DOD names OSD CIO to boost IT oversight

The Pentagon has stood up a new Information Management and Technology Directorate and named a chief information officer tasked with enhancing oversight of the Office of the Secretary of Defense's IT resources.

The outfit, announced in a press release today, will be led by Danielle Metz, a Pentagon chief IT strategist who formerly served as deputy CIO for information enterprise.

The new directorate is initially charged with “establishing a framework for the integration of IT activities across the OSD components; developing an OSD IT resource requirements baseline; and creating a standardized memorandum of agreement between OSD and the Joint Service Provider for shared service support,” according to the release.

Metz and the new directorate will be overseen by Director of Administration and Management Michael Donley, who Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks tapped in a Sept. 30 memo to serve as OSD’s CIO -- a role that’s responsible for modernizing OSD’s digital landscape while serving as the point person for cybersecurity issues within the office.

The changes come amid broader “cost-driven IT consolidation efforts,” Hicks noted in her memo, in addition to the continued need for remote work environments and quick technology advancements in this space, necessitating “strengthened oversight of OSD IT resources.”

“This includes identifying and integrating IT requirements across Principal Staff Assistants, speaking with a unified voice in coordinating OSD IT requirements with the Joint Service Provider, and providing for regular cybersecurity and technology updates,” the memo continues.

The document directs the director of administration and management to finalize an implementation plan within two months outlining the steps required to reach “an effective, efficient, and enhanced OSD IT Enterprise.”