Rep. Connolly concerned about Modly becoming Navy CIO

The Navy's restructuring of senior executive-level positions brought congressional attention last week during a House oversight hearing on the Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act.

Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) questioned Defense Department officials about Navy Under Secretary Thomas Modly's experience to assume the responsibilities as the service's chief information officer.

Responding to Connolly's questions, Kevin Fahey, assistant secretary of defense for acquisition, said that Modly has the authority to act as the CIO but could not elaborate on the under secretary's background.

In March, Modly disestablished the deputy under secretary of the Navy for management position and assumed the responsibilities of the chief information officer.

The DUSN "will be replaced by the office of the DON Chief Management Officer. The senior leaders of this office will report directly to me [Modly] as the Chief Management Officer," a March 16 memo said.

Further, the memo stated the Navy's deputy chief of naval operations for information dominance (N2/N6) and the Marine Corps' director of command, control, communications and computers (C4) will be the deputy DON CIOs for their respective services. Vice Adm. Jan Tighe is the Navy's N2/N6 and Col. Lorna Mahlock, who has been selected for the rank of brigadier general, is the acting Marine Corps C4.

Modly cited the need to "facilitate more rapid implementation of business process improvements" as the reason for the changes.

"I will retain a small Office of the DON CIO Office of the Chief Information Officer reporting directly to me for statutory compliance, but will divest most other CIO functions to my DON CIO deputies in the services" the memo said.