Travel Readiness: Powering the Mission

Ms. Lauren Concklin, Deputy Director of Travel & Director of GO.gov, General Services Administration

Summary

Lauren Conklin’s keynote at the GovTravels session emphasizes that federal travel is not a support function, but a critical component of mission readiness. She frames travel as operational infrastructure that enables deployments, training, disaster response, and national security activities. The central message is that when mobility fails, missions fail, underscoring the importance of travel readiness to government performance.

Ms.Conklin highlights the resilience of the federal travel ecosystem in 2025, noting that despite budget pressures, workforce disruptions, and market volatility, the system continued to function effectively. This resilience was driven by strong collaboration across government, industry, and operational stakeholders. She underscores that relationships across this ecosystem are the foundation of readiness.

A major focus of the keynote is the evolving role of the General Services Administration (GSA) as a strategic partner rather than an administrative body. GSA’s responsibilities include procurement, data visibility, and program management, while agencies like the Department of Defense define mission requirements. Alignment between these entities enables effective execution.

Ms. Conklin also outlines key modernization efforts, including the overhaul of the Federal Travel Regulation (FTR) to simplify policy and reduce friction, as well as the launch of the OneGov initiative to centralize procurement and increase efficiency. Programs such as the City Pair Program, FedRooms, long-term lodging solutions, and new rideshare partnerships demonstrate how scale and centralized buying power create stability and cost savings.

She stresses the importance of balancing security with speed, noting that overly restrictive processes can hinder mission success. The keynote concludes with a framework built on three pillars: building capability, governing effectively, and sustaining the ecosystem through continuous engagement. Ultimately, Conklin calls for stronger collaboration across stakeholders to ensure that travel readiness remains a reliable enabler of mission success.