Pentagon’s IT chief says credibility hurt by cost, schedule overruns

The Defense Department's chief information officer said Thursday that technology programs that have gone over budget and are running behind schedule have resulted in lost credibility with congressional committees, the Office of Management and Budget, and the Pentagon's Program Analysis and Evaluation Office.

John Grimes, sworn in as the department's CIO and assistant Defense secretary for networks and information integration in November, told a group of private sector information technology officials that he and other Defense officials have been meeting with private sector IT leaders in an attempt to figure out ways to get the industry's attention.

"Our reputation is going to hell in a handbasket," Grimes said. "It's very difficult and I don't blame you for all the problems because we [in] the government have problems."

Speaking at a luncheon hosted by the Reston, Va.-based government market analysis firm INPUT, Grimes said he does not have the traction that he would like to have as the departmentwide information technology executive.

Grimes said the stature of the CIO position has improved, noting that he now sits at the same table as other strategic planners and his role is equal to that of all other senior Pentagon officials.

About a year ago Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld talked to top CIOs in the private sector about their role, and he now equates the position to that of a chief technology officer, chief operating officer or chief financial officer, Grimes said.

The department's IT budget has been flat despite rising Defense budgets either because somebody is doing a great job with existing resource levels, or because something is wrong, Grimes said. In fiscal 2006, $31.7 billion was appropriated for Defense IT, while $30.7 billion was requested in fiscal 2007.

Grimes said his office is stretched thin and it is an issue that contractors make up more than half his staff. He said that during his first stint at the department 12 years ago as an assistant Defense secretary, the only contractors on staff where those on limited deployments.

But the situation is different today. "We treat them the same as government employees, but they're not allowed to make any policy," Grimes said. "They're allowed to support the policy."

Grimes, who testified last week before the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Terrorism and Unconventional Threats on leveraging IT to deal with security threats and to establish stability, said, "Congress is another thorn in" his side.

"Congress just causes a lot of problems," Grimes said. "It's a very dynamic time, fighting two wars and the Congress."

Grimes contrasted the Pentagon's practices with those of the Internet search giant Google, where he said new ideas are analyzed for a maximum of nine months before managers determine whether or not to go forward. The Defense Department will keep a project afloat for 10 years, he said.

"I'm looking for ways to infuse new ideas and the only way to do that is to get new people around," Grimes said.