Sailors First and the Ideal Navy: Inside the Pentagon with the New CNO

This edition of Fed Gov Today features the first long-form interview with new Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle, who says the Navy should focus less on a single ship-count target and more on building an “ideal Navy” defined by readiness, sustainability, and the right mix of forces.

Caudle explains his “Sailors First” approach, arguing that quality-of-life improvements like ending shipboard living in port, better housing, and reliable Wi-Fi reduce friction, build resilience, and strengthen warfighting effectiveness.

Dell Technologies VP of Federal Suri Durvasula says “people-first” technology, including Flank Speed connectivity and smarter, data-driven logistics, helps speed decisions, improve morale, and keep ships and aircraft ready across the fleet.

Innovation in Government: TechNet Indo-Pacific

At AFCEA’s TechNet Indo-Pacific, Innovation in Government explored how technology, strategy, and collaboration are transforming defense operations across the vast Indo-Pacific theater. From the tactical edge to the boardroom, leaders from industry and government shared how artificial intelligence, zero trust, automation, and resilient architectures are advancing national security. The conversations underscored both the urgency and complexity of operating in the world’s most dynamic region — where distance, data, and deterrence intersect.

Topics include Stabilizing the Mission During Disruption, Persistent Global Sensing and the Indo-Pacific, Zero Trust and Agility at the Edge, Governing Trusted AI with Practical Guardrails, AI Speed with Human-in-the-Loop Assurance, Innovation at the Tactical Edge, Mission Resiliency in Disconnected Operations. 

The Intelligent Border: Fast. Agile. Secure.

The latest episode of Modernizing Government: The EY Insight explores how data, cloud, and emerging technologies are reshaping the mission of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the federal government at large. Francis Rose hosts discussions with George Kaczmarskyj, Principal for Government and Public Sector at EY, and Mark James, Executive Director of the Enterprise Cloud Services Division at CBP.

Filmed on location at the EY Center for Government Modernization, the conversations highlight lessons learned from commercial sectors like financial services, the importance of data governance and trust, CBP’s cloud migration journey, the adoption of AI and edge computing, and the future of secure, agile border operations. Together, they shed light on how a fast, agile, and secure intelligent border is being built.

More at ModernizingGovernment.com