Kirsten Davies tapped to be DOD CIO

President Donald Trump nominated Kirsten Davies to serve as the next Chief Information Officer of the Department of Defense, according to a Tuesday congressional notice.

The DOD CIO oversees the Pentagon's information systems enterprise, including cybersecurity, secure communications and day-to-day information technology services.

Davies has held IT and cybersecurity roles at major firms including Unilever, the Estée Lauder Companies and Booz Allen Hamilton. She is also the co-founder and CEO of the Institute for Cyber, a digital safety nonprofit. In addition, she has been a member of the National Security Institute’s Cyber and Tech Security Council at George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia Law School. 

Currently, Katie Arrington is serving as the acting DOD CIO, where she was assigned just two weeks after announcing she was the DOD’s new chief information security officer. 

Arrington is a former South Carolina state lawmaker who helped steer Pentagon cybersecurity contracting policy before being placed on leave amid accusations that she disclosed classified data from a military intelligence agency. Nextgov/FCW has asked the Pentagon if Arrington is expected to become DOD CISO again if Davies is confirmed.

Prior to Arrington, Leslie Beavers held the acting CIO position. John Sherman was the most recent Senate-confirmed CIO, who served during the Biden administration.