The Department of Defense this year, like much of the federal government, is undergoing changes, reevaluations and reforms, prompted by the new Trump administration. One forthcoming line of effort raised by senior Pentagon officials is a potential unified information ecosystem that encourages accessible data access and breaking down siloed or stovepiped individual tech systems, allowing them to all work as one.
Acting DOD Chief Information Officer Katie Arrington said at a recent conference that she’s angling to create a “Mission Network as a Service” system. This would, presumably, be modeled after “as-a-service” subscription-based delivery methods for software, infrastructure and other tech offerings, which are provided via the internet rather than managed on-premises.
“I’m collapsing all the disparate networks,” Arrington, who won GovCon’s top prize, the Wash100 Award in 2020, said, according to MeriTalk. “It’s all getting collapsed into one.”
At the Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 Navy Summit, there will be a panel focused on how to achieve a unified IT architecture through modernization. Experts sitting for the Aug. 26 discussion include PEO Digital Executive Director Jeffery Proudfoot; Navy Enterprise Networks and Cybersecurity Director Scott St. Pierre; and Office of Naval Research Global CIO Christian Williams. Don’t miss this highly informative defense IT dialog!
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Why Create Mission Network as a Service?
Arrington said she has quickly become frustrated with how, unlike in industry, access to DOD data is often dictated by location and division.
“How are we so far behind?” she asked when comparing to the private sector. “We have to do better … I can’t go to any command I want to and put my CAC [Common Access Card] in and access data. Is that crazy?”
The CIO clarified that “tenants” on the “core, central fabric” would have the ability to develop individualized and customized programs for their own purposes, they just need to build them to be able to converse and connect with the rest of the ecosystem. And, of course, someone’s clearance level would determine what amount of data within the system they could see.
This all comes back, in the spirit of Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency to consolidation and strengthened operations by trimming fat, she explained.
“You can’t be lethal and ready if you’re not efficient, right? So, let’s get the efficiency,” Arrington declared.
Who Is Katie Arrington?
Arrington is currently performing the duties of the CIO for all of DOD. It isn’t the first time she’s served at the Pentagon. During the first Trump administration, she was the first chief information security officer for the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, wherein she worked to build up and integrate cybersecurity defense for acquisition and sustainment activities.
Notably, she directed and oversaw the team that established the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification; her career has in large part been dedicated to cyber pursuits.
The experienced public and private sector executive has held roles at Exiger and Booz Allen Hamilton and was an elected member of the South Carolina House of Representatives.
The 2025 Navy Summit is fast approaching. Come to the Hilton McLean on Aug. 26 to have all of your burning questions about that service’s unified IT efforts answered by industry-leading experts. Stay for fast-paced GovCon networking in a high-level environment.
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