Vice Adm. Jan Tighe, former commander of the Fleet Cyber Command and 10th fleet at the U.S. Navy, assumed the roles of director of naval intelligence and deputy chief of naval operations for information warfare.

She took over the posts from Vice Adm. Ted “Twig” Branch, who has retired after a 37-year military career, during a ceremony held Friday at the Pentagon, the Navy said Friday.

Tighe assumed the posts two months after she was nominated by President Barack Obama.

The 32-year Navy veteran started her career within the service branch as a special duty cryptology officer.

Tighe has a Level 3 certification in program management under the Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act and is a member of the Acquisition Professionals Community.

She also held the roles of deputy commander of the Fleet Cyber Command/10th fleet, acting president of the Naval Postgraduate School, director for decision superiority and deputy chief of the U.S. Cyber Command.

Tighe earned the Naval Aviation Observer wings and the Information Dominance Warfare pin during the Operation Desert Shield/Storm in the Persian Gulf as an airborne special evaluator onboard the VQ-1 EP-3E aircraft.

Three Defense Department leaders have testified before the House Armed Services Committee’s strategic forces subcommittee that the U.S. needs a nuclear modernization and sustainment strategy to support national and allied security, DoD News reported Thursday.

Karen Parrish writes Robert Scher, assistant secretary of defense for strategy, plans and capabilities, said a modernization effort worth a potential $450 billion over 20 years will help the U.S. shrink its nuclear arsenal.

U.S. Air Force Gen. Robin Rand, Air Force Global Strike Command commander, noted he believes nuclear modernization efforts are “long-overdue” and that plans for the Minuteman intercontinental ballistic missile system, air-launch cruise missile, nuclear weapon storage facilities and more are already in place.

“Comprehensive strategic deterrence and assurance and escalation control require a long approach… and it’s far more than just nuclear weapons and platforms,” added U.S. Navy Adm. Cecil Haney, commander of U.S. Strategic Command.

“It is crucial that we modernize our strategic deterrence capabilities, which underpin our national and global security.”

The Government Accountability Office has recommended the Defense Department fully define the Joint Information Environment‘s scope and projected cost as well as create strategies to address DoD’s workforce and security planning.

GAO said Thursday DoD has began efforts to update JIE governance structure and processes including steps to identify decisions and processes the department is required to document in support of the effort and assess the workforce needed to operate JIE.

Auditors said DoD also taken steps to address JIE personnel and security needs but the department still needs to determine the number of staff and skills needed for the initiative and address existing gaps in the workforce.

GAO added it has conducted a study that determined DoD plans to spend a potential $1 billion to implement an element of the JIE by the end of the current fiscal year.

Navy Rear Adm. (lower half) William Merz has been named director of the undersea warfare division, or N97, at the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations and promoted to rear admiral upper half.

He most recently served as commander of the Navy’s Task Force 74, Submarine Group Seven and Task Force 54 in Japan, the Defense Department said Friday.

As N97 director, he will be responsible for the planning, programming and budgeting for acquisition, operational readiness and modernization of the submarine force and its support.

Merz previously led the Naval Mine & Anti-Submarine Warfare Command, Task Force 77, Task Force 144, Naval Reactors Line Locker and Submarine Forces Atlantic.

He also held positions aboard the USS Haddo, USS Boise and USS Proteus submarines and supported various U.S., joint and coalition submarine operations overseas.

Defense Secretary Ash Carter has sent a letter to the leaders of House and Senate Armed Services Committees to outline his concerns about funding strategies and certain measures contained in the fiscal 2017 defense policy bill, DoD News reported Thursday.

Terri Moon Cronk writes Carter is concerned about a 2017 National Defense Authorization Act provision that would redirect $18 billion in wartime funds toward manpower and equipment acquisition programs.

Carter said he believes that several other provisions of the bill do not consider the resource environment and proposed force-posture updates while a proposal to separate the Defense Department‘s acquisition, technology and logistics functions could lead to “excessive and unproductive micromanagement” of the department.

“It’s important to note that Secretary Carter’s message to Congress reiterates that if legislation in the current form of either the House or the Senate bill is presented to the president, the secretary will recommend a veto of that legislation,” said Peter Cook, Pentagon press secretary.