https://www.quantum.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/QIST-Natl-Workforce-Plan.pdf

Release Date October 10, 2023

Today, CISA, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the National Security Agency, and the U.S. Department of the Treasury released guidance on improving the security of open source software (OSS) in operational technology (OT) and industrial control systems (ICS). In alignment with CISA’s recently released Open Source Security Roadmap, the guidanceprovides recommendations to OT/ICS organizations on:

• Supporting OSS development and maintenance,
• Managing and patching vulnerabilities in OT/ICS environments, and
• Using the Cross-Sector Cybersecurity Performance Goals (CPGs) as a common framework for adopting key cybersecurity best practices in relation to OSS.

Alongside the guidance, CISA published the Securing OSS in OT web page, which details the Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative (JCDC) OSS planning initiative, a priority within the JCDC 2023 Planning Agenda. The initiative will support collaboration between the public and private sectors—including the OSS community—to better understand and secure OSS use in OT/ICS, which will strengthen defense against OT/ICS cyber threats.   

CISA encourages OT/ICS organizations to review this guidance and implement its recommendations.

This product is provided subject to this Notification and this Privacy & Use policy.

Article link: https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/alerts/2023/10/10/cisa-fbi-nsa-and-treasury-release-guidance-oss-itics-environments

Google on Tuesday announced the ability for all users to set up passkeys by default, five months after it rolled out support for the FIDO Alliance-backed passwordless standard for Google Accounts on all platforms.

“This means the next time you sign in to your account, you’ll start seeing prompts to create and use passkeys, simplifying your future sign-ins,” Google’s Sriram Karra and Christiaan Brand said.

“It also means you’ll see the ‘skip password when possible‘ option toggled on in your Google Account settings.”

Passkeys are a new form of authentication that entirely eliminate the need for usernames and passwords, or even provide any additional authentication factor.

In other words, it’s a passwordless login mechanism that leverages public-key cryptography to authenticate users’ access to websites and apps, with the private key saved securely in the device and the public key stored in the server.

Each passkey is unique and bound to a username and a specific service, meaning a user will have at least as many passkeys as they have accounts, although there can be multiple passkeys per account since passkeys function only within the confines of the same platform.

A user can, therefore, have one passkey each for a website for Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows.

Thus, when a user signs into a website or app that supports passkeys, a random challenge is created and sent to the client, which, in turn, prompts the individual to verify using their biometric or a PIN in order to sign the challenge using the private key and send it back to the server.

Authentication is considered successful if the signed response can be validated using the associated public key.

An immediate benefit to passkeys is two-fold: they not only obviate the hassle of remembering passwords, but are also phishing-resistant, thereby safeguarding accounts against potential takeover attacks.

The development comes weeks after Microsoft officially began supporting passkeys in Windows 11 for improved account security. Other widely-used platforms like eBay and Uber have enabled passkey support in recent months.

Article link: https://thehackernews.com/2023/10/google-adopts-passkeys-as-default-sign.html

Individual atoms on a surface do their first basic calculation.

Physicists have performed the first quantum calculations to be carried out using individual atoms sitting on a surface.

The technique, described on 5 October in Science¹, controls titanium atoms by beaming microwave signals from the tip of a scanning tunnelling microscope (STM). It is unlikely to compete any time soon with the leading approaches to quantum computing, including those adopted by Google and IBM, as well as by many start-up companies. But the tactic could be used to study quantum properties in a variety of other chemical elements or even molecules, say the researchers who developed it.

At some level, everything in nature is quantum and can, in principle, perform quantum computations. The hard part is to isolate quantum states called qubits — the quantum equivalent of the memory bits in a classical computer — from environmental disturbances, and to control them finely enough for such calculations to be achieved.

Andreas Heinrich at the Institute for Basic Science in Seoul and his collaborators worked with nature’s ‘original’ qubit — the spin of the electron. Electrons act like tiny compass needles, and measuring the direction of their spin can yield only two possible values, ‘up’ or ‘down’, which correspond to the ‘0’ and ‘1’ of a classical bit. But before it is measured, electron spin can exist in a continuum of possible intermediate states, called superpositions. This is the key to performing quantum computations.

