About Us

As an arm of the Office of the Secretary of Defense, NII/CIO is responsible for setting policy and providing oversight of information processes, systems, and technologies. As the Principle Staff Assistant, the ASD provides the expertise to advise the Secretary. As the DoD Chief Information Officer, the incumbent is the executive responsible for ensuring that capabilities are delivered.

Information is a strategic asset. It must be given the same priority and protection as any mission critical system or platform. Success in day-to-day peacetime functions, during stability and support operations, and armed conflict will be dependent upon our ability to connect people with information and create an information advantage for our team and our mission partners.

Our transformation to a 21st century, Net Centric force is, therefore, dependent upon ultimate delivery of the critical enabling capabilities that will:

To be shared, information must be visible, accessible, understandable, and trusted. Today’s information environment is actually a series of independent and unconnected stove-piped systems supported by highly tailored systems. It cannot meet spiraling information demands, nor support unanticipated needs and users. Moving to a net-centric information enterprise will ensure information is where it is needed and when it is needed. To do so, five key enablers are currently underway:

The NII/CIO has identified five priorities to guide the organization’s efforts. Each priority includes specific initiatives and associated milestones against which progress is being measured.

NII/CIO reviews the status of these priorities on a regular basis. Progress is measured, delays are identified, priorities are adjusted, and the leadership is continuously aware of the status of the entire enterprise.

The Accomplishments:

The ability to meet anticipated and unanticipated information needs is rapidly emerging. Information sharing is becoming a reality. Stove-piped systems, unique and tailored programs, hard-wired connections, point-to-point limitations, and information hoarding are becoming a thing of the past. Strategies that ensure the visibility, accessibility, usability, and trust worthiness of information by the entire enterprise are in place. Common needs are being met with programs and services that can be leveraged by the entire community.

Defense Information Environment Architecture – a common foundation to keep the entire community moving toward the same goal with the same objectives.
Data Strategy – the common rules, tools and processes to ensure data can be discovered and used when and where needed.
Enterprise Services – the set of applications that are needed by many, can be created once, and leveraged by all.
Net Centric Capability Portfolio Management – the integrated approach that ensures transparency of programs and resources, analysis of the full set of information related efforts, and the ability to make complementary, synergistic investments (vice tailored and duplicative).
Communities of Interest – the forums established for users with common and/or overlapping information needs can come together to reconcile terminology, open access, share data, and work toward common goals.
Cross Domain Solutions – the growing ability to leverage information across networks while ensuring its integrity.
Identity Management – the programs resulting in over X million Common Access Cards (CAC) that ensure users are authorized and authenticated before accessing information, and which has resulted in a 52% reduction in hacker attacks.

Previous Administrations took on the hard work establishing first the concept of net-centricity and later creating the infrastructure to support it. Our focus has been to embed the policies, procedures, oversight, and culture that enable information sharing into the Defense community and its mission partners. We are delivering the power of information. We are creating an information advantage. We are leveraging the extensive and unprecedented capabilities afforded by the Information Age.

The Way Ahead:

The hallmark of the 21st century is uncertainty – uncertainty in terms of threats, opportunities, adversaries, operations, and partners. Our strategy is to confront uncertainty with the agility brought by an information sharing environment.

Moving from a culture in which information is considered power and something to be “owned”, to one that leverages the power of information and becomes its stewards, requires both senior leader priority and long-term persistence. It will not happen overnight. It must be a sustained effort. The policies and practices are in place. Much experience has been gained. Programs have been expanded, others curtailed. The road is long and has many twists and turns, but our mission, Enable Net Centric Information Sharing, must be our common goal.