Ed Meagher is retiring Lt. Gen. Steven W. Boutelle, the Army’s Chief Information Officer/G-6 announced today that he has selected Vernon M. Bettencourt Jr. as his Deputy.
Bettencourt is currently serving as the Director of Analysis and Chief Information Officer to the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-3, for the Department of the Army. He ensures that ODCS, G-3 priority information requirements are identified and effectively supported using analysis, analytic simulations, information management, and command, control communications and computers for Information Infrastructure Systems. He provides senior analysis support to the Force Development Director of the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-8.
As the Deputy Chief Information Officer/G-6, Bettencourt will run the day-to-day operations for the Office of the CIO/G-6 and provide senior-level advice to Boutelle. Bettencourt succeeds David Borland, the Army’s current deputy chief information officer/G-6, who retires at the end of this year after more than 30 years of federal service.Bettencourt will start work at CIO/G-6 on Nov. 17.
“We are extremely fortunate to bring Vern Bettencourt on board,” Boutelle said. “He brings a vast understanding of the issues involved with transforming the Army into a knowledge-based, network-centric force. He will be a key player in our efforts to realign and optimize our networks to support the joint warfighter.”
“I’m extremely excited to be joining the CIO/G-6 team,” Bettencourt said. “Networking the force is a key focus area for the Army chief of staff and is an essential element in winning the Global War on Terrorism. I look forward to this challenge.”
From June 1998 to February 1999, Bettencourt served as Director, US Army Modeling and Simulation DCS, G-3, where he provided vision, strategy, oversight, and management of M&S across the Army. From October 1995 to May 1998, Bettencourt served as Special Assistant for Forces and Program Evaluation, Deputy under Secretary of the Army (Operations Research), where he was responsible for policy, oversight, and guidance of analyses, test and evaluation, and experimentation activities associated with force structure requirements and readiness, selected materiel systems, and Army plans, programs and budgets
Upon appointment to the SES in 1995, Bettencourt served as the Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Combat Developments, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command from January to October 1995. He was responsible for combat development and acquisition plans, programs, policies, and procedures in TRADOC and their integration into Department of the Army and Department of Defense acquisition systems.
In 1990, Bettencourt joined the MITRE Defense C3I Federally Funded Research and Development Center, where he founded the Synthetic Environments Applications Department, designing and applying simulations to support systems engineering for sponsors in OSD, Army, Navy, and USMC. He then became the Army Program Area Manager for the Information Systems and Technology Division, coordinating the efforts of scientists and engineers supporting the Army with information technology. His final position at MITRE was Associate Director of Army Programs, where he was responsible for strategic planning, development, and control of C3ISR support to the Army.
Bettencourt’s final assignment in a 20-year Army career was as Director of TRADOC Analysis Center-Monterey, where he supervised simulation research for TRADOC. Prior to that he served as Military Assistant to the Deputy Under Secretary of the Army (DUSA(OR)) from 1985 to 1988. During his Army Officer career, Bettencourt also served in various field artillery command and staff assignments in Germany, Vietnam, Korea and the continental United State. He earned his commission from the US Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. in 1969 and a Master of Science in Operations Research (OR) from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1976. In the mid-1980s, he earned a Master of Business Administration in Finance from C. W. Post University and was licensed as a Professional Engineer in Industrial Engineering.He is a Past President and a current Fellow of the Military Operations Research Society, has chaired the MORS annual symposium and several workshops, and is a member of several academic and managerial honor societies. He has been published and presented papers in numerous national and international OR, management and military forums. Additionally, he has received the SES Presidential Rank Award of Meritorious Executive.
