Navy officially taps Barry Tanner as CIO
The Department of the Navy announced Tuesday that Barry Tanner will serve as the chief information officer for both the Navy and Marine Corps on a permanent basis.
Tanner enters the role having served as the department’s acting CIO following Jane Rathbun’s departure from the position in 2025. Prior to taking on that job, he served as the Department of the Navy’s deputy CIO beginning in 2024 and has held a number of IT leadership posts in both the military and private sector.
As CIO, Tanner will be tasked with overseeing a number of ongoing modernization efforts within the Navy and the Marine Corps. He will primarily focus on the department’s enterprise-wide adoption of artificial intelligence, implementation of zero-trust cybersecurity, securing cryptographic modernization and improving overall cyber readiness, according to the DON.
“The modern battlefield is defined by data, secure communication and rapid decision-making. Information is a critical weapon system, and Mr. Tanner’s unparalleled experience, both as a veteran naval officer and a cutting-edge digital leader, makes him the ideal choice to spearhead our digital modernization,” Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao said in a statement.
While serving as deputy and acting CIO, Tanner was instrumental in several Department of the Navy efforts to modernize its IT infrastructure — including Operation Cattle Drive and the Naval Enterprise Networks program. He also previously worked as the director of operations for the Navy’s program executive office for digital and enterprise services.
Tanner spent three decades as an active and reserve naval officer, serving in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and as the deputy CIO for U.S. Fleet Cyber Command, according to the department. While in the Navy Reserve, he worked as a senior associate for Booz Allen Hamilton Strategic Innovation Group.
“In today’s high-end fight, secure, reliable, and instantaneous data delivery is just as critical to our warfighters as any kinetic weapon system,” Tanner said in a statement. “I look forward to working closely with [Cao], department leaders and our partners across the industry to accelerate the weaponization of data and AI. Together, we will deliver modern, resilient enterprise services that provide our Sailors and Marines with the digital dominance required to fight and win.”
