OCIO hosts CGSC Information Advantage Scholar Program students

The Army's Office of the Chief Information Officer hosted students from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College on March 28, 2023, to discuss the role information and technology has in the Army's Modernization Strategy.

During the visit Dr. David Markowitz, acting Chief Information Officer, discussed how the Army's Unified Network Plan and the Army Data Plan are transforming and modernizing the way we fight.

"These efforts really help transform the way we are doing operations," Markowitz said. "We're turning the network into a weapon system at an enterprise level. It's an exciting time, and a lot of changes are occurring."

The IA Scholars Program focuses on training future Army leaders on information-related capabilities, technology and emerging operating concepts as students assess, analyze and conceptualize the implications for operational warfare.

The unified network is the Army's modernization effort to gain decision dominance in the cyber domain. Using a data-centric approach to information sharing will give the Army and the Joint Force a competitive advantage over near-peer adversaries.

"I think we're at a point where the type of innovative data analytics and the tools - the innovation to get better decisions at echelons - are happening faster than the institution is normally able to keep pace with," Markowitz said. "You see that in a lot of our mission command suites, which are not able to keep up with the demand of the force. Most innovation is occurring within our units, especially at division and core levels. Communications and unified network operations are also going through that journey."

The unified network will continue to evolve, taking into consideration what types of communications the Army and Joint Force need.

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