Radha Plumb becomes DoD’s Chief Digital and AI Officer

Indian American national security expert Dr. Radha Plumb has assumed charge as the Department of Defense (DoD) Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer (CDAO).

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III administered the oath of office to Plumb in an April 9 ceremony at the Pentagon with family and colleagues in attendance. Plumb most recently served as the Deputy Under Secretary of Defence for Acquisition and Sustainment.

“It is an honor to serve in this role at a critical time for our nation. AI and digital innovation provide crucial new technologies and capabilities for our warfighters,” said Plumb. “I am looking forward to collaborating with partners from military leaders to industry partners and academia to our allies and partners to ensure we deliver digital and AI technological advancements at speed and scale.”

Plumb assumes the role of CDAO having completed her last assignment working acquisition matters related to DoD, including building out and maintaining a robust national security industrial base and supply chain, according to a media release.

READ: Radha Iyengar Plumb confirmed in key Pentagon post (April 20, 2023)

She brings significant technical expertise in data and AI development as well as creative acquisition approaches combined with strategic acumen to advance the CDAO’s innovative efforts. Her combination of government and industry experience will provide a unique advantage to drive accelerated adoption of data, analytics, and AI across DOD.

Prior to her work with the DoD, Plumb has worked in various industry positions to include Google, RAND and Facebook.

Plumb received her PhD in economics from Princeton University and at the outset of her career, she was an assistant professor at the London School of Economics and a Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Scholar at Harvard.

The CDAO became operational in June 2022 and is dedicated to integrating and optimizing artificial intelligence capabilities across the DoD.

The office is responsible for accelerating the DoD’s adoption of data, analytics, and AI, enabling the Department’s digital infrastructure and policy adoption to deliver scalable AI-driven solutions for enterprise and joint use cases, safeguarding the nation against current and emerging threats.