Myers new deputy Defense CIO

In a break from the past, Pentagon officials choosing a deputy chief information officer opted for someone with more military information technology experience than Capitol Hill budget know-how.

Margaret Myers, the armed service's acting deputy chief information officer, replaces Paul Brubaker, who left the Pentagon earlier in the month to become president of public sector e-government services for Commerce One Inc.

Brubaker got his Pentagon job largely from his experience drafting the Clinger-Cohen Act of 1996 as a Capitol Hill staffer for former Sen. William Cohen (R-Maine). The Clinger-Cohen Act of 1996 made it mandatory for each federal agency to have a chief information officer. It required CIOs to consider best business practices like outsourcing and using commercial products when evaluating major systems acquisitions.

While Brubaker earned his stripes on the Hill, Myers worked for the Army for 19 years before coming to the Pentagon in 1995. Since then, she's worked in a series of command, control, communications and intelligence acquisition oversight jobs.

Myers will work for Art Money, Defense CIO and assistant secretary of Defense for command, control, communications and information, until he leaves his job on April 6.

Known at the Pentagon and among vendors as someone who gets the job done behind the scenes, Myers is less of an outsider than Brubaker. Like Brubaker's predecessor, retired Navy officer Marv Langston, Myers has military experience, having served in the Army on active duty for two years and as a reservist for about 20 years.

Army Col. Patrick Lusk has taken the job Myers just vacated as principal director for the deputy DOD CIO. Lusk will work in that position for 60 days before returning to his Joint Chiefs of Staff job as Special Assistant for command, control, communications and computer investment, Myers said.