The Defense Department is getting a new chief information officer as the Pentagon pushes forward with digital modernization.
Kirsten Davies was confirmed by the Senate for the role on Thursday night by a vote of 53-43, along with a slew of other nominees for federal government jobs that were approved en bloc.
Davies was tapped for Pentagon CIO by President Donald Trump back in May, but the Senate Armed Services Committee didn’t hold her confirmation hearing until September. The committee advanced her nomination in October, but full Senate approval didn’t come until this week.
The DOD CIO serves as the senior advisor and principal staff assistant to the secretary of defense and deputy SecDef for IT matters, with a broad portfolio that includes responsibility for cybersecurity, communications and information systems.
During her confirmation hearing, Davies said she planned to shake up the Pentagon’s IT enterprise, if confirmed, telling lawmakers that “great change” is needed.
Her priorities, she said at the time, will be to address the “tech debt” that has accumulated at the DOD; “surgically” prioritize modernization initiatives that support readiness; work with other officials to “embed the building blocks of AI supporting data supremacy and decision dominance” for U.S. military forces, partners and allies; develop a new generation of cyber partnerships with industry; help “catalyze” cyber deterrence; and “bring the voice of the warfighter into the very DNA” of the Pentagon CIO’s office.
She also indicated that she intends to eliminate redundant legacy contracts, consolidate “medium-risk contracts” into enterprise vehicles, and scale those that already align with the Pentagon’s software acquisition guidance, among other efforts.
Davies’ selection by Trump for Pentagon CIO was widely supported by experts in the cybersecurity community, many of whom highlighted her extensive experience in senior IT and cyber-related positions in the private sector.
She’ll be stepping into the CIO role during a critical juncture for the Defense Department’s IT enterprise as the DOD moves to adopt zero-trust cybersecurity architectures, boost its cloud capabilities and improve software acquisition, among other modernization initiatives.
Davies will take over from Katie Arrington, who has been performing the duties of DOD CIO since March.
Written by Jon Harper
Jon Harper is Editor-in-Chief of DefenseScoop. He leads an award-winning team of journalists in providing breaking news and in-depth analysis on military technology and the ways in which it is shaping how the Defense Department operates and modernizes. You can also follow him on X: @Jon_Harper_