The critical watches and warnings issued by the National Weather Service (NWS) inform everything from a firefighter's deployment to wildfires to the public's beach plans. This information is powered by some of the most advanced computational infrastructure in the world. According to David Michaud, director of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction's Central Operations at the NWS, high-performance computing (HPC) is the indispensable foundation that turns raw atmospheric data into actionable public safety information.

Michaud joined GovCast to discuss HPC and the IT systems accelerating science at NWS, including the service's operational supercomputers capable of calculating up to 14 quadrillion calculations per second.

Michaud also talked about the burgeoning role of AI/ML in weather prediction. These new predictive models are not intended to replace the traditional NWP models, but to complement them.

The U.S. is facing a surge in advanced threats from nation-state actors like China and Russia, who are increasingly probing critical infrastructure vulnerabilities.

David Travers, director of the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Office of Water Emergency Response and Cybersecurity, noted how escalating risks to the nation's water sector has shifted over his 30-year career, how adversaries are leveraging emerging technologies like AI to improve attacks and how the agency is adapting.

He also detailed how partnerships with Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the FBI are improving incident reporting, plans for a new $9 million water system resilience grant and the top cybersecurity initiatives shaping 2026.

The Army needs innovative and efficient solutions to problems. At the Association of the United States Army's Annual Meeting and Exposition in Washington, D.C., Innovation Officer at the Army's 3rd Infantry Division's Marne Innovation Center (MIC) Capt. Brendan Shutt explained how the Army's grassroots innovation model is transforming problem-solving.

The center embeds innovation directly into training environments, sourcing problems from soldiers in real time and involves warfighters firsthand in innovation. He said its soldier-driven, agile approach offers a compelling blueprint for future battlefield innovation and efficiency.

Shutt described challenges with scaling solutions across the Army, but said partnerships with academia provide fresh perspectives, technical bandwidth and can support more complex projects involving AI and autonomous systems.