CIOs To Gain Authority, Better Alignment With Business Leaders

A measure attached to defense funding bill would consolidate government CIO organization structure, grant new budgetary authorities that could align IT more closely with mission objectives.

As Congress appears poised to pass legislation that would consolidate the organization of federal IT personnel and expand CIO authorities, top government tech executives are urging closer coordination between department and agency CIOs and the business leaders in those groups.

Paul Brubaker, the Defense Department's director of planning and performance management, argued at a government IT conference yesterday that too many federal CIOs have become removed from the high-level, strategic activities of their agencies, relegated instead to a more functionary status.

"We seem to be veering back toward the operational type role, and I think that's a bit of an issue," Brubaker said.