Are Law and Policy Clear and Consistent? Roles and Responsibilities of the Defense Acquisition Executive and the Chief Information Officer

The roles and responsibilities of defense acquisition officers and chief information officers are governed both by U.S. laws and by Department of Defense (DoD) policy. The authors identify policy governing the design, acquisition, and integration of information technology (IT) and national security systems (NSS) that could lead to potential conflicts among these executives when they exercise their duties in the defense acquisition system, and suggest changes to DoD policy that can resolve these conflicts.