Inside Force Design 2028, DoD Deadlines, and a New Era of Federal Oversight

Original broadcast 7/13/2025

On this edition of Fed Gov Today, the spotlight is on transformation, innovation, and modernization across government. The episode begins with Captain Jonathan Carter of the U.S. Coast Guard, who outlines “Force Design 2028” — a major modernization effort focused on four key areas: people, organization, contracting & acquisition, and technology. David Norquist, President & CEO of NDIA and former DoD Comptroller, joins to discuss the Department of Defense’s fast-approaching summer acquisition deadlines. He emphasizes the importance of speed, predictability, and industrial base resilience as the U.S. enters a new era of great power competition. The final segment features Loren DeJonge Schulman and Robert Shea, two former senior OMB officials, who explore the future of federal financial audits. They discuss efforts to make audits more useful, data-driven, and integrated into real-time decision-making.

Force Design 2028: The 4-Point Plan to Reinvent the U.S. Coast Guard

Captain Jonathan Carter, Director of the Force Design Implementation Team for the U.S. Coast Guard, shares how the service is undertaking one of its most significant transformations since World War II: Force Design 2028. He explains that the initiative is built around four central campaigns—people, organization, contracting and acquisition, and technology—which together encompass everything the Coast Guard does. Captain Carter emphasizes that people are the foundation of the mission, highlighting the bravery and dedication of Coast Guard personnel. He also points out critical needs in acquisition and technology, including the modernization of aging ships and addressing parts availability challenges.

A key organizational milestone is the establishment of a Secretary of the Coast Guard, modeled after civilian leaders in other military branches. Captain Carter sees this as essential to integrating efforts across government and industry. He stresses the importance of aligning operational experience with acquisition strategies to produce mission-oriented outcomes and ensure readiness. Drawing on his own background as a cutter commander and personnel chief, he shares concern for workforce resiliency, training gaps, and recruitment challenges. Above all, he underscores that every element of Force Design 2028 is focused on making the Coast Guard safer, more capable, and better prepared to serve the nation.

Rebuilding Defense at Speed: David Norquist on the Future of DoD Acquisitions

David Norquist, President and CEO of the National Defense Industrial Association and former DoD Comptroller, speaks with Francis about the Department of Defense’s fast-moving acquisition reform efforts. He outlines two major initiatives stemming from recent executive orders: a review of Major Defense Acquisition Programs and an acquisition workforce reform plan. Norquist explains that these efforts reflect a broader shift in mindset—away from the post–Cold War focus on small, exquisite systems and toward faster, more responsive acquisition to meet today’s great power competition, particularly with China.

He emphasizes that speed is now critical, and that both Congress and the executive branch are aligned in aiming to modernize the requirements process that drives acquisition and budget decisions. Norquist notes that overly ambitious requirements and lengthy timelines have historically slowed progress, and reforming this process is essential to delivering the right capabilities with today’s technology. He also highlights the importance of consistent demand signals from government to industry, especially for long-term investments like munitions and shipbuilding. Without stability, he warns, companies hesitate to commit resources. Throughout the conversation, Norquist stresses the need for greater efficiency, predictability, and agility to ensure the defense industrial base can meet current and future national security challenges.

Reimagining Federal Audits: Turning Data into Real Decisions

Loren DeJonge Schulman and Robert Shea, both former senior officials at the Office of Management and Budget, join Francis to discuss the evolving future of federal financial audits. They respond to a recent memo from OMB Director Russell Vought, which questioned the value of current audit practices, calling them “rote exercises.” Robert notes that while agencies have been conducting audits since the 1990 CFO Act, many still struggle to achieve clean opinions—and even when they do, the audits often offer limited practical value.

Loren adds that the real issue is not just the data itself, but whether agencies and OMB can use that data to identify risk, detect waste or fraud, and take meaningful action. They emphasize that any shift in audit strategy must include a well-planned change management approach, developed collaboratively with stakeholders like GAO, Treasury, and the CFO Council.

Robert and Loren also stress the need for audits to be more integrated into performance, budgeting, and strategic decision-making—not treated as a separate compliance process. Ultimately, they advocate for a more nimble, actionable audit framework that delivers value not only to agency leaders, but also to the American public, who want transparency and accountability in how their tax dollars are spent.