DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE
Image ( Left ): Lauren Barrett Knausenberger , Chief Information Officer for the Department of the Air Force , participated in a base tour March 29 , 2023 at Eielson Air Force Base , Alaska . During her visit , Knausenberger met with Col . David Berkland , 354th Fighter Wing Commander , to learn more about their mission and discuss the critical role of cyber communication . As the Chief Information Officer for the Department of the Air Force , Knausenberger is responsible for overseeing the Air Force ’ s communication and information technology strategy . This includes ensuring that the Air Force ’ s cyber capabilities are aligned with the needs of the service and the broader national security goals .
COVID , to truly understand what a digital world is and that it is the underpinning of our future competitive advantage .”
Walking tall and gaining a seat at the table The hard work of Knausenberger and her team over the last three years has truly elevated the stature of the office of the CIO . “ The CIO 100 % has a seat at the table ,” she says . “ The secretary relies on us for technical guidance . MAJCOM Commanders rely on us to solve major problems for them for the fight .”
As a result , the cyber and IT community feels incredibly valued . “ We do lots of things that support air power anytime , anywhere .
We do lots of things that support the fight in space , but people now recognise very consistently that the airplanes are not taking off without all the IT and cyber systems and personnel that support them .”
One of Knausenberger ’ s proudest achievements , she says , came when the United States Air Forces in Europe ( USAFE ) A6 and USAFE MAJCOM commanders were looking for new solutions to problems with their IT infrastructure .
“ I went out personally and then put together a broader team across our operational community to go out and work with those guys . In partnership with the MAJCOM commander and A6 out there , we completely overhauled their infrastructure . And so they were able to go through and do these critical exercises with their allies with greater performance and resilience than they had ever seen .”
As Knausenberger explains , this new ability to move quickly has been particularly important in recent times .
“ We did not know at the time that the Ukraine conflict would be coming , but when it did , because we had done all of that hard work , it was so much easier to launch new capabilities that would provide that resilience that we would need to do anything to help
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