The Department of the Navy (DON) announced Tuesday that Barry Tanner will serve as the permanent chief information officer (CIO), after nearly a year of serving in the role on an acting basis.
Tanner has served as the department’s acting CIO since Jane Rathbun’s departure from the position in 2025. As CIO, he will serve as the principal adviser to the secretary of the Navy and oversee the department’s more than $12 billion information technology portfolio.
According to acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao, Tanner’s experience as a naval officer and digital technology leader made him the choice to lead digital modernization efforts.
“To win in a contested maritime environment, our Sailors and Marines must have absolute decision superiority. The modern battlefield is defined by data, secure communication, and rapid decision-making,” Cao said. “[Tanner] will ensure our Fleet has the lethal, secure, and resilient cyber capabilities needed to defeat any adversary.”
Tanner said he looks forward to working with Cao, department leaders, and industry partners to accelerate the use of data and artificial intelligence (AI).
“Together, we will deliver modern, resilient enterprise services that provide our Sailors and Marines with the digital dominance required to fight and win,” Tanner said.
According to officials, Tanner will be responsible for implementing DON’s Information Superiority Vision 2.0 and Strategy to Weaponize Data and AI.
The Information Superiority Vision 2.0, published in August 2024, focuses on solving mission problems, accelerating emerging technology, and improving the department’s IT operations to support sailors and marines in a contested information environment.
The DON’s Strategy to Weaponize Data and AI, released in June 2026, establishes a roadmap for building a data-ready, AI-enabled force intended to accelerate decision-making and maintain maritime superiority.
Tanner’s primary focus areas will include establishing artificial intelligence infrastructure, executing Zero Trust Architecture, securing cryptographic modernization, and driving cyber readiness.
Before becoming CIO, Tanner served as deputy CIO in 2024, where he worked on the DON’s Operation Cattle Drive, implemented elements of the Cyber Ready initiative, and managed delivery of the Navy’s enterprise networks. He also served as director of operations for the Navy’s Program Executive Office for Digital and Enterprise Services.
Tanner has also held leadership roles in the private sector, including as a senior associate with Booz Allen Hamilton’s Strategic Innovation Group. He also served for 31 years as a Navy officer in active and reserve roles, attaining the rank of captain.
“I am deeply honored to serve the Navy-Marine Corps team as Chief Information Officer. In today’s high-end fight, secure, reliable, and instantaneous data delivery is just as critical to our warfighters as any kinetic weapon system,” he said.