authenticate, not just users. A practical starting point: inventory one critical system’s accounts and keys, assign owners, and remove unclaimed access — then move toward stronger secrets management and short-lived credentials.

 Read full story at StateTech

AMD reinstates memory encryption

by  Dan Goodin

Critics saw the move as an underhanded way to steer them toward more costly chips.

Summary

AMD removed Transparent Secure Memory Encryption (TSME) from consumer Ryzen processors, sparking backlash from users who saw it as an attempt to push them towards more expensive chips.

The company has now announced plans to reinstate TSME in a firmware update next month. Critics speculate that AMD removed the protection for performance reasons, as encryption can introduce latency, but the company has yet to provide an explanation.

The incident, and AMD's refusal to discuss it, is emblematic of the public relations landscape that has emerged over the past two decades. Once, Big Tech and corporations in general were willing to acknowledge service and product changes to ensure customers had a predictable experience.

 Read full story at arsTechnica

Researchers Cast New Doubt on Microsoft's Quantum Computing Advance

by  John E. Dunn

Skeptics chip away at the company's claims in a long-running dispute over its Majorana chip program.

Summary

Microsoft's quantum computing ambitions have again come under scrutiny after a peer-reviewed paper published in Nature by Dr. Henry Legg of the University of St Andrews challenges the company's interpretation of its own experimental data. Legg argues that Microsoft's Topological Gap Protocol (TGP) framework — used to infer the existence of Majorana quantum states — is flawed, and that its results could be explained by other effects or skewed data selection.

Microsoft, which launched its Majorana 2 chip earlier this month and claims a scalable quantum computer is achievable by 2029, is standing firm. Technical Fellow Dr. Chetan Nayak stated the company stands by its results and roadmap. This is not Microsoft's first controversy over Majorana-related claims — a similar challenge forced a retraction in 2018.

 Read full story at Computerworld

Your Microsoft Store Office Apps Are Losing Security Updates This Year

by  Mikael Markander

Still running Word, Excel, or PowerPoint from the Microsoft Store? Microsoft is ending support in December. Here's what you need to do.

Summary

Microsoft has updated its support page to remind users that Microsoft Store versions of Office apps are losing support. New feature updates halted in October 2025, and security updates will end in December 2026. Users still running Microsoft Store installations of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other Microsoft 365 apps must migrate to Click-to-Run versions to continue receiving updates.

Unlike traditional installers, Click-to-Run allows users to launch apps immediately while the rest downloads in the background. It also updates automatically without requiring restarts, keeping workflows uninterrupted. To make the switch, Microsoft recommends downloading the Office Deployment Tool (ODT), a command-line utility that simplifies downloading and deploying Click-to-Run versions of Microsoft 365 apps.

 Read full story at PCWorld

Duke Gives Up Offshore Wind Lease for 'Partial' Reimbursement Under Interior Deal

by  Diana DiGangi

A Duke Energy subsidiary paid $155 million for the lease in 2022, saying it could support up to 1.6 GW of capacity. The utility now says it will “refocus” nearly $129 million to other projects.

Summary

The article describes Duke Energy's decision to surrender its offshore wind lease in the Carolina Long Bay area. The company will receive a partial reimbursement of 129 million, which it plans to invest in additional generating capacity.

The article also mentions that the Trump administration has struck similar deals with other companies, but these deals have faced legal challenges.

 Read full story at UtilityDive

FERC Launches Aggressive Targeted Action to Speed Large Load Integration

by  FERC

Commission orders all six regional grid operators to justify or reform tariffs for data centers and other large energy users, delivering speed-to-power that is critical to supporting the innovation economy and national security while protecting ratepayers.

Summary

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued tailored show cause orders to the six regional grid operators, directing them to justify or reform rules governing how data centers, manufacturing facilities, and other large energy users connect to the electric grid.

This significant step modernizes the nation's electric markets, ensuring reliable and affordable power amid surging demand. The orders advance the Secretary of Energy's directives to speed integration of large loads while adding consumer safeguards, supporting the innovation economy, artificial intelligence leadership, and reshoring manufacturing jobs.

Each Regional Transmission Organization has 60 days to address five reform categories—including efficient transmission processes with alternative technologies, cost transparency, co-location agreements, flexible services, and studies for proximate generation—or justify current tariffs. They must also submit generation adequacy reports within 30 days.

 Read full story at FERC

Florida Public Power Leaders and Utility Recognized with 2026 National Awards

by  Association News

Awards acknowledge their contributions to the electric utility industry and their communities

Summary

The American Public Power Association (APPA) recognized Manuel Ortega, Terry Torrens, and the City of Winter Park Electric Utility with national awards for their contributions to the electric utility industry and their communities.

Ortega received the Spence Vanderlinden Public Official Award for his advocacy for municipal electric utilities.

Torrens received the Harold Kramer-John Preston Personal Service Award for her significant contributions to APPA's goals.

 Read full story at Florida Municipal Electric Association