Three titanium atoms are arranged inside a scanning tunnelling microscope (STM), close enough to sense each other’s quantum spins. Iron atoms stuck to the tip of the STM (top) ‘talk’ with one of the qubits (blue), using it to read and write information on the other two (red) and to get them to perform a rudimentary quantum computation.Credit: Center for Quantum Nanoscience

The researchers started by scattering titanium atoms on a perfectly flat surface made of magnesium oxide. They then mapped the atoms’ positions using the STM, which has atomic resolution. They used the tip of the STM probe to move the titanium atoms around, arranging three of them into a triangle.

Using microwave signals emitted from the STM tip, the researchers were able to control the spin of a single electron in one of the titanium atoms. By tuning the frequencies of the microwaves appropriately, they could also make its spin interact with the spins in the other two titanium atoms, similarly to how multiple compass needles can influence each other through their magnetic fields. By doing this, the team was able to set up a simple two-qubit quantum operation, and also to read out its results. The operation took just nanoseconds — faster than is possible with most other types of qubit.

Heinrich says that it will be fairly straightforward to extend the technique to perhaps 100 qubits, possibly by manipulating spins in a combination of individual atoms and molecules. It might be difficult to push it much beyond that, however — and the leading qubit technologies are already being scaled up to hundreds of qubits. “We are more on the basic-science side,” Heinrich says, although he adds that multiple STM quantum computers could one day be linked to form a bigger one.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-023-03141-z

Article link: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-03141-z

References

1. Wang, Y. et al. Science 382, 87–92 (2023).Article Google Scholar 

Download references

Culture is often described as “how we do things around here” — a passive reflection of legacy norms and behaviors. It’s more helpful to think of culture as the nervous system of an organization. In biology, the central nervous system is the pathway by which thoughts in our brains are translated into actions by our muscles, and how our experience of acting in the world updates our brain’s understanding of the world. In organizations, this means thinking of culture as the transmission mechanism by which a company both communicates its intended strategy to the front lines and receives feedback and intelligence from the field about whether the strategy is achieving the intended outcomes in the market.

This nervous system metaphor illuminates the factors behind two of the most common reasons given for business failure: “We had a great strategy but failed to execute it” (a failure in the communication from the center to the field) or “Our leaders surrounded themselves with people who were afraid to tell them how the business was really performing” (a failure to relay important feedback and intelligence from the field). Both are examples of the failure to create an effective transmission mechanism from thought to action and back again.

A strategic approach to culture involves an active effort to create the environment and infrastructure to promote the necessary information flow between strategy and execution — treating them as complementary components of purposeful doing. These tools can include town halls, customer site visits, postmortems on lost bids, employee engagement surveys and any number of other mechanisms that facilitate the exchange of valuable information about what is (or is not) working. These tools nurture a culture of contextual awareness and adaptability that enables the business to perform better in its current environment and to prepare for future success. 

Different change objectives require different choices about culture.

There are certain aspects of culture that are universally desirable and others whose value is more context-dependent. When Donald Sull and Charles Sull analyzed 1.4 million employee reviews on Glassdoor, they identified four key factors that contribute to a positive corporate culture (respect, leadership, compensation/benefits, and job security). But when organizational change is the imperative, this requires deliberately adding context-dependent factors to the culture.

The importance of adaptation has been the defining theme of our earlier articles

The Strategy of Change

To develop effective strategy amid constant change, leaders must hone their ability to determine which changes will boost their organization’s competitiveness. This series examines data from companies worldwide to provide practical insights for business leaders seeking advantage as they navigate complexity and change. More in this series 

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Jonathan Knowles is the founder of advisory firm Type 2 Consulting. B. Tom Hunsaker is a clinical professor of strategy and leadership at Arizona State University’s Thunderbird School of Global Management. Melanie Hughes is the former chief HR officer of Moody’s, American Eagle, and Tribune Media.

October 6, 2023

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) said it plans to share a lot more data with non-VA medical providers. The VA today announced a data-sharing pledge with 13 community health care systems to improve the veteran experience whether veterans receive their care at a VA facility or not. Through the “Veteran Interoperability Pledge,”the VA said it will securely exchange information with non-VA medical providers about care provided and requested, as well as help to connect veterans with VA benefits. “This pledge will improve veteran health care by giving us seamless, immediate access to a patient’s medical history, which will help us make timely and accurate treatment decisions,” VA Under Secretary for Health Dr. Shereef Elnahal said. The pledge comes as the VA is in the process of migrating to a new electronic health record (EHR) system through its Electronic Health Records Modernization (EHRM) program.

