Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
The Department of Veterans Affairs hosted an IT industry day last week with a specific takeaway from the agency’s deputy CIO: incumbency itself is not enough. Zack Schwartz, principal deputy assistant secretary in the VA’s Office of Information and Technology, said he’s made it clear that tech contractors need to bring their “A-game when it comes to supporting the veteran,” and the VA is open for business with whoever can do it best. “Incumbency is not a guarantee, incumbency is not an advantage,” Schwartz said in an interview with FedScoop.
LOGZONE, an Alabama-based logistics services provider, has agreed to pay more than $507,000 to resolve allegations that it misrepresented its compliance with Pentagon cybersecurity requirements while doing work with the Navy. According to a settlement agreement published last Thursday, the Justice Department alleged that LOGZONE failed to fully implement required security controls under NIST Special Publication 800-171 despite its contract mandating compliance. While not an explicit violation of the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) program, the suit highlights the Defense Department’s increasing scrutiny of the defense industry not implementing required cybersecurity measures for sensitive information.
Links
• VA IT official to contractors: Bring your AI game or get axed via FedScoop: fedscoop.com/veterans-affairs-ai-it-zack-schwartz
• Defense contractor settles cybersecurity False Claims Act allegations via DefenseScoop: defensescoop.com/2026/06/18/defense-contractor-settles-cybersecurity-false-claims-act-allegations
#federal #government #technology #news #cybersecurity #defensecontractor #justicedepartment #informationtechnology #veteransaffairs #aitechnology #ai #artificialintelligence #aitechnology #cmmc #logzone #usnavy #cyber #governmentnews #usgovernment #technews #podcast #techpodcast #dailynews #dailynewsupdate
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About The Daily Scoop Podcast
We discuss the latest news and trends facing government leaders on such topics as technology, management and workforce. The program will explore headlines of the day as well as in depth discussions with top executives in both government and industry.
The Daily Scoop Podcast is released every weekday afternoon. For the latest insights from Washington, you can subscribe to The Daily Scoop Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, and Spotify. fedscoop.com/show/the-daily-scoop-podcast
The Department of Veterans Affairs hosted an IT industry day last week with a specific takeaway from the agency’s deputy CIO: incumbency itself is not enough. Zack Schwartz, principal deputy assistant secretary in the VA’s Office of Information and Technology, said he’s made it clear that tech contractors need to bring their “A-game when it comes to supporting the veteran,” and the VA is open for business with whoever can do it best. “Incumbency is not a guarantee, incumbency is not an advantage,” Schwartz said in an interview with FedScoop.
LOGZONE, an Alabama-based logistics services provider, has agreed to pay more than $507,000 to resolve allegations that it misrepresented its compliance with Pentagon cybersecurity requirements while doing work with the Navy. According to a settlement agreement published last Thursday, the Justice Department alleged that LOGZONE failed to fully implement required security controls under NIST Special Publication 800-171 despite its contract mandating compliance. While not an explicit violation of the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) program, the suit highlights the Defense Department’s increasing scrutiny of the defense industry not implementing required cybersecurity measures for sensitive information.
Links
• VA IT official to contractors: Bring your AI game or get axed via FedScoop: fedscoop.com/veterans-affairs-ai-it-zack-schwartz
• Defense contractor settles cybersecurity False Claims Act allegations via DefenseScoop: defensescoop.com/2026/06/18/defense-contractor-settles-cybersecurity-false-claims-act-allegations
#federal #government #technology #news #cybersecurity #defensecontractor #justicedepartment #informationtechnology #veteransaffairs #aitechnology #ai #artificialintelligence #aitechnology #cmmc #logzone #usnavy #cyber #governmentnews #usgovernment #technews #podcast #techpodcast #dailynews #dailynewsupdate
Follow The Daily Scoop Podcast on Social Media
• twitter.com/DailyScoopPod
• linkedin.com/company/the-daily-scoop-podcast
• facebook.com/thedailyscooppodcast
About The Daily Scoop Podcast
We discuss the latest news and trends facing government leaders on such topics as technology, management and workforce. The program will explore headlines of the day as well as in depth discussions with top executives in both government and industry.
The Daily Scoop Podcast is released every weekday afternoon. For the latest insights from Washington, you can subscribe to The Daily Scoop Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, and Spotify. fedscoop.com/show/the-daily-scoop-podcast
