Today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton

• The FAR rewrite is more than just updated rules
• If you’ve ever struggled to hear someone in a crowded room, you’ve experienced a problem today’s technology still hasn’t solved. Researchers are now taking a different approach.

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Even advanced hearing aids and implants can fall short when it comes to separating voices from background noise. A new federal research program is looking beyond the ear and into the brain for answers. We get more from Dr. Calvin Roberts, the HEARING program manager at ARPA-H.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Trump administration is giving agencies more leeway to remove federal employees deemed “unfit” for their jobs. A new final rule from the Office of Personnel Management expands the reasons that employees might be considered “unsuitable” and therefore fireable. The change is meant to increase employee accountability, but concerns remain about the possibility of politically motivated removals. Here with more, Federal News Network’s Drew Friedman.

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The CIA is looking to drastically speed up its acquisition timelines to acquire cutting edge technology like AI. CIA Director John Ratcliffe says the goal is to complete most technology acquisitions within six months. And the secretive spy agency also wants to open up to industry through a new Office of Corporate Partnerships. For more, Federal News Network’s Justin Doubleday joins me.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today on "The Best of the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton" we revisit some of our best interviews of the past couple of months.

• Learn more about what it will take to replenish the U.S. missile stockpile after the operations in Iran.
• Also, a warning the agency responsible for overseeing classified work at defense contractors, it may be falling short of its mission.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Office of Personnel Management wants to make easier to remove federal employees for performance or misconduct reasons. In a new 81-page proposed rule that came out last week, OPM and the Merit Systems Protection Board are jointly seeking to change the administrative procedures used to fire employees and the review of such actions before the board. For more on the proposed changes, Federal News Network executive editor Jason Miller joins me now to discuss.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The latest version of the PMP exam reflects a shift toward how project work actually gets done today. It puts more weight on real‑world judgment and less on textbook recall. Joining me to walk us through what's different and why it matters is Dr. Kelly Heuer, VP of Learning at the Project Management Institute.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

For law enforcement officers and others, retirement can come in the late 40s or 50s with decades still ahead to fund and plan. That shift changes how they think about saving, second careers and long-term risks. Joining me to discuss the mind and investment shift required is federal retirement expert, Tammy Flanagan.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.