Allison Ling

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the need for major investments in digital health services and technology across the country, including telehealth and broadband infrastructure — particularly in rural communities.

The implementation of broad-reaching health records modernization across the Department of Veterans Affairs is encouraging broader tech modernization to encourage a smoother transition.

Since the onset of public health concerns surrounding the pandemic in late March, schools nationwide pivoted their operations to support modified environments like virtual classes to accommodate public health directives.

• Artificial Intelligence

The Defense Department’s Joint Artificial Intelligence Center (JAIC) is heavily focusing on advancing its AI development environment, the Joint Common Foundation (JCF), to help the center create repeatable, advanced AI for customers across the military.

The Defense Department is in the midst of its second tranche of 5G testing and experimentation and is hoping to begin the wave of prototyping in 2021, as several of the tranche’s solicitation deadlines near on Nov. 15 and in December. 

Automating the authorization to operate (ATO) process could save federal agencies time and also enhance IT infrastructure security.

Federal agencies usually use artificial intelligence to improve mission performance and capabilities — but some are turning to the technology to streamline IT operations.

The VA is using its ongoing health care modernization to improve care during COVID-19 as well as set the stage for assisting vaccine availability that will help close the pandemic.

The Defense Department will begin rolling out its Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) framework for all military contractors to undergo assessments starting Dec. 1, DOD Chief Information Security Officer for Acquisition and Sustainment Katie Arrington confirmed.

The Army’s Telemedicine & Advanced Technology Research Center (TATRC) has applied operational telemedicine to battlefields long before COVID-19 became a national issue.

As the military begins to act upon its digital modernization project and recently released data strategy, Defense Department Deputy Chief Data Officer James Cully stressed the importance of humility, open-mindedness and differing perspectives in the process.

As the Food and Drug Administration prepares for COVID-19 vaccine authorizations and approvals as a result of the Department of Health and Human Services' Operation Warp Speed clinical trials, the agency is also focused on strengthening surveillance efforts on the vaccine's long-term safety.