Maggie Bullard-Marshall, PMP | Sep 10, 2023

If you’re an individually-owned 8(a) participant or applicant and feeling a little overwhelmed by this new requirement to write a social disadvantage narrative, consider using these tools to get you started.

1. Create a free account at https://chat.openai.com/
2. Click “new chat” and copy/paste this prompt in the box:Write a succinct social disadvantage narrative for the Small Business Administration. It must include the following elements: (i) At least one objective distinguishing feature that has contributed to social disadvantage, such as race, ethnic origin, gender, physical handicap, long-term residence in an environment isolated from the mainstream of American society, or other similar causes not common to individuals who are not socially disadvantaged; (ii) The individual’s social disadvantage must be rooted in treatment which he or she has experienced in American society, not in other countries; (iii) The individual’s social disadvantage must be chronic and substantial, not fleeting or insignificant; and (iv) The individual’s social disadvantage must have negatively impacted on his or her entry into or advancement in the business world. SBA will consider any relevant evidence in assessing this element, including experiences relating to education, employment and business history (including experiences relating to both the applicant firm and any other previous firm owned and/or controlled by the individual), where applicable. (C) Business history. SBA considers such factors as unequal access to credit or capital, acquisition of credit or capital under commercially unfavorable circumstances, unequal treatment in opportunities for government contracts or other work, unequal treatment by potential customers and business associates, and exclusion from business or professional organizations. (3) An individual claiming social disadvantage must present facts and evidence that by themselves establish that the individual has suffered social disadvantage that has negatively impacted his or her entry into or advancement in the business world. (i) Each instance of alleged discriminatory conduct must be accompanied by a negative impact on the individual’s entry into or advancement in the business world in order for it to constitute an instance of social disadvantage. (ii) SBA may disregard a claim of social disadvantage where a legitimate alternative ground for an adverse employment action or other perceived adverse action exists and the individual has not presented evidence that would render his/her claim any more likely than the alternative ground. (iii) SBA may disregard a claim of social disadvantage where an individual presents evidence of discriminatory conduct, but fails to connect the discriminatory conduct to consequences that negatively impact his or her entry into or advancement in the business world. (6) In determining whether an individual claiming social disadvantage meets the requirements set forth in this paragraph (c), SBA will determine whether: (i) Each specific claim establishes an incident of bias or discriminatory conduct; (ii) Each incident of bias or discriminatory conduct negatively impacted the individual’s entry into or advancement in the business world; and (iii) In the totality, the incidents of bias or discriminatory conduct that negatively impacted the individual’s entry into or advancement in the business world establish chronic and substantial social disadvantage. Business history – SBA considers factors such as: unequal access to credit or capital; acquisition of credit or capital under commercially unfavorable circumstances; unequal treatment in opportunities for government contracts or other work; unequal treatment by potential customers and business associates; and exclusion from business or professional organizations. For each incident, please describe who, what, where, why, when, and how discrimination or bias occurred. Incidents are more easily digested by the SBA if they provide information in the following order: When – Explain when the discriminatory conduct occurred. Exact dates, if available, are preferred but are not necessary so long as the incident provides a specific time period. This discrimination can be from any period of your life; you do not need to be experiencing current discrimination to qualify. Where – Explain where the discriminatory conduct occurred. The incident must have occurred in American society. Who – Explain who committed the discriminatory action. This could include an individual, a group of individuals, or an institution. Individual names, where available, are preferred but not necessary so long as the incident provides a specific figure or organization. What – Explain the discriminatory conduct. Why – Explain the reason(s) that the conduct was more likely motivated by bias or discrimination than other non-discriminatory reasons. Without additional facts, a mere assertion that the action was the result of bias or discrimination is not enough to support a claim of social disadvantage. How – Explain how each instance of discriminatory conduct impacted your entry into or advancement in the business world. Offensive comments or conduct, while reprehensible, will not support a claim of social disadvantage if there is no negative impact associated with the incident.
3. ChatGPT will start typing but just ignore that. 
4. Add some details about your example. For example, I typed, “My example: I am Black and when I was in the military, I was often overlooked for promotion.” [note: the free version isn’t confidential so don’t put actual names or private information; just make up a name like John Doe or use another tool that does protect your privacy]
5. ChatGPT will reply in the SBA-preferred format.
6. Copy this and paste it in a MS Word document. Edit to make it more personal/specific. 

