DoD’s Chief Management Officer Takes Position

By Air Force Tech. Sgt. Chuck Broadway DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, March 1, 2018 — As part of Defense Department reorganization, John H. Gibson II recently became the department’s first chief management officer.

Gibson most recently served as deputy chief management officer before being nominated by President Donald J. Trump in January 2018 to serve as CMO, the third-in-command of the DoD.

In addition to serving as deputy CMO, Gibson has also served as deputy undersecretary of defense for management reform and the assistant secretary of the Air Force for financial management and comptroller.

The CMO office is charged with separating CMO duties from the deputy secretary of defense with a focus on DoD operations, as well as establishing policies and maintain oversight of all business operations including planning, performance management, information technology management and resource allocation. The newly created position also will serve as the principal business operations advisor to the secretary of defense.

“Mr. Gibson will lead our efforts to synchronize technology, people, resources and processes to achieve reform,” chief Pentagon spokesperson Dana W. White told reporters today. “He will also manage the fourth estate; the DoD staff and agencies that don't fall under our military services.”

Creating the CMO position is part of a largest reorganization of the DoD since the Goldwater-Nichols Act of 1986, which provided centralized control of military operations across all service branches.