The Navy earlier this summer installed a new Navy CIO, a year after the last permanent leader in the job was promoted to Defense Department CIO.

Rob Foster arrived at the Navy Department in mid-June, with near-term plans to focus on employee productivity, including mobility, cybersecurity, and using business analytics to drive decision-making within the service, according to a Navy blog post.

He succeeds now-DoD CIO Terry Halvorsen, the last permanent CIO, and acting Navy CIO John Zangardi.

Foster previously served as deputy CIO at both the Health and Human Services Department and Homeland Security's Immigrations and Customs Enforcement office. He also spent 21 years in the Navy, including as a commissioned officer.

In his time at the Navy, Foster was involved with IT operations, software development, security and process improvement, and worked as a warranted acquisition professional, global logistics expert and program manager for major IT initiatives, according to his Navy bio.

In an introductory article in CHIPS, the Navy's IT-focused publication, Foster pledged to pursue technological innovation in his time as Navy CIO.

"As the pace of technological development continues to accelerate, it is important for the Department to maintain an edge," he wrote. "We will have to think harder and smarter than ever about how to turn technological advances into strategic advantage. When we have an innovative idea, we need to be able to turn it into a capability quickly."

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