Defense CIO office stands fast

The Pentagon's entire office of the chief information officer will stay in place under the Bush administration, enabling the Defense Department to continue its efforts to improve warfighter support using technology.

The CIO office, headed by Art Money, is being considered for elevation to undersecretary level, so it seems the Bush administration "wants to leave in place the people with the expertise and who have been around for a while," said deputy CIO Paul Brubaker.

Defense Secretary-nominee Donald Rumsfeld issued a list of priorities to bring the Pentagon into the 21st century. Many of the changes require a better understanding of the use of information technology, Brubaker said Jan. 18 at a luncheon of the Association for Federal Information Resource Management.

The department's IT infrastructure will be a priority because current technology cannot adequately provide real-time mission data. "If you can't get the right information to the right people at the right time then you're behind the eight ball," Brubaker said.