Editorial: A poor remembrance

We were more than disappointed to hear that the Office of Force Transformation is going to close.

The office had been closely aligned with retired Vice Adm. Arthur Cebrowski, who led the office from its inception until February 2005. He died in November 2005. Often organizations that are so closely aligned with a single person fall aside when that person is no longer leading the organization.

Yet somehow the closure of the office seems to carry a louder message.

OFT was created in 2001 as part of President Bush and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld’s broad initiative to transform the Defense Department. The initiative was supposed to spur DOD to change itself so that the military was better able to confront new treats. Clearly, the military is facing those new threats, as we have seen with the 2001 terrorist attacks and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Terry Pudas, OFT’s acting director, told Federal Computer Week that DOD’s move was a positive development and a sign that the agency has incorporated transformation into the way it does business. “The office was created to be a catalyst…to jump-start the transformation thinking and process, and I think we’ve done that,” he said.

Pudas argued that spreading the transformation office’s functions throughout various organizations will make them part of mainstream activities.

We hope he is right, but we fear he is wrong. It is difficult to institute change within many organizations, and when you are dealing with an organization the size of DOD, those obstacles can become insurmountable.

OFT was as a reminder that the military faces a changing world and must constantly change to meet those new challenges.

We are disappointed and somewhat disheartened that OFT was unable to find a life post-Cebrowski.

Power players
In the coming weeks, FCW editors will compile a list of what we call government IT power players. These are the truly influential people in this community. And we’re seeking your thoughts. Do you know a power player who could have been overlooked? Let us know. Watch for FCW’s list of power players in the Oct. 30 issue.