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How the Navy is removing barriers to IT modernization

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4 months ago

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When Barry Tanner became the deputy chief information officer for the Department of the Navy, he had a plan to be a bulldozer when it came to obstacles in the way of the operational and mission offices.

Tanner had led the Navy’s Program Executive Office for Digital and Enterprise Services and experienced some frustrations that he wanted to reduce or remove.

But over time, Tanner said he found a new perspective on why some technology policies and procedures are in place.

Barry Tanner is the deputy CIO for the Department of the Navy.

“I’m still very passionate about [removing blockers]. But when you get into the role and you take a look at it, the perspective changes enough that you say, ‘okay, but I have to make sure that what we’re doing here doesn’t impact all these other things that I was not aware of when I was down at that execution level.’ The balance is important, but at the same time the challenges are all very similar,” Tanner said during an interview on Ask the CIO at the West 2025 conference sponsored by AFCEA and the U.S. Naval Institute.

“[Navy CIO] Jane Rathbun, my boss, likes to talk a lot about enterprise services as a focus of our organization because, at the end of the day, everybody has to do certain things. They all need certain services and certain functions. We shouldn’t have to build them multiple times. There may be good reasons to have more than one, but, and this is just one example, as you go through convincing people to trust that when you build something like that, it will be there when they need it is a big part of this job,” he said. “and so I’ve spent a lot of time over the first few months connecting with those stakeholders, understanding their needs, understanding their concerns, and then going back to the people executing that I know from my former life, and saying, ‘Hey, we need to take this into account. We need to understand how it’s going to be resilient, how it’s going to make the user experience better.’”

For many organizations, building a better user experience means wanting or needing more money and resources. But Tanner said one of the things he’s learned — and where enterprise services play a big role — is that more money and people aren’t always necessary.

He said the Navy’s Cattle Drive initiative to reduce the number of duplicative or outdated systems can be a well paved avenue to find that necessary funding.

“We’re really good about building new things, but we really bad about turning things off. One of those things that frustrated me when I was at that acquisition level was having the ability as an acquisition organization to say that’s going away on this time frame, so that I can repurpose that and I can move it over, and then having some stakeholder tell me, ‘No and that has to stay there,’” he said. “When I got to this level, one of the first things I was going to make sure that happens was Cattle Drive. One of the things that I think acquisition can get a lot better at is communicating and connecting with the people who need to do the work, and explaining to them how they can continue doing it with the new thing.”

Targeting 55-60 business systems

Operation Cattle Drive began in 2020 and aims to eliminate redundant systems and applications across the Department of Navy. Tanner said the focus for 2025 is around the business mission area.

“There a lot of legacy systems that are being consolidated into larger platforms, and so we continue to partner very closely with the financial management and controller team on making sure that the enterprise resourcing planning (ERP) and some of these other larger platforms are bringing more capabilities and functions into those so we can sunset the old ones,” he said. “Those systems support a lot of things that we care about, not just turning off the old thing, but also eliminating vulnerabilities.”

He said the Navy has aggressive targets for reductions over the next year, turning off between 55 and 60 legacy systems.

DON CIO Rathbun said last fall that Operation Cattle Drive had retired or decommissioned about 30 systems and applications since 2022.

Tanner said some of the systems or applications will be easier than others because they are either niche, built for a specific function, or so old that they are real cyber risks.

“In order to achieve that, the place that the function goes has got to be ready, and so we put a lot of pressure on our partners and the PEOs who are building those platforms to bring the functionality to bear. A lot of challenges in the IT world are about how you effectively operate those kinds of things or secure them,” he said. “Cattle Drive dovetails with our Cyber Ready program too and with our other modernization initiatives, because if you don’t have the thing ready in time to turn off the old thing, then the greatest plan in the world doesn’t happen. We’ve had our bumps in the road over the last couple years with aggressive targets not being met. But this year again, we’re going to shoot high and we’re going get to where we can learn and iterate again.”

Tanner said the ongoing communication with the PEOs, like they are doing with Operation Cattle Drive, is part of the cultural change he’s pursuing to break down barriers to modernization.

“The new thing that we’re doing, what is it replacing? What is this intended to replace? How have you engaged with the people who are your customers to help them understand how their life will change when you do this?” he said. “There are plenty of examples of that across the board, but if we don’t get after that part, then this idea of Cattle Drive and this idea of divest to invest and all this other stuff like that gets 10 times harder.”

