Defense Department Names New Chief AI Officer – GovCIO Media & Research
Radha Plumb, deputy undersecretary of Defense for acquisition and sustainment, will replace Craig Martell in April.
The Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office (CDAO) will have a new chief next month. The Defense Department announced that Radha Plumb will replace inaugural chief Craig Martell, who has held the position since 2022, in April as DOD’s chief digital and AI officer. Plumb is currently serving as the deputy secretary of Defense for acquistion and sustainment. Martell was appointed to the job by Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks in 2022 to develop a strategy for DOD, he said.
“It’s extremely important we get this right, and there aren’t a lot of folks with the intersection of AI and government background,” Martell said in 2022. “When the deputy secretary of defense calls you up and asks you to take this job, you have to think really hard about why you wouldn’t take this job.”
Plumb has worked to tackle pressing acquisition matters related to DOD, including building and maintaining a robust national security industrial base and supply chain, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III said in an official statement.
As the inaugural chief digital and AI officer, Martell was tasked with increasing the adoption of data, analytics, digital solutions and AI functions to improve decision-making and communications between the Pentagon and military service members. Martell said that he has confidence that Plumb will continue the work he started.
“With the release of the Department’s Data, Analytics and AI Strategy in November 2023, the roadmap work that each of the CDAO directorates [were tasked] have been put in place,” Martell said. “Radha is no stranger to the ways of industry. She has been right alongside me for the past year at many key senior leader meetings and working groups, and she will seamlessly step into this role.”
Austin praised Martell’s work in the role over the two years that he led CDAO. He also emphasized that DOD stood up CDAO at a time when AI has become an integral part of the department’s work.
“Craig and the entire CDAO team had a monumental task of bringing together the diverse talents and cultures of four organizations to advance data, AI, and analytics for our national security, and deliver tangible results in a short time ,” Austin said. “Dr. Martell and the CDAO team have delivered on those goals and his work will have a lasting impact on how the Department approaches every data and AI driven task.” Plumb will assume the CDAO position effective on April 8.
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This article was autogenerated from a news feed from CDO TIMES selected high quality news and research sources. There was no editorial review conducted beyond that by CDO TIMES staff. Need help with any of the topics in our articles? Schedule your free CDO TIMES Tech Navigator call today to stay ahead of the curve and gain insider advantages to propel your business!
The Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office (CDAO) will have a new chief next month. The Defense Department announced that Radha Plumb will replace inaugural chief Craig Martell, who has held the position since 2022, in April as DOD’s chief digital and AI officer. Plumb is currently serving as the deputy secretary of Defense for acquistion and sustainment. Martell was appointed to the job by Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks in 2022 to develop a strategy for DOD, he said.
“It’s extremely important we get this right, and there aren’t a lot of folks with the intersection of AI and government background,” Martell said in 2022. “When the deputy secretary of defense calls you up and asks you to take this job, you have to think really hard about why you wouldn’t take this job.”
Plumb has worked to tackle pressing acquisition matters related to DOD, including building and maintaining a robust national security industrial base and supply chain, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III said in an official statement.
As the inaugural chief digital and AI officer, Martell was tasked with increasing the adoption of data, analytics, digital solutions and AI functions to improve decision-making and communications between the Pentagon and military service members. Martell said that he has confidence that Plumb will continue the work he started.
“With the release of the Department’s Data, Analytics and AI Strategy in November 2023, the roadmap work that each of the CDAO directorates [were tasked] have been put in place,” Martell said. “Radha is no stranger to the ways of industry. She has been right alongside me for the past year at many key senior leader meetings and working groups, and she will seamlessly step into this role.”
Austin praised Martell’s work in the role over the two years that he led CDAO. He also emphasized that DOD stood up CDAO at a time when AI has become an integral part of the department’s work.
“Craig and the entire CDAO team had a monumental task of bringing together the diverse talents and cultures of four organizations to advance data, AI, and analytics for our national security, and deliver tangible results in a short time ,” Austin said. “Dr. Martell and the CDAO team have delivered on those goals and his work will have a lasting impact on how the Department approaches every data and AI driven task.” Plumb will assume the CDAO position effective on April 8.
This is a carousel with manually rotating slides. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate or jump to a slide with the slide dots
Infrastructure experts call for better public-private cooperation to tackle cybersecurity in the planet's orbit.
Managing concerns over generative AI capabilities requires sharing best practices and use cases for workflows.
The agency's Dr. Neil Evans briefed how the Oracle-Cerner program rollout in North Chicago is informing next steps in EHR modernization.
Deputy CDO Freddy Diaz said a plan for AI following its new data strategy is in the works and will focus more on workforce.
This article was autogenerated from a news feed from CDO TIMES selected high quality news and research sources. There was no editorial review conducted beyond that by CDO TIMES staff. Need help with any of the topics in our articles? Schedule your free CDO TIMES Tech Navigator call today to stay ahead of the curve and gain insider advantages to propel your business!
