Pat Host
Wash100 Award winner and Department of the Navy Chief Information Officer Jane Rathbun is looking forward to working with the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency to help the service achieve its software modernization goals.
DOGE has begun working with the Department of Defense’s CIO office to reduce software processes and programs that it alleged were unnecessary, according to Breaking Defense. Rathbun said, to her knowledge, no DON program had been cut.
“I think that, at its essence, what the DOGE wants to do is become more efficient, and that is core to how we view our own portfolio,” Rathbun said. “We really would like to see them help us out, solve problems and get on the right path, and so I’m looking forward to engagements on that.”
Rathbun leads a start-studded lineup of government leaders at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 Digital Transformation Summit on April 24. Get actionable insights on how these government innovators are using the latest IT modernization strategies to improve how they do business. Tickets are selling fast, don’t miss out!
Reducing Overlapping Software Efforts
Rathbun said she has long prioritized reducing repetitive and overlapping software acquisition programs and processes, but has lacked the resources to do so. There are always chances to improve, she said, in buying effectively and using those acquired items in the best way possible.
One way the Navy wants to become more efficient is by leveraging commercial-off-the-shelf, or COTS, software. These are commercial products sold in substantial quantities in the commercial marketplace and offered to the government without modification. Using commonly available software reduces time the service spends tailoring software.
Technical Debt
The Navy’s chief information office is working to reduce its technical debt that results from outdated systems and unsupported technologies. The service said these pose significant risks to operational efficiency, cybersecurity and resilience.
Nautilus cloud-based devices are a new U.S. Navy software upgrade. They are replacing legacy computer systems such as Navy-Marine Corps Intranet, or NMCI, and OCONUS Enterprise Network, or ONE-Net. Barry Tanner, deputy DON CIO, said developing and modernizing service delivery capabilities is a priority.
“Technical debt is eating our lunch every day,” Tanner said, according to FedTech.
Navy IT Lessons Learned
Flank Speed, a unique service enterprise system for daily work that provides a secure computing environment, was one of the U.S. Navy’s top IT modernization priorities. Tanner is applying Flank Speed implementation lessons, such as scaling up quickly and thinking bigger than the immediate problem, to Nautilus.
That lesson on scaling up fast paid off when Nautilus scaled from 25,000 users to 50,000 within one week.
“It lets us flexibly pivot and address issues when they come up, at scale, which is something that (has) traditionally been very hard to do,” Tanner said in CHIPS magazine. “So a little bit of pain up front has really helped us to be able to respond better going forward.”
Get business intelligence from military IT experts like Barry Tanner unavailable anywhere else at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 Digital Transformation Summit on April 24. Dive deep into fascinating topics including bringing enterprise to the edge and reimagining procurement. Don’t wait until the last minute, sign up now!
