Defense Business Board to hold meetings about DOD governance

The Defense Business Board will hold open and closed meetings on Feb. 6 and Feb. 7 to receive briefings from senior Pentagon officials on a variety of topics.

The DBB, which aims to supply advice to DOD on reaching National Defense goals from an independent perspective, had the meeting notice published in the Federal Register.

The board will kick off its meetings with a closed session on Feb. 6 starting at 9:15 a.m. in which Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks will lead a classified discussion about DOD’s budget.

“The discussion will cover the DOD priorities and considerations that helped to shape its request as part of the President's budget request for fiscal year 2025,” the notice said.

During this closed meeting, the board will also receive a classified discussion from Michael McCord, Pentagon comptroller, about DOD’s audit and incremental progress.

After a lunch break, the board will meet for its only open session from 12:30 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. where Stan Soloway, chair of the business transformation subcommittee, will present the board’s study about creating a digital ecosystem, according to the notice. Then, the subcommittee will brief the board on its findings, observations and suggestions obtained from the study, focusing on harnessing data to help with simulation and advanced computing decision-making and risk analysis to leverage digital ecosystems.

A closed session will happen afterwards where Sgt. Maj. Troy E. Black, senior enlisted adviser to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will lead a classified discussion about the state of the workforce, focusing on recruiting, training and retention issues and solutions.

“Discussion will focus on identifying obstacles such as changing workforce expectations, skill gaps to address future needs per the National Security Strategy and exploring innovative solutions to foster a resilient and high-performing workforce,” the notice said.

After, the board will have a classified discussion with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on DOD current affairs, which is expected to center on today’s global security environment and the how its implications affect business operations now and in the future.

Then Lt. Gen. Douglass Sims II, Army operations director, will provide a classified discussion on current operations relating to crisis action planning and adaptive decision making in dynamic environments.

The final closed session on Feb. 6 will kick off with remarks from Board Chair Deborah James and Hicks. Stefanie Tompkins, director for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, will follow with a classified update on major DARPA updates that support the National Security Strategy.

The board will meet again the next day on Feb. 7 for another closed session, which will include a classified briefing from Richard Verma, deputy secretary of state for management and resources, on State Department business operations and management in support of current efforts.

“This discussion will focus on differences between DOD, DOS and business operations management, and DOD and DOS unity of effort to achieve combined effects both militarily and diplomatically,” the notice said.

Written comments from the public or interested organizations are allowed regarding the agenda or the Board’s mission. Comments must be received by Feb. 2 for Board consideration.