Defense CIO Talks Transition

The next chief information officer at Defense Department will be facing a full plate of technology challenges, according to John Grimes, the department's chief information officer. Speaking at a lunch sponsored by the American Council for Technology and the Industry Advisory Council, Grimes outlined what he believes are the biggest concerns facing his successor.

They include:

Network-centric warfare â€" Grimes spoke about the need for warfighters and intelligence agencies to share information about enemies and operations. He said that when former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld asked his opinion on the subject, he responded that “sharing information is the only way to go.” He described the initial barriers as part culture and part legal, but said that the Patriot Act had largely eliminated the legal barriers.

Portfolio Management â€" Grimes said that the importance of how money is allocated was particularly important now, with agencies facing tight budgets. He emphasized the need to bring in industry leadership to obtain technical solutions and said the commercial market was way ahead of government in terms of technology and innovation. He referenced GSA’s Networx telecom contract as an example of how government can use the expertise of companies to accomplish more easily its mission.

Cloud Computing â€" That's the shift away from independent personal computers to a more centralized base for applications and data storage. Defense is looking at how it can better use the “cloud” and replace users’ current devices with “dumb terminals” that would rely more on enterprise applications and databases, Grimes said. He cited two reasons for the shift. First, users often “mess around” on their computers, creating security and other risks, and, second, moving to a centralized system of applications makes telecommuting and remote access much easier. He added that he hoped to make significant progress on that before leaving.

Globalization â€" Grimes called it “somewhat shocking” that the government was using code written by programmers in what could be called enemy states. He also cited a rise in the infiltration of data on Defense networks in the past couple years as evidence that “globalization is an issue.” President Bush signed a directive in May that creates the new category of "Controlled Unclassified Information," which is information not suitable for disclosure to the public. The directive did not specify how such information would be categorized or protected under this term. Grimes said the new classification would be a burden to his team, but implementation plans and cost have not yet been determined.