Mr. Leonel Garciga was selected for appointment as US Army Chief Information Officer (CIO) in July 2023.
As CIO, Mr. Garciga is the principal adviser to the Secretary of the Army on information resource management (IRM) and information technology (IT) and the effect of IRM and IT on warfighting capabilities. He sets the strategic direction for and oversees the execution of policies and programs for IRM and IT, including managing an integrated IT architecture, information sharing policy, cybersecurity policy and cybersecurity program management, managing the life cycle of IT resource management processes, and ensuring the synchronization of the information enterprise.
Mr. Garciga is a career civil servant with a diverse background in acquisition, engineering, intelligence, and information technology having served in these roles across the Department of the Defense and Intelligence Community since 2003.
Prior to his role as US Army CIO, Mr. Garciga served as the Director, Army Intelligence Community Information Management, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence (G-2). He provided operational, technical and security expertise and oversight of Army Intelligence Community’s information management and information technology capabilities across the Army. He was the strategic manager and integrator of intelligence information technology and data systems with Joint, Intelligence Community and National systems, serving as the Army’s Intelligence Community Chief Information Officer.
Mr. Garciga is a recognized subject matter expert in digital transformation, secure software development (DevSecOps) and data analytics. Previously serving in several roles redefining software acquisition for the Department of Defense and operationalizing data analytics capabilities at scale across the Department of Defense and the Intelligence Community. He also served as the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) – Joint Improvised Threat Defeat Organization (JIDO) as the Chief Technology Officer and Senior Advisor on technology to the DTRA director. Prior to working at DTRA, Mr. Garciga served as the Joint IED Defeat Organization Deputy Chief Information Officer, USJFCOM Joint Transformation Command – Intelligence (JTC-I) as an Intelligence Analyst/Information Technology Specialist and started his career as a Mechanical Engineer at the Navy Engineering Logistics Office.
Mr. Garciga has a BS in Mechanical Engineering Technology, graduate work in Organizational Management, is a certified Information Technology security professional, and a graduate of Naval Nuclear Power School. Mr. Garciga’s awards include Meritorious Civilian Service Medal, Army Superior Civilian Service Award, Commander’s Award for Civilian Service (x3), Secretary of Defense Medal for the Global War on Terrorism and 2018 DoD-CIO Team Award.
Mr. Garciga is a U.S. Navy veteran earning his submarine warfare pin aboard the USS Memphis SSN-691. He currently resides in northern Virginia with his wife Linda and his two daughters.
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