DOD Realizes New Oversight Position in Chief Digital and AI Officer
In a memo to Pentagon leadership, Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks announced the creation of a Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer (CDAO), a new position at the Department of Defense (DoD), to centralize oversight of data and artificial intelligence (AI) initiatives under one official at the Pentagon. The CDAO will oversee the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center (JAIC), the Defense Digital Service (DDS) and the department's Chief Data Officer (CDO).
“The CDAO will serve as the Department’s senior official responsible for strengthening and integrating data, artificial intelligence, and digital solutions in the Department,” stated Hicks, “The Department has made significant strides in unlocking the power of its data, harnessing [AI], and providing digital solutions for the joint force. Many components have contributed to this progress. Yet stronger alignment and synchronization are needed to accelerate decision advantage and generate advanced capabilities for our warfighters.”
The new position will be in place by February 1, 2022, and will perform in an initial operating capability upon its stand-up and should reach full operating capacity no later than June 1, 2022.
James Mitre, Senior Advisor to the Deputy Secretary of Defense, will submit an implementation plan by January 15, 2022. Mitre will consult closely with affected DoD stakeholders, congressional staff, and outside experts while developing his recommendations, according to the memo.
“The intent here is not actually to create a new management layer—it's to shift the organizational construct to get greater integration and unity of mission, so that we can move faster and farther in the face of digital and AI innovation. The goal there is to optimize their value and try to consider them more holistically,” stated a senior DOD official.
According to the official, no changes will be made to leadership inside the JAIC, DSS, and CDO, however, it was clarified that DOD is looking for the right person to serve as an integrator for all three organizations to drive this initiative forward.
At initial operating capability, the CDAO will organize, integrate, and operationally align the JAIC, CDO, and DDS in accordance with existing statutory requirements.
The official noted the department’s aim is to create more connective tissue and reduce silos between the technology-driven entities, despite concerns that this shift might introduce more bureaucracy or challenge the entities' independence. A shift in the way these organizations operate is a natural part of their evolution and is critical to the DOD's Joint All Domain Command and Control (JADC2) initiative, which aims to integrate sensors from all the military services into a single network.
