On Sep. 6, the Department of the Navy Chief Information Officer (DON CIO) issued a Capstone Design Concept for Information Superiority. The capstone provides guidance for the Navy and Marine Corps about the most effective technologies and approaches to use as the Department of the Navy (DON) rapidly pursues digital modernization, both at home and at sea. The goal of this capstone is to embody a consistent, integrated framework, across policies, strategies, and directives, to accomplish the objectives of the Department of the Navy’s Information Superiority Vision to “Modernize, Innovate, and Defend.”
An overarching goal to securely move “any information from anywhere to anywhere” anchors the Capstone Design. To accomplish DON’s tactics for digital modernization, the force will focus around three discrete objectives: cloud optimization (globally and tactically), adoption of enterprise services, and the implementation of a zero-trust security architecture.
“Information is now our most strategic asset – it needs to be available and reliable,” said Jane Rathbun, the Department of the Navy Chief Technology Officer. “We need to design to ensure resiliency, efficiency, effectiveness, and value, so that Sailors and Marines can gain and maintain decision advantage.”
Each of the three objectives will be the subject of a supporting Major Design Concept which will be released in FY23. Additional design concepts on specific technologies will be released as needed. Design concepts are short narratives to quickly provide insight to decision-makers on the DON’s perspective about “what right looks like.” The concepts provide a clear and concise statement of DON CIO values. The Information Superiority Vision states that “information is combat power, and the Capstone Design Concept will help ensure everyone is able to contribute to achieving the goals of that vision.