Venice Goodwine, chief information officer of the Department of the Air Force and a two-time Wash100 awardee, highlighted the need to invest in IT system upgrades to maintain combat readiness and resilience amid threats posed by geopolitical adversaries, the U.S. Space Force reported Monday.
“As CIO, my role includes advocating to modernize information technology at our Air and Space Force installations – enterprise systems that need to be able to communicate with each other. Strategic readiness hinges on systems that are both interoperable and secure. To do this, we need to constantly invest in upgrading our critical IT infrastructure,” Goodwine said.
The Air Force CIO called on the service to be vigilant with its tech investments, particularly in modernizing IT infrastructure and command and control systems.
“Leaders might say, ‘Oh, the network worked fine today; I was able to send emails, make phone calls, join a VTC and the planes still took off.’ I understand that perspective and it can be challenging to convey the urgency. However, as technology advances, our adversaries are actively seeking vulnerabilities within our infrastructure and C2 systems. It’s crucial to remain vigilant in our investments to ensure we are always ready to fight tonight,” Goodwine stated.
What Is the Base Infrastructure Modernization Program?
Goodwine cited the Base Infrastructure Modernization, or BIM, program and discussed how it helps the Department of the Air Force address infrastructure needs.
The BIM program is an extension of DAF’s Enterprise IT as a Service initiative and seeks to deliver a modernized wireless architecture to facilitate interoperability with joint network and mission systems, offer reliable data connections across installations and provide centralized vulnerability management.
“By contracting out non-military IT functions, we ensure that the new equipment is consistent with industry best practices and can be implemented more quickly than a piecemealed approach. Working with our acquisitions partners, BIM-provided systems provide baked-in cybersecurity features and adhere to a standardized risk framework,” the DAF official said.
In August 2024, the Air Force awarded 23 companies spots on the $12.5 billion BIM multiple award contract to modernize, maintain and operate DAF’s base area network infrastructure.
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