@DoW_CIO

Please join the @DeptofWar CIO this Memorial Day weekend 🇺🇸in pausing to honor and remember the brave men and women of our Armed Forces who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our nation. As we proudly support those who defend our nation across every domain — land, sea, air, space, and cyber 🛡️ — we remain mindful that our freedoms were secured by heroes who gave everything for the United States of America. 🦅 This weekend, we remember them. We honor them. We say their names. 🇺🇸 “Each of the markers on that field — each of the names engraved in stone — teach us what it means to be loyal and faithful and proud and brave and righteous and true.” — President Donald J. Trump @POTUS

At the @NATO Digital Policy Committee, @DeptofWar CIO Kirsten Davies and @USAmbNATO Whitaker discussed the rapid acceleration of the Department’s digital transformation. By modernizing our IT, Cyber, and telecommunications infrastructure, the DoW is driving operational excellence for the Warfighter. @SecWar Hegseth has given us a clear mission. Strategic investments in the Mission Partner Enterprise, Cloud, Zero Trust, ICAM, and Spectrum Management are essential to securing technical overmatch and fulfilling our obligations to the Alliance. 🦅🇺🇸

Hon Kirsten Davies, @DeptofWar CIO, led the U.S. delegation to the @NATO Digital Policy Committee. This is a bi-annual meeting of the Allies to discuss IT and Cyber initiatives ranging from the Alliance’s cloud program to its approach to Cybersecurity. Reinforcing the importance of continuous delivery, an agile requirements process, decoupling governance from capability delivery, and culture change, she represented the President and SecWar as the group worked through the details of the Alliance’s modernization efforts. 💪 21st Century Warfare is not like any other in U.S. history, the battlespace will extend from the homeland to the front lines, and the fight will move at the pace of data. In modern warfare, new technologies, and new uses for old technologies, will be the norm not the exception. We must accelerate our efforts, the warfighters on the Alliance’s font lines deserve better. 🇺🇸 #Cyber #Cloud #ZeroTrust

Mr. Aaron Bishop, DoW CISO and acting Deputy CIO for Cybersecurity, spoke today at the @PotomacOfficers Club 2026 Cyber Summit to discuss key features of the @DeptofWar way ahead for IT and Cyber transformation with an the audience of GovCon leaders. Cybersecurity always will be our number one priority, but we are revolutionizing how we deliver security to the edge for our Warfighters. Zero Trust and ICAM are foundational to this effort, but we aren't stopping there. Our DIB partners are key, their cybersecurity is our cybersecurity.🖥️ We are also accelerating our secure software delivery to bring agility and modern practices to our digital tools. Underpinning this is our focus on non-traditional skills based hiring and the Cyber Registered Apprenticeship Program (Cyber RAP). More details will be released in the coming weeks, we are moving fast! 🦅🇺🇸 #Cyber #Freedom250 #Data #ZeroTrust #CyberRAP #POCCyber2026

Happy Armed Forces Day! 🇺🇸🦅 250 years strong—and still standing watch. As we mark the 250th anniversary of the United States, we honor those who have defended our nation from its founding to today—serving across every branch of our Armed Forces: Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Air Force, and Space Force. From 1775 to today, theirs is a continuous line of courage, sacrifice, and unwavering commitment to protecting our freedoms and keeping America strong, secure, and free. To our active-duty service members, veterans, and the families who stand beside them—thank you. We see you. We honor you. We are forever grateful. From the Office of the Department of War CIO—God bless our troops and God bless the United States of America 🇺🇸

The Honorable Kirsten Davies, thanked her Five Eyes CIO counterparts for their hard work and candid discussion last week as part of the Defense CIO Forum (#DCIOF) and Combined Digital Leadership Summit (#CDLS). “This was my first time leading the US delegation to the CDLS and I appreciate your willingness to roll up your sleeves and continue the work on #ProjectArcadia and so much more. It was especially meaningful for our team on the 250th anniversary of our nation,” said Hon. Davies. 🦅 Pictured left to right: - @RossErmelAC , Assistant Deputy Minister – Digital Services, Canada; 🇨🇦 - Brigadier Esther Harrop, Commander – Information Command, New Zealand; 🇳🇿 - @DoWCIODavies – Chief Information Officer, Department of War, USA; 🇺🇸 - @CharlesForte100, Defence Chief Information Officer, United Kingdom; 🇬🇧 - Chris Crozier, Chief Information Officer, Defense Digital Group, Australia; 🇦🇺 #FVEY #DigitalDefense #StrongerTogether

