Katie Arrington, a previous Wash100 awardee who currently performs the duties of DOD’s chief information officer, has released a memorandum directing the establishment of the Zero Trust Portfolio Management Office, or ZT PfMO, and the creation of the position of chief zero trust officer.
The directive-type memo took effect Thursday, July 17, and will be converted into a DOD instruction.
Learn more about zero trust and other critical IT efforts at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 Navy Summit on August 26 at the Hilton McLean!
What Is the DOD Zero Trust Portfolio Management Office’s Mission?
The ZT PfMO will coordinate, synchronize and advance the DOD Enterprise’s transition into a ZT cybersecurity architecture and modernize the department’s capability to prevent malicious actors from exploiting the department’s data and resources.
What Are the DOD Chief Zero Trust Officer’s Roles and Responsibilities?
The memo outlines the chief zero trust officer’s responsibilities, including publishing the DOD ZT Strategy and associated plans and roadmaps and establishing DOD enterprise strategic and execution milestones and definitions for the achievement of DOD ZT target and advanced capabilities. They also include ensuring ZT-related budgets are aligned with the achievement of target- and advanced-level ZT and supporting annual ZT funding assessments and advising on DOD component ZT budget planning.
The officer should also maintain awareness of department-wide budgetary actions that impact ZT adoption across the Pentagon and support the DOD Cyber Council and the DOD ZT Executive Committee regarding ZT implementation.
The document also details the responsibilities of the DOD CIO, the director of the Defense Information Systems Agency, the undersecretary of defense for research and engineering and other department officials regarding the implementation of the DOD ZT Strategy.
