Lynn to take over as DISA director

Army Maj. Gen. Alan Lynn will succeed Lt. Gen. Ronnie Hawkins as director of the Defense Information Systems Agency, a Defense Department official confirmed Tuesday.

Lynn, who was confirmed for promotion to lieutenant general in April, is currently the DISA vice director. Hawkins announced in January that he plans to retire by the end of the year.

News of Lynn’s succession came as DISA — the Pentagon’s main networking and IT infrastructure services agency — released its latest five year strategic plan. The updated strategy focuses on “assured, scalable, managed access to services and data, in all environments, at the point of need, provided from cost effective infrastructure and computing.”

Army Lt. Gen. Ronnie Hawkins, the director of the Defense Information Systems Agency, plans to retire later this year. (DISA)

DISA and the Defense Department are “at an operational crossroads,” Hawkins wrote in the director’s statement accompanying the strategy. “We continue to operate in a contested battlespace, where the barrier to entry is low and oftentimes unchallenged. We will be aggressive in our pursuit of efficiency and effectiveness, and no longer support the operations of legacy and costly applications without senior leadership’s approval and direction. We recognize our value added within this mission space and will continually fine tune our efforts.”