In response to spiraling costs and the economic downturn, the Defense Department and each of the services are examining ways to save money while not sacrificing mission effectiveness. The departments found many efficiencies in reducing overhead costs and are now focused on finding efficiencies in the way they deliver IT and cyber services.
In this issue, we feature interviews with top IT/cyber leaders in the Navy and Marine Corps, beginning with Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Kevin J. Nally, Director for C4, DON Deputy CIO (Marine Corps) and Deputy Commanding General of Marine Forces Cyber Command, and Vice Adm. Bernard J. "Barry" McCullough III, Commander, Fleet Cyber Command/10th Fleet. Each leader discusses more efficient ways of doing business, from a realignment of forces, to server consolidation, to reducing energy consumption on the battlefield. And, Vice Adm. Kendall L. Card, Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Information Dominance/Director of Naval Intelligence (N2/N6), makes his debut in CHIPS in his role as the DON Deputy Chief Information Officer (Navy).
Lt. Col. Rick "Silky" Schilke, a requirements analyst, in the Marine Corps Expeditionary Energy Office, carries the efficiencies momentum further in a discussion about mobile renewable energy and the successes of the Experimental Forward Operating Base.
Also weighing in on the energy discussion are OPNAV Director, Energy and Environmental Readiness Division and Director of Task Force Energy Rear Adm. Philip Hart Cullom and Commander, Navy Installations Command, Vice Adm. Michael C. Vitale.
In an interview, Rear Adm. Sinclair Harris, director of the Navy Irregular Warfare Office, talks about his experiences as commander of Expeditionary Strike Group 5 and the ongoing work to implement the Navy's vision for irregular warfare. In another interview, the commanding officer of the Naval Research Laboratory, Capt. Paul Stewart, speaks passionately about NRL's remarkable 85-year history and inspiring scientific work.
In May, we had the pleasure of exhibiting CHIPS with two of our sponsors, the Department of the Navy Chief Information Officer and the DoD Enterprise Software Initiative, at the DON IT Conference in Virginia Beach, Va. The ESI is a catalyst for savings through its enterprise contracts. You will want to read the article by ESI working group co-chair, Floyd Groce, and Marine Corps Systems Command director for Product Group 10, Karen M. Davis, who write about the "DON's Approach to Buying and Managing IT Resources."
DON CIO Terry Halvorsen asked that the DON Information Management/Information Technology/Cyberspace Campaign Plan for Fiscal Years 2011-2013 be published in this issue to draw your attention to the imperative to "Be Enterprise, Be Effective and Be Efficient." To achieve the proposed IT efficiencies across the DON is not just a matter of cost savings; it is a national security priority, and one that we must work together to accomplish.
In July, a new and improved CHIPS website launches with many exciting features, including searchable content, better maneuverability and greater functionality. Through the coming months, we will be adding CHIPS back issues for your convenience. The website is moving to a DON enterprise solution, but you can still find CHIPS at www.chips.navy.mil.
Lastly, I wish to extend "Fair winds and following seas" to the CHIPS assistant editor, Nancy Reasor, who retired July 2 with 31 years of Navy civilian
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