Hope this helps get you started!

Article link: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/8a-companies-can-use-ai-draft-social-disadvantage-maggie

Congress is replete with diseases of leadership. As a nation, we can, and need to do better.

https://hbr.org/2015/04/the-15-diseases-of-leadership-according-to-pope-francis

Pope Francis has not tried to hide his desire to radically reform the administrative structures of the Catholic Church, which he sees as imperious and insular. The Church is, essentially, a bureaucracy, full of good-hearted but imperfect people – not much different than any organization, making the Pope’s counsel relevant for leaders everywhere. Pope Francis’s 2014 address of the Roman Curia can be translated into corporate-speak. It identifies 15 “diseases” of leadership that can weaken the effectiveness of any organization. These diseases include excessive busyness that neglects the need for rest, and mental and emotional “petrification” that prevents compassion and humility. The Pope also warns against poor coordination, losing a sense of community by failing to work together. A set of questions corresponding to the 15 diseases can help you determine if you are a “healthy” leader.close

Pope Francis has made no secret of his intention to radically reform the administrative structures of the Catholic church, which he regards as insular, imperious, and bureaucratic. He understands that in a hyper-kinetic world, inward-looking and self-obsessed leaders are a liability.

Last year, just before Christmas, the Pope addressed the leaders of the Roman Curia — the Cardinals and other officials who are charged with running the church’s byzantine network of administrative bodies. The Pope’s message to his colleagues was blunt. Leaders are susceptible to an array of debilitating maladies, including arrogance, intolerance, myopia, and pettiness. When those diseases go untreated, the organization itself is enfeebled. To have a healthy church, we need healthy leaders.

Through the years, I’ve heard dozens of management experts enumerate the qualities of great leaders. Seldom, though, do they speak plainly about the “diseases” of leadership. The Pope is more forthright. He understands that as human beings we have certain proclivities — not all of them noble. Nevertheless, leaders should be held to a high standard, since their scope of influence makes their ailments particularly infectious.

The Catholic Church is a bureaucracy: a hierarchy populated by good-hearted, but less-than-perfect souls. In that sense, it’s not much different than your organization. That’s why the Pope’s counsel is relevant to leaders everywhere.

With that in mind, I spent a couple of hours translating the Pope’s address into something a little closer to corporate-speak. (I don’t know if there’s a prohibition on paraphrasing Papal pronouncements, but since I’m not Catholic, I’m willing to take the risk.)

Herewith, then, the Pope (more or less):

____________________

The leadership team is called constantly to improve and to grow in rapport and wisdom, in order to carry out fully its mission. And yet, like any body, like any human body, it is also exposed to diseases, malfunctioning, infirmity. Here I would like to mention some of these “[leadership] diseases.” They are diseases and temptations which can dangerously weaken the effectiveness of any organization.

