Department of Defense (DOD) Chief Information Officer (CIO) Kristen Davies said on June 2 that the Pentagon’s recently announced $9.7 billion software agreement with Dell Federal Systems is just the first in a series of enterprise technology deals to come.
Speaking at AFCEA TechNet Cyber in Baltimore, Davies said additional Core Enterprise Technology Agreements (CETAs) are expected to follow and will support DOD efforts to standardize technology access and accelerate software deployment.
Under the Trump administration, the DOD has been rebranded as the Department of War.
“To be clear, this isn’t just about buying software. This is a foundational investment in digital decision advantage,” Davies said.
Davies said last week’s contract agreement with Dell provides the DOD seamless access to Microsoft 365, advanced cloud subscriptions, and critical on-premises capabilities.
“By leveraging the department’s full purchasing power, we’re not only saving the taxpayers an estimated $422 million annually, but we’re also standardizing access to core enterprise tools across all military services,” she said of the deal.
Davies framed the agreement as part of a larger effort to overhaul how the department acquires and deploys technology.
“We are transforming our acquisition approach, as you’ve heard many people talk about, and we’re transforming our technical cadence by shifting to agile delivery models that aggressively mirror best practices in the commercial tech industry,” Davies said.
“The Microsoft agreement I mentioned, and the others that will soon follow, are key enablers,” the CIO added. “These CETAs ensure our nation’s warfighters, whether in fully connected headquarters offices or in disconnected low-bandwidth edge environments, have the tools they need to seamlessly collaborate and decisively act.”
Davies said this agility must also extend to the DOD’s partners and allies. Davies challenged contractors to prioritize interoperability and agility as the department evaluates future technology solutions.
“I’m laying down a challenge to every leader and developer in this room: Push the envelope, partner with industry aggressively, especially with innovative companies, test and learn with agility, aggressively drive interoperability, not standalone solutions,” Davies told the AFCEA TechNet Cyber audience.
“That should be a really big hint of what we’re looking for: interoperability,” she added.
Beyond acquisition reform, Davies highlighted plans to modernize the department’s cybersecurity processes by updating long-standing security requirements.
“We’re moving away from waterfall directives and processes to agile approaches fueled by innovation in the near term,” Davies said.
She said DOD is overhauling its Risk Management Framework and Authority to Operate processes to better align with modern software development practices, expand reciprocity across systems, and increase the use of commercial off-the-shelf technologies.
“We expect to roll out these and other changes later this year,” Davies said. “Stay tuned.”