Air Force leaders are reorganizing the service’s primary IT office.
As part of the change, leaders are dividing job responsibilities from the chief information officer to a new combined intelligence/IT shop and a deputy CIO.
In addition, the Air Force’s top IT position — the chief information officer — will become an undersecretary for the service.
It’s not immediately clear why Air Force leaders want to make the changes, which will take place at the beginning of 2019.
Bill Marion, the Air Force’s deputy CIO, said during a Dec. 4 event hosted by AFCEA that the service will move the offensive, defensive and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance elements of the staff into a new office.
“Think offense, defense and ISR, think 24th [Air Force], 25th [Air Force], think bringing those two communities together in a total full-spectrum [information operations]/[information warfare] fight,” Marion said.
The other side of the reorganization will be a pure IT play. Marion, in his role as the deputy CIO, will focus on the IT and associated workforce development components for the Air Force.
As part of the changes, Brig. Gen. Kevin Kennedy will serve in a dual-hatted role spanning both aspects of the reorganization, Marion said, serving as a bridge during the transition.
Mark Pomerleau is a reporter for C4ISRNET, covering information warfare and cyberspace.
