The recipients of the 2016 Department of Defense Chief Information Officer Award for Cyber and Information Technology Excellence represent advancements in IT and cyber from the front lines of CIO organizations across DoD and from one of the DoD’s FVEYS (“Five Eyes”) international mission partners, according to DoD’s Chief Information Officer Terry Halvorsen. He said the winners delivered new mission capabilities and developed new technologies for warfighters, and worked to guide IT modernization and cost savings of over $1.2 billion. He also said they supported three primary DoD CIO objectives: facilitating the delivery of mission capabilities to the warfighter; supporting the development of new technology for the warfighter; and guiding IT modernization and cost savings. There were six individual winners and eight team winners out of 125 nominations.
Colonel Neil K. Khatod, Network Operations Division, U.S. Central Command, Tampa, Florida. Khatod led and implemented the mission command communications plan and operationalization of the Mission Partner Environment for the U.S. and allies to conduct operations in Iraq and Syria for the counter-Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant fight. He used existing U.S., NATO and partner networks to increase coalition network capacity optimizing the information sharing capabilities of the Combined Joint Task Forces and saving approximately $30 million. “Not only did they save money but this gave the people serving at the front better capability to hunt down ISIS,” Halvorsen said. “This was innovation at the edge, at the front, saving lives.”
Colonel Mark Orwat, chief, installation integration division, under the architecture, operations, networks and space directorate at Headquarters, Department of the Army. Orwat led and managed the strategy, planning and budgeting for modernizing, integrating and improving information technology, network operations and cybersecurity in 290 Army stateside and overseas bases and contingency operations. He synchronized resources and led integration efforts with major military construction projects to achieve significant cost savings. Thanks to Orwat’s efforts both the Army and Joint communications networks and enterprise services are more operationally effective, cost efficient and secure. Read More