Kirsten Davies, the Department of War’s chief information officer and a 2026 Wash100 awardee, emphasized a mission-first approach to technology modernization, stating that DOW’s information enterprise must directly support the warfighter and align with the National Defense Strategy, DOW said Tuesday.
The DOW CIO’s remarks underscore how senior defense technology leaders are aligning modernization efforts with measurable mission outcomes and direct support to the warfighter. Reserve your seat at the 2026 Digital Transformation Summit on April 22 to connect with government and industry executives driving the next phase of federal digital modernization.
“Our mission is to support the National Defense Strategy … and the warfighters,” Davies said during Feb. 10 remarks at the department’s Mark Center location in Alexandria, Virginia in front of senior Pentagon officials. “Everything we do should be supporting the warfighter community and their mission.”
She described the Office of the CIO vision as building an information enterprise that is “resilient, modern, secure and agile,” and said the department’s IT environment must be “worthy of the warfighter.”
Davies, who was confirmed by the Senate as the department’s CIO in December, also called for what she described as “ruthless prioritization” of ongoing initiatives, noting that some efforts may be eliminated if they do not directly support the warfighter mission.
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What Are Davies’ Technology Transformation Priorities as DOW CIO?
Davies said the department must transform its technology landscape in response to a rapidly evolving information environment. She identified data analytics and artificial intelligence as key focus areas, along with securing the department’s advantage in the electromagnetic spectrum.
“We need to execute on data analytics and AI. … We need to secure our advantage in the spectrum,” Davies said, describing the effort as a long-term national security priority for the department and its allies.
She directed OCIO leaders to become familiar with the recently published National Defense Strategy and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s ongoing “Arsenal of Freedom” tour, which aims to reform acquisition processes to speed up the delivery of capabilities to warfighters and strengthen U.S. manufacturing capacity.
What Did Davies Say About Visibility Across the DOW Enterprise?
Davies highlighted visibility as a priority area for OCIO.
“We can’t defend what we can’t see, [and] we can’t optimize something if we don’t know what’s there,” she noted.
According to Davies, increasing enterprisewide visibility will help OCIO evaluate how resources are allocated across the department.
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