1. The disease of thinking we are immortal, immune, or downright indispensable, [and therefore] neglecting the need for regular check-ups. A leadership team which is not self-critical, which does not keep up with things, which does not seek to be more fit, is a sick body. A simple visit to the cemetery might help us see the names of many people who thought they were immortal, immune, and indispensable! It is the disease of those who turn into lords and masters, who think of themselves as above others and not at their service. It is the pathology of power and comes from a superiority complex, from a narcissism which passionately gazes at its own image and does not see the face of others, especially the weakest and those most in need. The antidote to this plague is humility; to say heartily, “I am merely a servant. I have only done what was my duty.”
2. Another disease is excessive busyness.It is found in those who immerse themselves in work and inevitably neglect to “rest a while.” Neglecting needed rest leads to stress and agitation. A time of rest, for those who have completed their work, is necessary, obligatory and should be taken seriously: by spending time with one’s family and respecting holidays as moments for recharging.
3. Then there is the disease of mental and [emotional] “petrification.” It is found in leaders who have a heart of stone, the “stiff-necked;” in those who in the course of time lose their interior serenity, alertness and daring, and hide under a pile of papers, turning into paper pushers and not men and women of compassion. It is dangerous to lose the human sensitivity that enables us to weep with those who weep and to rejoice with those who rejoice! Because as time goes on, our hearts grow hard and become incapable of loving all those around us. Being a humane leader means having the sentiments of humility and unselfishness, of detachment and generosity.
4. The disease of excessive planning and of functionalism. When a leader plans everything down to the last detail and believes that with perfect planning things will fall into place, he or she becomes an accountant or an office manager. Things need to be prepared well, but without ever falling into the temptation of trying to eliminate spontaneity and serendipity, which is always more flexible than any human planning. We contract this disease because it is easy and comfortable to settle in our own sedentary and unchanging ways.
5. The disease of poor coordination. Once leaders lose a sense of community among themselves, the body loses its harmonious functioning and its equilibrium; it then becomes an orchestra that produces noise: its members do not work together and lose the spirit of camaraderie and teamwork. When the foot says to the arm: ‘I don’t need you,’ or the hand says to the head, ‘I’m in charge,’ they create discomfort and parochialism.
6. There is also a sort of “leadership Alzheimer’s disease.” It consists in losing the memory of those who nurtured, mentored and supported us in our own journeys. We see this in those who have lost the memory of their encounters with the great leaders who inspired them; in those who are completely caught up in the present moment, in their passions, whims and obsessions; in those who build walls and routines around themselves, and thus become more and more the slaves of idols carved by their own hands.
7. The disease of rivalry and vainglory.When appearances, our perks, and our titles become the primary object in life, we forget our fundamental duty as leaders—to “do nothing from selfishness or conceit but in humility count others better than ourselves.” [As leaders, we must] look not only to [our] own interests, but also to the interests of others.
8. The disease of existential schizophrenia. This is the disease of those who live a double life, the fruit of that hypocrisy typical of the mediocre and of a progressive emotional emptiness which no [accomplishment or] title can fill. It is a disease which often strikes those who are no longer directly in touch with customers and “ordinary” employees, and restrict themselves to bureaucratic matters, thus losing contact with reality, with concrete people.
9. The disease of gossiping, grumbling, and back-biting. This is a grave illness which begins simply, perhaps even in small talk, and takes over a person, making him become a “sower of weeds” and in many cases, a cold-blooded killer of the good name of colleagues. It is the disease of cowardly persons who lack the courage to speak out directly, but instead speak behind other people’s backs. Let us be on our guard against the terrorism of gossip!
10. The disease of idolizing superiors. This is the disease of those who court their superiors in the hope of gaining their favor. They are victims of careerism and opportunism; they honor persons [rather than the larger mission of the organization]. They think only of what they can get and not of what they should give; small-minded persons, unhappy and inspired only by their own lethal selfishness. Superiors themselves can be affected by this disease, when they try to obtain the submission, loyalty and psychological dependency of their subordinates, but the end result is unhealthy complicity.
11. The disease of indifference to others.This is where each leader thinks only of himself or herself, and loses the sincerity and warmth of [genuine] human relationships. This can happen in many ways: When the most knowledgeable person does not put that knowledge at the service of less knowledgeable colleagues, when you learn something and then keep it to yourself rather than sharing it in a helpful way with others; when out of jealousy or deceit you take joy in seeing others fall instead of helping them up and encouraging them.
12. The disease of a downcast face. You see this disease in those glum and dour persons who think that to be serious you have to put on a face of melancholy and severity, and treat others—especially those we consider our inferiors—with rigor, brusqueness and arrogance. In fact, a show of severity and sterile pessimism are frequently symptoms of fear and insecurity. A leader must make an effort to be courteous, serene, enthusiastic and joyful, a person who transmits joy everywhere he goes. A happy heart radiates an infectious joy: it is immediately evident! So a leader should never lose that joyful, humorous and even self-deprecating spirit which makes people amiable even in difficult situations. How beneficial is a good dose of humor! …
13. The disease of hoarding. This occurs when a leader tries to fill an existential void in his or her heart by accumulating material goods, not out of need but only in order to feel secure. The fact is that we are not able to bring material goods with us when we leave this life, since “the winding sheet does not have pockets” and all our treasures will never be able to fill that void; instead, they will only make it deeper and more demanding. Accumulating goods only burdens and inexorably slows down the journey!
14. The disease of closed circles, where belonging to a clique becomes more powerful than our shared identity. This disease too always begins with good intentions, but with the passing of time it enslaves its members and becomes a cancer which threatens the harmony of the organization and causes immense evil, especially to those we treat as outsiders. “Friendly fire” from our fellow soldiers, is the most insidious danger. It is the evil which strikes from within. As it says in the bible, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste.”
15. Lastly: the disease of extravagance and self-exhibition. This happens when a leader turns his or her service into power, and uses that power for material gain, or to acquire even greater power. This is the disease of persons who insatiably try to accumulate power and to this end are ready to slander, defame and discredit others; who put themselves on display to show that they are more capable than others. This disease does great harm because it leads people to justify the use of any means whatsoever to attain their goal, often in the name of justice and transparency! Here I remember a leader who used to call journalists to tell and invent private and confidential matters involving his colleagues. The only thing he was concerned about was being able to see himself on the front page, since this made him feel powerful and glamorous, while causing great harm to others and to the organization.

