ARLINGTON, Va. (AFNS) -- The Department of the Air Force is aligning with a new federal initiative to overhaul how government services are designed and delivered, a move leaders say will sharpen warfighting readiness, increase lethality and save taxpayer dollars.
Federal Chief Information Officer Greg Barbaccia announced in early September that he has been designated as the Federal Government Service Delivery Lead under the Government Service Delivery Improvement Act. The initiative, known as GSDI, is intended to bring the speed, efficiency and user experience of federal services in line with the best private sector practices.
In a message to all federal agency chief information officers, Barbaccia outlined three guiding principles: using proven technology and standardized design; breaking down bureaucracy to build for real people; and collecting and acting on business intelligence. For the Department of the Air Force, those principles align with ongoing efforts to modernize personnel systems, logistics platforms, training resources and other mission critical services.
“Every minute an Airman or Guardian spends navigating outdated systems or redundant processes is a minute they are not focused on the mission,” said Dr. Keith Hardiman, the Department of the Air Force’s acting deputy chief information officer. “By adopting proven technology, designing services around the user and making decisions based on real data, we can make sure our information technology investments are performing and delivering actual capability to the enterprise.”
The Headquarters Cyberspace Capabilities Center, based at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, will play a central role in implementing the changes. The center develops and manages enterprise IT services such as cloud computing, cybersecurity, mobility and data centers, ensuring they are interoperable and aligned with operational needs.
“Our mission is to deliver secure, standardized capabilities that work anywhere our Airmen and Guardians operate,” said Col. Chris Rubiano, the center’s commander. “When we unify requirements and eliminate redundant systems, we give the force faster, more reliable tools — and that directly supports readiness while cutting costs.”
Leaders expect Airmen and Guardians to see gradual improvements, such as better interoperability, fewer logins and faster turnaround times for common applications. Feedback from the field will be critical to shaping those changes.
“This is not change for change’s sake,” Hardiman said. “It’s about improving user experience and delivering the right capabilities, at the right time, to the right people — so our people have the digital infrastructure and tools they need to fight and win.”