Navy Dept. CIO to retire

The Navy Department's chief information officer, Dan Porter, has confirmed that he will retire from that post on Dec. 1.

Porter confirmed in an e-mail that he would be accepting the agency's early retirement option to be senior vice president for strategic development at Vredenburg Inc., a small professional services company in Reston, Va.

His announcement comes in the wake of an announcement last week that the Navy is slashing the department's CIO office staff in half, to 25 people. Porter, however, said his decision is not related to the cuts.

"This an unfortunate accident of timing," he said in an e-mail.

"The restructuring does a number of really good things to tighten up relationships among [information technology] players in the department. There is a part of me that would love to stay and work through the challenge of a smaller size coupled with the opportunity afforded by the new relationships."

Porter's departure marks the third significant exit from the Navy Department's information technology leadership in recent months. Alex Bennet, the deputy CIO for enterprise integration, left earlier this year, and Ron Turner, deputy CIO for infrastructure, systems and technology, has announced that he also will be retiring.

Porter, however, said the Navy Department's CIO operation is in "great shape."

"We are blessed with some very strong...team leaders. The office isn't being phased out nor will it be less proactive, I am sure," he said.

Porter was named to the Navy Department's CIO post in September 1998 when the CIO job was separated from command, control, communications, computers and intelligence (C4I), and electronic warfare and space programs.

Previously, Porter worked in the Navy's systems and procurement operations. From November 1994 to February 1998, he was the service's acquisition reform executive. Before that, Porter was the program executive officer for undersea warfare.

Porter is credited with overseeing the Navy Marine Corps Intranet, the department's massive effort to create a single network across more than 300 shore-based sites. Porter said that he does not expect his departure will impact the $6.9 billion contract.

NMCI "is in good hands. [Rear Adm. Charles] Munns is a wonderfully skilled leader who is moving it forward with sure, steady progress," he said.