Friends, these diseases are a danger for every leader and every organization, and they can strike at the individual and the community levels.

____________________

So, are you a healthy leader? Use the Pope’s inventory of leadership maladies to find out. Ask yourself, on a scale of 1 to 5, to what extent do I . . .

• Feel superior to those who work for me?
• Demonstrate an imbalance between work and other areas of life?
• Substitute formality for true human intimacy?
• Rely too much on plans and not enough on intuition and improvisation?
• Spend too little time breaking silos and building bridges?
• Fail to regularly acknowledge the debt I owe to my mentors and to others?
• Take too much satisfaction in my perks and privileges?
• Isolate myself from customers and first-level employees?
• Denigrate the motives and accomplishments of others?
• Exhibit or encourage undue deference and servility?
• Put my own success ahead of the success of others?
• Fail to cultivate a fun and joy-filled work environment?
• Exhibit selfishness when it comes to sharing rewards and praise?
• Encourage parochialism rather than community?
• Behave in ways that seem egocentric to those around me?

As in all health matters, it’s good to get a second or third opinion. Ask your colleagues to score you on the same fifteen items. Don’t be surprised if they say, “Gee boss, you’re not looking too good today.” Like a battery of medical tests, these questions can help you zero in on opportunities to prevent disease and improve your health. A Papal leadership assessment may seem like a bit of a stretch. But remember: the responsibilities you hold as a leader, and the influence you have over others’ lives, can be profound. Why not turn to the Pope — a spiritual leader of leaders — for wisdom and advice?

• Gary Hamel is a visiting professor at London Business School and the founder of the Management Lab. He is a coauthor of Humanocracy: Creating Organizations as Amazing as the People Inside Them (Harvard Business Review Press, 2020).

By John Cookson and Daniel Hojnacki

“To be honest, this is not my award,” said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Atlantic Council Global Citizen Awards on Wednesday night in New York. The award, he explained, instead belonged to Ukrainian men and women in uniform, to the Ukrainian children killed by Russian forces, to doctors and teachers back home, to the United States and the European Union and all the countries that help Ukraine fight for its survival. He looked first to others, showcasing the unselfish spirit that each of the Global Citizen Award honorees shares.

Atlantic Council Chairman John F.W. Rogers drew attention to this paradox in his opening remarks: those most deserving of honor for their impact on the world are often the most selfless. The honorees, he explained, are examples of “civic virtue—symbols of self-regard giving way to the common good.”

In addition to Zelenskyy, the Global Citizen Awards also honored Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and US Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen. Victor L.L. Chu, the chief executive officer of First Eastern Investment Group and co-founder of the Global Citizen Awards, received a special Distinguished Service Award for his contributions to the Atlantic Council and a better world.

