It has been a great honor to serve as the Acting Department of Navy Chief Information Officer (DON CIO) for the past eight months. Effective with his 16 March memorandum, the Under Secretary of the Navy restructured parts of the Secretariat, including the DON CIO. I want to expand upon what this new organizational structure will achieve.
A streamlined office of the DON CIO will now report directly to the Under Secretary, who will also serve as the CIO, and will be focused on meeting statutory requirements. In addition, as Chief Management Officer (CMO), the Under Secretary will oversee the Office of the CMO to prioritize and accelerate business transformation initiatives. The CMO office will be led by four senior executives focusing on business system rationalization and modernization, development of a data strategy, improvement of audit outcomes, and reform initiatives. The direct reporting of both the CIO and CMO offices to the Under Secretary reflects the Department of the Navy’s focus on leveraging information technology to drive rapid business process improvements.
The important work historically performed by the office of the DON CIO will continue — certain activities will continue to be performed by the office of the DON CIO, others will be transferred to the CMO office, and some will be delegated to the Navy and Marine Corps. Many of the talented and dedicated people currently in the office of the DON CIO will follow their transferred functions to new positions in these organizations.
I will continue supporting the DON by leading the CMO’s business system rationalization and modernization team, and I look forward to continuing to work with each of you!