Jane Edwards
Torie Williams, president of Chenega Agile Real-Time Solutions, said the Defense Information System’s Agency’s move to outline and align agency priorities for the next five years with the Program Objective Management cycles is critical, Government Technology Insider reported Wednesday.
“First and foremost, it allows DISA to be intentional with timely planned resources ensuring each priority is resourced appropriately over time. Then, it clearly shows how funding aligns with priorities, which includes people and technology investments, as they are presented to Congress for approval,” Williams said.
At the AFCEA TechNet Cyber 2025 in May, DISA Deputy Director Christopher Barnhurst’s keynote address underscored the agency’s focus on unity and momentum, which aligns with DISA Director Lt. Gen. Paul Stanton’s four priorities: readiness, campaigning, continuous modernization and establishing lethality.
Cloud: Enabling DOD to Share Enterprise Data
Williams noted that the cloud could enable the Department of Defense to share enterprise and critical data across environments, allowing DOD to achieve a competitive advantage.
He stated that critical data “supercharges” the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning.
“This will reduce the time to make the agency and the nation more secure in myriad ways from understanding threats, detecting cyberthreats, improving security hygiene, and driving agile development for future software needs,” he added.
Compliance, Enterprise Integration Language in Contracts
The president of CARS also highlighted the need to break down siloed programs of record and eliminate duplication of services.
“So, for industry it means having language in contracts that forces enterprise integration and compliance with enterprise efforts,” Williams said. “This will be a marked change because many programs of record don’t have language to drive compliance at present. New contracts have to be written and reviewed at the highest level to ensure Performance Level Objectives drive the desired enterprise outcomes.”
DISA Should Focus on Agile Acquisitions, Contracting Officer Training
Williams called on DISA to focus on agile acquisitions and Contract Line Item Number structures that use best-in-class contract vehicles; drive efficiencies by moving to the central management of software licenses; and prioritize training of a new generation of contracting officers.
He noted that organizational change management should not be an “afterthought” and must occur at the speed of the adoption of AI and other technologies.
“These IT enabling capabilities will change how the workforce does their work and how leadership develops their decisions,” Williams said. “It’s only when all three elements of technology, process, and people are in alignment that we can ensure that change will be embraced for the sake of mission success.”