The @DeptofWar successfully wrapped the Combined Digital Leadership Summit (#CDLS 26.1) last week. Together with our Five Eyes partners, we are accelerating joint digital warfighting capabilities and moving hashtag#ProjectArcadia into operational reality. The core mission: forging a shared digital backbone. We are laying the foundation to turn vast amounts of allied data into a unified, real-time Common Operating Picture (COP). DoW CIO Hon. Kirsten Davies praised the "fierce dedication" of the FVEY delegations in pooling resources and expertise. Hon. Davies worked CIO initiatives with her counterparts Mr. Ross Ermel, Assistant Deputy Minister – Digital Services, Canada; Mr. Charles Forte, Defence Chief Information Officer, United Kingdom; Mr. Chris Crozier (GAICD), Chief Information Officer, Defence Digital Group, Australia; and Brigadier Esther Harrop, MNZM, Commander – Information Command; New Zealand.  The summit concluded with the passing of the ceremonial taonga (Māui's hook) to Australia, who will host the alliance in Sydney this November. The work continues! 🌐🛡️ Read the Press Release: lnkd.in/ge7eVkZj #DoW #FVEY #ProjectArcadia #DefenseTech #NationalSecurity

The @DeptofWar CIO's Office is proud to announce our Workforce Innovation Directorate’s (WID) has been awarded the 2026 Government Information Technology Council’s Workforce Development Award! This award, presented by the Advanced Technology Academic Research Center (ATARC), honors groundbreaking solutions to federal challenges. It specifically recognizes the Workforce Innovation Directorate’s (WID) pioneering Skills-Based Hiring Pilot. Selected from a highly competitive field, this program reimagines traditional resume-based hiring by utilizing hands-on assessments to evaluate real-world cyber skills. 🖥️ During a WID All-Hands meeting on May 7th, ATARC Founder Tom Suder and Director of Government Engagement Tim Harvey presented this prestigious award to our recipients: 🏆 Mark S. Gorak, Principal Director for Resources & Analysis and Director for the Cyber Academic Engagement Office (#CAEO) 🏆 Walt Spears, Director, WID 🏆 Alfredo Rodriguez, Deputy Director, WID 🏆 Matt Isnor, Cyber Workforce Development Chief, WID Built through multi-organizational collaboration, this pilot establishes a scalable model for use across the government. Answering the directive in Executive Order 14170 to make hiring "more efficient and focused on serving the Nation," the initiative prioritizes "merit [and] practical skill." By effectively identifying qualified candidates, ensuring role-readiness, and significantly reducing time-to-hire, the pilot overcomes major barriers agencies face today. This milestone continues the DoW CIO Office’s proud history of award-winning excellence and leadership in workforce development. Congratulations to the team on this well-deserved honor! Pictured left to right: Alfredo Rodriguez; Matt Isnor; Walt Spears; Tom Suder – Founder of Advanced Technology Academic Research Center and Mark Gorak.

Long before a mission launches, a global network of business systems is at work—processing the military's pay, managing retirement, and routing critical supplies to the warfighter. When @DeptofWar systems run on outdated tech, it slows down the entire force. 🌎 The DoW Business Systems Rationalization Playbook is a critical piece of the puzzle. It provides industry partners with a clear strategy to retire clunky legacy systems, replacing them with agile, modern solutions that create a leaner operation, save taxpayer dollars, and empower decisions on the battlefield. 💪 Read the new Playbook at: dowcio.war.gov/Portals/0/Docu… #DIB #DoWCIO #OperationEpicFury #DefenseModernization

In a high-stakes environment, isolated data can cost us the tactical advantage. The @DeptofWar's business systems must communicate seamlessly to be effective. The new Business Enterprise Architecture (BEA) Guidebook is the master blueprint that makes this interoperability happen. 🔗 By cutting through bureaucratic red tape and adopting a “commercial first” mindset, this document helps to make the vision of @SecWar’s “Arsenal of Freedom” a reality.  It gives our industry partners the framework they need to build cutting-edge tech that plugs directly into our operations to help solve real-world challenges and keep warfighters fully equipped, supported, and ready to execute. 🦅 Read the new guidebook at: dowcio.war.gov/Portals/0/Docu… #DoWCIO #ArsenalOfFreedom #DefenseTech #DIB

