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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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GOP Senator John Thune Quietly BLOCKS Trump Recess Appointments with Sneaky Procedural Maneuver — Launches Series of Pro Forma Sessions to Keep Senate in Fake “Session” During August Recess

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13 hours ago

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August 3, 2025

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Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R‑SD) has unveiled a procedural scheme to block President Donald Trump from making any critical appointments during the August recess, effectively aiding the Democrats’ obstructionist agenda.

Under the U.S. Constitution, the president can make “recess appointments,” temporary appointments to federal positions, if the Senate is in recess and not conducting business. These appointments don’t require immediate Senate confirmation and can last until the end of the next session of Congress.

But there’s a loophole: if the Senate holds pro forma sessions, very short, symbolic meetings where no actual business is conducted, then technically, the Senate is still in session. That means the president cannot legally make recess appointments during that time.

John Thune has quietly secured unanimous‑consent for a paper‑thin Senate schedule through the Trump appointee confirmation deadline, ensuring only pro forma sessions on five key dates in early August.

Under the agreement, the chamber will adjourn after today’s business and reconvene without conducting any votes or business on:

  • Tue, Aug 5 – 1:00 p.m.
  • Fri, Aug 8 – 1:05 p.m.
  • Tue, Aug 12 – 8:00 a.m.
  • Fri, Aug 15 – 10:15 a.m.
  • Tue, Aug 19 – 10:00 a.m.
  • Fri, Aug 22 – 9:00 a.m.
  • Tue, Aug 26 – 12:00 p.m.
  • Fri, Aug 29 – 7:00 a.m.

WATCH:

Thune’s pro forma blueprint comes amid mounting pressure from Donald Trump, who has demanded the Senate remain open until all 150+ administration nominees are confirmed.

Under the Recess Appointments Clause, a president may only install nominees without Senate approval if both chambers are in formal recess for at least 10 days. By convening the Senate just long enough every few days, Thune blocks the possibility of Trump making unilateral appointees.

The Senate went into its August recess without confirming all of Trump’s pending judicial and district‑level appointments.

By the time lawmakers left town on Saturday evening, no deal had been reached to move dozens of Trump’s nominees, including U.S. district court picks, through final floor votes.

Only a small handful of nominees (such as Jeanine Pirro to be U.S. Attorney in D.C.) had advanced. Otherwise, nominees remained stalled in committees or waiting for cloture roll‑calls on the executive calendar.

Roughly 150–160 executive and judicial nominations, including over a dozen district court judges and U.S. attorney nominations, remained scheduled but unconfirmed.

The post GOP Senator John Thune Quietly BLOCKS Trump Recess Appointments with Sneaky Procedural Maneuver — Launches Series of Pro Forma Sessions to Keep Senate in Fake “Session” During August Recess appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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‘That’s What I Call Results!’: Trump Admin Saves Jobs, Kicks 1500 Non-English-Speaking Truckers Off the Road

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13 hours ago

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August 3, 2025

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Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy revealed that there have been about 1,500 truck drivers who do not speak English taken off the roads as part of a push to ensure foreign truck drivers are not causing accidents.

Back in 2016, the Obama administration stopped enforcing English proficiency requirements for truckers, according to a report from The Daily Signal.

But in May, Duffy issued a guidance making clear that truck drivers who cannot demonstrate a proficiency in English cannot drive.

The 1,500 drivers were taken off the roads within the first 3o days of the rules once more being enforced, according to The Daily Signal.

“Since I took action to enforce language proficiency requirements for truckers, our state partners have put roughly 1,500 unqualified drivers out of service. That’s what I call results!” Duffy posted on X.

“If you can’t read or speak our national language — ENGLISH — we won’t let your truck endanger the driving public.”

He added, “America First = Safety First.”

Duffy’s concerns were far from unfounded.

In January, there was a truck driver involved in a fatal crash that had to use a language interpreter for the post-crash investigation, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

Another incident from 2019 involved a truck driver who could not proficiently speak English speeding through signs that warned of steep grades and dangerous curves, all at more than 100 miles per hour.

Four people died in that crash, per the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

President Donald Trump had likewise insisted with an April executive order that the move centered on public safety.

“They should be able to read and understand traffic signs, communicate with traffic safety, border patrol, agricultural checkpoints, and cargo weight-limit station officers,” the order said of truck drivers.

They also “need to provide feedback to their employers and customers and receive related directions in English,” a position the order called “common sense.”

“It is the policy of my Administration to support America’s truckers and safeguard our roadways by enforcing the commonsense English-language requirement for commercial motor vehicle drivers and removing needless regulatory burdens that undermine the working conditions of America’s truck drivers,” the notice added.

“This order will help ensure a safe, secure, and efficient motor carrier industry.”

This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.

The post ‘That’s What I Call Results!’: Trump Admin Saves Jobs, Kicks 1500 Non-English-Speaking Truckers Off the Road appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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Slovenia Imposes Arms Embargo on Israel, Citing Gaza Conflict

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13 hours ago

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August 3, 2025

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via Wikimedia Commons

Slovenia has imposed an arms embargo on Israel, banning the export, import, and transit of weapons to and from the country.

This decision was announced by Prime Minister Robert Golob following a government session on July 31, 2025.

Slovenia claims to be the first European Union member to take such a step, citing the EU’s inability to act due to internal disagreements.

The government stated that no permits for military exports to Israel have been issued since October 2023, when the conflict in Gaza began.

Officials emphasized that the embargo is an independent measure to address the humanitarian situation in Gaza. Slovenia has repeatedly called for a ceasefire and increased aid deliveries to the region.

In early July 2025, Slovenia declared two Israeli ministers, Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, persona non grata, barring them from entry.

This action was based on their public statements regarding the conflict. Earlier, in June 2024, Slovenia recognized Palestinian statehood, joining countries like Ireland, Norway, and Spain in this move.

The conflict in Gaza started after the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas on Israeli territory, which resulted in over 1,200 deaths and the taking of hostages.

Israel responded with a military operation aimed at dismantling Hamas infrastructure. Reports from Gaza’s health ministry indicate significant casualties, with ongoing international efforts to negotiate truces and provide aid.

Several other nations have taken similar diplomatic steps, including France, Britain, and Canada announcing potential recognition of a Palestinian state. Australia has also indicated that recognizing Palestinian statehood is under consideration.

Israel has criticized these declarations, arguing they could reward Hamas for its actions.

Israeli officials dismissed Slovenia’s embargo as insignificant, noting that Israel does not procure any defense materials from Slovenia.

An unnamed official stated that the country buys nothing from Slovenia, not even minor items.

Within the EU, there is growing pressure for measures against Israel, with Sweden and the Netherlands advocating for suspending parts of the EU-Israel Association Agreement.

The European Commission has proposed limiting Israel’s participation in the Horizon research program, though Germany opposes such steps.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul expressed concerns about Israel’s potential diplomatic isolation during a visit to Jerusalem.

The United States remains a key ally to Israel, with President Donald Trump warning that recognizing Palestinian statehood might benefit Hamas.

U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff recently met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to advance Gaza truce talks. These efforts aim to address the humanitarian crisis and secure a ceasefire.

The post Slovenia Imposes Arms Embargo on Israel, Citing Gaza Conflict appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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