This Week in Government Tech Media – January 16, 2026

By Brad Bass /

As often happens when I look back at the week’s headline from various government tech media outlets, the trends that bubble to the top are related to AI and cybersecurity (or both). This week, that happened again, with news around new Pentagon AI-related directives and congressional action focused on cybersecurity. Find the details below:

Pentagon AI Push

The Pentagon this week unveiled a few major policy directives, including a push for an AI-enabled military. The defense and government tech media covered that announcement as well as several other new developments related to military AI. Here is a sampling of that coverage:

  • The Pentagon this week rolled out three policy memos that included a battery of new AI initiatives, including the break-up of the sprawling Advana database system to a new AI simulation “foundry” named after sci-fi icon Ender Wiggin, according to an article by Sydney J. Freedberg in Breaking Defense.
  • Placing the AI-related directives in a broader context, Brandi Vincent of DefenseScoop noted the memos’ call for a revamped structure to anchor a “unified innovation ecosystem built around six execution organizations” that will now collectively operate under the purview of DOD Chief Technology Officer and Undersecretary for Research and Engineering Emil Michael.
  • Covering the AI directive for Defense Daily, Matthew Beinart reported that its aim is for an “AI-first” military via a slew of AI technology projects with aggressive timelines and heavy investment in compute infrastructure, including potentially data centers on military installations.
  • In MeriTalk, Lisbeth Perez quoted Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on the AI directive, stating, “We will unleash experimentation, eliminate bureaucratic barriers, focus our investments and demonstrate the execution approach needed to ensure we lead in military AI.” 
  • Patrick Tucker of Defense One offered his take on the new Pentagon strategy, noting that it directs the department’s components to fulfill a four-year goal to make their data centrally available for AI training and analysis while omitting any mention of ethical use of AI and casting suspicion on the concept of AI responsibility.
  • In what might be viewed as pushback against the idea of AI irresponsibility, the Army announced a new contract to help the service identify risky AI behavior as the Pentagon pushes various models to the force, Drew F. Lawrence reported in DefenseScoop.
  • In ExecutiveGov, Elodie Collins highlighted the strategy’s objective to transform the department’s Advana program into a platform to harness its extensive data assets in support of warfighting, intelligence and enterprise missions.
  • In related military AI news, the Air Force said this week that AI tools outperformed human professionals in a key aspect of military operations planning, according to a piece by Freedberg in Breaking Defense.
  • Washington Technology Editor Nick Wakeman noted another example of military AI advancement in his coverage of a Space Force contract for AI tools to simulate an adversary’s actions during orbital warfare scenarios.
  • At the Air Force, battle management leaders have asked industry for help in integrating new command and control software into a cloud-based framework for Air Force operations, John Keller reported in Military & Aerospace Electronics.
  • But at an industry event this week, Army officials discussed AI hurdles they face, including inadequate networks and data collection processes, according to coverage by Evan Lynch in SIGNAL.

Congressional Cyber Activity

Offensive cybersecurity was the theme this week, as Congress heard testimony from experts calling for the government to go beyond cyber defense to a more offensive posture against China and other adversaries:

  • David DiMolfetta of Nextgov/FCW covered a House hearing in which experts called for “a more offensive U.S. approach against foreign hackers” following some high-profile Chinese critical infrastructure attacks across the U.S.
  • Those experts warned that Beijing and other major threat actors view persistent access to sensitive U.S. networks as a low-risk, high-reward component to their geopolitical strategies, Chris Riotta wrote in GovInfoSecurity.
  • Matt Seldon of Homeland Security Today reported that some experts said existing offensive cyber tools employed by the U.S. Cyber Command have authorized and integrated into broader national security efforts.
  • In light of these comments, some members of Congress called for the creation of a standalone U.S. cyber force to deter threats, Weslan Hansen noted in MeriTalk.
  • But other lawmakers and experts said the U.S. needs to get its defenses in order before going too far down that road, according to a piece by Tim Starks in CyberScoop.
  • In state government-focused publication Route Fifty, Chris Teale reported on related legislation to reauthorize or bolster various programs designed to strengthen the nation’s electric grid against cyber threats and help cash-strapped public utilities bolster their defenses.
  • On the Senate side, lawmakers proposed the Department of Defense Comprehensive Cyber Workforce Strategy Act to prioritize the recruitment and retention of cybersecurity professionals to protect federal networks from foreign adversaries and evolving cyberthreats, Jane Edwards noted in ExecutiveGov.

Upcoming Industry Events

We’re seeing more live events popping up now on our calendar now that we’re well into January. We’ve listed a bunch that we think look compelling below:

If you would like your event included in this list, please fill out this form.

I hope you find these weekly roundups helpful and that they inspire you to seek out more news from the outlets mentioned above. If you’re interested in a quick synopsis of the previous month’s news highlights, check out our short “Gov Tech Breakdown” video with my colleague Luca Pagni. 

I’ll be back next week with another edition. In the meantime, I encourage you to share these updates with colleagues or invite them to subscribe to this newsletter on LinkedIn or via the form below.