Amid the celebration of the honorees in the room, Atlantic Council President and Chief Executive Officer Frederick Kempepraised the courage and resilience of someone behind bars thousands of miles away: Evan Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter who has been “falsely and cynically accused of espionage” by the Russian government and has been detained in Moscow since March 29. Honoring Gershkovich’s parents, who were in attendance, Kempe spoke of the need for the journalist’s release. “We are prepared to do whatever we can as a global community to bring Evan home,” he said.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy: An award for Ukrainians and those who fight for freedom and democracy

• Hours after his address to the United Nations General Assembly, Zelenskyy accepted his Global Citizen Award to a standing ovation. “Tomorrow, I will be in [the] White House, so I have to save energy,” he said, making light of his brief remarks.
• “To be serious and to be very honest,” he then said, the true honorees were others. “I address this award to Ukrainian men and women in uniform,” he said. “I address this award to all our sweet children who have been killed by Russian terrorists—I will never forget them.”
• Zelenskyy thanked “all brave countries who have been with us and supported us.” He also thanked the doctors and teachers who have stayed in Ukraine, providing care and instruction even under attack from Russian missiles and Iranian drones.
• “I address this award to all the people in the world who fight for freedom and democracy, like we Ukrainians,” he concluded. “Slava Ukraini.”

“I address this award to all our sweet children who have been killed by Russian terrorists.”

Ukrainian President @ZelenskyyUa accepts the @AtlanticCouncil’s 2023 Global Citizen Award

Article link: https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/new-atlanticist/2023-global-citizen-awards-a-tribute-to-selflessness-and-cooperation/

The White House’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released new guidance late Friday that directs Federal agencies to design and deliver a “digital-first public experience” through improved websites and digital services as they continue to implement the 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience (IDEA) Act.

The IDEA Act was approved by Congress in late 2018 and created a set of minimum functionality and security standards that all public-facing Federal agency websites and digital services must meet. However, critics have complained that Federal agency adoption of the requirements has been slow and uneven.

The new guidance memo – from OMB Director Shalanda Young – provides Federal agencies with a robust policy framework for the next 10 years, ensuring they have common standards for delivering online tools and experiences.

“The implementation guidance for the 21st Century IDEA contained in this memorandum builds on previous efforts to create a digital government by helping executive agencies further harness user-centered design and agile delivery practices to provide integrated digital experiences and interactions across agencies, services, and channels,” the guidance says.

The Federal government has a lot of work to do on the digital front in the next decade. According to Federal Chief Information Officer (CIO) Clare Martorana, only two percent of government forms are currently digitized, 45 percent of websites are not mobile friendly, and 60 percent of websites are not fully usable by those who use assistive technologies.

“This is unacceptable. We can and must do better,” Martorana said in a blog post published alongside the new guidance.

The Federal CIO said the digital framework “will transform the way Federal government communicates with the American people digitally to ensure it is providing information that is easy to use, trustworthy, and accessible.”

Specifically, the guidance will require Federal agencies to use web analytics and participate in the government-wide Digital Analytics Program. Additionally, they will need to use automated website scanning tools to identify usability issues.

The White House is also requiring agencies to use .gov or .mil domains for Federal websites to establish greater online trust. OMB said it is also expanding Federal-wide website standards to include branding guidelines, and it is encouraging agencies to use the U.S. Web Design System for a more consistent visual experience.

Next on agencies’ to-do list is to implement an on-site search function (like Search.gov) for Federal websites and develop better search engine optimization (SEO) best practices. This way, the public can quickly and reliably find the information they’re looking for.

OMB said it is also “driving the development of new digital options to get government services, like completing and signing government forms as well as completing common tasks.”

“Many Federal agencies have already begun their digital modernization journey while others are just getting started,” Martorana said. “By identifying each agency’s progress, we will be able to target the right investments to support digital delivery, consolidate and retire legacy websites and systems, work with our private sector partners to implement leading technology solutions, maximize the impact of taxpayer dollars, and deliver a government that is secure by design and works for everyone.”

“This is an exciting time to harness the power of technology across the Federal Government to deliver a modern, secure digital government worthy of the American people,” she concluded.

Article link: https://meritalk.com/articles/omb-issues-new-idea-act-guidance-for-a-digital-federal-government/