Creating a feedback loop

A key factor in the success of Cattle Drive and Operation Flank Speed, the Navy’s implementation of Office 365 platform in the cloud, is the development of the Navy’s champions network.

Tanner said there are thousands of sailors, seamen and civilians across the service who want to learn about the technology and move faster to use it.

“These early adopters, folks who really understand the imperative for change and want to be our partners in it. But they don’t work for a PEO or they don’t work for it. They’re just the users. They’re part of the community,” he said. “[The champions network has] taken on a life of its own. We intended for it to be a very focused effort around the transition to Flank Speed, but it has continued because the platform continues to evolve, and they are a huge part of our overall strategy for change management across the Navy. It sometimes can backfire a little bit. You tend to lean on them too hard, and they’ll let you know really quickly that, ‘Hey, that’s not my job. I’m happy to help. I love this stuff, but I’ve got a real job and I’m doing other things.’ So, we have to balance that. We’ve learned that the hard way a couple of times. But it is an essential lesson we’ve learned to engage with that community, wherever it is, as part of the change management process and have them a part of the plan.”

In addition to Operation Cattle Drive, Tanner said the DoN is focused on reducing its technical debt, particularly of its underlying telecommunications network infrastructure.

Related to that is the other priority of continued move to the cloud.

“We’ve done great things in the cloud. We’ve moved a lot of really cool things into the cloud. You still have to get to that cloud. So really focusing on base infrastructure modernization, similar to our Air Force counterparts, we’re going after this in a big way,” he said. “We’re learning a lot of good lessons from them, so we’re taking those on board and we’re trying to get after it at scale. This is hard work.”

The post How the Navy is removing barriers to IT modernization first appeared on Federal News Network.

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Politics

Hulk Hogan’s Death Certificate Released

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23 hours ago

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August 2, 2025

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Hulk Hogan’s death certificate was obtained by TMZ on Friday.

Hogan passed away at the age of 71 last Thursday from acute myocardial infarction. He also had a history of leukemia.

The wrestling legend was rushed to the hospital last week after emergency responders received a phone call for “cardiac arrest.”

The death certificate revealed Hulk Hogan was cremated in Clearwater, Florida.

“Hulk’s official cause of death was previously revealed as a heart attack. His medical records also showed a history of atrial fibrillation, a heart condition that causes an irregular heartbeat. HH was also diagnosed with a form of cancer, chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), though details surrounding the cancer are unclear,” TMZ reported.

Hulk Hogan death certificate / TMZ

President Trump praised Hulk Hogan for his “absolutely electric” speech at last year’s RNC convention.

“We lost a great friend today, the “Hulkster.” Hulk Hogan was MAGA all the way — Strong, tough, smart, but with the biggest heart. He gave an absolutely electric speech at the Republican National Convention, that was one of the highlights of the entire week. He entertained fans from all over the World, and the cultural impact he had was massive. To his wife, Sky, and family, we give our warmest best wishes and love. Hulk Hogan will be greatly missed!”

Hulk Hogan and his wife were baptized in December 2023.

“Total surrender and dedication to Jesus is the greatest day of my life. No worries, no hate, no judgment… only love!” Hulk Hogan said.

RIP to an American icon.

The post Hulk Hogan’s Death Certificate Released appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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Stephen A. Smith SLAMS Zohran Mamdani and the Democrat Party

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23 hours ago

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August 2, 2025

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Stephen A. Smith SLAMS Zohran Mamdani and the Radical Democrat Wing: “Either the Party Ends, or the United States Ends”

In a bold and fiery statement that has made waves across social media and major news outlets, commentator Stephen A. Smith unleashed a scathing rebuke of the radical left’s takeover of the Democratic Party. Targeting the likes of New York State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Senator Bernie Sanders, Smith warned of the existential threat their socialist ideas pose to the future of the United States.

Smith reacted to a recent statement by Mamdani, who argued that “no

The post Stephen A. Smith SLAMS Zohran Mamdani and the Democrat Party appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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Trump Gets Backlash Over RNC Chair Endorsement: An LGBT ‘Ally’ Who ‘Just Tried to Pass Amnesty’

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23 hours ago

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August 2, 2025

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Get ready for the next clash of conservatives.

When Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley announced Thursday he is entering the race for Senate in North Carolina, he did more than put a second high-profile name in the running in the Tar Heel State.

He set up what could be a bruising battle for leadership of the GOP on a nationwide scale.

In a July 24 post on the social media platform Truth Social, President Donald Trump, the hands-down heavyweight of party politics, heartily endorsed Whatley in the North Carolina race, and at the same time endorsed Florida state Sen. Joe Gruters, the party’s current national treasurer, to step into Whatley’s place.

But there’s already a groundswell of opposition to Gruters. And one of his most vocal opponents is Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

As the Sunshine State news website Florida Politics noted in a July 16 report, DeSantis slammed Gruters in a news conference where DeSantis appointed Florida state Sen. Blaise Ingoglia to the post of Florida chief financial officer.

It’s a job Gruters has been running for since May of last year.

While appointing a rival to the vacant post, DeSantis made his distaste for Gruters painfully clear.

“If George Washington rose from the dead and came back and tapped me on the shoulder and said, ‘Will you appoint Joe Gruters CFO?’ my response would be, no, I can’t do that without betraying the voters that elected me,” DeSantis said, according to Florida Politics.

He accused Gruters of siding with teachers’ unions in battles with the state government, as well as supporting the marijuana industry (a constitutional amendment to legalize recreational use failed in November).

According to the Tampa Bay Times, DeSantis and Gruters clashed over a bill Gruters supported that would have put the job of chief immigration officer in the state in the hands of the state’s agriculture commissioner.

In a post on the social media platform X, DeSantis called the bill “truly contemptible” and described it as “amnesty.”

And as the Sarasota Herald-Tribune reported in January 2020, Gruters had a history of sponsoring pro-gay legislation in the state before appearing to reverse course.

“I’m an ally of the LGBTQ community,” he told the newspaper.

More recently, in April, Gruters made the wrong kind of headlines when the U.K.’s Daily Mail, a British outlet with a major North American presence, revealed he was a follower of 60 accounts on the adult-themed OnlyFans site.

(“I typically engage accounts that are recommended or interact with my account,” Gruters told the Daily Mail. “That said, I will review my follows and remove any content that may be considered questionable.”)

Conservative media users aren’t letting that past go.

“Perfect for San Francisco, nightmare for Florida,” one pro-DeSantis account on the social media platform X declared.

“Gruters just tried to pass amnesty for illegal aliens in Florida,” wrote another user.

The conservative pro-life website LifeSiteNews made its view clear in its headline and summary head about Trump’s endorsement.

“Trump endorses LGBT ‘ally’ Joe Gruters to be next RNC chair,” the headline declared.

The summary headline?

“Donald Trump has endorsed Joe Gruters to lead the Republican National Committee despite the Florida lawmaker’s liberal stances on LGBT ‘discrimination,’ immigration, teachers’ unions, and marijuana.”

According to Florida Politics, Gruters was the first Florida lawmaker to make an official endorsement of Trump in the Republican 2024 primary — snubbing DeSantis’ short-lived, mistake-in-hindsight primary challenge to the 45th president.

That no doubt plays a role in both Trump’s support for Gruters and DeSantis’ opposition, but there appear to be deeper factors at play here.

In a job as crucial as the chairmanship of the Republican National Committee, having anything less than sterling, unblemished bona fides is going to be a problem with a voter base with a limited trust in establishment politicians, even if they have an “R” next to their name.

Questionable positions on “trans” issues, illegal immigration, and drugs — not to mention raising eyebrows by following OnlyFans models — are serious red flags for any contender for the job.

Trump has proven over and over again what he can accomplish with sheer force of will, and he’s almost single-handedly responsible for revising the ideological power of the Republican Party after the dormancy of the post-Mitt Romney world.

As the titular head of the party, as well as probably the single most influential human being in the world, much less the American GOP, he could almost certainly install any chairman of the party he chooses.

However, the situation now is the midterms are approaching next year, and the magic “Trump” name is not on the ballot — which means the energy of the party faithful is going to be at a premium for all of the Republican Party.

The question for Trump is, is a clash with conservatives worth it?

This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.

The post Trump Gets Backlash Over RNC Chair Endorsement: An LGBT ‘Ally’ Who ‘Just Tried to Pass Amnesty’ appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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