The Senate Armed Services Committee advanced the nomination of John Sherman to serve as the chief information officer (CIO) at the Department of Defense by voice vote on Dec. 8.
Sherman has served as acting CIO at DoD since January. He brings nearly 25 years of experience working in national security technology and innovation across the DoD and Intelligence Community, where he also served as CIO.
During his confirmation hearing in October, Sherman said he wants to put in place a new strategy to develop DoD cyber talent, among other steps, if his nomination is confirmed.
The nominee said he plans, if confirmed, to implement a new strategy that looks at cyber and digital talent in what he called a “whole of nation effort.” Along those lines, Sherman said recruiting IT and cyber professionals for a 30-year career with the Feds is not something the government can count on anymore.
Further, Sherman said that he wants to update DoD’s Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program to function fully for small and medium-sized businesses.
