Defense Secretary Robert Gates has appointed Teri Takai as the Pentagon’s new chief information officer, the Defense Department announced Tuesday. She is scheduled to assume her new duties on Nov. 7. Takai has been the state of California’s CIO since December 2007 and was a past president of the National Association of State CIOs. Takai will oversee the disestablishment of the assistant secretary of defense for networks and information integration (ASD NII) office that Gates announced in August. She will also lead efforts to define the CIO position that Gates wants to see strengthened in order to lead the transformation of DOD’s information technology capabilities. During the transition period, she will also carry the title of acting ASD NII.
President Donald Trump’s nominee for Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff touted his highly unusual background for the job as an asset and reaffirmed his commitment to stay apolitical during a confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee on April 1.