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GCN Home > 09/11/06 issue

John Grimes | Barriers to info sharing remain

Interview with Defense Department CIO John Grimes

By Dawn S. Onley, GCN Staff

John Grimes is the Defense Department’s CIO and assistant secretary of Defense for networks and information integration. During the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, he was working for Raytheon Corp. in Virginia and could see the black smoke billowing from the Pentagon. Now he is in charge of the IT at the Pentagon and, now five years later, understands the progress the federal and private sectors have made and where they still need to go.

He provided GCN senior writer Dawn Onley with e-mailed responses.

GCN: What significant actions or responses where you involved in in the aftermath of 9/11?

Grimes: The chief executive officer of the company I worked for was the chairman of the President’s National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee, and I was Chairman of the NSTAC’s Industry Executives Subcommittee. This technical committee represents the telecommunications industry group that advises the president on National Security Emergency Preparedness matters relating to the nation’s commercial telecommunications and information service providers and infrastructure. Members of the NSTAC also serve on the government’s National Coordinating Center for Telecommunications. In coordination with the Federal Communications Commission and the Joint Telecommunications Resource Board), the industry immediately began restoring services on a priority basis in New York. Our nation’s telecommunications industry is to be commended for how quickly they restored services under very stressful conditions.

GCN: Now 5 years later, where has the government made the most significant progress?

Grimes: At the national level, recognition of the need to share information has increased dramatically over the past five years. Recent operations both at home and abroad have continually highlighted the importance of creating teams that can both interoperate and communicate.

At present, the ability to share information with the full range of potential partners is being addressed. Strategies for sharing are being pursued throughout the federal government, with state and local governments, with non-government organizations, with other nations (allies, identified coalition partners, potential future partners), and with business and industry. Policies related to accessing information, crossing domains, assuring integrity and responding to ad hoc needs have been addressed.

Most importantly, the activities supporting information sharing represent a significant culture shift that largely resulted from recognition that government users are stewards of information and do not have ownership of information to be shared.

More news on related topics: Communications / Networks, Defense IT, Management, IT Management



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