ARLINGTON, VA, July 27, 2004—Lieutenant General Harry D. Raduege, Jr., Director of the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) and Commander, Joint Task Force-Global Network Operations (JTF-GNO), announced today that Debra M. Filippi has been selected as the new Net-Centric Enterprise Services (NCES) Program Director. Ms. Filippi comes to DISA from the U.S. Marine Corps where she was the Deputy Director, Command, Control, Communications and Computers, and Deputy Chief Information Officer.

A career civil servant, Ms. Filippi brings a wealth of experience in the acquisition and information technology field to the NCES program. “We are pleased to welcome one of DoD’s elite executives to the DISA team as we proceed to the ‘Technology Development’ phase of NCES. Ms. Filippi will have a critical role in the evolution of the NCES program and the speed with which we are able to field software releases and enhancements, “ said Lt. Gen. Raduege.

Ms. Filippi began her civil service career with the Department of Navy Regional Data Automation Center at the Washington Navy Yard as a computer programmer for the Navy Worldwide Military Command and Control System (WWMCCS) Software Standardization Program. She was promoted to project manager of the Integrated Information Display System, a program designed to revolutionize command and control capabilities for the Commander in Chief of the Pacific Fleet Operations Command Center. Upon graduating from the Defense Systems Management College Program Management Course, she became the project manager of the Navy Warfare Gaming System, a modeling and simulation-based system designed to support the Naval War College and the Fleet Tactical Training Groups of the Pacific and Atlantic fleets. Ms. Filippi then transferred to the Department of Commerce, Patent and Trademark Office, to manage a $500 million dollar contract to automate the patent application and search process.

She returned to the Department of Navy in 1989 as the acquisition program manager of the Operations Support System. She was instrumental in developing and fielding the Operations Support System, a revolutionary command and control system, for the Navy, and for establishing the technology infrastructure to consolidate all Navy C2 systems. This infrastructure formed the basis for the Global Command and Control System’s common operating environment. Ms. Filippi’s success in this endeavor ultimately resulted in her promotion to deputy program manager for all Navy command and control systems.

Her latest accomplishments as Deputy Director, Command, Control, Communications and Computers and Deputy Chief Information Officer of the Marine Corps—positions she has held since 1996--have been extensive. She was responsible for developing and administering all policy on Command and Control and Information Technology (IT) on behalf of the Marine Corps and led the strategic planning and implementation of the Navy Marine Corps Intranet. She developed the strategic vision for the Marine Corps Enterprise IT Services, a C4 IT transformational initiative to achieve Net-Centric operations for the Marine Corps, leading to the Marine Corps becoming the first Service component to achieve this milestone. She also established an IT professional community for Marine Corps civilians to formalize career development.

Ms. Filippi is a 1996 graduate of the Industrial College of the Armed Forces and a 2002 Presidential Rank Award Winner.

As NCES Program Director, Ms. Filippi will lead the Department of Defense (DoD) effort to implement Net-Centric Enterprise Services. The NCES and the larger Global Information Grid Enterprises Services capabilities will transform how DoD shares and uses information. “NCES is going to have a profound impact on our Command and Control capability of the 21st Century. I’m extremely excited to be a part of this revolutionary initiative,” said Ms. Filippi.

U.S. Strategic Command and U.S. Joint Forces Command, two Combatant Commands; DISA and Service partners will use NCES to provide global strike and shared situational awareness capabilities - extending and expanding current operational capabilities. The pilot demonstration for these two NCES capabilities is scheduled for October of this year.

“The DoD Net-Centric vision demands improved business models for providing information and technology across the Department. NCES is a powerful transformational construct that will revolutionalize the way we conduct warfighting and business operations throughout the DoD," said Lt. Gen. Raduege. "It will bring advanced speed, precision and efficiency through integrated joint net-centric operations. Ms. Filippi brings outstanding joint warfighting perspectives; Defense business expertise; and experience in joint information technology development, program management, and acquisition. She is well known throughout the DoD C4 and IT communities, and we’re excited that she is joining our DISA team.”