The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton - - Thursday, December 18, 2025

The Office of Personnel Management wants to bring a surge of technical expertise into the government’s ranks. The agency is aiming to recruit 1,000 new federal employees for the inaugural class of the “U.S. Tech Force." The new hiring effort comes after hundreds of thousands of feds left government this year. Here with details, Federal News Network’s Drew Friedman.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Military Family Advisory Network is conducting its biennial survey to better understand the needs of military and veteran families worldwide. The stories shared through the survey lead to real change. The research has helped shape major policy and quality-of-life reforms, including the Military Housing Privatization Initiative’s Tenant Bill of Rights and a Congressional quality-of-life panel for service members and their families. For more, Federal News Network’s Anastasia Obis spoke with Military Family Advisory Network’s Chief Executive Officer Shannon Razsadin. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

America’s air traffic system is showing cracks, and the shutdown only widened them. Chris Edwards of the Cato Institute is here to explain why budget dependence and failed modernization make the system fragile, and why he believes a Canadian-style model could be the fix.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Recent comments from lawmakers have raised alarms about unlawful orders, but the real question is how service members decide what’s legal. Frank Rosenblatt from The Orders Project explains the rules and the risks.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

NobleReach wants to make public service a stop on the career journey, not a permanent detour. Its Scholars program places early-career professionals in federal roles tackling AI, cybersecurity, and more. We’ll explore how the initiative is evolving and what it means for talent mobility with NobleReach CEO Arun Gupta.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton Service members face a simple truth with complex consequences: follow lawful orders, refuse unlawful ones Can a year in government spark a lifetime of innovation? What reforms can fix our fragile air traffic control system?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Early in the Trump administration the Department of Government Efficiency directed the General Services Administration to take major cuts to leased office space. GSA officials say they successfully terminated hundreds of leases this year, but far fewer than goals set by DOGE. These updated figures come at a time when government officials are taking stock of DOGE’s impact, and whether agencies came close to achieving the Trump administration’s government efficiency goals. Federal News Network’s Jory Heckman joins me with more. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Agencies have 90 days to update acquisition polices to ensure that the artificial intelligence tools they purchase are truth seeking and ideological neutral. A new memo from the Office of Management and Budget details new requirements starting March 11 for contracts awarded for large language models. Federal News Network executive editor Jason Miller joins me with more on what agencies will have to do to meet the administration's new AI guidelines.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton The Impact Project expands its reach with a new Security Map that exposes threats facing public servants How lean can government get before essential services start to fail? GAO says the Coast Guard’s biggest shipbuilding program faces major design and cost risksSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Six months after launch, the Impact Project has grown in scope and added a Security Map that reveals patterns in threats against public servants. Abby Andre, the project's founding executive director, explains what the data shows and how it can guide action.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.