The Fall and Rise of the CIO

In the Defense Department, the same person acts as chief information officer

and assistant secretary of Defense for command, control, communications

and intelligence (ASD/C3I). Current CIO Art Money is a political appointee

who will likely exit with the Clinton administration.

The recommendation to strengthen the CIO position is not the first attempt.

In 1997, Defense Secretary William Cohen announced plans to abolish the

ASD/C3I position, dividing its functions between departments and tapping

the undersecretary of Defense for acquisition and technology as CIO.

Cohen changed course after the move was widely denounced by experts in command

and control and information warfare. They argued that the growing dependence

on information operations on the battlefield will require a strong ASD/C3I

and CIO.

So Cohen substantially broadened the office's reach in 1998, creating a

new structure that enabled the Pentagon to develop policies and programs

by combining data from assets such as reconnaissance satellites with traditional

C3 systems.