The Department of the Navy named Aaron Weis, senior advisor to Department of Defense (DoD) CIO Dana Deasy, as the Navy’s new CIO and principal staff assistant to the Secretary of the Navy on IT management, digital, data, and cyber strategy on September 27.
Weis replaces Thomas Modly, who will shed the CIO duties from his primary role as the Navy’s chief management officer. Weis will take control of a reorganized IT organization that aims to improve the service branch’s approach to cybersecurity and digital transformation.
“The strategic use of data and information resources represents a critical enabler of lethality and readiness. Managing and protecting our data is crucial as we confront the renewal of great power competition,” said Richard Spencer, secretary of the Navy.
The Navy’s transformation, spurred by reports of cybersecurity vulnerabilities, don’t end with Weis – the service branch will add a chief technology officer, chief data officer, chief digital innovation officer, and chief information security officer under Weis’ office in the near future.
“This new [Department of the Navy] CIO team will not only integrate key Navy and Marine Corps Information Technology initiatives to support our warfighters, but will also provide an opportunity to strengthen IT talent across the naval services,” said Modly.
Before his time as senior advisor to the DoD CIO, Weis saw success in the private sector, serving as CIO at Dupont spinoff Axalta Coating Systems for five years and spending eight years at Sensata Technologies.