John Garstka Named Interim CISO for DOD Acquisition, Sustainment

The Department of Defense has appointed John Garstka as acting chief information security officer for acquisition and sustainment.

In his role, Garstka will lead the integration of security- and cyber-related initiatives within the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense and ensure security within the Pentagon’s technology supply chain, FedScoop reported.

Sources say he is taking over the position on an interim basis from Katie Arrington, but it is unclear how much of a role Garstka will play in the implementation and management of the DOD’s Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program.

The responsibilities of the CISO for acquisition and sustainment include ensuring that the weapons systems across the U.S. military are digitally secure.

Garstka takes on the position as military services struggle to tackle cybersecurity risks within the defense supply chain.

To better secure its digital infrastructure, the Pentagon is looking to the CMMC program, with which companies must comply before doing business with the government.

The new DOD acquisition and sustainment CISO is a former U.S. Air Force officer and a cybersecurity specialist.

He has held leadership roles within the Pentagon’s Office of the CISO since 2012, most recently as director of cyber programs.

After spending the first decade of his professional career at the Air Force, Garstka joined Cambridge Research Associates as a senior systems engineer, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Between 1995 and 2000, he was a scientific and technical adviser focused on network-centric warfare. After that, he became the Joint Staff’s chief technology officer.

Garstka holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the Air Force Academy and a master’s degree in engineering from Stanford University.