{"id":34596,"date":"2024-07-10T16:41:21","date_gmt":"2024-07-10T16:41:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/uncategorized\/2024\/07\/10\/beavers-takes-reins-from-sherman-as-acting-dod-information-officer\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T18:53:25","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T18:53:25","slug":"beavers-takes-reins-from-sherman-as-acting-dod-information-officer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/cyber\/2024\/07\/10\/beavers-takes-reins-from-sherman-as-acting-dod-information-officer\/","title":{"rendered":"Beavers takes reins from Sherman as acting DOD information officer"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Leslie Beavers is the new acting chief information officer for the U.S. Defense Department.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m happy to share that I\u2019m starting a new position as Acting Chief Information Officer at United States Department of Defense<\/a>,\u201d Beavers wrote in July on LinkedIn.<\/a> The department\u2019s website now lists her as acting CIO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A spokesperson for the Pentagon did not immediately return a request for comment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the primary IT adviser to the defense secretary, Beavers is taking over from former CIO John Sherman, <\/a>who stepped down in June to take a position outside government as dean of the Bush School of Government and Public Service<\/a> at Texas A&M University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Previously serving as the principal deputy CIO at the Pentagon, Beavers is well acquainted with the Defense Department\u2019s many ongoing initiatives meant to secure the defense-industrial base, develop 5G technologies and explore artificial intelligence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since she came to the department, Beavers has worked on landmark endeavors like Project Herald, the Pentagon\u2019s plan to transform digital intelligence sharing, and Fulcrum, the recently announced IT transformation strategy<\/a>. The latter is where she is most focused now on building momentum, she said in her LinkedIn post.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c[That] gives you tangible steps to turn that strategic vision into an operational reality,\u201d Beavers said at the 2024 TechNet Cyber conference in Baltimore, which took place June 25-27. \u201cIt\u2019ll be followed by an implementation plan, which will give some more information.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The former Air Force intelligence officer and retired brigadier general comes to the position at a time when the DOD is beginning to put many of its theories around zero trust, <\/a>cloud computing, machine learning and cybersecurity into practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The department for several years now released guidance thanks to the help of working groups and testing approaches via pilots. Now, officials say, it\u2019s in a position to actually phase in solutions. The department has a goal to come up with a data tagging and labeling strategy by the end of the calendar year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beavers also said at TechNet Cyber that she anticipates growth in the Joint Warfighting Cloud Capability <\/a>procurement vehicle as other contracts begin to expire.<\/p>\n\n\n\t