Ryan McCarthy, U.S. Army undersecretary, has said the service needs a chief scientist for its new modernization command that will work with acquisition managers and soldiers and help with investment decisions, Federal News Radio reported Tuesday.
“What we are looking at is within the command itself because of the speed of technology, because of the speed of the pacing of threats, to have that capability at the local level working with the cross functional team leaders,†McCarthy told reporters Tuesday.
“A chief technology officer can help inform us with investment decisions, the maturity of a technology and looking at technological readiness levels,†he added.
The report said the Army has established eight CFTs to focus on the military branch’s modernization priorities that include next-generation combat vehicles, future vertical lift aircraft, networks and long-range precision fire systems.
McCarthy also mentioned the service’s need for technical talent and plan to advance collaboration between CFTs and program executive officers in order to improve accountability.
“We need to bring in additional technical talent to support us because we are making multibillion dollar decisions,†he added.