Pictured from left to right: Brandon Cross and Holly Yuan, University of Wisconsin-Stout; Brian Scavotto, North Carolina A&T; and Amith Kamath Belman, San Jose State University

Congrats to the ASCEND Challenge winners announced at the NCAE-C Symposium! 🏆 The @DeptofWar Office of the CIO commends Holly Yuan & Brandon Cross (UW-Stout), Brian Scavotto (NC A&T), and Amith Kamath Belman (SJSU). Your groundbreaking AI & cyber frameworks are forging the next generation of our nation's cyber workforce! 🛡️🇺🇸 As DoW CIO Hon. Kirsten Davies stated, "The collaborative energy of this symposium and the innovative spirit of the ASCEND challenge are critical to securing America's technological advantage." This rapid approach to cyber curriculum development directly supports @SecWar Hegseth's Arsenal of Freedom initiative by ensuring our academic institutions are equipped to build a well-trained, critically thinking, and decisive force ready for tomorrow's fights. 🛡️⚡️ Read more about the winners and our initiatives: dowcio.war.gov/In-the-News/Ar… #CAESymposium #Cybersecurity #AI #Cyber #DowCyberWorkforce #ASCENDChallenge

Pictured left to right in the Listening Room: Michael Tu, university of Purdue NW University; Dr. Eman El-Sheikh, University of West Florida; Scott Nelson, acting PD CEAO; Adel Elmaghraby, University of Louisville; and Omar Garada, Dcode.

The @DeptofWar CIO, Hon @DoWCIODavies, is excited to highlight the Cyber Academic Engagement Office (#CAEO) Community Exchange “Listening Room” at this year’s Center for Academic Excellence (CAE) in Cybersecurity Symposium in Pittsburgh, PA. Over the past week, this space brought together leaders from across the CAE community to share candid feedback, elevate best practices, and help shape the future of cyber workforce development. 🎯Designed as an open forum for dialogue, the Listening Room reflects CAEO’s commitment to transparency, collaboration, and action. The Listening Room is more than a space, it’s a signal. A signal that we are listening, adapting, and building alongside our partners across academia. Together, we are advancing the cyber workforce that will power the Arsenal of Freedom in this new era of competition.🇺🇸💻 The conversation doesn’t stop here. Let’s keep building. 🦅 #CAESymposium #DoWCyberWorkforce #Cyber #Cloud #Data

The Dept of War CIO’s Cyber Academic Engagement Office kicked off the annual National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity (NCAE-C) Symposium, by challenging universities to join the "front lines" of the nation's cyber defense,” and highlighted @POTUS, @DeptofWar @SecWar Hegseth and DoW CIO Hon. @DoWCIODavies commitment to programs like this to usher in a Golden Age of innovation and prosperity. 🎓 We proudly designated 28 institutions as National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity and joining an elite network of nearly 500 schools recognized for meeting rigorous standards in cyber curricula and research. Keep your eyes open for the winners of our ASCEND competition. They will be announced on Monday! Let’s get to work! 👀🏆💪 Read the press release to learn more: dodcio.defense.gov/In-the-News/Ar… #CAESymposium #DoWCyberWorkforce #Cyber

Pictured left to right: Scott Nelson, Acting Principal Director of the DoW CIO Cyber Academic Engagement Office delivering the keynote at the NCAE-C Symposium; representatives of the 28 new NCAE-C institutions at the certification ceremony.

Securing our Operational Technology (OT) requires unprecedented collaboration. Today, the Office of the @DeptofWar CIO, alongside @CISAgov, the @FBI, @ENERGY, and the @StateDept, released new guidance to help OT operators navigate the complex transition to a Zero Trust architecture. Honorable @DoWCIODavies, DoW Chief Information Officer, emphasizes the importance of this shift: "The Department of War is driving Zero Trust for operational technology at an accelerated pace. In lockstep with our federal and industry partners, we are fortifying the infrastructure and interconnected weapon systems our Warfighters demand to fight and win. This is how we deliver peace through technical strength." The guide provides actionable steps to harden defenses across: 🔎 Comprehensive asset visibility 🔗 Proactive supply chain risk management 🛡️ Robust identity and access management 🖥️ Layered security controls and network segmentation Empower your organization with the latest interagency guidance: go.dhs.gov/iaE #CyberDefense #ZeroTrust #DoWCIO #Interagency #OperationalTechnology #InfoSec