The Senate confirmed Kirsten Davies on Thursday night as the Pentagon’s new chief information officer (CIO), winning approval on a 53-43 vote.
President Donald Trump nominated Davies in May, but her confirmation was delayed, with the Senate Armed Services Committee holding her hearing in September and advancing her nomination in October. She will succeed Katie Arrington, who has served as acting CIO since March.
During her confirmation hearing, Davies described the Pentagon’s IT infrastructure as in urgent need of “great change,” citing outdated legacy systems, slow procurement processes, and limited access for innovative technology startups.
She also warned of pervasive cyberattacks and emphasized the need to refresh skills to meet the pace of modern threats.
Davies said she plans to prioritize modernization initiatives that support military readiness and foster partnerships with industry and government to enhance cyber deterrence.
Among her proposals are expanding the Software Fast Track program introduced by Arrington, promoting automation, interoperability, and continuous integration to speed software authorization, and reducing duplicate legacy contracts.
She also advocated for using commercial technologies as a default, adopting IT-as-a-service models, and consolidating medium-risk contracts to improve efficiency and resiliency.