This Week in Government Tech Media – May 29, 2026 

By Brad Bass /

A few news events bubbled to the top of this week’s roundup of government tech media coverage. These included a White House memo on cyber logging, potentially imminent organizational changes at the Space Force and software license consolidation at the Pentagon. Get the details below:

A New Way of Logging

We saw multiple articles this week on a memo from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) directing federal agencies to switch to a new method of logging cyber events in a way the White House deems more efficient. Here’s a roundup of those stories:

  • The OMB memo ordered federal agencies to shift to a priority- and risk-based method of logging cybersecurity events as a means of cutting “red tape” and costs, according to coverage by Madison Alder in FedScoop.
  • Weslan Hansen wrote in MeriTalk that the policy shifts federal agencies toward a risk-based cybersecurity logging strategy focused on real-time threat detection, digital forensics and more targeted data retention requirements.
  • In his take on the memo, Jason Miller of Federal News Network reported that agency chief information security officers have to submit to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and OMB an updated logging plan that focuses on two specific areas: continuous event monitoring and threat hunting, investigation, response and forensics.
  • Miller was also interviewed by his colleague Terry Gerton for the “Federal Drive” program, where he discussed comments by Nick Andersen, the acting director of CISA, who said he has deep concerns specifically about the open source community when it comes to logging cybersecurity vulnerabilities. 
  • An article in GovInfoSecurity by Chris Riotta reported that the OMB memo rescinded a 2021 directive that established an aggressive approach to federal logging retention and visibility requirements following the SolarWinds breach. 
  • Tim Starks of CyberScoop noted that the memo said it would correct “inefficiencies” in previous rules in which “some requirements, such as the retention of vast quantities of logging data without clear utility, proved neither operationally feasible nor cost-effective for most agencies.”

Space Force Changes

Several publications reported on a push by Congress to streamline the Space Force’s acquisition bureaucracy:

  • The House Armed Services Committee’s draft fiscal 2027 defense policy bill would eliminate the Space Development Agency and the Space Rapid Capabilities Office as standalone organizations, aligning with the Pentagon’s plan to reorganize Space Force acquisition programs under Portfolio Acquisition Executives (PAEs), according to a report by Sandra Erwin in Space News. 
  • Mikayla Easley of DefenseScoop noted that fates of both organizations have been in question since Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth introduced sweeping acquisition reforms in 2025, establishing PAEs that oversee multiple programs under a specific mission area.
  • The proposed change would pave the way for the Space Force to integrate those offices into its new acquisition structure, which consolidates existing program offices under the oversight of nine PAEs managing programs by mission area with the authority to shift funding and adjust requirements based on demand and changing threats, Courtney Albon wrote in Air & Space Forces Magazine.
  • The committee’s bill would also establish a protected disclosure program for employees and contractors to ensure artificial intelligence doesn’t go off the rails at the Defense Department, according to a piece by Justin Doubleday in Federal News Network.

Microsoft License Consolidation

A Pentagon effort to consolidate licenses across the department for Microsoft products generating several headlines. Here are a few of those:

  • The Pentagon struck a $9.7 billion deal with Dell Federal Systems to procure Microsoft software licenses, cloud subscriptions and software assurance across the department, according to coverage by Grace Dille in MeriTalk.
  • In Washington Technology, Nick Wakeman wrote that the contract covers the Pentagon’s existing Microsoft products – Windows enterprise operating system and Office Professional Plus – as well as cloud capabilities through Microsoft 365 licenses. 
  • DOD CIO Kirsten Davies said the new contract “acts as part of the digital connective tissue essential for Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control, CJADC2,” according to reporting by Mark Pomerleau in Breaking Defense.
  • In tech trade publication ITPro, Nicole Kobie reported that Pentagon leaders believe that bringing together smaller IT budgets from across departments into one deal could save as much as $422 million each year.

Upcoming Industry Events

As always, we want to keep you up to speed on upcoming industry events you might find interesting. See our list below to find out what’s happening in the coming week:

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